Anyone using a Pentax K200D + Pentax 10mm fisheye?

[spaceman]

G'day

Is anyone using a Pentax K200D + Pentax 10mm fisheye lens for taking photos suitable to building panoramas?

http://www.pentaximaging.com/slr/k200d/
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/pentaxk200d/page29.asp
http://www.pentaxwebstore.com/detail/PTX+21580

If you are, would love to hear some feedback.

Thanks.

[Vincent Ogloblinsky]

Hi spacman,

I use the K20D + Pentax 10mm fisheye since many times. It is a great lens for doing panoramas with a good quality. I use it for many reports too without lack of time.

You can see some panoramas on my photoblog: http://www.photoglob.fr

Regards

Vincent

[spaceman]

Hi spacman,

I use the K20D + Pentax 10mm fisheye since many times. It is a great lens for doing panoramas with a good quality. I use it for many reports too without lack of time.

You can see some panoramas on my photoblog: http://www.photoglob.fr

Regards

Vincent

Thanks Vincent for your feedback.

How similar is the K20D to the K200D? If we're both using the same lens (Pentax 10mm fisheye) then I don't suppose the combination of the two can be so different.

fyi: I own a professional web design and development company (www.itomic.com). We are not professional photographers, and have no intention of becoming professional photographers. However, do want to become very good in the field of taking panoramic photography for display on websites. So we're most interested in any hints and tips you (or anyone else) can give us in relation to this.

For example:
1. What stitching software do you use and recommend?
2. I presume you take 6 shots horizontally at 60 degree increments, then one 'up' and one 'down' shot? Or perhaps you prefer to take 6 shots at 15 degrees down from the horizontal, then 1 shot up?
3. Do you typically use auto or manual focus?

Thanks!

[fritsjan]

I am using a pentax and a 8mm Peleng lens for making panorama's.
I have the 10-17mm pentax Fisheye. This is a very nice lens, but with a 8mm I only have to make 4 photo's in order to get all the 360 data I need. With the 10mm I need to make about 6 photo's

I wonder how you make the photo's with the 10mm, vincent?
What is your workflow? Do you make pictures on a tripod, or out of hand?

Thanks in advance for sharing, btw your site is very nice!

[Vincent Ogloblinsky]

spaceman, fritsjan:

I have started with PTgui and i work actually with it. It is a very good software, very efficient, and you can control the parameters easily.

With the 10m, i always shoot 6 pictures at 0°, one zenith and one nadir. You can decrease to 5 shots if you want, and 4 if you roll your camera like this:

http://www.photoglob.fr/heber/panophoto/Setup_682B_8mm_2.jpg

For a high quality with the 10mm, it is highly recommended to do 2 rows, one at 6O° and one at -60°.

For my reports, if there is a big action, i shoot now with my 8mm Sigma f/4, in 4 shots + one nadir handhelded. if there is a cool action, i shot with my 10mm in 5 shots for increasing the quality.

For the 10mm, i use auto focus, even if it is higly recommended to find the best setting for the focus and block the ring with a scotch.
For the 8mm, it is an old model with no auto focus, so i have find the best setting for the focus.

I shoot my reports on a Manfrotto 682B monopod.

For the stitch part, i always try to do the maximum work in PTgui, i import my pictures and the nadir, add some alpha channels on my tifs if necessary, and export the panorama in one tiff, or in multi-layers psd if some minimal retouchs are necessary.

Regards

[Takoca]

I am using a pentax and a 8mm Peleng lens for making panorama's.
I have the 10-17mm pentax Fisheye. This is a very nice lens, but with a 8mm I only have to make 4 photo's in order to get all the 360 data I need. With the 10mm I need to make about 6 photo's

I wonder how you make the photo's with the 10mm, vincent?
What is your workflow? Do you make pictures on a tripod, or out of hand?

Thanks in advance for sharing, btw your site is very nice!
Hi!

I have K10D and 10-17mm pentax fisheye too. Could you show me 1-1 test photo with the 10-17 and with the Peleng? (from the same position)
Thank you!

[Takoca]

spaceman, fritsjan:

... and 4 if you roll your camera like this:...


Great tip, I will try it! Thanks!

(my site with the k10d + 10-17 pentax panos: www.kerekterek.hu)