Testing, Testing

The number of panoramas I did in 2014 was rather underwhelming.

In fact, you can count them on two hands.

Using only your thumbs.

Obviously, this isn’t a state I like. Something had to be done! Back in the pre-digital days, I had two camera bodies, one for the panoramas and one for the “normal” stuff. Now with digital, for a hobbyist, it’s a bit pricey.

Fast forward to November, and I’m sitting in a Café with a friend of mine, who casually remarks that there’s a sale at the local electronics store. Two hours later, and I’ve snatched the last box from the bin. Another hour later, and I find there’s a stray pixel on the viewfinder’s LCD, but who cares – there’s none on the sensor, and that’s what matters.

So here is the first outdoor panorama with my new rig, a Canon EOS 1200 with the good old Sigma 8mm f/3.5 now permanently attached and ready!

I'm looking forward to using it more often in the future, since now I don’t have to switch lenses between fisheye and “ordinary”, and I’ve found for me it’s all about the convenience when it comes to my hobbies – so now, two cameras for two purposes! Besides, the “little” 1200 body has no fancy dust cleaning mechanism built in, so it’s really best suited for a lens that stays always on and doesn’t pump air (read: does not zoom in and out).

Granted, this scene here is nothing special, but I'm glad the setup worked pretty well on the first try. Now all I need are conveniently located spectacular sights, which might prove to be even more challenging …

Europe / Germany

Lat: 49° 27' 43.46" N
Long: 11° 46' 51.42" E

Elevation: 415 m

→ maps.google.com [EXT]

Precision is: High. Pinpoints the exact spot.

Hardware: Canon EOS 1200D, Sigma 8mm f/3.5 with Nikon-Canon adapter, self-made panorama bracket on Novoflex pano disc, and a cheap tripod.

Software: PTGui, Bracketeer, Photoshop