Cameras used for Virtual Tour Photography

It is possible to use a 35mm SLR film camera to create panoramic movies, but once the film is developed the images will require digitising in order to use stitching software to blend them together. The beauty of using a digital camera is that mistakes won't cost you (so long as they are rectified on site!) and can be identified straight away using the camera's LCD display. The camera you choose must have a manual setting option, if you try to use a camera in automatic mode it will readjust the exposure for each photograph taken in the 360 rotation. The result when the photographs are stitched will be a banded effect where the joins of each photograph are obvious.

A high specification digital SLR camera that has the option of manually setting the focus, colour balance, exposure and aperture is recommended. A wide angled lens is required, the wider it is the fewer shots are needed for each panorama but the more likely it is lens flaring will occur. Last but not least a levelling bubble is inserted into the hot shoe on the top of the camera, this ensures each shot is level.

Your camera equipment can be purchased from Buy A Camera.

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