Five popular methods for producing panoramas.
Comparison Sample Images
- Fixed film and fixed lens camera that simply crops an image to a long and
skinny format. The once was popular 35mm panorama is an example of this type. 6x17 format is the
industry standard for commercial panorama work. This is far and away the most popular way
to produce a panorama, also the least field of view.
- Segmented
- A series of images displayed next to one another to show an extended scene. This is the
oldest method used to show a wide field of view. Currently it is enjoying a rebirth in
popularity by artists who combine stills into complete 360 degree+ field of view images.
- Swing Lens
- Produced by a cameras that have a lens that swings from side to side while wiping the
image on stationary film that is held on a curved plane. These cameras typically take a
140 degree field of view image. The first panoramic camera ever patented was a swinglens.
It was a hand cranked model patented in 1843 in Austria
- Rotational
- These cameras take a 360 degree+ field of view image on film that moves in one direction
as the camera turns in the other. The first commercially produced rotational was the circa
1904 Cirkut Camera. They came in several sizes 5, 6, 8, 10, and 16. Many of them are still
being used by professionals today. Modern rotational cameras are available too. They are
popular with Quicktime VR and Surround Video artist..
- Peripheral and Linear Strip
- Images of moving objects are wiped on film that is also moving. The film speed must
equal the speed of the moving image. The Horse race finish camera is a common use of strip
panoramic photography. The speed of the film matches the speed of the image of the horses.
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