Choosing camera for the 3d panoramas shooting.

One can film the spherical 3D panorama using any camera, even using the film-type “snapshot camera”, if you haven’t got anything better at hand. But the best results with the minimal amount of frames can be achieved with the help of the DSLR camera or at least the advanced prosumer digital camera, which has a capability to of the wide-angle attachment installation on the lens.

Digital Single Lens Reflex camera

The majority of the professional photographers shoot 360 VR panoramas on DSLR cameras, equipped with fisheye lenses. Such a combination makes it possible to put the 3D panoramas together from 2 or more original frames. Nowadays the definition of DSLR cameras matrix begins from 10 megapixels, so it’s possible to shoot the high quality and high resolution panoramas with the help of even the amateur level DSLR camera.

When choosing the DSLR camera for the virtual spherical panoramas shooting, apart from the other features, it’s important to pay attention to the fact if it’s possible to connect the trigger cable or wireless remote control to the camera and check out the list of lenses, which are supported by camera.

DSLR camera with fisheye lens

Compact digital camera

Quite good results can be achieved when shooting the spherical panoramas by the advanced compact photocamera – the so-called prosumer camera.
It’s true, that the prosumer cameras are not as good as the DSLR cameras in terms of image quality and the availability of controls, but they are also cheaper, lighter, smaller and easier to operate.

To draw the quantity of the frames, which are needed for the 3d panorama production to minimum, there should be the wide-angle or the fisheye converter installed on the lens of the “snapshot camera”.
It’s highly desirable to have the options of manual focus and manual exposure control or at least an option of blocking them. In order to have more freedom while processing the original frames, you can find the options of exposure bracketing and saving files in RAW format useful.

Prosumer digital camera with fisheye converter

When choosing a camera I recommend you to check out the comparisons and tests of the different photo cameras, for example, on the following sites:
http://www.dxomark.com/index.php/eng/DxOMark-Sensor/Camera-rankings
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs.asp

Automatic panoramic cameras

There are some panoramic cameras, which work in the fully automatic mode. Depending on the used lens type, such cameras produce cylindrical or spherical* panoramas. Such cameras after being placed on the necessary shooting-from spot, often don’t require any operator intervention into the process. More than that, some automatic panoramic cameras are equipped with the filmed material correction function and decodes the files into the necessary for export file format, which makes it possible to perform these actions right in the place, where the shooting is being made. The advantages of the automatic panoramic cameras are the high shooting speed and the opportunity not to spend time on the panorama post processing.
Because of the fact, that the prices of automatic cameras vary from 40 to 80 thousand dollars, they are mainly used in the criminal documentation, archeology and in the other “spheres”, which are sponsored by taxpayers, and also in such cases, when it’s necessary to film as much 360 panoramas as possible in the shortest time possible.

*On all the spherical panoramas, which were made using the automatic cameras, I saw the middle-sized black circle in the nadir zone, which made me think, that these cameras, most likely, doesn’t provide a separate shot of the place, where the stand (tripod) was standing.

Spheron SceneCam		Panoscan MK-3

More information about automatic panoramic cameras you can find on the following websites:

http://www.spheron.com/en/solutions.html
http://www.panoscan.com
http://www.roundshot.ch/xml_1/internet/de/application/f469.cfm