Aspect Ratio-Panorama

[wilgk]

I am just wondering has anyone any experience in setting their camera to a long skinny aspect ratio prior to capturing the image, as opposed to a panorama technique?

Basically I want to try a 'long thin' picture of a row of people spaced apart with 1 image rather than a lot, to be stacked later.
The camera is a 7D
Many thanks for any advice.

[dje]

Hi Kay

The widest aspect ratio you can set on my 600D is 16:9 and I suspect it's the same on the 7D. This just crops the top and bottom of the sensor anyway so you may as well just use a wide angle lens to get all the people in and then crop in PS.

Dave

PS : I should have also said that you can only select aspect ratio for jpeg shooting. If you shoot raw you get the standard sensor aspect ratio only (3:2).

[William W]

I am just wondering has anyone any experience in setting their camera to a long skinny aspect ratio prior to capturing the image, as opposed to a panorama technique?
Basically I want to try a 'long thin' picture of a row of people spaced apart with 1 image rather than a lot, to be stacked later.
The camera is a 7D

and

The widest aspect ratio you can set on my 600D is 16:9 and I suspect it's the same on the 7D. This just crops the top and bottom of the sensor anyway so you may as well just use a wide angle lens to get all the people in and then crop in PS . . . you can only select aspect ratio for jpeg shooting. If you shoot raw you get the standard sensor aspect ratio only (3:2).

I am not so sure that the 7D can shoot (record JPEG) in any particular aspect ratio like the 600D can do.

The 7D does have the Custom Function of adding aspect ratio guide lines when shooting in Live View mode: but these guide lines seem to mimic other (film) camera aspect ratios or some standard Print Sizes – viz: 6x6; 3x4; 4x5; 6x7; 10x12 and 5x7.

C.Fn IV-4 is the CUSTOM FUNCTION to use for the 7D– but the image (both raw and JPEG) are recorded at 3:2 aspect ratio and the (other) aspect ratio’s guide lines information, is appended to the file, to use later in Post Production.

According, on a 7D the guidelines could be used to assist to frame the shot, but one must use Live View – and I don’t believe that there is anything close to a “panorama” ratio.

I only used a 7D for a couple of days and I might have missed some functionality so please advise if my information is lacking.

***

In any case –

I also suggest using a very wide angle lens, maybe even a fisheye and crop the top and bottom to make it really slim in Post Production.

Below is an example using a 15mm fisheye on a 135 format camera (AKA “Full Frame Camera”).

Reading from top left to right – Frames #3; #5 and #6 are all captured with the Fisheye Lens

The aspect ratio of each frame is 14:5 (2.8:1), and was chosen to mimic /approximate the early Ultra Panavison screens used for some of the "large" movies . . . like Ben Hur
And it is pretty close to the old Film Panorama Ratio of 3:1


A Picture Story - Five Training Daze
©2009 WMW AJ GROUP Pty Ltd Aust.


WW

[whited3]

I use a 7d and crop my landscapes to suit using either 1:1.8 or 1:2.67. Why these ratios? I looked at some sites of professional photographers I admire and copied what they do

[rpcrowe]

The 60D has several settings that the 7D disregards. It is apparently expected that a photographer using the 7D would post process the images and be able to crop to any aspect ratio desired rather than have the camera automatically crop for him. The 7D also got rid of the DUMMY settings of, portrait, sports, landscape, etc. However, it retains the important three user controlled modes in which a photographer can set the 7D to any combination of parameters and then select those parameter groupings with a single twist of the mode dial.

The 40D had this capability, the 50D reduced the capability to two user controlled settings (one of the reasons I never considered getting a 50D) and the 60D further reduced it to a single setting. I am very happy that the 7D retains the capabilities of the 40D because I use this all the time. It is "almost" like having the sports, landscape, etc. settings except that the 7D allows me to decide what the parameters should be for my shooting.

It is nice to be able to switch to the focus selection, burst mode, etc. which I use for fast moving subjects with the one turn of the dial. That way I can switch my camera to a mode for fast moving subjects in a heartbeat. I also have a mode pre-programmed for panos because I will often opt to shoot a pano when I need a wider view. This is not quite as critical because I usually have time to select the individual parameters when shooting panos but, it is a LOT easier using the USER SELECTER MODE selection.

I am surprised however, that the 7D still has an automatic exposure feature and even enlarges it to a creative automatic. This and the print-from-camera are features which the 7D could get rid of without reducing the camera's capability one whit!

[wilgk]

Thankyou everyone!
That is all a terrific help.
After my recent wedding experience,I am setting my C1, 2 etc, to suit outdoors daylight, vs indoors no flash lowlight, so as you say, blink & you can switch between.
And funny you should give me a swimming eg Bill because I have just hired a fisheye for 3 days of swimming carnivals coming up this week.
As most of the images are used for website promo, for a school and a Basketball association, standard print ratios, can be ignored, so I'll crop without constraint and see how I go.
Thanks again for the replies/advice.

[William W]

. . .funny you should give me a swimming [example] . . . I have just hired a fisheye for 3 days of swimming carnivals coming up this week.

When you are using the Fisheye, you might consider more carefully the Framing, than you might normally if you were using a very wide angle lens.

Often with a Wide Angle Lens a good technique is to shoot a little wide to allow the availability of a greater number of cropping variants available to you, later in the Dark room – and this is at little deference to any barrelling the Lens might exhibit.

However, the barrel nature of the Fisheye is an (artistic) aspect which has to be taken into account prior to the moment of capture and in this regard one has to be ahead of the Cropping Vision – at least in general terms of the concept.

Below is a selection of some of the JPEG Proofs of "Five Training Daze".

Please note especially the Framing of the Fisheye Lens for the captures the Coach and then compare that to the Framing to the capture of the shots of the Girls when at the end of the training session.

The Coach images were framed specifically to REDUCE the amount of barrel across the pool over which he has aegis – (i.e. expand his RULE over the expanse of the Pool).

The captures of the Girls at the End of the Session, on the other hand, required the swimmers to be “held within the Goldfish Bowl” - and therefore maximum barrelling was the criterion.

(Also Viewpoint was important for the last shot, such that Pentagonal Flare would be introduced and prominent - to highlight the element of FIVE, in the Picture Story.)



WW

PS>
(It took me a while to dig the original proofs out of the hard drive storage for 2009 - I hope it is in time for your Carnivals)