Forum

Topic: Web Site and Forum / Open Sourcing GigaPan Geolocation

The interactive geolocation webpage (now that it’s fully functional again) is one of the best parts of the entire GigaPan website – rivaling if not surpassing even the basic GigaPan viewer interface. Nonetheless, it remains an underutilized part of this website. Although many users make the effort to at least basically geolocate their GigaPans, not all of them have the patience or skill to fine tune their geolocations. Moreover, many more users make no effort at all to geolocate GigaPans.

I would like to help. There are many GigaPans that I’d be willing to put in the time to geolocate, simply because I’d benefit from the added value of being able to view them in Google Earth. In the past I’ve requested a way to volunteer to geolocate (or improve the geolocation of) other users GigaPans to no avail. I’ve even gone so far as to spend hours trying to reverse engineer the geolocator so that I can at least create KML files of others’ GigaPans for educational uses. Unfortunately, this effort is hindered by the way the new website hides critical Javascript and CSS files. I’m not trying to create a competing service here – my first impulse it to freely reshare any geolocated GigaPans I’m able to create.

I think GigaPan Systems stands to earn a great deal of value by open sourcing the code behind the interactive geolocation page. Obviously I’m not asking for permission to write to the primary GigaPan database (I’ll create my own parallel database for the location data I’m able to create), though I’m happy to reshare that data and any improvements or innovations to the code I’m able to make.

Obviously I’m also interested to hear from any other hackers who have developed their own innovations for geolocating GigaPans.

Topic: General Gigapanning / Adjust mounting tray

All of these techniques seem to focus (pun intended) on the horizontal placement of the camera. What about the vertical?

Topic: General Gigapanning / Adjust mounting tray

With a given lens at a specific FL, simply measure how far the Entrance Pupil is behind the front of the lens…then adjust to get that location on the robot.

Topic: Gigapan Mechanism / Few questions

Hello Martin,

1. We cannot advise on use of AC power sources for the Epic/Epic100 models as they were not designed to use such. However, we recommend a battery brand such as the Sanyo Eneloop. Another customer also found a satisfactory brand which he discusses at http://www.gigapan.com/forums/7/topics/34

2. The Nikon D90 IS compatible with the Epic 100 http://www.gigapan.com/cms/support/camera-compa… Epic 100’s optional trigger cable is an E3 connector; typically for Canon and a few Pentax camera models. The D90 would be triggered mechanically using the Epic 100’s button-pusher. The D90 is also compatible with the Pic Pro and would be triggered electronically with the accompanied Nikon MC-DC2 trigger cable.

Topic: General Gigapanning / Missing pictures - Autofocus

Thanks Tom. Good to know that you can still stitch, even with missing images.

Topic: General Gigapanning / Adjust mounting tray

That’s an interesting way to find the point. Not quite sure how you translate that to a physical Epic robot, but it’s still interesting.

Topic: General Gigapanning / to set ‘Field of View’

thank´s charles davis

Topic: General Gigapanning / Adjust mounting tray

thank´s charles davis

Topic: Gigapan Mechanism / Few questions

Hi!
Any hint regarding these issues?
Thanks,
Martin

Topic: General Gigapanning / Adjust mounting tray

I’m not sure who “they” is? Regardless, it’s not possible to tell you the answer to your question. Read the manual.

No, it isn’t easy to understand [especially if English is not your primary language], but it does work.

However, I think it’s easier to do from first principles. However, that requires that the user to understand some technical stuff…

1. The goal is to get the Entrance Pupil located on both rotational axes.
2. You must measure where the Entrance Pupil is located [it varies as the FL varies].
3. Move everything until that Entrance Pupil is in the center or motion.

Here is a simple way to locate the Entrance Pupil:

http://www.1derful.info/Tools/PanoHead/LensNode…

Good luck…

Topic: General Gigapanning / to set ‘Field of View’

This is a simple process, made more difficult by the wording…

Which model of GigaPan do you have?

With my Epic 100, when it shows that message, it wants the user to hit the “OK” button…then it will prompt you to align first the top and then the bottom of the frame with the horizon. It then has measured the vertical FoV…it will display the value.

Note that the V FoV is different depending on the specific FL selected [IE, “zoom”]. Your 10X camera has many FLs that vary over a 10:1 RANGE. You should select ONE of those FLs and go through the FoV measurement process.

It’s not possible [at least on the low-end model like I have] to directly set the FoV value.

Topic: Digital Cameras on Gigapan / Epic w/ any Current Cameras?

Ok so I did the research myself and discovered that many of the cameras on the list are available albeit at pretty high prices. Seems to be a group of resellers that sell older cameras at above original list. The cheapest was the Canon A480 at $99 but it apparently has quality issues. And there is a Canon SX210 with a wide angle for $250.

One question is about where the listing stops. I see a Canon SD 1300 for $135 and a SD 1400 for $200 but the listing stops at SD 1200. Near as I can tell the 1400 is mostly smaller (a little wider) and it has AE-Lock. Why wouldn’t it work?

Any recommendations on camera selection would be appreciated as I was wasn’t expecting to be in the market.

Topic: General Gigapanning / to set ‘Field of View’

EPIC it will prompt you to set ‘Field of View’
What value to put FujiFilm x10?

Topic: General Gigapanning / Adjust mounting tray

Can they be kind enough to inform me, because you can not find information on which the value Adjust mounting tray / operating arm / Find this black number on the scale arm (in the GigaPan Epic) for my FujiFilm x10 machine.

Topic: Gigapan Mechanism / Shooting order

Another reason to do columns-down is a dusk pano where the light would get dimmer as you shoot. You could increase the exposure slightly with each column and not have obvious banding.

Topic: Digital Cameras on Gigapan / Epic w/ any Current Cameras?

I bought the Epic after convincing my daughter to give me her old Canon SD500. Unfortunately its just not the reliable anymore. I end up with missed shots on even a fairly small pano.

Support tells me I can’t use my Panasonic even though it fits and I’ve had some luck with the “pano mode” trick that somebody suggested in the General forum.

Are there any cameras that fit the EPIC that you can still buy new? I was hoping somebody could save me searching Amazon for all the cameras on the list.

Topic: Gigapan Mechanism / Shooting order

My experience has also been that if there are lots of people moving around, you’re best off with left to right, rather than top to bottom. While neither is perfect, the left-to-right tends to handle moving objects, in my experience, better…

Topic: General Gigapanning / Manual or Autofocus on crowds?

I use autofocus for everything. If the crowd is far away like this:
http://gigapan.org/gigapans/45332
then manual focus would be fine as well. With people walking in front of the camera like this:
http://gigapan.org/gigapans/86283
I rather like having them be in sharp focus.

Topic: General Gigapanning / Enter FOV directly?

Me, I’d like to have a number of lenses remembered by the unit. Switching between lenses and forgetting to reset the FOV is my most common error…

Topic: General Gigapanning / NOT Panoramic use of Gigapan

Another non-photographic GigaPan:
http://gigapan.org/gigapans/65819

Topic: General Gigapanning / Enter FOV directly?

There’s no keypad so entering a FOV directly would still be difficult. Since it’s not something most users need to do often I suspect it’s a low priority for the development team.

Topic: General Gigapanning / Missing pictures - Autofocus

Stitch requires all the positions to be filled. If you’re missing pictures, you can fill them in with blanks as you see on the right side here:
http://gigapan.org/gigapans/41161
You can make it less noticeable by making your blanks the same general color as their surroundings, or cloning in from the sides. Since the robot overlaps images by about 1/3, you already have 8/9 of the missing picture.

Topic: Digital Cameras on Gigapan / EPIC 100 and Canon T2i

I’m using a Canon 60D on an Epic 100 and staying under the weight limit. The trick is to use one of the light weight plastic kit lenses that Canon makes. I’m using the EF-S 55-250mm that I got on ebay for $150. When the mounting plate is pushed all the way back it balances just fine. You also need a shutter release cable. The one GigaPan sells can be made to work but it’s a tight fit with the 60D, there’s not much clearance. I ended up making a cable up that has a lower profile and allows me to square the camera properly.

Topic: Gigapan Mechanism / Shooting order

In one of his tutorial videos, Illah Nourbakhsh mentions that it is sometimes better to shoot a crowd (in a stadium for example) from left to right in rows, because people tends to move or change its position horizonatlly and not so much vertically.
Sounds logical to me.

Topic: Gigapan Mechanism / Few questions

Hi!
I´m about to buy the Epic 100, having already one of the first and original beta heads.
1-Now I want to know if it is possible to use/adapt the battery holder as part of an AC adapter using the cables and the connector.
2-Somewhere I´ve read that the Nikon D90 can be used on the Epic100 with the digital shutter mode. Is that possible and how will it be connected. The plug of the remote port trigger cable that is listed under accesories is not the one for the D90.
Thanks for any help regarding these issues.

Regards, Martin