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Panorama timelapse???

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snowisawesome
Posts: 447 - Karma: 76
Ok so I was looking through the "Your Best Photography" thread and was looking at some of the panoramas you guys have done and I wondered, could you set up 2-3 cameras to take timelapses in a panorama fashion?  So you'd have three timelapses that you'd stitch together to create a panoramic timelapse?  I think it would be really cool to attempt.
Dec 15 2012 2:53PM
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gravel
Posts: 5479 - Karma: 41,493
possible? yes
would take a really really really long time and a huge amount of space? absolutely

it's not too plausible, though. if you assume that an average timelapse has about 300 pictures (10 seconds in 30fps) then you have to stitch three different pictures together 300 times and each stitching has to be the same as the last, because if it's not the same then the picture would warp and look funny when it was timelapsed.
Dec 15 2012 2:59PM
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phreshpow
Posts: 834 - Karma: 133
That is definitely a cool idea, but as gavinrudy said, it would be really tough. I think the best way to do it would be to choose a focal length that was fairly long, so there is no geometric distortion and the photos could be blended together better. The problem with that is, you won't get a very wide panorama, which is what people usually do them for haha.

Also, a timelapse is played like video, so the wider the panorama, the more of the screen will be cropped. Interesting idea though and hopefully someone has the means to try it!
Dec 15 2012 3:04PM
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Rob.
Posts: 189 - Karma: 16
As long as you aren't using an automated stitcher, transient warping won't be an issue. As long as your cameras are fixed in position, you'd have to figure out the distortions necessary for one frame, then apply the same across the rest.

It would have to be a scene with nothing too close in the foreground though since the cameras would all be in slightly different positions, and consider what phreshpow said about the focal length. I figure you'd need at least 5 cameras to make it worth the while, in comparison to just a wide angle lens cropped with a wide aspect ratio. I had actually considered trying one out after I get a 6D (once prices drop) along with 3 other cameras, but as I said, I just don't think 4 cameras is enough to effectively pull it off.
Dec 15 2012 4:57PM
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Rob.
Posts: 189 - Karma: 16
Relevant video:
http://vimeo.com/32526296

Paranal Observatory : 360degree panoramic night time lapse movie from Stéphane Guisard on Vimeo.

(old embed code not supported by Vimeo any more?)

This was done by removing the distortion of a 180-degree fisheye timelapse with the camera pointed up into the sky
Dec 15 2012 5:03PM
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Eggbert
Posts: 329 - Karma: 46
thats the coolest thing ive seen in a long time
Dec 15 2012 5:10PM
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snowisawesome
Posts: 447 - Karma: 76
Ok you guys talked me out of it haha.  that video was pretty tight though.  I was hoping it wouldn't be so difficult. 
Dec 15 2012 6:24PM
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gravel
Posts: 5479 - Karma: 41,493
by all means, don't let us talk you out of anything. i'd encourage it, just be aware that it'll take a lot of time and space.
Dec 15 2012 6:44PM
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p.hawks
Posts: 2832 - Karma: 581
If I were to try it, I think the "easiest way would to be to have two identical cameras, and then make a timelapse from each, then lay those next to each other in a new project, maybe using the first frame from each camera as a guide.

you could also use a really wide focal length, do a regular time-lapse, and then crop the top and bottom haha
Dec 15 2012 6:48PM
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.qzyxya
Posts: 1479 - Karma: -26
oh my god thats amazing. I didn't even know they made 180 degree fisheyes, wow.
Is it a special camera specifically designed for that or is it just like a 5d with a crazy wide fisheye?
Dec 15 2012 7:09PM
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snowisawesome
Posts: 447 - Karma: 76
I still may attempt it.  I don't have two identical lenses to put on 2 cameras at the moment though.  Maybe I'll get bored enough this winter to give it a shot.
Dec 15 2012 7:31PM
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DIX~
Posts: 4695 - Karma: 6,502
With only 2 cameras I see it being plausible. Make sure you're using identical lenses with 0 distortion and align the cameras manually. This would take a while and be so hard to get it perfect but it would be a lot easier than doing hundreds of stitches in post.

Then just take a timelapse with each camera, get em into video files and then just put the two videos side by side..

Wouldn't be perfect but it seems like the simplest way to do it
Dec 15 2012 7:35PM
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.qzyxya
Posts: 1479 - Karma: -26
Would the distortion be that noticeable between lenses? I mean if you correct both of their distortion they should be pretty much the same, right?
Dec 15 2012 8:13PM
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DIX~
Posts: 4695 - Karma: 6,502
Well yeah if you correct them it should be fine, maybe noticeable if you really look for it.
Dec 15 2012 8:22PM
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Rob.
Posts: 189 - Karma: 16
If you're using a telephoto focal length, and your entire scene is in the distance, this could work. But with perspective distortion, using two identical setups with a wide FOV (or even a more standard FOV) won't line up well at all. Especially if some of your scene is relatively close to the camera.

You will need to correct for the perspective (which isn't the same as lens profile corrections). This is what photo stitching programs do, as well as the alignment.

And using only two shots at telephoto focal lengths defeats the purpose of doing a panorama, since using a wide angle lens will give you a much greater FOV.

I highly recommend people do their own research into this stuff. You will learn much, much more this way.

I feel like there are many responses in this forum that give poor advice or misinformed opinions while trying to give an impression that they know what they're talking about, which helps no one. I have no problem with people posting their own opinions (that's what these forums are for, right?) but please, at least say that you aren't certain about what you're talking about when posting these types of responses. (This isn't necessarily directed at anyone in this thread, but just something I've found in this forum in general recently).
Dec 15 2012 8:40PM
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phreshpow
Posts: 834 - Karma: 133
Great response that explains in further detail what I said earlier in the thread.

For those who still don't undersand it, think of what the image from a fisheye lens looks like. It has to bends the sides of the photo especially, but it general distorts the entire image, in order to increase the FOV or number of degrees that you can view. This same concept works with all focal lengths, although less pronounced, until you get to possibly the "normal" or "telephoto" focal length regions.

When blending images in a panorama, the program will correct for these distortions in order to make the photos blend with the one next to it properly. You can't guarantee that it will blend it the same way every time though, because each set of pictures in the panorama will be different and the algorithm that does the correction and blending will most likely not blend them the exact same way, which will lead to the panoramas not looking uniform and, as a result, the timelapse looking weird.



Dec 16 2012 1:01PM
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