Parting Shot

Peter Rowlands · Issue 103, Jul/Aug 2018 · pp. 69

Products mentioned: Olympus C40, PanoramaMaker, iPhone 5, iPhone 6, Weefine Smartphone housing, ValsTech iPhone 6 housing

I have always been attracted to easy solutions and the panorama is a good example. Take a series of overlapping shots from left to right and then use computer software to ‘stitch’ them together into the final image. Way back in 2005 I wrote about the Olympus C40 and PanoramaMaker software (UwP24 May/June 2005 which is still available to download for free) and showed how a standard lens could be used to great effect to capture a wide angle scene using this panoramic technique. Fast forward seven years and the iPhone 5 came out with a ‘Pano’ capability. Rather than take a series of still images for stitching later, it allowed you to pan from left to right in a smooth level movement and the camera/phone then produced a panoramic image right there and then. For me it was a lightbulb moment and from then on I have used this feature on every iPhone I have upgraded to. As you would expect the i…