High Megapixels Magic Trick

[eliopoulos97]

Looks awesome but i cant afford that lense lol. And my camera is already 16 megapixels lol

[superkiwizorro]

@eliopoulos97 there are used lenses, you know. the point is you can get creative with a PC lens with whatever camera you have.

[kronosg13]

Sony is now out with 24.6MP.. But.. ow well.. this is a fairly old video... so yeah..

[superkiwizorro]

@kronosg13 so what? you still can have a creative fun doing this technique.

[MrCbike]

kinda time consuming dont you think?

[Lilkiwiguy87]

OH, GOD! The world is going to end tomorrow! HURRY! HURRY!

Really, no, it isn't. Creating art requires a lot of patience. If you lack patience, you're not a good photographer.

[MrCbike]

@Lilkiwiguy87 not something ude try on the street and if ur a student.

[Lilkiwiguy87]

Common sense: 1) then don't do it and 2) you can buy old PC lens used.

[rrthedoctor]

@MrCbike stupid

[mileyondisney]

Very clever! What an amazing photo!

[stuntflix]

to save money over the tilt shift lens, build a slide mount for your tripod and do the same thing, slide from left to right and take the three different pictures.

[Lilkiwiguy87]

*chuckles* It doesn't work that way. You get more with a PC/PC-E lens, unlike with a "panoramic" tripod head that doesn't do anything but moving your camera to the left and right.

[stuntflix]

@Lilkiwiguy87 worked for me on a waterfall picture shooting with the camera in portrait orientation, was around 25mp from a 10.1mp camera and multiply photos

[Lilkiwiguy87]

Yeah, we know it works for everyone. We're talking about angle of view. Shifting a PC/PC-E lens to highest degrees will make it look like you moved the camera 20 feet to the left/right on the same axis. That's how much more you get.

[linchen1209]

@stuntflix It would not work with most kit lenses that has obvious distortions, especally towards the wide- angle end .

[zenithjcoke]

@stuntflix

Problem with that however is that if you move the camera you change the perspective as well.

It isn't a big problem when shooting things far away, but it wouldn't work with the distance from camera to subject that was used in this video, since you would se more of one side of the subjects when moving the camera.

Using the PC/PCE lens retains the perspective.

[BBMJ21Login]

this would make a d3x turn into a meduim format camera! XD thanks for the tip! you just saved me heaps of cash

[drummerboy7516]

ok so i get it spend $2100 pluss to save money

[Lilkiwiguy87]

Yep.

[TheJustMotion]

@drummerboy7516 Or you know you could just move around abit and still get smiler results :)

[Lilkiwiguy87]

Except you will lose the flat perspective.

[vaehligchs]

i think you've lost a mysterious hair on the top of the green machine..

[orestisdeepblue]

Or you can take the same 3-4 shots with a High-Res camera and end up with 40-50mpixel files. Someday there will be an affordable high-res Nikon body.. don't worry :)

[iXaier]

this music make me feel like some1 is filling up a champaign

great tutorial though !

[BlueShirt7]

that was not the proper lens swapping technique!! :)

you guys are awesome (even though I'm a canon user).

Dave!

[howardmaryon]

I have been a professional photographer, processor and printer since the 1960's, and I can honestly say that digital camerasare the greatest thing to happen to photography since Fox Talbot discovered how to fix an image. This technique is great for ultra hi-res still life and product shots and also things like cars in studios. Thanks for showing us this and please do more!

[TomHallPhotography]

Almost ten minutes to make one (1) 24mp image. OR you could just purchase a D3x and save yourself the hassle. Not to mention the fact that in ten minutes the D3x will capture enough images to fill a high end 32gig CF card (thousands of shots - even factoring in shutter speed slowing due to buffering). Yes the D3x is expensive, but when you consider the difference in productivity you'll make enough money to cover it - certainly a lot sooner than using this method! Nice video production though!

[Lilkiwiguy87]

Even if we have the D3X, we still prefer using a PC-E lens.

It is more fun.

[ironkatia]

@TomHallPhotography bahhumbug...

[Lilkiwiguy87]

+1

[ThePixelc]

@TomHallPhotography

if photography is a business for you, than yea its prob worth buying the D3x since it saves time and the extra work. but for someone such as myself, that just likes to take his camera out every day to shoot some family events or just candid shots then this tutorial is excellent. not going against what you said, just saying how it is lol

[bman6266]

You could get a Gigapan for half the price of a tilf/shift lens and make a 23 gigapixel image.

[Lilkiwiguy87]

Sure, you could but you will lose the flatness.

[bman6266]

@Lilkiwiguy87 You're right. But the only thing that really bothers me about the magic trick thing is that you can really only expand the image laterally. Or vertically if you flip the lens around. The crop ratio that you get with this technique is just too exagerated for most uses. Nonetheless, it is a cool trick.

[Lilkiwiguy87]

Actually, with latest PC and PC-E lenses, you can rotate the lens to any degree then shift away (vertical, horizontal, and cross diagonals0. You can get a pretty big photograph when stitching them altogether. All of that while keeping the flatness.

[bman6266]

@Lilkiwiguy87 That helps out alot then. Did you show that in the video?

[Lilkiwiguy87]

Nope, just single direction shifting (horizontal). If we reshoot this video in the future, maybe we will show how to do all directions.

[bman6266]

@Lilkiwiguy87 Something else I'm wondering, If you were to do go all the way around the center frame with the shifts to my a large normal ratio image, would the shift cause distortion around the edges? Or does it simply move the field of view and keep the same perspective? Do you only get distortion when you start adding tilts? What is your reason for stopping down to 16, Do you need that much DOF for this trick to work?

[Lilkiwiguy87]

Actually, both, depending on which PC / PC-E lens you are using. The 45mm and 85mm PC-E's have virtually no distortion (the 24mm does). Both will still move the field of view.

Depth of field have nothing to do with this trick. It is because it is a close-up scenario where the lens' focusing distance is set at 1:2 magnification ratio. Stopping it down to F/16.0 will get most of the slot machines in focus.

[Vamp1963]

Would use Lensbaby adaptors do the same for cheaper and with a lens you already own?

[Lilkiwiguy87]

No because LensBabies only have tilting / swinging capability, no shifting capability.

[paddyhaddy1]

Uh, instead of buying expensive tilt/shift lenses. Why not just: shoot panoramic image->PS->Photomerge->gigapix­el shots. (Theoretically)

[Lilkiwiguy87]

Sure, but you will lose the flatness.

[bariti86]

you realize one of these lenses is around $2000 so this option is not much cheaper!!!

[Lilkiwiguy87]

Do you realize cameras that have more than 25MP are around $8,000?

[snifnscratch]

Is this possible with Hartblei TS lenses?

[Lilkiwiguy87]

Only with Hartblei 35mm Super-Rotator because it is the only lens that is available in Nikon F mount (and other mounts). It is so-so, not that great.

[snifnscratch]

Does the post-stitiched image increase the effective picture angle (compared to a single shot), e.g. the 45 pce usually has a 51degree picture angle, but the final stitched picture angle is equivalent to 90(?) ?

[Lilkiwiguy87]

If you are shifting the PC / PC-E lens, the angle of view will increase (it varies depending on what lens you are using). As for stitching the vertical images, yes, you will get more angle of view (much more if do horizontal shifting). We do not have the engineering knowledge to figure out the exact angle of view on the final stitched image. However, we can safely say this: it is obviously noticeable on the final stitched image.

[snifnscratch]

@Lilkiwiguy87 compared to a regular image of 2800by4250, your stitched 2800by8200 is nearly double the width, so I figure your magic trick nearly doubles the width of a single-image picture angle(?)

[Lilkiwiguy87]

These sample images had been cropped and / or straighten. But, probably yes.

[stasber]

And sarcastically replying, this magic trick wouldn't save me money as I'd need to buy a PC lens to begin with as well as Photoshop CS! And this trick doesn't work so well for reportage or events - I'd rather spend the money on a new body :p

[Lilkiwiguy87]

You know you can buy Photoshop with a student discount? If you are not a student... Well, tough luck.

[stasber]

@Lilkiwiguy87 Yes I know... My student days are long gone.

[snifnscratch]

@stasber you can stitch images with elements 9, which costs FAR less than cs5

[snifnscratch]

Last question! This sequence has shown a single row of 3 overlapped shots, but how would I get a 2nd and 3rd row? (for a 3by3 grid of shots)

[Lilkiwiguy87]

Again, you simply cannot. PC-E lenses are only limited to one row and only goes into two directions: left and right (or up and down).

You can just lower or raise the center column but it will not add very much because the lens' field of view (24mm, 45mm, or 85mm) pretty much covered everything.

That is why we recommended using L-backet and shoot vertically. That way, you get more field of view when stitching the images together.

[snifnscratch]

Thanks Lilkiwiguy87 !!!

Ive just had a great idea! To save money on buying a t+s lens, would a panoramic tripod head, merged in photoshop, provide similar results?

[Lilkiwiguy87]

Unfortunately, it will not work. Panoramic tripod heads will let you rotate the camera, which can lose the flatness of an image that could be delivered with a PC / PC-E lens. If precision is critical to you, you will have better luck with a PC / PC-E lens.

[snifnscratch]

@Lilkiwiguy87

For me the "high megapixels magic trick" a pc-e lens wouldnt cover an area that is deep or wide enough, and it would limit me (financially) to one lens.

Novoflex`s "....VR-System PRO II masters all varieties from spherical panorama, perspective-corrected flat panoramas or classic cylindrical panoramas, even when heavy professional DSLR equipment is used." and they show sample images of perspective-corrected flat images

[Lilkiwiguy87]

Uhm, 24mm ƒ/3.5D ED PC-E is a wide angle lens and it is pretty wide enough, especially stitching three portrait-orientation (vertical) images altogether. Perhaps rent it out for a week or two to see for yourself?

That tripod head is designed for virtual tour purposes (where you make 360º images), not for perspective correction. Be careful with company's advertising. Sure, you can make panoramas, again, you will not get very much unlike with a PC-E lens.

Just go rent it and see for yourself.

[snifnscratch]

@Lilkiwiguy87 I like my 14-24 at 24, but I want greater detail, not a wider, more panoramic angle. I was thinking of getting a panohead n shooting enuf at 100mm to cover the same area of focus as my 14-24 at 24.

Would a pc-e lens be able to do this? If I had a mid-range zoom and a panohead, I could experiment with focal lengths and shoot as many shots as needed 2 get 24mm coverage. If I used a panohead n lost the flatness, could I regain final image flatness by photoshop perspectiv control?

[Lilkiwiguy87]

If you want to have near to same coverage as a 24mm lens, multiple it by 3. So, that is 72mm focal length that you need. The nearest PC-E lens is a 85mm.

Your comment kept contradicting yourself, first, you wanted wider images then now you do not want wider but better detail. 14-24mm is more than capable of delivering excellent detail. Simply use low apertures, shutter speed, and proper sharpening.

No, Photoshop will not regain the flatness unless you do not mind a very heavy crop.

[snifnscratch]

@Lilkiwiguy87 If I went down the pc-e path to get more mp, I`d be stuck with just 1 focal length, but if I used a panohead, a mid range zoom would be more flexible.

I`ve seen a stitched panohead shot with no curvature. I`m not interested in shooting wide panoramas. Am I right in thinking that any loss of flatness (by using a pano) would be less apparent at a narrower angle of focus?

[Lilkiwiguy87]

We explained this many times to you and will not say this again.

With a panoramic head, you will not get much change when shifting the camera and lens setup horizontally or vertically. PC-E lens offer a great deal of change without moving the camera.

Those stitched images has been corrected for distortion before stitching. That is why there is no distortion / curves. You do not need to worry about it with a PC / PC-E lens because they are free of distortion.

[snifnscratch]

Whilst 3 shots were horizontally combined and merged here, is it possible to merge shots taken vertically as well as horizontally?

i.e.

+++

+++

+++

or am I just dreaming.......... ?

[Lilkiwiguy87]

It's possible. Just rotate the lens 90º to the left or right then shift away.

[drinks2muchbeer]

the audio calmed me down relaxed me i dont think this is possible with my sony alpha

[meltdownman1]

Big picture questions from the new kid on the Block:

You shoot in Raw - why

You convert to TIff in Lightroom - Why . I thought TIFF was a lower quality image ( I think it is used in copy machines).

You import from Lightroom to Photoshop - Why. I thought Photoshop did everything under the sun. I guess I don't understand the purposes of each (since I haven't worked with or purchased either yet).

Finally, do you save as a JPEG? If so why not RAW or the TIFF?

TIA!

The Meltdownman

[Lilkiwiguy87]

(Reply #1)

1: RAW allows you to do more without killing too much image quality compared to JPEG. Nikon Capture NX2 gets the most out of your RAW images.

2: No, TIFF is much, much higher in quality than JPEG. TIFF allows you to make further tweaks without losing image quality (it is basically "finalized" RAW).

[Lilkiwiguy87]

(Reply #2)

3: Yes, you can do that. This was just our way of using the workflow. LR have more accurate results than in Photoshop's ACR. Then Photoshop for Unsharp Mask for further sharpening.

4: When you're done with everything, you can save it as JPEG or leave it as TIFF.

[Lilkiwiguy87]

(Reply #3)

Sincerely,

New Kid on the Block.

[meltdownman1]

@Lilkiwiguy87 Thank you for taking the time for all the clarifications. I do appreciate someone responding so quickly and in such a professional matter. Love the work that you do. Would love to see you put out a CD on Workflow. You are a natural born teacher. That in itself is an art.

Sincerely,

The Meltdownman

The Meltdownman

[audaciousvideos561]

the music had me hooked through and through.

[boom911boom]

you don't really need a cable relece, you can just use a timer

[Lilkiwiguy87]

Timer simply won't do. You need to do this quick enough to prevent any unwanted movements (i.e. clouds, shadows, etc.).

[wizardben]

For the money it takes to buy that snazzy lens, you can buy a 23 mp body. i'd go with the freaking easier way to do it. waste of time and money.

[Lilkiwiguy87]

Have you realize the cost for one and only Nikon with 24MP? $8,000.

[drewtothehoov]

If you're shooting RAW, why do you need to set an appropriate white balance?

[Lilkiwiguy87]

To save time.

[robertvgupta]

awesome vid. never seen anything like this on youtube before, especially so diligently captured. great music selections on your vids, too! the jazz here is perfect...

[albee20]

does this work with Nikon d300...this is interesting and very informative thanks

[Lilkiwiguy87]

Aye, works on D300, no problem.

[albee20]

@Lilkiwiguy87 do i need the lens u use or can i use my 70-200mm without having to shift side to side like in the vid?

[Lilkiwiguy87]

@albee20 The 70-200mm isn't a PC / PC-E lens and when rotating the setup, you will lose the perspective. A PC or PC-E lens is necessary where shifting the lens alone keeps the perspective at same plane, creating flat images.

[poida84]

ah ic so all that you did was converge 3 simple pictures of high quality using that setup then using the program to be one biger picture similar to panorama but without losing any quality right? and with those lenses it moved left to right so the images would overlap in propper manner looking like one big piece? very clever indeed

[Lilkiwiguy87]

Pretty much, yes. PC / PC-E lenses have the ability to shift into any direction without losing the perspective. In the other words, shifting a PC-E lens will keep the image flat, unlike with a normal lens.

[poida84]

@Lilkiwiguy87 this has to be a great upgrade :)

[xppower2001]

when you need that kind of megapixal for your work, and can afford a tilt-shift lens.

You kind of better off buy the camera offer more megapixal.

[Lilkiwiguy87]

Buy a $8,000 camera that will die in 5 years? No thanks.

[Lumixster]

sweet

[papercut1987]

:D I love you! getting a tiltshift instead of d3x...hehe

[pomexable]

Hi , do you know if 10 MP are in off for 33.1 × 46.8 inch prints ?

Thank you for replay

[Lilkiwiguy87]

Oh, yeah, a single 10MP photo can easily pull it off.

[pomexable]

@Lilkiwiguy87 Thanks you very much ! you re review are amazing !

[c12pimpin]

can a nikon AF 28mm f/2.8D Lens work on this??

[Lilkiwiguy87]

No, the 28mm ƒ/2.8D AF is not a PC lens.

[baselb80]

i was considering getting one of these lenses for landscapes because i wanted to print large prints and i do have a 12 mp camera with 4288 x 2848 the problem with this trick is that it increases the width of the photo by combining 3 photos what if i wanted to increase the length also and keep the 3 by 2 aspect ratio of the camera ?

[Lilkiwiguy87]

Yes, simply buy a L bracket for the camera, turn the camera into portrait orientation (vertically), shift the lens horizontally, then some minor cropping, done.

[locorodman]

hahaha, well well well, perfectly done! I dont know where you live but we dont even have those kinds of lens around, lol, i think is to expensive as an alternative to a body.

[Lilkiwiguy87]

Camera bodies come and go and lenses can last longer.

You can find those lenses on B&H, Adorama, or KEH.

[fhqwghads]

@loc rodman Have you *seen* how much a DSLR that takes images around 23MP costs??? We're talking close to $8,000 US dollars for a Nikon (D3X or equivalent.) A PC lens from Nikon, on the other hand, is about $2,000 and like lil says, works from body to body. That leaves you a savings of $4,000 that can be spent on other lenses, a new monitor, new studio gear, etc. There are limits of course (like I don't think this method would be practical for portraits) but it's a nifty trick for sure.

[Gandalfsson1]

Thank you very much, also for the very quick response time. And you take care - So good.

[Gandalfsson1]

So fine, thinking about buying a lens like this - one question - I use NX2 and CS 3, but you mention Light Room.

Can you not use the others - even I do not know - or have never tryed - how to get 3 images from NX2 to CS3 at the same time, I think it can be done - or only use CS3 for alle the job ??

[Lilkiwiguy87]

Not just Lightroom that offers this feature (syncing the adjustments to all other selected images). Capture NX2 and Apple Aperture can do the same.

It is effective if you do not shoot using different exposures. All three images has to be exact the same exposure for the sync to be effective without any noticeable changes between two or more images.

Be sure to be aware of the PC-E lens' prices ($1,700+) and is strictly a manual focus lens and works on D300, D700, or D3-Series only.

[BioMessiah]

This is actually really cool, I was looking for flaws in the full-sized pictures, and there were none that I could see. This is a great trick, I would like to see this done with a 21MP camera haha. 5/5

[CrazyJimKU]

cant you just move the camera?

[Lilkiwiguy87]

1: It would have to moved perfectly, absolutely, and precisely straight, vertically or horizontally, which is impossible.

2: If moving the camera, there will be about 2-3 millimeters difference, depending on focal length of the lens.

3: Mistakenly moving the camera off the line will result in awkward perspective (not flat, unlike this tutorial).

[homey69]

can you do this same trick using kit lens with nodal pano head?

[Lilkiwiguy87]

Sorry, no.  Panning the camera around will lose the flat perspective that is offered with a proper perspective control (PC / PC-E) Nikkors.

[bubbleculerz1]

very good trick thank you

[saithihahseng]

WOW.....GREAT THANKS so much for those awesome videos.. :D CHEER.

[OttoJg14]

Thanks for all your wonderfull videos! Watched; learned and enjoyed them all! Thanks for all the time and effort on your part! Been a Pro for 30+ years! These are great! Cheers!

[MikeGnar513]

damn im going to start to do that

[starly396]

Very nice video. It's sweet to see all sorts of experts on Youtube, working calmly in their own profession ^_^

[9941791]

nice video and music

[Overxpossed]

Thanks for the video man but what's the difference between using the lens in the video and a common lens? Btw, Genuine Fractals does a perfect job for resizing. A must have!

[Lilkiwiguy87]

PC or PC-E lenses keeps the images flat while using normal lenses do not.

[XL2man]

Excellent video, and I like your choice of music. Nice, soft jazz.

Will this work on the Nikon 700D, as that's the camera that I'm seriously considering buying.

[Lilkiwiguy87]

Do you mean D700? Yes, this trick works on any DSLR's.

[davidtejones]

Very nice. Thanks for the awesome tip. ü

[Whatdididoo]

Cool stuff!

[jamesdelacruz1976]

Thanks alot!! Heard about it now I see how you do it!!

[spimages]

wicked video man !!!

for all the moaning going on here about 'it's not true panoramic' and going on about phase one backs and stuff ,get real man, this cat's not saying it's a replacement for a true pano setup or phase one camera he's just showing a cool thing you can do man.

peace

sp

[AManWhoWasntThere]

Hi, thanks for the video. I have a question: If you shift the lens, won't you get parallax errors? Have you tried this technique with one object in the foreground and another behind it? With the lens centered, the foreground object will cover the one behind it. But if you shift the lens to the left for example, you will be able to see both objects. If you attach the lens to the tripod, i think you can avoid this, because then you will shift the sensor instead of the lens.

[Lilkiwiguy87]

Good question. PC-E lenses basically have six eyes; one pair looks at the left (left shift), one pair looks straight (no shift), and one pair looks at the right (right shift).

Using a normal lens on improper tripod head for panoramic work will result in this issue because it is on-axis, which it should be off-axis.

Many people claims PC-E lenses have that problem but it don't, it is based on improper tripod head.

[ModulatedSignal]

Great video man.

[qazahmed]

brilliant ;)

[renatosamba]

excellent video as usual ! thank you !

[NotZezima]

A question about PC-E (or TS-E in Canon language)

Can you rotate a lens at say 30 degrees or 45 degrees instead of dead 90 degrees?

[Lilkiwiguy87]

Yes, this lens stops at every 15º while rotating.

[coolchef1337]

And don't forget to good ol' 35/3.5 :)

[c11umw]

Hang on ... you said to set it to F16, yet in the live view it shows as 1/4 sec at F21.

[Lilkiwiguy87]

Wow, you're the first to notice it. The 45mm ƒ/2.8D ED PC-E is a Micro-Nikkor, which means the aperture you choose (on the aperture ring) changes when you focus close. If you choose F/2.8 when you're focusing at Infinity, it stops down when you continue focusing to 1:1 magnification (life-size focus) which is now F/3.8. It is normal behavior for Micro-Nikkor (close-up) lenses.

[c11umw]

Can't say I'm not observant ;o)

I don't have a micro (yet), but use extention tubes to get macro with my existing FX lenses.

[aiwayamaha]

Good video to understand

[jjandayan14]

thanks

[rocker509]

So, first, thats frickin' awesome! I just wish I could afford a pc tilt lens, but then again I have a d40, so I don't know how much good it would do.

And I was wondering, wouldn't that work the same way if you just moved the camera instead of tilting the lens?

Great video as always!

[Lilkiwiguy87]

Unfortunately, no, if you move the camera to the left / right (or to pan) instead of shifting on PC-E lens, you will lose the straightness of the image and requires a lot of cropping to cut off "missing" areas.

[obskure1]

this is very interesting. i'm an olympus shooter myself but my job has many nikon lenses and i think bodies as well. i think during the winter break i'll borrow some from the office and go test out one of these lenses if they have one.

[Lilkiwiguy87]

A lot of businesses don't carry PC / PC-E lenses because it is specialized in product and landscape photography. Canon have PC-E lens but, instead, they use "Tilt-Shift". You can always rent one out.

[c11umw]

So do people normally use these to get panorama photo's (and odd short aperture perspectives) rather than panning and cut/merge in photoshop?

Is it less work to merge with the PC/PCE over panning?

[Lilkiwiguy87]

Good question - a lot of panoramic photographers uses a telephoto lens (200mm or longer) because it is distortion-free and difficult to notice awkward perspective (distorted perspective).

Some photographers uses a special tripod head where it has a "ruler" on it, allowing them to move the camera off center. Off center tripod heads uses the front element of the lens directly above the tripod head instead of the camera for proper perspective.

VERY few people knows about this magic trick.