Is it worth upgrading to an Digital SLR from a Coolpix 990?
I am currently using a Coolpix 990 with the Nikon Fishey conversion lens for my 360's, which up till now has been a hobby.
I'm trying to start to do some Real Estate/Commercial 360 business and want to know what people think about the difference you get between the coolpix 990 solution, as compared to a SLR solution.
Sean B. Halliday
Re: Is it worth upgrading to an Digital SLR from a Coolpix 990?
Thank you for the information Douglas,
And yes, I am using a Coolpix 990 with the FC-E8 lens with a Ipix Rotator for mmy full 360's and I use
a Kaiden panohead made for the 990 that I use with the wide angle lens for non-full 360's.
Of course the picture quality is far superior using the wide angle lens instead of the fisheye, but of course
you loose the full 360, as well as the ease of taking 2 photos for the full 360 instead of the 14 photos I take for a non-full 360.
By the way, I am using the 3DVista Photostitcher 3.0 and the Vistashow 3.0, any thoughts on the 3DVista software?
Sean B. Halliday
Re: Is it worth upgrading to an Digital SLR from a Coolpix 990?
Sean
What you get by stitching shots from your Wide-Angle lens is more resolution and with it, usually more sharpness. A higher resolution sensor will help your FC-E8. A little trick I figured out on my Coolpix 5400/FC-E9 was to not use Fisheye Mode because the Circular image was a lot smaller than the sensor could handle, and Zoom the fisheye to be the full height of the image frame. I instantly got sharper images.
But more resolution isn't always better quality. The results I'm getting my using Enfuse to composite bracketed fisheyes to get the view out windows and see into shadows, to me, is better quality photography.
I'm not familiar with 3DVista Photostitcher 3.0 and the Vistashow 3. I'm still using iPIX Interactive Studio with the Format Pack for my 2 or 3 fisheye work. I have PTGui 7.2 to stitch the images from the Canon/Sigma and will probably buy Autodesk/Realviz Stitcher Unlimited now that they lowered the price and maybe Auotpano Pro shortly. I don't use anthing like Vistashow because the virtual your hosting & distributing service I use has its own virtual tour design.
Douglas Aurand
Albuquerque, NM
Re: Is it worth upgrading to an Digital SLR from a Coolpix 990?
It is so worth it!
With an 8mm lens on a 'crop' sensor DSLR, most of the time you get fine results with just 4 images round. Tilt the camera up a couple of degrees for each of these shots, and you'll have a decent zenith most of the time. Since you're using a 2-shot rotator now, you're used to having your tripod in the panorama anyway, and it is not much different with a DSLR+8mm lens.
Re: Is it worth upgrading to an Digital SLR from a Coolpix 990?
If you're getting paid enough, it is.
But real estate virtual tours rarely pay enough.
Stitching 2 fisheyes from a FC-E8 or E9 with one of the later iPIX Rotators on iPIX Interactive Studio or RealViz Stitcher Unlimited is so much simpler and faster that the lower pay works.
What I'm looking a forward to is trying a 360Precision Atome for my Sigma 8mm. The mount is nearly fool-proof with Pitch, Yaw and Nodal Point preset. Once the "Roll" is set, it should allow for fairly straight forward Batch stitching
Douglas Aurand
Albuquerque, NM
Re: Is it worth upgrading to an Digital SLR from a Coolpix 990?
> If you're getting paid enough, it is.
I am in a different business than you (both?) are. But in my opinion there's also the pride you have in your own work. And I know I was a lot prouder of my panoramic work after I made the switch from FC-E8+Coolpix990 to a FujiS2+Sigma8mm all those years back.
I have just recently purchased a Nikon D700 (budgetted the purchase into a project) and am using it with the Tokina 10-17 mm now (shaved), and there's a similar increase in quality. That lens is just so much sharper than the Sigma 8mm (which was so much sharper than the FC-E8)!. But the combo is not cheap...
Re: Is it worth upgrading to an Digital SLR from a Coolpix 990?
Aldo
I take pride in both levels of virtual imaging I produce as well as the HDR/Tone Mapped still photos I produce.
I have a practice shoot of an outdoor amphitheater here in Albuquerque I did with the Canon/Sigma/NN3 setup. It took more than a little bit of touch up in Photoshop but came out much better than anything the Coolpix5400/FC-E9/iPIX Rotator can produce. But I can have 4 scenes done with the 5400/FC-E9 in half the time it took to produce one with the Canon/Sigma
I'm sure I'll close the time gap as I get better with the Canon/Sigma and especially PTGui, and at some point may offer I higher quality/price real estate tour. But now and in the near future, switching to the Canon/Sigma for my real estate wouldn't be practical.
If Sean wants to take a smaller step up in resolution than a dSLR, the P5100/FC-E8 or an 8700/FC=E9 would be more affordable while using the same stitching process.
Then, if his real estate virtual tours become profiable, he can use some of the money to start the next step up to a dSLR.
It depends on how much time and money he can afford until he needs a return on his investment
Douglas Aurand
Albuquerque, NM
Re: Is it worth upgrading to an Digital SLR from a Coolpix 990?
I was not suggesting you don't have pride in your work. Sorry if my message might have sounded like I did. I was just trying to point out that there might be more than 'just money' at stake.
'nuf said.
Re: Is it worth upgrading to an Digital SLR from a Coolpix 990?
Aldo
One big difference is that Sean is using a 990 which is 3mp while the 5400 I use is 5mp, so I already have a little more resolution than he does.
Douglas Aurand
Albuquerque, NM
Re: Is it worth upgrading to an Digital SLR from a Coolpix 990?
Sean
If you want better resolution for real estate tours while keeping the simplicity of a 2 or 3 shot capture, I'd get a P5100 and the 360Precision P5100 rotator or see if you can come across an 8megapixel Coolpix 8700, FC-E9 and the iPIX 5700/8700 Rotator on eBay. The 8700 and FC-E9 aren't to hard to get, the iPIX 5700/8700 Rotator is tough to find.
What I'd kill for is a Coastal Optics 4.88mm to use on my Canon XTi/400D. But US$4,500 is out of my budget right now. I've got a source photos from a couple guys who have one and it amazing how good 2 fisheyes can look stitched.
Oh well, I'll put it on my list for Santa ;)
Douglas Aurand
Albuquerque, NM
Re: Is it worth upgrading to an Digital SLR from a Coolpix 990?
Thank you once again for everyones opinions.
If I were to upgrade, I would move from the coolpix to a DSLR solution (and bite the bullet on cost).
One more question, I am looking for a axis level that I can bolt inbetween my pano head and the tripod (with 1/4-20 bolt).
I have a bubble level, but that is worthless in my humble opinon.
My Kaidan 990 panohead has a built in nice axis level which makes life easier when doing non-full 360's, but when I use my IPIX 990 rotator, I do not have a good level, and of course the 990 does not have a hot shoe to insert one of the many accessory levels for hot shoes).
Has anyone come accross a level such as this (if not, maybe I should make and market that).
If anyone would like to look at an example of what I get with the 990, below is link to one of my latest ones,
it was taken with a Kaiden 990 panohead, wide-angle lens (WC-E63), used 3DVista Stitcher 3.0 to stich the 14 photos,
I used 3DVista Skin Editor 3.0 to create the skin and 3DVista Show 3.0 to create the tour.
http://www.hallidayproperties.net/virtualtour/virtualtour.html
Sean B. Halliday
Re: Is it worth upgrading to an Digital SLR from a Coolpix 990?
Sean
Depending on the iPIX Rotator, you may be able to buy a nice "bullseye level" at the hardware store and just glue it down over the 4 screws tha hold the arm to the stem, like I did.
Douglas Aurand
Albuquerque, NM
Re: Is it worth upgrading to an Digital SLR from a Coolpix 990?
Sean
The challenge of moving from up from either the Nikon FC-E8 or E9 (I use the E9) is the capture method becomes much more complex
I assume you're able to produce a full 360°x 360° image from just 2 or 3 shots if you don't count bracketing for HDR compositing.
The Sigma 8mm f/3.5, for either Nikon or Canon, traditionally takes 4 shots around horizontal plus a Zenith shot (straight up) and a Nadir shot (straight down). In shorhand 6H+Z+N. It is possible to "tilt" the camera up 5-10° and eliminate the Zenith and use a tripod cap to cover the Nadir 4TU+N. The panoramic tripod heads to do this are much more sophisticated that the single row you're probably using for the Coolpix
The Sunex 5.6mm fisheye can do a full 360°x 360° with just three shots 3H, but the photographer I know that got one was disappointed with the sharpness and went back to his Nikkor 10.5mm which takes 6H+Z+N
But of course, pretty much all the dSLR solutions can produce bigger and sharper images
It really doesn't matter what we think of the quality of the 990/FC-E8, it only matters what your potential customers think and what they'll pay for the product.
I have both a Coolpix 5400/FC-E9/iPIX Rotator and a Canon XTi/Sigma 8mm/Nodal Ninja 3. I'm still learning how to use the Canon/Sigma for VR work, but use it extensively for wide angle still photos for my Realtor customers with a Canon 10-22mm.
My plan for the near future is to continue to use the Coolpix setup for the lower paying real estate work and, eventually, the Canon/Sigma combo for higher paying work like hotels and restaurants
Hope that helps
Douglas Aurand
Albuquerque, NM