The Photo Stitch Could Make Your Camera So Much Better
Phones have had the photo stitch feature for a long time, but why don’t cameras have it?
We’re not necessarily talking about the Brenizer effect. And we’re not just talking about panoramic features either. But instead, modern digital cameras are missing a lot of things that phones have done for a while. One of the oldest features is the photo stitch. You know–shooting a scene, moving your camera around, and the phone stitching all the images together. “Oh, I can do it in post-production,” you say. But why? Why do I need to spend all day in front of a computer? I already do this for work. I don’t want to return to a computer later on to do a photo stitch! What kind of an answer is that from manufacturers? It’s one thing to give that as an answer. It’s another thing to provide that answer and complain about smartphones killing their business.
The photo stitch is something that you probably need a refresher on. Remember when you’d shoot a panorama that went vertical and horizontal? Your camera stitched those photos together, and you could easily navigate around them. But in the case of a camera, it would probably work more like the Brenizer effect. The Brenizer effect creates the look and feel of medium format images. It takes multiple digital photos and stitches them together. For example, you’d shoot a portrait with an 85mm f1.4, and then shoot photos in each of the eight directions around the center. Finally, in post-production, you’d stitch them all together to be a single photo. Another name for the photo stitch, in this case, is a panoramic portrait.
“To shoot the image, you’ll need to first lock focus on your subject and exactly what you intend to have in focus. After this, you’ll need to switch your lens into manual focusing mode to keep it locked in. When this is done, simply just shoot a panoramic image around your subject. Ask your subject to keep very still during the process.”
Why would someone want to do this? Well, the Photo stitch is a fun technique. If you did this with APS-C cameras, you’d have the look and feel of full-frame. If you do the photo stitch with a full-frame camera, you’ll have the medium format look. So just imagine the look of full-frame Fujifilm Classic Chrome! Or Classic Negative. How about using those wonder Canon skin tone renditions with your 50mm f1.2 to get an even better photo? This would be a massive feature for portrait photographers. And I think it would be handy for landscape photographers. One thing is for sure: it would be a lot more useful than the high-resolution photo modes that some cameras have. How often have you used it on your Sony a7 series camera? I seldom use it with Olympus cameras.
The crazier thing about the Photo stitch is that it’s easy for camera manufacturers to do. They all have excellent image stabilization built into the lenses and bodies. They also all have potent processors in their cameras. So when you combine all that technology together, photographers will have yet another tool to be better creators—couple this with the fact that more and more photographers are using their phones or tablets. Photographers will have less of a reason to really use their PCs.
The Photo stitch should be incorporated soon. It’s easy enough for camera manufacturers to do.