I recently purchased a new Nikon Coolpix S9. It came with some interesting software from Arcsoft that allows you to use a built-in scene mode to create panoramas. Actually you can do the panorama without the scene mode, you just have to pay attention.
I first got interested in the limitations of pictures when I went to Alaska and came back with something like a billion slides, none of which really conveyed the sheer scale of the place.
Virtual reality environments are being used more and more in business. It is pretty impressive that a camera for under $250 comes with the tools to do this. Panorama maker works both on Mac and Windows platforms. I think the developers choice of Quicktime VR for the Mac version might have hobbled that version a little, but the results are still interesting. On Windows, Panorama Maker creates a Flash based movie.
The stitched together images can be used to create a giant photo (make sure you scroll to the right). I have two or three of them that when printed are over five feet long each. Panorama Maker also let you take the same photos which numbered twelve in this case and create that Quicktime VR scene or the Flash movie for the web. In this case the Windows generated version looks a little better.
My guess is that I will get better at this, so expect some interesting photos.
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