myko_photography

<p>Call Calumet: 212-989-8500<br>

They are the primary dealers of Cambo gear.<br>

They are at 22 W 22 street.</p>

<p>Hi Scott, </p>

<p>...moving back to the thread topic without hard feelings I hope... I'm curious about your rails setup to work with Canon shift lenses to keep the lens stationary and move the body. Also, I'm curious as to what medium format lens/ bellows setup you use. My medium format lenses (mamiya and hassy) don't have a large enough image circle for stitching more than 2 DSLR frames unless I'm doing closeup work, that's why I ended up on a large format platform.</p>

<p>Hello Scott, I posted that as a good-faith statement. I am very interested in the photographic process, and I did not want to be perceived as "using" the forum for sales. The full text of what you cut and pasted was "FULL DISCLOSURE: It is my project, ....." I was being honest in my participation, and my second post was in direct reply to a member's question.</p>

<p>I will read the T&C more thoroughly, although asking for feedback from fellow enthusiasts seems harmless enough.</p>

<p>Best regards, -Myko</p>

<blockquote>

<p>I've been aware of the CameraFusion product that's been available for a few years now; Kapture Group also has something similar. How does MultiStitch differ?</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Hi Robert, The advantages are fully explained on the website at <a href="http://www.multistitch.com">www.multistitch.com</a> but I'll summarize...</p>

<p>The Kapture Group (K) and Camera Fusion (F) devices are for medium format backs and DSLRs, respectively. MultiStitch (M) is available for either one, and at a cost that is roughly half that of K & F, (even with K currently on sale for 40% off).</p>

<p>M is SIMPLE both to learn and use and can operate in either vertical or horizontal aspects as easily as turning your groundglass. It has capture chip overlaps built-in and is the size and shape of a triple-thick lens board. M does not interfere with camera movements at all in either aspect. K allows for turning the MF back and uses cranks to move it around with many loose and moving parts to swap out and adjust. F lets you turn the DSLR but then you have to do the math using a sliding scale to position it to get proper overlaps. Both K and F will interfere with camera tilts because they are wider than the camera itself by a wide margin. I do not think F can be used at all in the vertical aspect.</p>

<p>M does not add so much thickness to the rear of the camera to prevent the use of wide angle lenses with MF digital backs. I even shoot with my Schneider 47XL. K limits you to 75mm, or 90mm if you need movements, and up. F is roughly comparable for focal length with M as both are stuck with the depth of a DSLR mirror box.</p>

<p>MultiStitch is designed for Professional shooters that want to get back to the photographic advantages of a large format camera while giving clients the digital files they need. It is also designed to extend the ROI of digital equipment that is nearing the outer edge of it's useful life but is still perfectly operational. I have a 16MP Imacon back that I routinely use to produce 54MP image files. I believe you should not have to replace a 5-year-old, $25K piece of equipment that works like new.</p>

<p> </p><div></div>

<p>I agree with the fact that capture area does matter. Interpolation is no substitute for clean image information. Also, part of the large format "feel" is from the relationship of focal length to capture area or film size. </p>

<p>Depth of field (whether you want more or less) and perspective distortion can be controlled by working with a large format camera. Stitching images is indeed the way to go. Stitching without camera movement results in the cleanest images for digital assembly and the least loss from the overlapping of frames.</p>

<p>I use a <a href="http://www.multistitch.com/">MultiStitch plate</a> on my 4x5 Cambo with both my Canon 5D and my Imacon digital back. The resulting images are almost 4 times both the capture area and file size of the native captures. I use it for product work in the studio as well as architectural interiors. It allows for a 2-over-2 capture pattern, not just a regular wide panorama. I have captured 2 shot high by 4 shot wide interiors with my Schneider 47XL (using rear shift) with excellent results. If the camera setup is dead-level, a pattern of 4-over-4 captures is possible.</p>

<p>Neither the lens or the "film plane" move during the exposure sequence and the loss to overlaps is not the common 33% but only about 15%, or 6mm per frame. You can see sample images at: <a href="http://www.multistitch.com/multistitch-for-architecture/">http://www.multistitch.com/multistitch-for-architecture/</a></p>

<p>FULL DISCLOSURE: This is a project of mine, I have a patent pending, and I'm currently bringing it to market. I welcome feedback and I hope this does not come off as just a pitch. I am a working pro for 30 years and this project is the result of me exploring how to continue to work with large-format in our new digital world.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>I have been using a <a href="http://www.multistitch.com/">MultiStitch plate</a> to shoot interiors with both my DSLR (a Canon 5D) and an Imacon 16MP digital back on my Cambo 4X5 Ultima-D. I also use it for product work in the studio. The MultiStitch works by moving only the capture device so there is no distortion in the images for stitching. <br>

The lens AND the "film plane" remain stationary throughout the exposure sequence. Further, the plate allows for a 2-over-2 pattern and not just a wide panorama. I have used it for shooting up to 2 shot high by 4 shot wide interiors with great results. Sample images can be seen here: <a href="http://www.multistitch.com/multistitch-for-architecture/">Multistitch sample images</a><br>

Full disclosure: It is my project, developed over the past several years and I have a patent pending. Please let me know what you think as I am currently bringing it to market.</p>