Camera to Canvas picture
 

Hi,
I’m kind of a camera noob here. I’m traveling to Japan shortly and I want to snap a nice picture of Tokyo City to print on a nice door sized canvas when I get back.

I have a Cannon 12.1 mega pixel PowerShot SD960 IS digital camera. I’m wonder if this would be sufficient to get a good quality print.

Any input is much appreciated! Thanks!

edit: Also, if you think i should get a new camera, (probably) could you suggest one and why? I don't know much about lenses or aperture, etc.. So if you use technical terms please clarify. Thanks!

costco prints fairly big and the few examples ive seen were good enough that i'd put it on my wall

Resolution is your main factor in blowing it up, i know a few places i got refered to in blowing up a large panoramic i took in europe with a Canon powershot either 12 or 15mp told me the size i wanted would be quite blurry blown up

Update:

I went out and bought a Cannon EOS Rebel T3i. :)

To make sure you have enough resolution, you can always stitch a panorama of multiple shots. You would reduce distortion (assuming you're using a wide angle to capture the cityscape) while increasing detail. Just make sure that if you do plan on doing one, that you do it right. Sturdy tripod, remote, manual exposure, etc. Overlap shots by 1/3 to 1/2, and you'll be golden. Stitching software nowadays is so forgiving that it's almost impossible to screw up. That said, it can't fix a blurry intermediate shot, so make sure you set up the shots correctly. Oh and leave room for a crop as your stitched product will likely not be completely straight at all edges of the frame.

If I set the timer to a couple seconds, do I still need to use a remote? Can you recommend me a good setting in manual mode? i.e. aperture, ISO, shutter speed? What type of stitching software are you referring to? Sorry about being a noob.

Thanks.

^ No worries at all! We all were there you just have to work through it :P

If you set a timer, there's no need for a remote. Set it for 2 seconds so you're not waiting long lol.

As for the settings, it's really up to the situation. The great part of shooting digital is that you can just junk the shots you don't want!

What you can do is take a couple of pictures of the target to start off. Start with ISO 100 if you're using a tripod, since you're not looking to speed up your shutter speed to reduce blur. The tripod will reduce the blur for you. As for aperture, using f/8-f/11 is a good starting point for landscapes. Set your camera in Av mode, set up the ISO and aperture, and go from there.

After taking a test image, play the image back and find out what shutter speed is being set by the camera. On your T3i, press the INFO button on the back until it displays on the LCD. Once you get the shutter speed used, switch your camera to MANUAL mode, and manually input the aperture, ISO, and shutter speed used.

Now here's the tricky part. You'll have to understand how ISO, aperture, and shutter speed work to produce the "exposure". Search up "exposure triangle" on google before you head out. But long story short, if your shot is a bit UNDERexposed, you need to slow down the shutter speed. Vice versa if it's OVERexposed.

Once you have the correct exposure settings, you basically set your camera pointing left or right of the target, and pan across creating your panorama's individual shots. Don't forget that you can stitch multiple levels and orientations. For example, you can turn your camera portrait, and shoot across the target that way. Or if you really want to increase detail, zoom in, and do a 2x3, 2x4, 2x6, 3x3, or whatever gets you the type of shot that you're looking for. Just remember that as you pan the camera, make sure you overlap by 1/3 to 1/2 with the previous shot. This helps the software stitch correctly. Don't rush the shots, and make sure that the shot you have are free from camera shake, as it'll render your new panorama photo useless.

Here's one I did from Diamondhead in Hawaii. IIRC, it was a 2x6 or 2x7 panorama using Photoshop to stitch.

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3793/1...a681425b_c.jpg

That's the quick and dirty. But I suggest reading up on the exposure triangle in order to get the best results. Do a few test runs on the many cityscape opportunities Vancouver has to offer. Play around and get the hang of it. There's no right setting for every single picture. It's all dependent on the lighting at the time you take the pictures.

Good luck and most importantly, have a ton of fun doing them!


PS: I got carried away and missed the other part of your question. Free stitching software includes Microsoft ICE. Paid ones would be Photoshop (CS or Elements). Those are the most commonly used ones. Also, if you don't have a very fast computer, you will want to stitch JPEGs. I'm not sure if you're planning on shooting RAW or not, but if you are, convert everything to JPEG before stitching. Stitching RAWs can take a long time if you don't have the processing power.

Awesome man!! I wish I could give you more thanks! i'll do some more research before my second trip out. My first one was just to try and get the feel for it at Stanley Park. Unfortunately I had no idea what I was doing so the pictures didn't turn out so well.. I'll post some up after my next few trips so you guys can have a laugh.

Thanks again!

PS: that Hawaii shot is gorgeous!

Thanks bud! It's all good man believe me. When I look back at my early stuff it's literally night and day. The only way to improve is to learn the ins and outs of your camera and how to work it to get exactly what you want. Once you master that, it's just using your creative juices and shooting the crap out of it.

Good luck and report back with that cityscape when you have it exactly how you want it!

Edit: I forgot to mention- You only really need to use a tripod when the shutter speeds are too low for hand-holding your camera. That Hawaii shot was done hand held when doing the panorama. The stitching software did the rest. If you're doing a night cityscape, then a tripod is a must. Otherwise, it's not always necessary.