Not wide enough? Make a panorama
Thursday 24 July 2025, 13:13 by Nando Harmsen | 2,348 views | 2 commentsThis article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.
A wide-angle lens lets you fit a lot into the frame. Don't have a wide enough angle? Make a panorama, simply handheld. As long as the shutter speed is fast enough, it works perfectly.
There are actually two reasons to make a panorama photo. The first reason is to achieve an extremely high resolution. You can use a longer focal length for this. Even a telephoto lens is possible.
The second reason is more practical. That is making a panorama to achieve a wider angle than what you have available. You use a panorama to imitate an ultra-wide-angle lens.
Suppose you have a lens that cannot go wider than 24mm. But 24mm does not give you enough in the frame. You would like a wider angle. In that case, you can make a panorama to achieve that wider angle of view.
Hold your camera firmly, set your exposure and keep it constant. Take a photo and turn the camera so that you have the next section in the frame. Aim for about 30% overlap, or a little more. Take the next photo and repeat this until you have the angle of view you want.
You can 'stitch' these photos together with software such as Lightroom Classic, Photoshop, Luminar, and almost all other modern photo-editing software. You will always lose a bit of the edge when shooting handheld.
For this method, it is important to use a shutter speed that is fast enough for handheld photography. The dynamic range should preferably not be too large. Of course, you can also use a tripod.
Finally, my advice is not to make a panorama if you can photograph it with a wide-angle lens. You will not fit more into the frame. This only makes sense if you need an extremely high resolution.
About the author
Nando Harmsen has been photographing for more than 40 years. He specialises in wedding photography and landscape photography. Nando also gives talks, workshops, masterclasses and photo trips, and regularly reviews new and interesting equipment.
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2 comments
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Andrew wrote on Thursday 24 July 2025 at 18:46 | replyDag Nando,
This comment was written in another language and has not been translated yet.
Je geeft aan dat het dynamisch bereik bij voorkeur niet te groot moet zijn. Wat bedoel je daar precies mee? Veel dynamisch bereik geeft toch een beter/mooier beeld voor zowel op de voorgrond als ook in de achtergrond? -
Nando
wrote on Thursday 24 July 2025 at 20:11
| reply
Als je dit uit de hand doet, dat panorama, en het dynamisch bereik van de scène is heel groot, dan kan de camera dat niet in één beeld vastleggen. Je hebt dan per foto voor het panorama een belichtingstrapje nodig om er een HDR van te maken. Dat is mogelijk, maar dit uit de hand fotograferen wordt een uitdaging.
This comment was written in another language and has not been translated yet.
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