Re: interchangeable lenses vs. fixed focal length

[Alan Zinn <azinn@xxxxxxxxxx>]

At 11:34 AM 7/1/2000 -0700, you wrote:
>Do rotational cameras that use one fixed focal length lens tend to achieve
>higher quality (sharpness over the entire film plane?) than those that are
>made to take lenses of numerous focal lengths?
>
>

Katherine,

Short answer is no.   
Wider angle lenses have a greater effective depth of field. A longer FL lens
is more forgiving of errors in the geometry of the whole system. The
film/rotation sync, camera shake, etc. 

Each make of lens is mounted a specific distance from the focal plane. That
is user adjustable on the Lookaround but no other camera. I set the distance
for your brand of lenses using a columnator. If you use another make I can
set it up for both. 

Related to that - the image on the film is only as wide as the vertical
slit. You are getting the lens coverage of what would be the diagonal of a
35mm picture. Even crappy lenses work OK at the centermost part of the image.  

If you could see me shooting - should do a video "Blair Panoramicist
Project." I hold the tripod way up in the air - the camera spinning while I
sweep through the scene. The guys who carry on about lenses and geometrical
preciseness would have a stroke. Just look at the pictures. At the IAPP
conventoin nobody can believe the quality. Brag brag... btw IAPP members get
the camera for $500.  

AZ



New Minneapols pans 6/30/00
Lookaround Panoramic Camera and Gallery:
http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Gallery/8874/

Bob Talbot's Vagabond Camera web page
 http://www.st-abbs.fsnet.co.uk/vagabond/

Where's the camera? http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Gallery/8874/passcam.html