Cap'n Bob & the Damsel

Panorama

R10 Panoramic Mode

Panoramic images have always been an interest of mine. Early on, I used to take a series of adjacent , overlapping images and would “stitch” them together using an old application that did the job. Now, the function has been integrated right into some cameras.

My Kodak PixPro FZ152 has a panoramic function, but it can be kind of picky in the stitching process, and frequently will overlap in the wrong places. Maybe that is due to the way I used it, but regardless, it seemed clumsy to me.

I took the panorama above with my Canon EOS R10 in its panoramic mode. It works much better; all I have to do is press the shutter button and hold while I smoothly pan from left to right (optionally the other way too) to get what my eye perceives as a smooth and seamless image. Click on the image and pan using the image viewer scroll bar at the bottom.

I took the image from our courtyard looking west; the image spans the west leg of the RV drive sweeping from the road across the west cactus and rock garden, mesquite and paloverde trees, the lemon tree to the back gate of the courtyard.

I will try and get some more interesting panoramas as the opportunities arise.

22 Jun 2026 by Arizona Home & Garden Notions Panorama Photography Technobabble 0

Desert Cacti and Mountains

The Cap’n and I happened to have an appointment in Surprise, AZ today. As usual on any trip in the truck (or any other vehicle – think RV), I brought my camera to document the trip. On the way home, I took the photo above of the desert with the mountains in the background. It’s nice to live in a place where you can see the naked desert just a few miles from home. Anyhow, this view is looking northeastward toward Castle Hot Springs, AZ, from the Morristown Overpass on US 60 near mile marker 120. Click on the image to enlarge.

02 Jun 2026 by Arizona Environment Notions Panorama Photography 0

Panoramic Images

Panoramic Image of Our House

Earlier this month, I retired my venerable Canon Powershot A710IS Camera and started using my newer Kodak PIXPRO FZ152 Camera. The older camera had roughly 18 years on it and after it got retired, I started using the newer camera. The newer camera, it turns out, had more features that I didn’t know about because I used it so seldom. Lo and behold, there is a “panoramic image” mode.

To make panoramic images using the FZ152, one must select the proper mode and shooting left to right (other direction optional) snap three or four images as you move the camera. There is a “ghost” image of the preceding image that helps the user to align the camera. When done, select the “SET” button and the camera begins to “stitch” the images into a single elongated image — a panoramic image.

I am still learning how to use the panoramic image mode, although some of the image results from following the procedure have been disappointing, with visible disconnects in the continuity of the image. I thought I was using the proper procedure and got the result seen below:

Discontinuity example

As you can see, the right half of the panned image jumps from a place in the middle of the house to repeating (in a distorted fashion) the same image segment going to the right. The image is not useful except to demonstrate the problem.

I guess I am spoiled by having had a really good Canon Utility in the past that would render panoramas from several images with very good results, even with marginally acceptable images. Unfortunately, that utility stopped being supported and did not work with later versions of Windows subsequent to about seven years ago or so.

I will keep trying to get panoramas with the Kodak Camera in the future, but I may opt for a Photoshop ($$$) utility to do the things I used to do with ease and for free with the Cannon App.

25 Feb 2025 by Notions Panorama Photography Technobabble

Camping – Moab, UT

Campground Panorama

Rather than my usual portrait of the RV parked somewhere, I thought I would compose a panoramic image which shows our RV on the left and pans right to the next big rig parked along our row in the campground where we are tonight. The sites are terraced up a hillside along US 191 near Moab, Utah and this panorama shows the view from our site looking east.

This is a very popular campground and is nearly filled to capacity with visitors from far and wide. The view above shows most sites occupied and as I write this, more rigs can be heard arriving.

We saw some wonderful scenery today as we crossed Utah mostly along Interstate 70. We had some gusty winds in the mountainous areas, but nothing we couldn’t handle.

Tomorrow, we’re going to pop into Arches NP just up the road and then head south, eventually arriving at another campground near Monument Valley. We anticipate more breathtaking scenery as we head south into the Diné (Navajo) Tribal Reservation.

Click on the image to activate the image viewer and scroll to the right for the full panorama.

Damsel took this image of the RV parked in the Sand Bench Rest Area on I-70 with a spectacular vista of the red rock formations in the background. Click on the image to enlarge.

Parked at I-70 Rest Area

07 May 2017 by Panorama Retirement Wanderlust

Throwback Panorama – Vacant Wickenburg Lot

Six years ago this month, Damsel and I had purchased our property in Arizona and were awaiting for the financing to fall into place so the construction of our new home could begin. Despite the unpleasant delay, we still had plenty of business to do in Town, so we continued to spend about a week per month here. Construction would begin in August and the contractor had already placed the stakes in the ground where the corners of the building would be. Click on the image to view the large panorama.

Vacant Wickenburg Lot

We had considerable difficulty getting a title lien released on our California property which was preventing our Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC) approval. Finally, I found the lien holder and had it released and the funds were then in the bank to start the Arizona home construction.

Reminiscing about our experience six summers ago, Damsel and I are very happy to be where we are now. The California property is sold and the HELOC and primary Mortgage are completely paid in full.

07 Jul 2016 by Arizona Panorama

Sixth, Seventh and Eighth/Ninth Day Out Camping

Sixth day – Stockton, CA

Stockton, CA

Our excuse for not posting when we were in Stockton is that we were camped at Damsel’s sister’s place. Naturally, having not visited with family for several months demands that we sit and yack about whatever until after midnight. It was a good visit and the sister took good care of us, feeding us supper and breakfast the next morning.

Seventh Day – Bakersfield, CA

Bakersfield, CA

We were unable to post anything while staying at Bear Mountain RV south of Bakersfield. The WIFI connection was so piss-poor, that we were barely able to check mail. Trying uploads resulted in timeouts and extremely slow uploads, so we threw in the towel, set up the TV and watched some DVDs we brought along.

Eighth and Ninth Day- Palm Desert, CA

Palm Desert, CA

We are currently in Palm Desert this evening and will be here for a couple of days while visiting the other grandparents, the new baby grandson and his parents. Damsel set up the little charcoal grill and cooked up a delicious porterhouse steak, which we split and still had leftovers much to the puppies delight.

21 Sep 2015 by Panorama Retirement Wanderlust

Fifth Day Out Camping

Cloverdale Camping

This evening, we are camped at the Cloverdale (CA) KOA, about forty miles north of Santa Rosa, CA, about seven miles up in the hills east of US 101. It is a nice place once you get here, but the road is narrow and twisty, not exactly fun pulling a trailer behind the truck. Plus we get to leave the same way. Oh, well.

We crossed the Sierra Nevada Mountains and followed I-80 most of the way across the state. I swear, the next trip I plan will exclude traveling through major urban areas. The traffic and the road construction in Sacramento was terrible. Traffic in the North San Francisco Bay area had its level of suckage, too. We came through this same part of the Bay Area a year ago and the traffic hasn’t improved. Despite those drawbacks, camping in wine country is scenic, quiet and restful.

Tomorrow night, we will be in Stockton camping in Damsel’s sister’s driveway. But, before that, we’re stopping in Santa Rosa for our great grandson’s first birthday party. It should be an interesting day.

18 Sep 2015 by California Panorama Retirement Wanderlust

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