Boffins take gigapixel photos using ordinary camera

[chris]

Scientists at Carnegie Mellon University have developed a device that lets a standard digital camera take pictures with a resolution of 1-gigapixel (1,000-megapixels).

The Gigapan is a robotic arm that takes multiple pictures of the same scene and blends them into a single image. The resulting picture can be expanded to show incredible detail.

"Our goal is to bring the world closer together by making it possible for anybody to take these panoramas and show them to people across the world," Randy Sargent, chief architect of the project at Carnegie Mellon, told The Times.

The robot takes a single picture and then takes 36 horizontal and 10 vertical overlapping shots.

Software then merges the images to produce the final image, such as one of the South Bank in London.

No date for the release off the device has yet been given but it is expected to retail for several hundred dollars.



Source: vnunet

 

[dig deep]

Looks like it would be a great gadget for us all.

However,,,,, seen it before

Any Japanese tourist group will do it that way

 

[PoloMint]

Interesting, but bow long does it take to take all these pictures? Needing an absolutely stationary subject must limit what it can be used for.

 

[2cvbloke]

Interesting, but bow long does it take to take all these pictures? Needing an absolutely stationary subject must limit what it can be used for.

That's what I was thinking, if you're taking a pic of a sunset you'll start with a light picture and gradually get darker and darker pictures...

I'd rather wait until the Genuine Gigapixel cameras hit the shelves...

 

[PaulR]

And what about the 120GB memory card to hold your 4 photos on?

 

[2cvbloke]

And what about the 120GB memory card to hold your 4 photos on?

Technology's advancing everyday, I'm sure by then we'll all be carrying round Terabyte cards in our mobiles, PDAs and cameras...

 

[rolfw]

I'd rather wait until the Genuine Gigapixel cameras hit the shelves...

Yep so anyone can take bad pictures, but with incredible detail.

 

[2cvbloke]

Yep so anyone can take bad pictures, but with incredible detail.

Well it's all to do with the owner, if they're 5h1t at photography, they'll take 5h1t pictures, but if they know what they're doing, they'll take superb pics...

 

[dabe]

it's amazing how much detail you can get with panorama. i've tried using a point and shoot camera, taking 15 or so separate pictures and mashing them up in photoshop using the panorama function and it came out well - one could swear that it was taken using a canon mark3.