About my Panoscan MK-3

The MK-3 is a high resolution/high performance digital panoramic camera manufactured by Panoscan Inc., utilizing components from BetterLight, a manufacturer and the original creator of high quality scanning back cameras. Both are American companies based in California.

What makes the Panoscan different from traditional digital cameras (Nikon, Canon etc) when shooting panoramas, is that the Panoscan captures a single continuous panoramic image, capturing data in single vertical "slices" while rotating. Thus, there is no warping and stitching together of multiple images in order to produce a panoramic VR image as there would be when using a common DSLR camera. This has numerous advantages, not the least of which is greatly reduced post production time.

Technical articles about scanning back cameras
-from BetterLight

Panoramic scanning back cameras compared
-from Panoscan, Inc.

The MK-3, being built for rugged use- is easily transportable and can operate in the field on battery power for about an entire day of shooting. The photo at the top of this page (click it for a larger view) shows my Panoscan MK-3 "in the field". Shown is the small travel case for its external processor, extended battery, accessories and compact notebook computer, and a backpack for transporting the camera body and extra lenses. Time to unpack, setup & shoot takes only minutes.

I utilize both the Panoscan and DSLR cameras (like Nikon, Canon etc) to create single-shot & multiple-shot stitched VR photography for my clients. To find out which is best suited for your particular job, please contact me to discuss the details of your VR photography project.

To see some example images I have produced with my Panoscan MK-3 (and even the MK-2), see the "Examples/Gallery" section of my website.

For more info about my Panoscan MK-3, continue reading below-

Panoscan MK-3 Specifications

*What is Enhanced Mode resolution?

The Panoscan MK-3 uses a Tri-linear CCD for image capture, which means it has a single vertical column of sensors for each of the three colors (Red, Green and Blue). The resolution of the CCD is therefore defined by it's height, which in this case is 6,000 pixels. The resolution/width of the image captured depends on the number of horizontal steps made by the motor. "Enhanced Mode" refers to the ability of the camera to interpolate, or "scale-up" the image to 9,000 pixels, or 150% of it's native height. When doing this, it increases the numbers of steps the motor makes while rotating the camera to capture additional data. Thus when shooting a panoramic image at 150%, the increase in vertical resolution is the result of interpolation, but the increase in horizontal resolution is an actual gain of true resolution.

Lenses I currently use with my Panoscan MK-3

I use a variety of Mamiya 645 (medium format) lenses which provide me with a range of vertical fields of view. From 47 to 90 degrees (for cylindrical panoramas) and 180 degrees (for full spherical panoramas). Additional lenses can be used all the way up to 300mm. When shooting a 360 degree panoramic image, the horizontal dimension (and scan time) of the image changes. The following chart shows the difference each lens makes with regards to file size and vertical field of view when shooting a full 360 degree panorama at 100% (not enhanced mode) resolution.