PentaxForums today launched a new photography competition entitled ‘Panoramic View’. Each registered PentaxForums user can submit one image to the official “PF 2010 panoramic view image contest” gallery, from today until 15 March, 11:59pm GMT -7. The theme of the contest can be interpreted in any way the photographer sees it, even with non-panoramic images. However, each image submission must be captured with Pentax equipment, and be created by and the sole copyright property of the PentaxForums user who submitted it. The file size is limited to 1.5 megabytes. Prizes to be won include a a Nodal Ninja 3 MKII Full Spherical Multirow Panoramic QTVR Tripod Head, a copy of the upcoming photobook “Ghost Towns of the Southwest: Your Guide to the Historic Mining Camps and Ghost Towns of Arizona and New Mexico” by Kerrick James and Jim Hinckley and a copy of Autodesk Stitcher Unlimited 2009 panoramic stitching software.

Website: PentaxForums

Press Release

PentaxForums 2010 “Panoramic View” Photo Contest - February 1, 2010

Win a panoramic photography kit, including a Nodal Ninja 3 panoramic tripod-head, and a copy of Autodesk Stitcher Unlimited 2009 panoramic stitching software (Mac & Win)!

The Rules:
The rules are simple: each registered PentaxForums user can submit one (1) image to the official “PF 2010 panoramic view image contest” gallery, from February 1 to March 15, 2010 (at 11:59PM GMT-7). The theme of the contest is “panoramic view” and can be interpreted in any way the photographer sees it, even with non-panoramic images. However, each image submission must be captured with Pentax equipment, and be created by and the sole copyright property of the PentaxForums user who submitted it. The submissions will be viewable by all during the submission time, and can be edited or replaced by their submitters until the deadline.

Photos can be submitted to this gallery category (will not be accessible until the contest starts): PentaxForums.com User Photo Gallery

Image Restrictions:
Format- Panorama
Camera Make- Pentax
Dimensions- None
Filesize- 1.5Mb

The winner will be determined by a panel of “celebrity judges” from around the world, who combine experience and a passion for photography. The identities of the judges will be revealed along with the winner in late March, and once the winner and their image are verified (for image validity and shipping address), the prize package will be shipped out.

The Prizes:
The Nodal Ninja 3 (mark 2) panoramic head ( Nodal Ninja 3 MKII Full Spherical Multirow Panoramic QTVR Tripod Head: Camera & Photo ) is a precise attachment for your tripod which makes it very easy to shoot multi-image panoramas without parallax, so they always line up for easy “stitching” in a single image. Creating fully spherical (360x180) “VRs” is possible with the combined vertical and horizontal rotation, as well as “gigapixel” photomosaics and other multi-row panoramas. Robustly machined from aluminum and brass, the Nodal Ninja 3 will hold most DSLRs and compact cameras with ease, while taking up very little room in your bag.

Nodal Ninja 3 features include:
- Comapct and light, yet solidly built for even heavier mid-sized cameras
- Easy to setup and use, with precise rulers and “calibration stops” to keep your settings
- Precise and repeatable “click-stops” for 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 14, 15, 18, 20, or 24 stops in a circle
- Perfect for travel or field use, with captive screws, rubberized knobs, and a hard-sided custom case

A copy of the upcoming photobook “Ghost Towns of the Southwest: Your Guide to the Historic Mining Camps and Ghost Towns of Arizona and New Mexico” by Kerrick James and Jim Hinckley.

For the top 5 images, your choice of any Pentax DSLR model “Everything you need to know…” guide, as an eBook, by Yvon Bourque.

Autodesk Stitcher Unlimited 2009 software ( Autodesk Stitcher Unlimited Photo Stitching Panorama Software ) is an intuitive way to “stitch” multiple images into a panorama. Stitcher Unlimited includes both automatic stitching and extensive manual control over the placement and distortion-correction of images (including fisheye lenses), all inside an immersive 3D display with GPU acceleration. Smart blending and color calibration tools balance uneven exposures and slight parallax errors, with automatic horizon-finding for excellent 2D output. Extend your creativity with “interactive VR” output, layered and masked Photoshop output, or combine multiple exposures to stitch true HDR panoramas.
Stitcher Unlimited features include:
- Easy to use “five step” interface to generate panoramas quickly and automatically
- Templates and an EXIF “user lens database” to save your most frequent lens/ camera combinations
- Advanced editing and image touch-up tools, with support for “smart blending”
- Full HDR support, combining multiple exposures and multiple images into HDR output
- Both MacOS and Windows versions on the same DVD

All prizes in the package are provided by from or through forum member “panoguy,” and are the full retail products. No endorsement of this contest, the forum, Pentax cameras, or the contest winner are implied or connected to either Nodal Ninja LLC, or Autodesk Inc. In addition, all rights to any submitted images are retained by the image creator. The prizes are solely provided to encourage more Pentax photographers to also be “panographers.”

Your Comments