Which Camera/Lens combo for great quality 360 Pano's?

[Christian Von Wechmar]

Hello,

I would like to start photographing high-quality spherical panoramas with a DSLR/Fisheye combo. I want to upload my photospheres to Street View and 360cities. I’m trying to figure out which equipment to buy.

The lenses on my shortlist are the Canon 8-15mm, Nikkor 10.5mm, and Nikkor 16mm f/2.8D.

Cameras I’m considering are the Canon 6D, Nikon D7200, D750.

My dilemma is that the Nikons have a better dynamic range than the Canon 6D. But the Canon 8-15mm lens is reportedly sharp, accurate and versatile. (It will be a while before the new 5D4 will be available locally.)

Combos I’m considering: 6D with 8-15mm / D7200 with 10.5mm / D750 with shaved 10.5mm / D750 with 16mm.

With the Canon lens, I’ll have the option to shoot 4 shots, 90 degrees apart. Or 6+2 at 15mm for better detail? But bracketing will be needed in many situations?

The Nikon bodies will give me better dynamic range than the 6D, albeit with “older” but good lenses.

Ideally, I should probably get a D810 with both a shaved 10.5mm and a 16mm. And a Nodal Ninja R1 as well as a NN4. That would give the option to shoot 4 shots in close quarters with a small head. Or 6+2 shots with the 16mm where more detail is required? But for a non-professional, this option seems excessive.

I live in South Africa, where Canon is well supported, with better service and prices than Nikon. Sigma 8mm lenses are not available locally.

BTW, I’ve sold all my Nikon DX gear a while ago, and have only been shooting my X100T. I’m looking to buy a full-frame body anyway. I’ve processed RAW files in Lightroom from all above mentioned cameras, including A7RII and 5DSR. The Nikon files have a clear edge over the Canon IMHO. But as a hobbyist, I cannot judge the files objectively as a pro would do. (A7RII not available/supported locally.)

I would appreciate any advice/insight you may have.

Thank you,
Christian

[Luc Villeneuve]

On the DXO web site, you can compare performance of specific combinations of body and lenses. Very useful.

http://www.dxomark.com/Cameras/Compare/Side-by-side/Nikon-D810-versus-Canon-EOS-6D___963_836

Buy sharp lenses. Good reports on DXO web site as well.

Personally, I use Nikon D810 with a bunch of lenses from 10.5 to 300mm.

[Christian Von Wechmar]

Thank you for the reply Luc.

I have done extensive research on DXO. Very helpful indeed. The 6D looks quite pale against the D810…

I think I shall get a used D800 or D810, with a used 10.5mm and 16mm.

[Luc Villeneuve]

This site is so useful when it’s time to buy a new lens. I already saved hundreds of $ by buying the best lens for less.

[Frank Cornfield]

Give the Samyang 12mm 2.8 a try. I’m using this on a d800 and the results are incredibly sharp for such an inexpensive lens.

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