I've been working on panos for 13 years. It's been slow. Life and not quite right equipment kept getting in the way. The equipment was not bad but it didn't do what was in my mind so it's been a series of false starts. Not totally false. I've learned a little each time.

I went out a couple of days ago with the "new" 1960 Meopta Flexaret Va twin lens reflex loaded with Ilford XP2, the pano head I bought 13 years ago, and did this picture.

Priv te Restrooms, Langley, Feb., 2005
medium image (193x800)
large image (500x2070)

I'm so excited I could pee my pants. This is a 5 panel pano covering 150 degrees. Panavue Image Assembler seemed to stitch it just fine. (I still have to go over it with a fine tooth comb.) And the Flexaret Va has a pretty sharp lens. See that door on the left of the dark building with three doors? There is a sign on that door. Here is the sign at the scanning limit of my Epson 2450.

A better scanner would get more detail. Stitching 5 negatives together is the same as having one negative 2 1/4 inches by 11 1/4 inches.

This is a rough image. It needs some serious spotting and some more levels adjusted but does what I wanted it to do. There is certainly a bit of serendipity in a picture like this but it all came together and gives me some direction to go in. IT WORKED! And it really feels good when it does work.