Oly D400Z panorama with none-Oly smartCards

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In the review for the Oly D400Z, I read "It's important to note that the D-400 Zoom's panorama capability requires special software instructions found on the SmartMedia memory cards. As a result, you'll only be able to activate panorama mode when using Olympus-branded memory cards."

Question: if it is just software on the card, wouldn't that work with a card from another brand that would be reformatted by the D400Z?

-- William VBP (vbp@via.ecp.fr), March 05, 1999

Answers

It is my understanding that the special smart card requirement applied only to Olympus' own software. The Enroute 'Quick Stitch' product now supplied with the camera does not face that restriction.

correct me if I am wrong

jay

-- Jay Holovacs (holovacs@idt.net), March 08, 1999.


The "panorama mode" I was referring to didn't have to do with the PC software, but rather the functioning of the camera itself. With the Oly-branded SmartMedia, you get some useful alignment guides on the LCD screen, and (more importantly) the exposure and white balance locks on the first image of the sequence. This makes it much easier to stitch the images together, as they all have the same exposure and color balance. You can certainly use QuickStitch to stitch-together images not taken with the panorama mode, but you may have more exposure variation. (If not using Oly SmartMedia, one option is to use a tripod, and the AE lock in the camera that you get when you half-press the shutter button: Swivel the camera back to the same position to lock exposure before rotating to frame each successive shot, and you'll get the same effect as the Oly firmware, but with a bit more hassle.)

-- Dave Etchells (hotnews@imaging-resource.com), March 09, 1999.

The special alignment grid is programed into the Olympus cards and can't be erased or transfered to a generic card. I'm not sure, but you may have to buy a "special" memory card from Olympus to get this function. I'm also not sure if you can lock the exposure settings (just got my D-450zoom a few weeks ago and haven't figured it all out yet).

I save the supplied 8meg card for the panorama's and use other cards for everything else.

-- Dale R Dankulich (dalerd01@earthlink.net), October 11, 1999.


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