Rodney Campbell's Panoramas

Most of these panoramas let you see a full interactive 360° virtual reality view that you can pan around and up and down as well as zoom in and out of as if you were standing at the centre of the scene.

If you want to see these panoramas "as if you were there" you will need to choose one of the View: links listed underneath the picture.
The Java viewer [PTViewer] requires a version 3 or more Java-enabled browser. If you are using Internet Explorer 6 - java support must be separately installed (it is included in previous versions of IE).
The QTVR [Quicktime Virtual Reality] viewer requires that you have the appropriate plugin, viewer or ActiveX component installed. [Internet Explorer version 5.5 SP2 and 6 (and later versions) should automatically attempt to download the ActiveX control & Internet Explorer versions 5.5 SP1 and older and Netscape and other browsers should use the plugin - if you don't already have it installed]. (Apple QuickTime).
The Photo view shows a larger version of the flattened out 360° view.
Most users will already have the required software installed to view either the Java or Quicktime panoramas so you should probably just give them a try. The HiRes versions show a larger on screen image as well as having a much higher resolution allowing you to zoom in to finer details - but are obviously larger downloads.
More information on panoramas, shooting and creating panoramas and panoramic stitching software can be found at PanoGuide and my own notes and comments at the end of this page.

About this panorama: Date:20th May 2004 14:45 AEST Equipment: Nikon Coolpix 995, FC-E8 8mm Fisheye Adaptor, handheld Lens: 15mm Field of view: 360 x 135 (H x V) Exposure: P Auto AE-Lock [1/405sec, F6.9] Pictures: 8 (portrait)	The view of the Obelisk at Robe - South Australia View: QTVR [266kb] | Java [110kb] | Photo [1617x480pixels 110kb] | HiRes QTVR [2949kb] | HiRes Java [733kb]
About this panorama: Date:15th November 2002 14:30 AEST Equipment: Nikon Coolpix 995, FC-E8 8mm Fisheye Adaptor, handheld Lens: 15mm Field of view: 360 x 135 (H x V) Exposure: P Auto AE-Lock [1/691sec, F7.7] Pictures: 8 (portrait)	The view from Centenary Tower above Mount Gambier - South Australia View: QTVR [245kb] | Java [101kb] | Photo [1435x480pixels 101kb] | HiRes QTVR [1410kb] | HiRes Java [751kb]
About this panorama: Date:15th November 2002 10:00 AEST Equipment: Nikon Coolpix 995, FC-E8 8mm Fisheye Adaptor, handheld Lens: 15mm Field of view: 360 x 135 (H x V) Exposure: P Auto AE-Lock [1/385sec, F6.9] Pictures: 8 (portrait)	Wildlife Park in the Valley Lake - Mount Gambier - South Australia View: QTVR [322kb] | Java [150kb] | Photo [1465x480pixels 150kb] | HiRes QTVR [1868kb] | HiRes Java [1153kb]
About this panorama: Date:13th November 2002 16:30 AEST Equipment: Nikon Coolpix 995, FC-E8 8mm Fisheye Adaptor, handheld Lens: 15mm Field of view: 360 x 135 (H x V) Exposure: P Auto AE-Lock [1/521sec, F8.2] Pictures: 8 (portrait)	Blue Lake - Mount Gambier - South Australia View: QTVR [343kb] | Java [148kb] | Photo [1681x480pixels 148kb] | HiRes QTVR [1817kb] | HiRes Java [985kb]
About this panorama: Date:11th November 2002 13:00 AEST Equipment: Nikon Coolpix 995, FC-E8 8mm Fisheye Adaptor, handheld Lens: 15mm Field of view: 360 x 135 (H x V) Exposure: P Auto AE-Lock [1/632sec, F7.7] Pictures: 8 (portrait)	Blue Lake - Mount Gambier - South Australia View: QTVR [323kb] | Java [137kb] | Photo [1595x480pixels 137kb] | HiRes QTVR [1886kb] | HiRes Java [1018kb]
About this panorama: Date:29th September 2002 11:00 AEST Equipment: Nikon Coolpix 995, FC-E8 8mm Fisheye Adaptor, handheld Lens: 15mm Field of view: 360 x 135 (H x V) Exposure: P Auto AE-Lock [1/293sec, F5.4] Pictures: 8 (portrait)	Ku-ring-gai Bicentennial Park - West Pymble - Sydney View: QTVR [307kb] | Java [143kb] | Photo [1440x480pixels 143kb] | HiRes QTVR [1488kb] | HiRes Java [919kb]
About this panorama: Date:19th August 2002 10:10 AEST Equipment: Nikon Coolpix 995, FC-E8 8mm Fisheye Adaptor, handheld Lens: 15mm Field of view: 360 x 135 (H x V) Exposure: P Auto AE-Lock [1/489sec, F6.9] Pictures: 8 (portrait)	The Beach at Coolum - Sunshine Coast - Queensland View: QTVR [191kb] | Java [109kb] | Photo [1430x480pixels 109kb] | HiRes QTVR [2405kb] | HiRes Java [892kb]
About this panorama: Date:19th August 2002 09:00 AEST Equipment: Nikon Coolpix 995, FC-E8 8mm Fisheye Adaptor, handheld Lens: 15mm Field of view: 360 x 135 (H x V) Exposure: P Auto AE-Lock [1/340sec, F6.1] Pictures: 8 (portrait)	Coolum - Sunshine Coast - Queensland View: QTVR [292kb] | Java [113kb] | Photo [1468x480pixels 113kb] | HiRes QTVR [1431kb] | HiRes Java [846kb]
About this panorama: Date:18th August 2002 14:50 AEST Equipment: Nikon Coolpix 995, FC-E8 8mm Fisheye Adaptor, handheld Lens: 15mm Field of view: 360 x 135 (H x V) Exposure: P Auto AE-Lock [1/364sec, F6.9] Pictures: 7 (portrait)	Teewah Coloured Sands - Cooloola National Park - Sunshine Coast - Queensland View: QTVR [298kb] | Java [133kb] | Photo [1457x480pixels 133kb] | HiRes QTVR [1414kb] | HiRes Java [808kb]
About this panorama: Date:18th August 2002 14:45: AEST Equipment: Nikon Coolpix 995, FC-E8 8mm Fisheye Adaptor, handheld Lens: 15mm Field of view: 360 x 135 (H x V) Exposure: P Auto AE-Lock [1/301sec, F6.9] Pictures: 8 (portrait)	Teewah Coloured Sands - Cooloola National Park - Sunshine Coast - Queensland View: QTVR [253kb] | Java [108kb] | Photo [1461x480pixels 108kb] | HiRes QTVR [1232kb] | HiRes Java [951kb]
About this panorama: Date:18th August 2002 13:45 AEST Equipment: Nikon Coolpix 995, FC-E8 8mm Fisheye Adaptor, handheld Lens: 15mm Field of view: 360 x 135 (H x V) Exposure: P Auto AE-Lock [1/715sec, F7.7] Pictures: 8 (portrait)	Teewah Beach - Cooloola National Park - Sunshine Coast - Queensland View: QTVR [216kb] | Java [123kb] | Photo [1393x480pixels 123kb] | HiRes QTVR [1090kb] | HiRes Java [855kb]
About this panorama: Date:16th August 2002 13:05 AEST Equipment: Nikon Coolpix 995, FC-E8 8mm Fisheye Adaptor, handheld Lens: 15mm Field of view: 360 x 135 (H x V) Exposure: P Auto AE-Lock [1/343sec, F6.1] Pictures: 8 (portrait)	Golf Course - Hyatt Regency Coolum - Sunshine Coast - Queensland View: QTVR [208kb] | Java [122kb] | Photo [1468x480pixels 122kb] | HiRes QTVR [1132kb] | HiRes Java [898kb]
About this panorama: Date:16th August 2002 08:30 AEST Equipment: Nikon Coolpix 995, FC-E8 8mm Fisheye Adaptor, handheld Lens: 15mm Field of view: 360 x 135 (H x V) Exposure: P Auto AE-Lock [1/169sec, F4.3] Pictures: 8 (portrait)	Studio Suites - Hyatt Regency Coolum - Sunshine Coast - Queensland View: QTVR [402kb] | Java [194kb] | Photo [1446x480pixels 194kb] | HiRes QTVR [1983kb] | HiRes Java [1255kb]
About this panorama: Date:16th February 2002 10:00 AEST Equipment: Nikon Coolpix 995, FC-E8 8mm Fisheye Adaptor, tripod Lens: 15mm Field of view: 360 x 135 (H x V) Exposure: P Auto AE-Lock [1/160sec, F4.3] Pictures: 8 (portrait)	Hyde Park - in the centre of the city - Sydney View: QTVR [468kb] | Java [199kb] | Photo [1425x480pixels 199kb] | HiRes QTVR [2246kb] | HiRes Java [1209kb]
About this panorama: Date:10th February 2002 10:55 AEST Equipment: Nikon Coolpix 995, FC-E8 8mm Fisheye Adaptor, handheld Lens: 15mm Field of view: 360 x 135 (H x V) Exposure: P Auto AE-Lock [1/431sec, F7.7] Pictures: 8 (portrait)	Fox Studios Australia - Moore Park - Sydney View: QTVR [294kb] | Java [119kb] | Photo [1430x480pixels 119kb] | HiRes QTVR [1552kb] | HiRes Java [870kb]
About this panorama: Date:27th January 2002 18:35 AEST Equipment: Nikon Coolpix 995, FC-E8 8mm Fisheye Adaptor, tripod Lens: 8mm Field of view: 360 x 180 (H x V) Exposure: P Auto AE-Lock [1/147sec, F3.7] Pictures: 6 (portrait)	Balls Head Reserve - Sydney Harbour View: QTVR [248kb] | Java [182kb] | Photo [1536x768pixels 182kb] | HiRes QTVR [2268kb] | HiRes Java [867kb]
About this panorama: Date:26th January 2002 10:40 AEST Equipment: Nikon Coolpix 995, FC-E8 8mm Fisheye Adaptor, handheld Lens: 8mm Field of view: 360 x 180 (H x V) Exposure: P Auto AE-Lock [1/443sec, F8.1] Pictures: 5 (portrait)	Australia Day - Sydney Opera House - Sydney Harbour View: QTVR [294kb] | Java [172kb] | Photo [1536x768pixels 172kb] | HiRes QTVR [1876kb] | HiRes Java [728kb]
About this panorama: Date:16th January 2002 14:00 AEST Equipment: Nikon Coolpix 995, E63 WideAngle Adaptor, handheld Lens: 24mm Field of view: 270 x 70 (H x V) Exposure: P Auto AE-Lock [1/344sec, F7.5] Pictures: 14 (portrait)	The view out our office windows over Sydney Harbour/City & Hyde Park - 201 Elizabeth St, Sydney View: Photo [1484x300pixels 95kb]
About this panorama: Date:31st December 2001 17:40 AEST Equipment: Nikon Coolpix 995, E63 WideAngle Adaptor, handheld Lens: 24mm Field of view: 360 x 70 (H x V) Exposure: P Auto AE-Lock [1/153sec, F4.2] Pictures: 13 (portrait)	New Year's Eve - Blues Point - Sydney Harbour View: QTVR [268kb] | Java [87kb] | Photo [1564x300pixels 87kb] | HiRes QTVR [955kb] | HiRes Java [699kb]
About this panorama: Date:27th December 2001 13:10 AEST Equipment: Nikon Coolpix 995, E63 WideAngle Adaptor, handheld Lens: 24mm Field of view: 360 x 70 (H x V) Exposure: P Auto AE-Lock [1/417sec, F7.5] Pictures: 12 (portrait)	Currarong - Shoalhaven - South Coast of New South Wales View: QTVR [247kb] | Java [75kb] | Photo [1469x300pixels 75kb] | HiRes QTVR [998kb] | HiRes Java [703kb]
About this panorama: Date:27th December 2001 10:25 AEST Equipment: Nikon Coolpix 995, E63 WideAngle Adaptor, handheld Lens: 24mm Field of view: 360 x 70 (H x V) Exposure: P Auto AE-Lock [1/625sec, F7.5] Pictures: 12 (portrait)	On the Pier at Greenwell Point - Shoalhaven - South Coast of New South Wales View: QTVR [217kb] | Java [74kb] | Photo [1473x300pixels 74kb] | HiRes QTVR [830kb] | HiRes Java [504kb]
About this panorama: Date:24th December 2001 09:00 AEST Equipment: Nikon Coolpix 995, E63 WideAngle Adaptor, tripod Lens: 24mm Field of view: 360 x 70 (H x V) Exposure: P Auto Pictures: 12 (portrait)	Campbell Home - Bomaderry - South Coast of New South Wales View: QTVR [219kb] | Java [112kb] | Photo [1482x300pixels 112kb] | HiRes QTVR [1602kb] | HiRes Java [1187kb]
About this panorama: Date:9th December 2001 13:00 AEST Equipment: Nikon Coolpix 995, E63 WideAngle Adaptor, handheld Lens: 24mm Field of view: 360 x 70 (H x V) Exposure: P Auto AE-Lock [1/222sec, F5.3] Pictures: 12 (portrait)	Wahroonga Park - Wahroonga - Sydney View: QTVR [242kb] | Java [128kb] | Photo [1510x300pixels 128kb] | HiRes QTVR [2006kb] | HiRes Java [1598kb]
About this panorama: Date:2nd December 2001 09:50 AEST Equipment: Nikon Coolpix 995, E63 WideAngle Adaptor, handheld Lens: 24mm Field of view: 360 x 70 (H x V) Exposure: P Auto AE-Lock [1/689sec, F7.5] Pictures: 13 (portrait)	Clarkes Point Reserve - HarbourTrust Woolwich Dock & Parklands - Sydney Harbour View: QTVR [271kb] | Java [83kb] | Photo [1519x300pixels 83kb] | HiRes QTVR [1169kb] | HiRes Java [839kb]
About this panorama: Date:28th November 2001 10:00 AEST Equipment: Nikon Coolpix 995, E63 WideAngle Adaptor, handheld Lens: 24mm Field of view: 360 x 70 (H x V) Exposure: P Auto AE-Lock [1/427sec, F7.5] Pictures: 12 (portrait)	Sydney Opera House - Sydney Harbour View: QTVR [151kb] | Java [77kb] | Photo [1476x300pixels 77kb] | HiRes QTVR [954kb] | HiRes Java [708kb]
About this panorama: Date:3rd November 2001 10:40 AEST Equipment: Nikon Coolpix 995, E63 WideAngle Adaptor, tripod Lens: 24mm Field of view: 360 x 70 (H x V) Exposure: P Auto AE-Lock [1/329sec, F7.5] Pictures: 12 (portrait)	Old Abandoned Farm House - Mount Hope Farm - Coolah View: QTVR [153kb] | Java [74kb] | Photo [1417x300pixels 74kb] | HiRes QTVR [962kb] | HiRes Java [713kb]
About this panorama: Date:31st October 2001 18:15 AEST Equipment: Nikon Coolpix 995, E63 WideAngle Adaptor, handheld Lens: 24mm Field of view: 360 x 70 (H x V) Exposure: P Auto AE-Lock [1/100sec, F3.0] Pictures: 13 (portrait)	Sunset at Mount Hope Farm - Coolah View: QTVR [169kb] | Java [105kb] | Photo [1481x300pixels 105kb] | HiRes QTVR [926kb] | HiRes Java [748kb]
About this panorama: Date:31st October 2001 13:50 AEST Equipment: Nikon Coolpix 995, E63 WideAngle Adaptor, tripod Lens: 24mm Field of view: 360 x 70 (H x V) Exposure: P Auto AE-Lock [1/193sec, F5.3] Pictures: 12 (portrait)	Mount Hope Farm - Coolah View: QTVR [228kb] | Java [110kb] | Photo [1430x300pixels 110kb] | HiRes QTVR [1618kb] | HiRes Java [1168kb]
About this panorama: Date:28th October 2001 9:45 AEST Equipment: Nikon Coolpix 995, E63 WideAngle Adaptor, tripod Lens: 24mm Field of view: 360 x 70 (H x V) Exposure: P Auto AE-Lock [1/325sec, F6.0] Pictures: 12 (portrait)	O H Reid Memorial Park - Chatswood View: QTVR [212kb] | Java [100kb] | Photo [1411x300pixels 100kb] | HiRes QTVR [1528kb] | HiRes Java [1288kb]
About this panorama: Date:18th September 2001 15:30 AEST Equipment: Nikon Coolpix 995, E63 WideAngle Adaptor, handheld Lens: 24mm Field of view: 360 x 70 (H x V) Exposure: P Auto AE-Lock [1/96sec, F3.3] Pictures: 13 (portrait)	Mossman Gorge - near Port Douglas - Queensland View: QTVR [396kb] | Java [134kb] | Photo [1527x300pixels 134kb] | HiRes QTVR [1521kb] | HiRes Java [1263kb]
About this panorama: Date:18th September 2001 15:00 AEST Equipment: Nikon Coolpix 995, E63 WideAngle Adaptor, handheld Lens: 24mm Field of view: 360 x 70 (H x V) Exposure: P Auto AE-Lock [1/77sec, F3.0] Pictures: 13 (portrait)	Mossman Gorge - near Port Douglas - Queensland View: QTVR [440kb] | Java [136kb] | Photo [1518x300pixels 136kb] | HiRes QTVR [1925kb] | HiRes Java [1341kb]
About this panorama: Date:16th September 2001 12:00 AEST Equipment: Nikon Coolpix 995, E63 WideAngle Adaptor, handheld Lens: 24mm Field of view: 360 x 70 (H x V) Exposure: P Auto AE-Lock [1/559sec, F7.5] Pictures: 15 (portrait)	The Quicksilver pontoon at the Agincourt Reef - The Great Barrier Reef - Queensland View: QTVR [250kb] | Java [59kb] | Photo [1489x300pixels 59kb] | HiRes QTVR [708kb] | HiRes Java [454kb]
About this panorama: Date:13th September 2001 10:15 AEST Equipment: Nikon Coolpix 995, E63 WideAngle Adaptor, handheld Lens: 24mm Field of view: 360 x 70 (H x V) Exposure: P Auto AE-Lock [1/368sec, F7.5] Pictures: 15 (portrait)	Four Mile Beach - Port Douglas - Queensland View: QTVR [421kb] | Java [52kb] | Photo [1659x300pixels 52kb] | HiRes QTVR [861kb] | HiRes Java [622kb]
About this panorama: Date:13th September 2001 10:00 AEST Equipment: Nikon Coolpix 995, E63 WideAngle Adaptor, handheld Lens: 24mm Field of view: 360 x 70 (H x V) Exposure: P Auto AE-Lock [1/273sec, F5.3] Pictures: 13 (portrait)	In the Courtyard of Cayman Villas - Port Douglas - Queensland View: QTVR [286kb] | Java [99kb] | Photo [1626x300pixels 99kb] | HiRes QTVR [1222kb] | HiRes Java [1124kb]
About this panorama: Date:2nd September 2001 14:00 AEST Equipment: Nikon Coolpix 995, E63 WideAngle Adaptor, tripod Lens: 24mm Field of view: 360 x 70 (H x V) Exposure: P Auto AE-Lock [1/473sec, F7.5] Pictures: 12 (portrait)	On the Wharf at Balmoral Beach on Sydney's Middle Harbour View: QTVR [278kb] | Photo [1390x300pixels 76kb] | HiRes QTVR [881kb] | HiRes Java [614kb]
About this panorama: Date:3rd August 2001 9:30 AEST Equipment: Nikon Coolpix 995, E63 WideAngle Adaptor, tripod Lens: 24mm Field of view: 360 x 70 (H x V) Exposure: P Auto AE-Lock [1/342sec, F6.0] Pictures: 12 (portrait)	Grand Mercure Hotel Bowral Heritage Park - Bowral View: QTVR [274kb] | Photo [1408x300pixels 85kb] | HiRes QTVR [1043kb] | HiRes Java [878kb]
About this panorama: Date:2nd August 2001 11:30 AEST Equipment: Nikon Coolpix 995, E63 WideAngle Adaptor, tripod Lens: 24mm Field of view: 360 x 70 (H x V) Exposure: P Auto AE-Lock [1/348sec, F7.5] Pictures: 12 (portrait)	Grand Mercure Hotel Bowral Heritage Park - Bowral View: QTVR [209kb] | MGI Zoom plugin [83kb] | Java [83kb] | Photo [1572x300pixels 83kb] | HiRes QTVR [1175kb] | HiRes MGI Zoom [889kb] | HiRes Java [889kb]
About this panorama: Date:23rd June 2001 14:55 AEST Equipment: Nikon Coolpix 995, handheld Lens: 38mm Field of view: 360 x 50 (H x V) Exposure: P Auto Pictures: 17 (portrait)	McMahon's Point - Sydney Harbour View: QTVR [250kb] | MGI Zoom plugin [135kb] | Java [135kb] | Photo [2397x300pixels 135kb] | HiRes QTVR [2264kb] | HiRes MGI Zoom [2405kb] | HiRes Java [2405kb]
About this panorama: Date: 9th June 2001 10:35 AEST Equipment: Nikon Coolpix 900, handheld Lens: 38mm Field of view: 360 x 50 (H x V) Exposure: Auto Pictures: 19 (portrait)	- Nambucca Heads View: MGI Zoom plugin [73kb] | Java [73kb] | Photo [2424x300pixels 73kb] | HiRes MGI Zoom plugin [778kb]
About this panorama: Date: 3rd June 2001 15:10 AEST Equipment: Nikon Coolpix 990, tripod Lens: 38mm Field of view: 360 x 50 (H x V) Exposure: (most) Manual 1/250sec F7.0 Pictures: 18 (portrait)	Bradleys Head on Sydney Harbour View: QTVR [259kb] | MGI Zoom plugin [124kb] | Java [124kb] | Photo [2276x300pixels 124kb] | HiRes QTVR [2326kb] | HiRes MGI Zoom [1690kb] | HiRes Java [1690kb]
About this panorama: Date: 2nd June 2001 11:40 AEST Equipment: Nikon Coolpix 990, handheld Lens: 38mm Field of view: 360 x 50 (H x V) Exposure: Auto Pictures: 19 (portrait)	Birkenhead Point - Sydney View: MGI Zoom plugin [88kb] | Java [88kb] | Photo [2575x300pixels 88kb] | HiRes MGI Zoom plugin [1014kb]
About this panorama: Date: 31st May 2001 11:00 AEST Equipment: Nikon Coolpix 990, tripod Lens: 38mm Field of view: 360 x 50 (H x V) Exposure: Manual 1/250sec F7.0 Pictures: 18 (portrait)	In the street outside my office - 201 Elizabeth St, Sydney View: QTVR [370kb] | MGI Zoom plugin [195kb] | Java [223kb] | Photo [3075x400pixels 223kb]

A few notes about some of the various stitching packages I've tried:
MGI PhotoVista is considerably faster and less memory hungry. When run in fully automatic mode it does seem to do a very good job most of the time (no manual adjustments needed). This is good because making any manual adjustments with this package (when dealing with high resolution original images (about 1.3MP)) is virtually impossible. This package does not support making QTVR files nor does it allow inbuilt creation of scaled down (smaller/lower resolution) versions of either the flat image or the IVR (MGI Zoom) files - you must do this externally in an image editing package. It does however allow you to specify the JPEG Quality when saving the images.
The Panorama Factory is slower and Much more memory intensive. It does however have very good manual adjustment modes and much better control over overlap and blending areas. It's automatic mode also seems to stitch better (especially with difficult images - for example over/under exposed images and image sequences taken handheld). It can cope better with images taken without the use of a tripod and level and stepping sequences (it supports a non level cropping area). It does support QTVR creation and can create lower resolution versions of the flat images or panoramas (QTVR or IVR) easily but does not allow the specification of the JPEG quality when saving. Due to the way this package works, it also offers the potential for having higher quality (less artifacted) final images - they may look flatter and less sharp than from other packages because they aren't automatically adjusted - this can be done within this package or externally using a higher quality image editing package (e.g. adobe photoshop).
PanaVue ImageAssembler is still quite memory intensive (although not as much as The Panorama Factory). The speed is somewhere inbetween MGI PhotoVista and The Panorama Factory. It has very good manual adjustment modes. It's automatic mode stitches very well and probably deals best of the three products with things like correcting linear (barrel) distortion and a tilted camera (it is the only package which allows titled sequences and the ability to do multi-row panoramas (i.e. create a panorama from several rows of images all taken by rotating the camera on ths spot)). It supports QTVR creation but not IVR but it does support the specification of the compression settings as well as default window size of the QTVR file. One thing it doesn't do very well is adjust the contrast, colour, etc over the blended joins so it isn't entirely suitable for stitching where you havn't locked the exposure for all the shots. It does support fisheye lenses but only down to 15.5mm so you can't do full spherical panos. One neat feature it does have is the ability to convert an existing panorama (in flat image form) into a QTVR file.
3DVista Studio
REALVIZ Stitcher has a quite different stitching method. Instead of stitching the whole panorama in one go (like most other packages) you stitch each seam one at a time - adding each image slice to the already stitched panorama as you go. I didn't really like this method of stitching and found it both too cumbersome and too dificult to keep the horizon level. It also supports making spherical panoramas but not fisheye lenses so you can only use multiple rows of images. On the other hand it had an excellent array of panorama conversion options which allow you to convert an existing panorama (in image form [TIF/JPG/BMP/PNG]) into a number of forms including Cylindrical QTVR, Cubic QTVR, Shockwave 3D, VRML and Cubical with extensive controls over the output.
Helmut Dersch's PanoTools with PTGui. Panorama Tools is probably the most versatile package for creating panoramic images. It can handle every imaginable lens type (including the 8mm fisheye), can output to many formats and projections; including 360-degree spherical, cylindrical and rectilinear ('flat') formats. It can correct lens distortions, use multiple rows of images and stitch tilted images. Best of all Panorama Tools is completely free. Although its features are numerous, Panorama Tools is commad line and script driven and can be extremely difficult to use - PTGui is a minimal cost Windows GUI front end which make using PanoTools much easier.