In-camera panorama processing seems like one of those features that's just too good to be true. But after testing this function with a Sony Alpha NEX-5, I'm here to say it's for real.
This sweep panorama of a high school football field was captured with a Sony NEX-5 with a 16mm f/2.8 lens. Click to enlarge.
The process is simple. You set the camera in Sweep Panorama mode, press the shutter, then pan your scene following the marker in the viewfinder. Once the image is completed, go to Playback mode, and your panorama is ready for viewing.
The finished resolution is 8192×1856 (15.2 MP), so you don't get the mega-dimensions that you'd see if you took a series of images and stitched them together in Photoshop. But what you do get is an impressively merged photograph that's ready to share right out of the camera. Click on the image above to examine a larger version. Not bad.
Moving objects do present a problem for Sweep Panorama. So this technique is best applied to static scenes (although the effects of movement are sometimes interesting and worth playing with). This technology will hopefully lead to more expansive shots from photographers who like showing the big picture.
More on the Sony NEX-5
"Sony NEX-5: Where Does it Fit?" - Digital Photography Podcast 228
Viewing Sony's NEX-5 AVCHD Movies on a Mac
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I am at a Sony demo of the 3D photographic capability of the NEX5. Very cool.