Watchout to control geometry using a fisheye lens

[miagui]

Hello,

 

Im new to the world of projection installations, and maybe this question has been asked before and I couldn't find it.

 

 

A challenging installation project, where im required to project on 3 walls and the floor of a small 7x5x3m (WLH) room, with some ambient light, using Panasonic 7k HD projectors.

 

When trying to use 0.8-1 zoom lenses or even the new extra short 0.38 lens, im facing a problem of positioning projectors (which I need to hide as well), they sometimes overlap, if im to get a descent coverage and brightness out of them.

 

To solve my problem, im investigating the possibility of using 2 brighter projectors (instead of the 8 smaller ones) , suspended from ceiling next to the wall without projection, and and only the fish eye lens dropping down. so each lens would cover a quarter of a sphere area.

 

 

My question here would be, can I play with the watch out geometry to control the fisheye projection into a square room? This is opposite of what the lens is made for, transforming squares into spheres :)

 

 

any ideas would help

 

 

Thanks

 

 

[David Lee]

you have a lot of adjustment with the geometry in Watchout so it may be possible. Obviously be aware that you will be wasting a lot of pixels by doing this.

[miagui]

Yes I agree, also focus might case an issue

Im just wondering if anyone faced a same issue before, and what was the solution

 

 

 

 

you have a lot of adjustment with the geometry in Watchout so it may be possible. Obviously be aware that you will be wasting a lot of pixels by doing this.

 

 

 

[pstewart]

We've got a room that's using 4 Panasonic 6k wuxga projectors and 0.8 lenses to fill all 4 walls. With a 1080 high image shifted to the bottom of the raster there's just a slight shadow from the opposite projector.

Philip

[AHYoung]

Done this many times and its no different from any other projection job in that the challenge is to get the projectors in the correct optical position and if thats not possible somewhere where the distortions are managable. are you projecting floor to ceiling , as thats where its going to be impossible as the projectors have to be in the same room , and they will cause shadows . if you can avoid the top 250mm , you can simply stick the projectors as close to the ceiling as possible and theres enough lens shift to make it happen...

[miagui]

Im projecting from ceiling downwards, which in a normal situation is fine. my challenge is that the client doesn't want to see the projectors, specially when there is 8 of them to cover the walls and the floor!! so will try to hide them in the ceiling

these 8 projectors lack space with the lens options available, thats why im thinking of fisheye

Do you know anything about the focus on them?

 

Done this many times and its no different from any other projection job in that the challenge is to get the projectors in the correct optical position and if thats not possible somewhere where the distortions are managable. are you projecting floor to ceiling , as thats where its going to be impossible as the projectors have to be in the same room , and they will cause shadows . if you can avoid the top 250mm , you can simply stick the projectors as close to the ceiling as possible and theres enough lens shift to make it happen...

[AHYoung]

Fora start, what are these "big projectors" and "fisheye lenses" your asking questions that require precise answers without the infomation. But that aside, if you have panasonic 7ks with either wide zoom or dle030 lenses available which are the right tools for the job, would it not be better to get someone who knows their stuff in to sort it out as if you cant make it work with the right tools its only going to get worse if you go for another approach.

 

Projector optics are designed to work with a screen or projection surface which is parrallel to the panel in the projector,and sorting the light to be straight and even over the different angles and distances is what the lens does. Go off axis or project onto two surfaces angled to each other and the distances end up totally different and as a consequence you cant be in focus at all the different points, and the further points will have larger darker pixels with the nearer ones smaller brighter ones. you can compensate for the geometric distortion, but not the fact that there will be areas totally out of focus and the brightness will be all over the place.

 

is you room 3m high or are you images 3m high. if you want to project floor to ceiling , it cant be done, but if you have space above, its simple as you mount your units above the top of the image height and as long as the roof and rigging is blacked out, you wont see it, and if people are looking at the rigging, the problems with the content as if thats engaging enough you look around you not straightup...

 

 

[miagui]

My friend,

I do know my stuff for a normal projector/lens setup for live events, but this is my first encounter with a tricky installation job, thats why investigate and try to get valuable insights for professionals who might have done such a thing.

I tend to think out of the box as much as possible according to clients needs (hide the projectors , tight space not designed for a projector installation , get enough brightness and the usual "reduce cost") before saying it can not be done.

Finally I reached to a solution, which is technically viable but not cost effective, where I need to custom make 3 lenses , with help of geometry control, client decision now

 

Thanks

 

Fora start, what are these "big projectors" and "fisheye lenses" your asking questions that require precise answers without the infomation. But that aside, if you have panasonic 7ks with either wide zoom or dle030 lenses available which are the right tools for the job, would it not be better to get someone who knows their stuff in to sort it out as if you cant make it work with the right tools its only going to get worse if you go for another approach.

 

Projector optics are designed to work with a screen or projection surface which is parrallel to the panel in the projector,and sorting the light to be straight and even over the different angles and distances is what the lens does. Go off axis or project onto two surfaces angled to each other and the distances end up totally different and as a consequence you cant be in focus at all the different points, and the further points will have larger darker pixels with the nearer ones smaller brighter ones. you can compensate for the geometric distortion, but not the fact that there will be areas totally out of focus and the brightness will be all over the place.

 

is you room 3m high or are you images 3m high. if you want to project floor to ceiling , it cant be done, but if you have space above, its simple as you mount your units above the top of the image height and as long as the roof and rigging is blacked out, you wont see it, and if people are looking at the rigging, the problems with the content as if thats engaging enough you look around you not straightup...