I recently had some fun creating panoramas with the Kodak EasyShare V570, which broke ground as the first dual-lens digital camera when it debuted earlier this year. But it wasn’t the dual-lens feature that I thought was so cool. It was being able to use the really wide-angle, 23mm fixed lens (35mm equivalent) along with the in-camera panorama stitching mode that allowed me to piece together three shots. I just let the camera process the three pictures (which took about a minute) and voila! A panorama that stretches a full 180 degrees. The results weren’t seamless, but I was intrigued by how easily I could capture the shots. And there’s an almost trompe l'oeil quality about the pictures, which makes me think there’s a lot more to explore in this technique.

I’ve included two recent panoramas that I took in NYC’s Madison Square Park, with a view of the Flatiron building, a rather historic landmark for lovers of photography since it was shot by both Edward Steichen and Alfred Stieglitz. One of my shots is a traditional horizontal panorama, while the other one was done vertically, where I’m actually shooting up at the sky in the second shot. In a few places, you can actually see where the photos don't quite line up perfectly. Still, I thought the results were striking. And I didn’t have to fuss with Photoshop or even transfer the images to my computer. It certainly scores high on my “non-fuss, fool-the-eye, in-camera-tricks” meter!

For those who want to know about the Kodak EasyShare V570, here’s my review.