Fireworks Photos with a Long Zoom Lens: A Better Approach
Photographing fireworks from a distance of several kilometers can be tricky if your tripod setup is not absolutely stable, especially when using long exposures. I used a Nikon Z30 with the 50–250mm lens on a tripod, aiming to capture sharp bursts with surrounding buildings in the frame:
📸 Fireworks Photography: The Classic Recipe
Here is the standard setup for capturing fireworks:
ISO: 100 (or as low as your camera allows)
Aperture: f/8 to f/11 for sharpness and depth
Shutter Speed: 2 to 10 seconds (use BULB mode and adjust based on burst duration)
Focus: Manual, set to infinity or pre-focus on a distant object
White Balance: Daylight or Auto
Stabilization: Use a tripod and disable VR
Remote Trigger: Optional, but helps avoid camera shake
This setup works great when you're close to the action and using a standard or wide-angle lens. But what if the fireworks are several kilometers away, you're shooting with a long zoom, and your tripod setup isn't exactly rock-solid? That's where things get interesting.
The Problem
While the fireworks were crisp, the buildings appeared blurry. The cause is vibrations from people walking nearby and the long shutter time (several seconds). Even if you take pictures without a tripod and have VR enabled, the system could not stabilize the image over such long exposures.
And tripods, especially on unstable surfaces, don't eliminate this issue. Using shorter shutter speeds helps reduce motion blur, but it introduces a new challenge: you often miss the perfect moment. Sometimes, all it takes is a fraction of a second to turn a potential masterpiece into a chaotic blur of light.
13,0s f/8,0 ISO 100/21° f=200mm/300mm
The Solution: Slow-Shutter Video
Switching to video mode at 1/25s shutter speed solved the problem:
Sliding through the video to capture the perfect frame as a new level of content creation
No motion blur in buildings or other static elements
Fireworks still looked vibrant and dynamic
Overall stabilization was noticeably better
You lose the long light trails typical of multi-second exposures, but the bursts remain visually striking.
Instead of hoping to hit the perfect moment with a single shot, just extract stills from the exact frame you want. For example, using VLC (Shift+S or Menu → Video → Take Snapshot) makes it easy to grab high-quality frames directly from your footage.
Video resolution these days is 3840×2160. Not far off from stills at 5568×3712 with my camera. That's more than enough to crop, zoom, and relive every spark in crisp detail: gone are the days of grainy VGA 640×480 clips from early digital cameras. The kind that looked halfway decent on a VHS-era TV. This isn't VHS anymore. This is IMAX, and you are in the front row.
The AstrHori 6.5mm f/2 Fisheye Lens is a manual focus Circular Fisheye Lens for APS-C cameras with a 192° field of view.
Best general setting is at the 1m mark and f/5.6. This puts everything from near to infinity in focus.
The AstrHori 6.5mm Fisheye Lens fills the entire APS-C sensor with its 192° field of view, unlike the Laowa 4mm Circular Fisheye, which projects a 210° image circle that does not fully cover the frame.
AstrHori 6.5mm
Laowa 4mm
However, with only 192° of coverage, the AstrHori 6.5mm makes it difficult to capture a full 360x180° panorama using just two images. In contrast, the Laowa 4mm performs much better in this regard thanks to its wider 210° field of view.
Example 360x180° panorama with two pictures using the AstrHori 6.5mm Fisheye Lens:
1/800s f/5,6 ISO 100/21° f=6,5mm
Both images must be perfectly aligned using a nodal point adapter. If the camera is even slightly off-axis, parallax errors can occur, which may lead to visible stitching artifacts like this because of the missing overlap:
A 360x180° panorama created from only two images relies solely on control points along the left and right edges. Unlike multi-image panoramas using 6+Z+N shots1, there is no flexibility for adjustment in other areas of the frame.
To improve the quality of a 360x180° panorama, three images should be taken at 120° intervals with the camera slightly tilted upward, along with an additional Nadir (bottom) shot to cover the ground area and eliminate potential shadows.
1/1000s f/5,6 ISO 100/21° f=6,5mm
The three slightly upward-tilted shots capture the sky seamlessly, while the Nadir takes care of the floor details:
But this only yields a final resolution of 8k by 4k. A two-shot fisheye panorama is 7k by 3.5k, which is already quite limited. In contrast, a full-frame fisheye panorama captured using 6+Z+N gets 16k by 8k.
All resolutions are based on a 20MP camera.
Surprisingly sharp in the corners for such an affordable lens. A clear improvement compared to the old Zenitar, which was my first fisheye lens and handled sharpness like it was optional and felt more like a Cold War relic than an optical instrument.
Not sure how the Peleng even compares, but for a circular fisheye on full-frame cameras at that time, it seems better suited for museum display than modern photography.
1/800s f/5,6 ISO 100/21° f=6,5mm
And nice sunstars:
1/800s f/5,6 ISO 100/21° f=6,5mm
Only a Circular Fisheye can capture this:
1/400s f/5,6 ISO 100/21° f=6,5mm
With the focus set to its minimum distance, the leaf is actually touching the front element of the lens. This is one of the drawbacks of this lens: you cannot make those funny fisheye closeup shots. The Laowa 4mm is much better in this regard with its extreme close focus capability.
1/800s f/5,6 ISO 100/21° f=6,5mm
More examples shot with the AstrHori 6.5mm lens on a Nikon Z30:
1/800s f/5,6 ISO 100/21° f=6,5mm
1/640s f/5,6 ISO 100/21° f=6,5mm
1/640s f/5,6 ISO 100/21° f=6,5mm
1/800s f/5,6 ISO 100/21° f=6,5mm
1/800s f/5,6 ISO 100/21° f=6,5mm
1/800s f/5,6 ISO 100/21° f=6,5mm
1/1000s f/5,6 ISO 100/21° f=6,5mm
1/1000s f/5,6 ISO 100/21° f=6,5mm
1/1000s f/5,6 ISO 100/21° f=6,5mm
1/1000s f/5,6 ISO 100/21° f=6,5mm
Summary
✅ AstrHori 6.5mm: Best for general fisheye photography, great sharpness, sunstars, and APS-C coverage.
✅ Laowa 4mm: Best for minimal-shot 360x180° panoramas and creative close-up fisheye fun.
✅ TTArtisan 7.5mm: Best for general 360x180° panoramas.
❌ AstrHori 6.5mm: Not ideal for close-ups or minimal-shot panoramas.
❌ Laowa 4mm: Weaker in flare resistance.
❌ TTArtisan 7.5mm: Beware the lens cap: it has a mind of its own and occasionally makes a break for freedom. Even with a fix in place. A true escape artist.
6+Z+N refers to a common panoramic shooting technique used with full-frame fisheye lenses: six horizontal shots taken in portrait orientation around a central point, plus one shot each for the Zenith (top) and the Nadir (bottom) views. ↩
It’s finals week for spring quarter at the University of Washington (UW), and graduation celebrations are just beginning. The weather is good, and with the UW campus full of open spaces and interesting buildings, it’s the right time for panoramas and for capturing every pixel from zenith to nadir.
All panoramas photographed that day were taken without a tripod using a Nikon Z30 with a 7.5mm Fisheye Lens. In the library, this was necessary anyway, since photography is allowed but tripods are not permitted in the UW Libraries.
Red Square
This panorama captures Red Square, a central open space on the University of Washington campus known for its iconic views and architectural surroundings.
Suzzallo Library stands as one of the University of Washington’s most iconic buildings, with its grand Gothic architecture lending a timeless presence to the campus landscape.
The Statue of George Washington stands at the west end of Red Square, a longstanding symbol of the university’s heritage and a familiar landmark for students and visitors alike.
The Suzzallo Library and the Statue of George Washington are partially visible in the background, adding a subtle sense of place and history to the scene.
The Quad is a beloved green space on campus, especially known for its breathtaking cherry blossoms each spring and its peaceful, tree-lined walkways year-round.
It’s probably called The Quad because it was easier than explaining That Big Square Where Everyone Takes Cherry Blossom Pics. Besides, calling it The Quadrangle sounds like a spell Hermione would cast right before finals.
Airplane spotted cruising at tree level. Must be a scenic route.
Smith Hall and Miller Hall
Smith Hall and Miller Hall stand side by side along the edge of the Quad, their classic collegiate architecture framing the space with a sense of tradition and academic purpose.
Denny Hall, the oldest building on campus, stands with timeless elegance, its Romanesque architecture marking the historic beginnings of the University of Washington.
The School of Art and the School of Music sit near the edge of campus, where creativity and performance shape a vibrant cultural presence within the university’s academic landscape.
In panoramic imaging, particularly in architectural or urban settings, a common source of stitching artifacts occurs when prominent structures such as building façades are captured in separate frames rather than as a whole within a single exposure. This segmented capture approach increases the risk of misalignment during the stitching process, often resulting in visible seam lines that disrupt the continuity and geometry of key architectural features.
In this panorama, the two building façades are each captured in separate frames but have been (green) masked to ensure that no seam line intersects the primary architectural elements, preserving structural integrity in the final composite.
School of Art
The School of Art combines creativity and academic depth, giving students a place to study classic forms like drawing, painting, and sculpture.
The Communications Building houses the university’s journalism and communication programs, offering students a dynamic space to explore media, storytelling, and public discourse.
Drumheller Fountain sits at the center of Rainier Vista, offering a stunning reflection of Mount Rainier on clear days and serving as a scenic focal point surrounded by some of the campus’s most iconic buildings.
Rainier Vista is a grand, tree-lined axis that stretches from Red Square to Drumheller Fountain, offering a sightline to Mount Rainier on clear days and serving as one of the campus’s most iconic visual corridors.
The Rainier Vista Northeast Bridge spans a key pedestrian route near the end of the vista, offering elevated views of Drumheller Fountain and the surrounding landscape while connecting key parts of the campus with ease and elegance.
The bridge to Husky Stadium provides a vital pedestrian link between the main campus and the athletic complex, guiding fans and students alike across Montlake Boulevard with sweeping views of Union Bay and the stadium’s iconic silhouette.
Equirectangular projection of the information sign.
1/1000s f/5,6 ISO 100/21° f=7,5mm
Rectilinear projection of the information sign.
Viewpoint 2
Within a minute, the weather shifted from sunny with clouds to overcast and windy.
Panorama Timestamps:
Time
Weather
Action
09:45:18
⛅
09:45:21
⛅
09:45:24
⛅
09:45:27
⛅
move the bicycle
09:45:45
☁️
again move the bicycle
09:46:10
☁️
09:46:12
☁️
09:46:15
☁️
remove the camera from the nodal adapter1 and prepare for the nadir2
09:46:27
☁️
The forecast was ⛅ until noon. This is what the actual weather turned out to be:
The panorama vividly captures the swift weather change, with the shadow gradually fading in the final pictures, creating an eerie emptiness.
And the Cybertruck nearly obscured Mount Rainier.
After last week’s abrupt stop due to clouds and wind, I finally got the chance to pick up where I left off. Today couldn’t have been more different—clear skies, warm light, and perfect conditions for capturing the panoramas I had planned.
The elders say the sky speaks to those who listen. I stood on sacred ground, raised my hand to the wind, and the eagle came—gliding from the sunlit heights, answering the silent call of the tribe. In that moment, the spirit of the sky revealed itself, and I captured its flight in a single frame.
In moving traffic, it's always possible that vehicles are only partially captured. To prevent this, multiple shots were taken, which were also used to reduce the number of vehicles on the road. In this case, not all images are fully connected to each other via control points. Only the original images are.
The duplicate images are then linked only via control points. This makes everything much simpler.
View from the other side of the canal.
1/1000s f/5,6 ISO 100/21° f=7,5mm
GPS map
To create the GPS map in cPicture, select the pictures with GPS data and click the map icon in the toolbar.
To get all panoramic images with GPS, enter the following in the search box at the upper right:
360x180.jpg %gps=1
This search performs two functions:
360x180.jpg matches all panorama images with filenames ending in this pattern. Adjust this part if a different naming convention is used.
%gps=1 filters for images that contain GPS metadata.
After the search completes, select all images from the search result to display on the map.
For landscape-style panoramas, a nodal adapter on a tripod isn't necessary. However, with close objects like the guard rail, a nodal adapter is recommended. ↩
In panorama photography, the nadir is the point directly below the camera. PTGui's viewpoint correction makes handheld nadir pictures easy to stitch. ↩
This panorama was captured from 7 vantage points on the observation platform.
Almost like The Tower Panorama.
A total of eight images were used to create the panorama. One additional shot (#4) was taken moments later to capture a boat that had just entered the scene. Since this image was slightly out of alignment, it was registered to the first frame using control points and selectively masked to seamlessly integrate the boat into the final composition.
