So, after years of pullling low-res HDRs off the web that were never quite right, and dealing with blurry little "chrome ball HDRs" and the sub-par reflections they present (and wondering where to get $50k for a scanning HDR panoramic camera... ha!), I have finally come up with an off-the-shelf, LDR and HDR, spherical panoramic photography system that meets my basic requirements:

1. It must be relatively inexpensive. (hobbyist level - better than "student," but less than "pro" gear)
2. It must be fast! (HDR sunsets only last so long, and "quick and easy" means more panos!)
3. It must be high-resolution. (Creates a minimum of 6000 well-focused HDR pixels in width.)
4. It must be repeatable/ consistent. (What's the point if it's a constant struggle?)
5. As light as possible... (I can make only so many HDR panos of my office, and I like to hike!)

What did I come up with?

- A quality photographic system with a cost under $2000 for *all* the pieces, and is good enough for "professional quality" results. (Plus, it will last me quite a few years and can be easily upgraded!)

- An "on location" workflow that will capture up to 27 stops of range in under 5 minutes (!). Things like quick-release plates and a fast CF card really help, but a nice DSLR and very few shots is key.

- An "off the shelf" software post-process that offers as much automation as possible (as "batchable" as I could get it without writing my own software or scripts), while not breaking the bank.

The Gear List:
(prices may have changed and are in $ USD, weight in Grams - I'm an American in Europe. Hey, the totals are converted!)

Canon 350D (or any good DSLR) - $800+ * 500g
(You need manual control and SLR quality!)

Sigma 8mm fisheye lens - $560 * 400g
(Another bonus of an SLR - great glass.)

Feisol 3401 carbon-fiber tripod - $185 * 1450g
(Cheap for carbon, but as good as Gitzo.)

Manfrotto 486RC2 ball head - $60 * 450g
(Cheap, but effective. Used for levelling the head.)

Manfrotto 3157NR plate (RC2) - $20 * 70g
(Attached to your camera, it eliminates twist.)

Agnos MrotatorCP pano-head - $285 * 1100g
(3-shots around and designed for this stuff!)

Time to capture:
(after some practice and shooting on busy streets...)

Tripod - 30 seconds to fully extended w/ ball head

Panohead - 10 seonds from bag to leveled & ready

Camera - 20 seconds to meter the scene and mount

7+ exposure HDR spherical pano - ~3 minutes

Disassembly and storage - another minute

The Totals:

Price: (w/out tax or shipping)
including camera = 1635 euros or $1910
excluding camera = 960 euros or $1110

Weight: 3970g or 8.7 lbs. (w/ midsize DSLR)

Photography Time: ~ 5 minutes per HDR pano shoot, on average. Add some additional time to meter a tough scene and for any extra exposures/ slow shutter speeds. Still bloody fast for 6000x3000 pixel, HDR spherical panoramas!

Great! How does it work?

Part 2: The Workflow & Software