this invention relates to a method and apparatus for recording of a panorama or large portion thereof in a manner for display or selective display of a portion thereof on a video display device . the method initially records the panorama in a manner not suitable for video display and thereafter projects the recorded image and records the projection of the panorama in a manner suitable for selective reproduction on a video display device . the method and apparatus are particularly suitable for recording of real time panoramas where the initial recording is time dependent and occurs quickly with sufficient accuracy for effective recording of the panorama , allowing the projecting step and second recording step to be independent of the initial demanding time restraint . staging the recording of the panorama simplifies the recording and allow specialization of the steps to improve the quality of the final reproduction . the apparatus includes a panoramic lens in combination with a camera arrangement for producing an initial record of the panorama . a projecting arrangement produces an image of the panorama recorded on record , which image is recorded by a recording device in a manner suitable for video display .