Stitching grid "panos" with Microsoft ICE

Thanks much for this, Clive. Do you sweep or take one image at a time? Reading quickly I didn't see the answer but want to catch you if you are still here.

I am assuming one image at a time.....but not sure.  Looking more carefully....must be one image at a time.  Otherwise you'd have a real mess!

Helen,
One image at a time.  Click. Shift. Click. Shift. Click. Shift. Click. Shift. Click. Shift. Click. Shift. Click. Shift. Click. Shift. Click. Shift. Click. Shift. Click. Shift. Click. Shift. Click. Shift. Click. Shift. Click. Shift. Click. Shift. Click. Shift. Click. Shift. Click. Shift. Click. Shift. Click. Shift. Click. Shift. 
Up 5.  Across 1 frame. Down 5. Across 1. Etc. Overlapping about 30%.

Well this is awkward. All pano articles say, "you must use a tripod." 
Me? Nope.   (Such a rebel.) 

I use a shutter speed suitable for the focal length and try to make a logical shooting grid making sure to suitably overlap. 

In this factsheet, I wrote 

2. Let’s get the “must use a tripod” out of the way fast. A tripod is usually recommended, but I rarely use one. (I would use a tripod if light was low.) The theory behind the tripod is that your panned photos will be in a similar plane which is only true if the tripod head is indeed level. I usually hand hold and …

3. Watch the horizon and try to keep the horizon line (assuming it is somewhat flat or horizontal) in the same relative position from photo to photo. i.e., the horizon should almost always (depending on topography) be about the same distance above the bottom of the frame.

If doing a horizontal panorama, the #3 comment is quite important and requires attention. A tripod would help with this but I just pay attention to horizon lines...a bit trickier in the mountains.    

Pat, taking photos with a longer lens for a grid "pano" might work for you if you see a great mountain scene in killer light. Because you are using many photos to create one large photo, the pixel dimensions can be huge. Much much larger than a single-shot phot taken with a wide angle lens.  

This grid pano was made with 60 photos. (Posted before.) Yeah, yeah crazy. I was walking in the valley and it was chilly and I did not want to put in a wide angle lens that was in my backpack. It was a good test. The stitching was seamless. Was a charm. The original photos (6,000 pixels side) were reduced to 1,500 pixels before stitching. Had the originals been used the stitched photo would have been ~ 25,000 by 13,000 or  about 300 megapixels ... would make a good quality 8-foot by 4-foot print. Is is a bit crazy, as I'd never do that. But if I wanted a (say) 4-foot canvas it would be so sharp and detailed. Much more so than a single photo. 

p.s. I thought tripods were intended to fend of wildlife (ahahaha)!