Good stitching software doesn't distort the image, it actually un-distorts the image. As long as the camera is parallel with the maps, the only distortion in the photographs is actually created by the lens in the act of taking the photograph, lens distortion aka barrel distortion. You have have a circular convex lens producing a rectangular picture. In order to do this, everything not at the center of focus is increasingly distorted as you move farther from that center of focus.
Good stitching software actually undoes this distortion creating a linear image again before doing the stitching. So what you may deem as the software distorting the image, is actually the software correcting the image. Bang for buck, a high res camera taking as many photos as you can stand to take of a single map then stitching them, is the best way to go.
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Good stitching software doesn't distort the image, it actually un-distorts the image. As long as the camera is parallel with the maps, the only distortion in the photographs is actually created by the lens in the act of taking the photograph, lens distortion aka barrel distortion. You have have a circular convex lens producing a rectangular picture. In order to do this, everything not at the center of focus is increasingly distorted as you move farther from that center of focus. Good stitching software actually undoes this distortion creating a linear image again before doing the stitching. So what you may deem as the software distorting the image, is actually the software correcting the image. Bang for buck, a high res camera taking as many photos as you can stand to take of a single map then stitching them, is the best way to go.