Abstract: A system for emulating a continuous pan/tilt camera includes a camera having an image sensor for capturing an image. A camera orientation system includes a tip/tilt orientation mechanism having two axes of rotation with constrained range of movement for positioning the camera to capture the image within a hemispherical space. The two axes of rotation are generally orthogonal to each other and generally parallel to a plane forming a back side of the hemispheric space. An image transformation system rotates a portion of the captured image to emulate the continuous pan/tilt camera. The camera further includes a control system for adjusting an active area of the image sensor in response to a divergence between an optical center of the image sensor and a mechanical center of camera orientation system. The image transformation system is configurable in response to a spatial orientation of the hemispherical space.