There are many ways to achive a true panoramic photograph. The way I do it is using a Soviet camera named Horizon 202. It is a simple and reliable tool. The only thing not simple with it is loading the film.
Once you are done with that, you can start shooting. Mesure the light ? Well you will need an additionnal tool, a portable, handheld light meter. But you get a wide angle viewfinder with a bubble level for the horinzontal shots. For the vertical ones, you just have to be careful.
In Paris there is one nice place to test your skills with a panoramic camera, i.e. la Grande Bibliothèque in the 13th arrondissement. If it is has rained it is even better thanks to the shiny wooden floors.