The Fisheye Thread

[Andy]

Fisheye Lenses are fun, and super wide. They offer up many creative possibilities!

1Ds Mark II, Canon 15mm Fisheye:
http://williams.smugmug.com/photos/79013058-L.jpg

Contrary to popular belief, if you hold the camera straight, you *can* also get a level horizon and straight lines. No "de-fishing" on this photo. This on 1Ds Mark II, and Canon 15mm Fisheye:
http://williams.smugmug.com/photos/79013057-L.jpg

So let's discuss Fisheye Lenses, and the creative possibilities they afford us as photographers :ear Share your experiences, and photos!

[USAIR]

No experience here but will be looking here for some tips

Fred

[Stan]

Hi Andy,

what is the effect like on a crop camera. I have often wondered. The 10-22mm is obviously similar at 10mm but is not fisheye. Do you still have a crop body to show an example, or is it as simple as croping the outside egde of the shot?

Cheers
Stan

[Andy]

Hi Andy,

what is the effect like on a crop camera. I have often wondered. The 10-22mm is obviously similar at 10mm but is not fisheye. Do you still have a crop body to show an example, or is it as simple as croping the outside egde of the shot?

Cheers
Stan
15mm on a crop body is practically rectilinear. You can still get the fish effect, if you tilt the lens.

http://www.pbase.com/image/28415517
http://www.pbase.com/cameras/canon/ef_15_28

[wxwax]

Stan, here's the 15mm on a 1.3 crop camera.

These shots are cropped a bit, but not straightened.

http://wxwax.smugmug.com/photos/19566728-L.jpg

http://wxwax.smugmug.com/photos/19503311-L.jpg

http://wxwax.smugmug.com/photos/19504110-L.jpg

http://wxwax.smugmug.com/photos/20175139-L.jpg

[Nikolai]

I was honored by our very own Michiel de Brieder to use his 8mm fisheye (Made in Belorussia, right, Michiel?) on our post-shootout trip a few times.

Here's a couple of shots I quickly PP-ed and uploaded just now:

01: Natural Bridges, Bluff, UT:

http://nik.smugmug.com/photos/79107732-L.jpg

02: Double Arch, Arches NP, UT:

http://nik.smugmug.com/photos/79107811-L.jpg

I didn't do any cropping, sorry, just a minor color touch-up.

I used my (1.6 crop) Canon 30D.

I remember Jack also tried it on his FF 5D, so he might come out with better versions of the same locations:-)

Anyway - it's a fun lens, and I'm planning on getting one, at least eventually...

[Stan]

Thanks Andy, I thought so...

Waxy, I remember the original post of this, no.3 is awesome

Nikolai 8mm is awesome.

The 10-22mm does this at 10mmhttp://stan.smugmug.com/photos/73115538-L.jpg

or the Fish shot of his kids which I love, great comedy.

I will post later but Smugmug is running slow this evening

Cheers
Stan

[Nikolai]

Nikolai 8mm is awesome.

All thanks to Michiel, it's his lens and his kind Dutch heart :D that let me use it :deal

I will post later but Smugmug is running slow this evening
Stan
It sure does... That's why you need S*... errr, some 3d party uploader :wink

[Pezpix]

One of my favorite quirky little lenses! Keeping it clean on the otherhand... Oy! And dont even get me started on the lens cap.

As for a thought on the possibilities with the 15mm fisheye. Well, I have been using it with my 1DMII so factor in that 1.3x crop and I still get an effective 20mm view (approx). Truly however, a full-frame sensor with the 15mm will be a fantastic and fun adventure, especially with dramatic foregrounds that bring the picture right to you.

Add in the sharpness (even around the edges) and the real lack of light falloff that you would get with the 16-35 or the 17-40 around those edges and boom! You've got a great advantage in wideangle goodness!

Personally, my wildflower photography, and seascape work is my favorite times to use the 15mm fisheye since rocks, waves and flowers really lead you into the picture! All in all, when used sparingly, and creatively, this lens is one that I recommend for every Canon user, even with the 1.6x crop! :thumb

http://www.pezpix.com/photos/64812559-M-1.jpg

[Nikolai]

Please tell me this picture was so not taken this year, was it?
I was told there is no poppies in the Reserver, so I didn't go..
Please tell me I didn't miss it :bash

PS.
You *do* have quite a glass collection :bow

[Pezpix]

Please tell me this picture was so not taken this year, was it?
I was told there is no poppies in the Reserver, so I didn't go..
Please tell me I didn't miss it :bash

PS.
You *do* have quite a glass collection :bow

Hey oh master sith of glass! If you want, I will lie and tell you that it wasnt from this year LOL. But yeah, actually it was. That shot was taken as I sat right next to the Guru, Mr. Lepp over at 195th street North of Lancaster this spring. The preserve and the Gorman hills were barren this spring, but the foothills just to the north had some wonderful displays. Of course, the lack of rain we recieved here in SoCal this winter really played a hand in most of that disappointment, but the Central coast was amazing this year (if you could be brave enough to hit the muddy dirt roads in Carrizo plain, avoid the eleventy-billion ticks, and all the poison oak) ;)

As for the burgeoning lens collection, I would trade it all in for a nice digital back Hassleblad H2D-39 if only B&H would be nice to me :rofl :photo


http://www.bhphotovideo.com/images/shim.gif

[chrisjlee]

Magnificient photos guys.

Andy: I'm really impressed by how you didn't manage to get that barrel distortion. Thanks for sharing that. I had no idea.

Now I must wait to shovel up money to get one.:thumb

[ziggy53]

OK, so what do people recommend for a fisheye lens?
Are the Russian lenses really any competition for a manufacturer lens?
Zenitar 15mm, f2.8
http://www.rugift.com/photocameras/zenitar-fisheye-canon-eos.htm
Peleng 8mm, f3.5
http://www.rugift.com/photocameras/peleng_fisheye_lens_for_canon_eos.htm
Are there any lenses to stay away from? (Either quality or physical fit)
How about accessory lenses with the fisheye perspective?
Has anyone done a simulated fisheye with stitched images and software?

Thanks,

ziggy53

[illuminati919]

Alot of action photographers use fisheye, some overuse them and it gets old very fast, mainly skatephotographers. I dont believe in fisheyes because they are the easy way out, I've seen people just stick their camera out and take the photo, whats the point of being a photographer if you dont even compose your image ?

Even though I dont like it in action photos I love fisheyes in architectural photos, the way it bends the photos is really cool and it definitely gives it a cool effect.

Marko

[Pezpix]

Alot of action photographers use fisheye, some overuse them and it gets old very fast, mainly skatephotographers. I dont believe in fisheyes because they are the easy way out, I've seen people just stick their camera out and take the photo, whats the point of being a photographer if you dont even compose your image ?

Even though I dont like it in action photos I love fisheyes in architectural photos, the way it bends the photos is really cool and it definitely gives it a cool effect.

Marko

And of course, who can resist a funny animal photo with a fisheye lens :D

[illuminati919]

Haha yeaaa, nothing like a horses head completely in the shot while only a foot from his face.

[THE TOUCH]

So does the 10-22 qualify as a fish-eye?:dunno I love this lens!

10-22 @ 10mm
http://the-touch.smugmug.com/photos/72728780-M.jpg

10-22 @ 17mm (or maybe it was the 17-85:dunno )
http://THE-TOUCH.smugmug.com/photos/73089583-M.jpg

Also works great in construction and real estate! 10-22 @ 10mm
http://THE-TOUCH.smugmug.com/photos/69643590-M.jpg

10-22 @ 10mm
http://THE-TOUCH.smugmug.com/photos/69640983-M.jpg

[ziggy53]

So does the 10-22 qualify as a fish-eye?:dunno ...

Kevin

The Canon 10-22mm is an "Ultra-Wide" or "Super-Wide" lens, but it is "rectilinear" meaning that the field of curvature is well controlled. It does have some barrel distortion used at the widest angle of view, so it still needs to be used carefully or corrected in software.

http://www.photo.net/learn/fov/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rectilinear

Ziggy53

[Khaos]

Kevin

The Canon 10-22mm is an "Ultra-Wide" or "Super-Wide" lens, but it is "rectilinear" meaning that the field of curvature is well controlled. It does have some barrel distortion used at the widest angle of view, so it still needs to be used carefully or corrected in software.

http://www.photo.net/learn/fov/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rectilinear

Ziggy53

I thought fisheyes had 180 degrees for angle of view?

Either way I want one bad. I'm thinking about selling my 85 1.8 to go towards one since it currently is my least used lens.

[herion]

I thought fisheyes had 180 degrees for angle of view?



I was never happy with a 15mm diagonal fish (Canon or Sigma) since it really didn't give the effect I wanted.

HOWEVER, I use a 8mm Sigma fisheye with a Kenko 1.4 DG Pro TC. This gives me the perfect effect that I'm looking for.

I'll post pix later.

[THE TOUCH]

Ahhh...I see, I see! :thumb

Thanks Ziggy!



Kevin

The Canon 10-22mm is an "Ultra-Wide" or "Super-Wide" lens, but it is "rectilinear" meaning that the field of curvature is well controlled. It does have some barrel distortion used at the widest angle of view, so it still needs to be used carefully or corrected in software.

http://www.photo.net/learn/fov/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rectilinear

Ziggy53

[jkcashin]

OK, so what do people recommend for a fisheye lens?
Are the Russian lenses really any competition for a manufacturer lens?
Zenitar 15mm, f2.8
http://www.rugift.com/photocameras/zenitar-fisheye-canon-eos.htm
Peleng 8mm, f3.5
http://www.rugift.com/photocameras/peleng_fisheye_lens_for_canon_eos.htm
Are there any lenses to stay away from? (Either quality or physical fit)
How about accessory lenses with the fisheye perspective?
Has anyone done a simulated fisheye with stitched images and software?

Thanks,

ziggy53

Allow me to add a n00b question to yours... just ordered my 20d, but am looking at lenses already. With the 1.6 crop factor, what length lens will behave as a fish-eye? I would have thought it would have to be under 10mm, but looks like I am wrong.

Jamie

[Nikolai]

Allow me to add a n00b question to yours... just ordered my 20d, but am looking at lenses already. With the 1.6 crop factor, what length lens will behave as a fish-eye? I would have thought it would have to be under 10mm, but looks like I am wrong.

Jamie

To behave as a fish-eye the lens gotta be... a fish-eye lens...:dunno
While it's true that fish-eye lenses are wide, from this very thread you can see that there is 15mm fish-eye and 10mm non-fish-eye lense, for instance.
The small focal length alone does not make a lens a fish-eye one, it also has to be constructed in a certain way.
One thing a crop factor of the body does is that it trims the usual fish-eye circle, just as you can see in my two non-cropped pictures in the beginning of this thread. On a FF (full-frame) camera (e.g. 5D) you would get a complete circle.

HTH

[ziggy53]

Allow me to add a n00b question to yours... just ordered my 20d, but am looking at lenses already. With the 1.6 crop factor, what length lens will behave as a fish-eye? I would have thought it would have to be under 10mm, but looks like I am wrong.

Jamie
Jamie,

A fisheye lens is a special effect lens, not corrected for curvilinear distortion. A "regular" wide-angle lens is normally designed to reduce the effects of curvilinear distortion, and it is called a "rectilinear" lens.

Our eyes and brain perceive the world without much curvilinear distortion, so we normally expect to see images that way. When we see curved lines in an image, it usually looks funny if we were expecting straight lines.

The effect is similar to looking at the reflection in a spherical mirror or Christmas tree ornament. (Not my image. Used for instructional only.)

http://static.flickr.com/36/78184103_72a78de83c_m.jpg

Can you simulate the effect in software? I'm glad you asked.

Here is an image I created months ago. It's a 100% crop of a lens test at 200mm. It's from a Canon "L" lens, and I guarantee has almost no curvilinear distortion.

http://ziggy53.smugmug.com/photos/79676373-D.jpg

It does have rather strong, straight lines, so it's a pretty good candidate for the treatment.

Here's how it looks after processing:

http://ziggy53.smugmug.com/photos/79676359-D.jpg

It's soft in the middle, but that's because many pixels had to be interpolated, and I only started with a VGA resolution image. Using a normal image, full resolution, it would look authentically "fisheye".

ziggy53

[jkcashin]

Thanks Nicolai and ziggy53! As usual in photography, there's no hard-and-fast rule to the answer... so I especially appreciate the answers. Now, back to lurking for a while ;-)

jamie

[Nikolai]

..with what Ziggy said, I'd like to note that since the fish-eye lenses are *usually* wider and often provide almost 180 degrees FOV (Field Of View), a software can only simulate the real thing to a degree. :dunno

HTH

[jwashburn]

Alot of action photographers use fisheye, some overuse them and it gets old very fast, mainly skatephotographers. I dont believe in fisheyes because they are the easy way out, I've seen people just stick their camera out and take the photo, whats the point of being a photographer if you dont even compose your image ?

Even though I dont like it in action photos I love fisheyes in architectural photos, the way it bends the photos is really cool and it definitely gives it a cool effect.

Marko
I agree with the overuse. I shoot lots of action stuff and I cant live without my fisheye, especially with skateboarding. I have to admit I have never tried the just point and shoot method, but I could see how it would work especially with digital photos. I just started shooting digital and I can even imagine wasting precious slides on just point-shoot and pray, but who knows. I have recently started shooting motocross and the shots in moto are almost all long (200mm+) shots with super low aperatures. I assume it is because you dont want to be 1 foot away from a 250 lb machine going 50 mph. I got the oppurtunity to shoot some pros the other day on a closed track so I could get kinda close. I love the look of the fish.

http://www.joeywashburn.com/gallery/1603981/1/77986275

http://www.joeywashburn.com/gallery/1603981/1/77986554

The scond one is my favorite

http://norcalmotocross.smugmug.com/gallery/1603981/1/77986275

http://www.joeywashburn.com/gallery/1603981/1/77986554

[sser]

Has anyone tried or know anyone who uses a fisheye extender.. ive seen them on ebay and such the ones you put on the end of a lens...

[Red Bull]

From what I've read they are crap. They make your photos lose quality since they are just cheap adapters. If you want a fisheye lens, I would suggest taking a loot at the Peleng 8mm fisheye. It's only about $200 and is much better quality than the cheap "extenders"

[illuminati919]

Personally I dont like the Peleng, I have shot with it numerous times, the optics are horrible, gets bad flares and always seems out of focus and its a super pain to focus because of how wide it is. I hearde the nikon 10.5mm is one of the best fisheyes around, never shot with it but all my skater friends say its amazing. I'm looking into the Canon 15, not as wide but nothins better then Canon glass :D .

[Red Bull]

All the photos I've seen from the Peleng are pretty decent. It's not a lens where I would expect it to be up to Canon standards, but a lens that's a good value for what you get. I would much rather pay only $200 for decent glass than $800 for super high end glass since it's a specialty lens that I wouldn't use a lot.

[Blue Snapshots]

Haven't seen this lens brought to the party yet. These are the only two that I have online. Both taken with Canon full frame. Little to no "post processing".

The creative possibilities of a fisheye are endless. I like finding opportunities where I can make best use of the maximum distortion created.

I won't offer up a "critique" of the Sigma. It does what I want it to do and it communicates very well with the camera. I haven't had to make major adjustments in the way I setup an exposure.

Oh, and it's fun to use. :D

http://pixeldust.smugmug.com/photos/115920346-L.jpg

http://pixeldust.smugmug.com/photos/115920349-L.jpg

[illuminati919]

All the photos I've seen from the Peleng are pretty decent. It's not a lens where I would expect it to be up to Canon standards, but a lens that's a good value for what you get. I would much rather pay only $200 for decent glass than $800 for super high end glass since it's a specialty lens that I wouldn't use a lot.

Well Canon fisheye actually runs around 500 bucks which aint bad. Personally I would invest in the Canon just because of its clarity and you get no vig on the Canon opposed to the Peleng which is a full circle on full frame slrs.

[Red Bull]

^I would get the Canon if I didn't want as much of a fisheye effect. The 15mm just doesn't have much distorted effect on a 20D. I don't use my film camera very often, so it wouldn't really do me any good. With the Peleng, you get a good amount of distortion with some vignetting. I don't mind the vignetting, since it's expected with a lens as wide as 8mm.

I also wouldn't be doing any type of sports photography (motocross, skateboarding, etc.) with it. If I were then I would definately go for the Canon or one of the Sigma fisheyes.

[K-sin]

Here are couple of shots i did with my Canon fisheye at the track.

http://glennkasin.smugmug.com/photos/113236897-L.jpg

http://glennkasin.smugmug.com/photos/113236964-L.jpg

http://glennkasin.smugmug.com/photos/113237040-L.jpg

[illuminati919]

^I would get the Canon if I didn't want as much of a fisheye effect. The 15mm just doesn't have much distorted effect on a 20D. I don't use my film camera very often, so it wouldn't really do me any good. With the Peleng, you get a good amount of distortion with some vignetting. I don't mind the vignetting, since it's expected with a lens as wide as 8mm.

I also wouldn't be doing any type of sports photography (motocross, skateboarding, etc.) with it. If I were then I would definately go for the Canon or one of the Sigma fisheyes.

Well alot of skate photographers use the fisheye because they love how wide it is, most of them just crop out the vig thats what I did when I shot with it. Its just when you shoot with it, your'e almost guessing whether its gonna be infocus and when its a one time trick, guessin the the focus is something you definitely dont wanna do. I just wish Canon would make like 10mm fisheye, now that would be great :thumb .

[illuminati919]

These are a couple taken with the Peleng 8mm, in all of these photos I am about a foot away from the subject, this lens is reeeeeeeally w i d e.

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a210/illuminati919/JensentiretapRS.jpg
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a210/illuminati919/EvanFrontsideOllieRS.jpg

[gefillmore]

canon fisheye-

http://gefillmore.smugmug.com/photos/116412966-L.jpg

[Andy]

Killer shot of Tower Bridge in London, by Simon Frohn:

http://www.i-xs.de/gallery/de/viewImage/147

:bow :bow :bow

This is a perfect example, of taking something a zillion peeps shoot, and making it unique.

[jogle]

Here's some fisheye photos taken with the Zenitar 16mm on a Canon 5D

It's plenty sharp when stopped down and I like the look of the crazy flare you get during the day.

http://ogle.smugmug.com/photos/108144235-L.jpg

http://ogle.smugmug.com/photos/108138189-L.jpg


more here: http://ogle.smugmug.com/gallery/2095777

[ian408]

Fish rocks!

http://ian408.smugmug.com/photos/155036089-M.jpg

http://ian408.smugmug.com/photos/155024829-M.jpg

http://ian408.smugmug.com/photos/162400119-M.jpg

In case you can't tell, I dig 'em. All with a Canon 15mm.

[Chrissiebeez_NL]

does anyone know anything about the new tokina 10-17 mm fisheye zoom? its pretty cheap here (480 euro) and a zoom fisheye seems handy.. :rolleyes

[jogle]

does anyone know anything about the new tokina 10-17 mm fisheye zoom?

Why would you want to zoom a fisheye lens? the whole point is to take it as wide as you can get it, then get really really close!

[ziggy53]

Why would you want to zoom a fisheye lens? the whole point is to take it as wide as you can get it, then get really really close!

A fisheye lens is simply a wide angle lens, designed without correction for curvilinear distortion. A variable fisheye has the advantage of multiple angles of view, the same as any zoom.

A 180 degree angle of view is not always required, or desired.

[bham]

Fish rocks!

In case you can't tell, I dig 'em. All with a Canon 15mm.

So ian408, what body was the 15mm on? A FF, a 1.3 crop, a 1.6 crop? I am seriously considering this lens and have a few 1.6 crop cameras.

[ian408]

So ian408, what body was the 15mm on? A FF, a 1.3 crop, a 1.6 crop? I am seriously considering this lens and have a few 1.6 crop cameras.
In this instance, a 5D. So FF.

[Miguel Delinquento]

does anyone know anything about the new tokina 10-17 mm fisheye zoom? its pretty cheap here (480 euro) and a zoom fisheye seems handy.. :rolleyes
I believe this lens was developed with Pentax, who has had their version with their SMC coatings out for a year or so. You can do a search on the Pentax SLR forum at dpreview and see lots of samples. The Pentax version, at least, looks very sharp and just lots of fun. If I didn't already have a fisheye, I would consider purchasing one.
M

[davev]

does anyone know anything about the new tokina 10-17 mm fisheye zoom? its pretty cheap here (480 euro) and a zoom fisheye seems handy.. :rolleyes

Pssst, look here for posts from davev. http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=67561&page=2

[Chrissiebeez_NL]

thanks for the suggestions, but i think ill go UWA instead of fisheye since i would like to take more 'conventional' shot than fisheye shots. the fisheye is fun but on occasion. ill get something like the pelang for the fun shots. :D

[Red Bull]

I bought the Peleng 8mm a while back and I dont' use it much at all. It is fun when I actually do, though. Very interesting perspectives. And it didn't cost that much! (~$250)

[annnna8888]

I've always been a sucker for the ultra wide angle, and ever since getting a DSLR I was saving to buy an UWA lens. But then some fisheye lens photos caught my eye and there I was buying a Peleng 8mm fisheye. I have to say this is one fun lens! I use it a lot, and as Andy said: if you're careful, you don't get the distorted horizon. Yes, the optics may not be of highest quality, but the lens more than makes up for that in the creativity and fun departments.
With a crop camera you get dark corners and I use PS warp tool to get rid of them, which means I stretch the corners instead of cropping off a large portion of the photo.

Here are some examples of the Peleng fisheye+Canon 350D photos:

1.
http://www.anapogacar.com/journal/albums/album707/K23-Komna-229.jpg


2.
http://www.anapogacar.com/journal/albums/album707/K10-Komna-110-HDR.jpg


3.
http://www.anapogacar.com/journal/albums/album706/C17-Cerknisko-189.jpg


4.
http://www.anapogacar.com/journal/albums/album704/P05-polja-089.jpg


5.
http://www.anapogacar.com/journal/albums/album707/M26-StBaska-086.jpg



6. A fun shot :D:
http://www.anapogacar.com/journal/albums/album705/Z34-polja-181.jpg


Ana

[claudermilk]

Cool shtos. To paraphrase Homer: "Desire to buy Peleng...rising!" :D