Fisheye Lens Question

I've never used a Fisheye but am a big fan. They take some amazing photos. With my Cannon 7D I've only got a fixed 35mm and a zoom lens.
 
I recently borrowed a nikkor 10-24 fisheye from borrowlenses for a trip to San Francisco. I shoot mostly with a 24-70 f/2.8 (on a D7000). I was surprised to see such a downgrade in sharpness with the fisheye. I was so displeased after the first day that I put my 24-70 back on and never took it off. But you buy a fisheye for the wide angle, not for the glass. I've heard great things about Sigma and Rokinon fisheyes. My advice would be to rent/borrow one first before buying. Happy shooting!

(Taken from the rec yard at Alcatraz with the 10-24 nikkor fisheye)

Alcatraz Home Plate by rickenmartin78, on Flickr
 
I've read a lot of good things about that fish-eye and thought about getting it myself before I went to full-frame. I have a Sigma 15mm f/2.8 and it's a lot of fun. If you have your standard primes/zooms/telephoto/ultra-wides, then I suppose a fish-eye would be next. It's really a niche lens that you throw on for specific shots.

If you don't have an ultra-wide but want to be able to get huge landscapes like you could with a fish-eye, then I'd suggest getting an ultra-wide first. You can fix the distortion from a fish-eye, but that's if you have the software and time.

Here's a sample of a fish-eye shot:

15622566908_040772f731.jpg


I didn't fix the distortion but you can see the amount of curving on the horizon so you'd really have to like the effect to justify getting a fish-eye.

And here's a sample of an ultra-wide (Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8)

12668109163_b1d895e946.jpg


This is a much "tamer" shot with almost no distortion. So really, it's up to you if you are more interested in fisheye effects or if you'd get more use out of an ultra-wide. Of course, if you already have an ultra-wide, this is a non-issue. Fish-eyes are a ton of fun and they don't break the bank either. The Rokinon is a great choice, but I'd look around to see if there's a better price since that lens comes in different names. I think I've seen it under the name Samyang before. Hope that helps!
 
I own that fish eye lens and have used it on my D5100. I recently upgraded to the D7100 but have not had an opportunity to try it with this camera. On the D5100 it was a great lens, very sharp, and easy to use. Basically set focus distance around 3 feet and fired away. You can see some images with that lens at http://picproj2722.wordpress.com/category/fish-eye
 
That baseball field shot is really cool. Generally, I don't like fisheye shots but when done properly they can look spectacular.

The only fisheye I have ever owed is the conversion lens for my Sony 16 f/2.8 and I don't use it all that much but it can make some cool effects.

I think part of my issue is the fact that a lot of the time people use fisheye lenses when they should be using a wide-angle instead.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top