RSS
 

Posts Tagged ‘Fisheye’

Canon announces unique Vixia Mini camcorder with fisheye lens

01 Aug

VIXIA-Mini-5main2.png

Looking more like a projector than a camera, the Canon Vixia Mini made its debut today, its aim to serve bloggers, youtubers and apparently guitarists. Its 16.8mm equivalent fisheye lens is designed to capture video and stills with a unique perspective, and users can switch from wide to close-up mode while recording for an interesting live ‘cut’ effect, while maintaining Full HD video recording. Its built-in touch-sensitive LCD flips to face forward or backward, and a tripod mount can hold the device firmly in place. Click through for more information, and images.

News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on Canon announces unique Vixia Mini camcorder with fisheye lens

Posted in Uncategorized

 

Going Fishing! Fun With Fisheye Lenses

12 Jul
On a recent outing to Yankee Stadium, the only lens I had on my 5D Mark III was the Canon 8-15mm fisheye zoom. I love a fisheye for a situation like this- great foreground, great sky, and an obvious subject.  Most fans go to the game hoping to zoom in on their favorite player. Knowing I would never be close enough, I went the other direction and wanted to get everything.

On a recent outing to Yankee Stadium, the only lens I had on my 5D Mark III was the Canon 8-15mm fisheye zoom. I love a fisheye for a situation like this- great foreground, great sky, and an obvious subject. Most fans go to the game hoping to zoom in on their favorite player. Knowing I would never be close enough, I went the other direction and wanted to get everything.

I used to think I’d never want to shoot with a fisheye lens.  My objections were the same as most others who’ve ever shot with one: “All the shots end up looking the same,” or “there’s too much distortion.”   Then I actually got to use one. And my first results were much as I expected- too much distortion, and a lot of shots that all looked the same.  But the more I started working with it, the more I fell in love with using the fisheye.  It’s a lot more versatile than I gave it credit for.

A fisheye lens has become a staple in my bag for shooting weddings. I've found it useful in the church for taking an overall scene, as well as on the dance floor for shots like this, of the bride and groom surrounded by their guests. Simply pop the flash at the same time and put them in the spotlight.

A fisheye lens has become a staple in my bag for shooting weddings. I’ve found it useful in the church for taking an overall scene, as well as on the dance floor for shots like this, of the bride and groom surrounded by their guests. Simply pop the flash at the same time and put them in the spotlight.

St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City is a prime place to shoot with a fisheye. It can get crowded, and the shooting area can be tight.  In addition, the architecture is incredible, so emphasizing those lines with the extreme wide angel makes a lot of sense. EOS 60D with EF 8-15mm Fisheye zoom.

St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City is a prime place to shoot with a fisheye. It can get crowded, and the shooting area can be tight. In addition, the architecture is incredible, so emphasizing those lines with the extreme wide angel makes a lot of sense. EOS 60D with EF 8-15mm Fisheye zoom.

I’ve found fisheye lenses to be useful in many situations. The secret to using a fisheye is to know it’s limitations, as well as it’s strengths, which is true for all lenses.  You can use them for portraits, but you need to be aware of subject placement in the frame, as well as how close you plan to get. The closer you get, the more caricature like the image will be. Stand back a bit, and don’t put your subject too close to the edge, and you can use the surroundings to put your subjects as the main focus.  Add a pop of the flash with the head zoomed slightly, and it will create a spotlit effect. I’ve found a fisheye is a great way to get a group shot without simply lining the subjects up.

Another great use for fisheyes- a fairly obvious one- is tight spaces.  You don’t always have room to step back, and you might want to include most of the scene in front of you in one shot. In many cases, that’s not possible without a fisheye.   You need to be prepared to deal with the inherent distortion, but that can be used creatively to really draw the viewers eye. Use the lines of the image, try an extreme point of view by getting the camera higher or lower.

Fisheyes are great for landscapes as well.  They emphasize the foreground and make it possible to include both foreground and sky.  Distortion is less of an issue here, unless the horizon is prominent. In that case, it’s essential to either embrace the distortion, or be sure to place the horizon in the center to minimize the distortion. If the horizon can be obscured, this point becomes moot.  I love to use fisheyes as the “anti-macro”.  I get close up to a flower, or even underneath them, placing them prominently in the frame.

Finally, architecture is an excellent use for a fisheye lens.  While it’s traditionally not used for architecture due to the distortion, the way a fisheye can emphasize the lines of a beautifully designed building opens it up to a variety of uses, especially interiors of large cavernous buildings like cathedrals and churches, or sports arenas.

I’m still finding new ways to use my fisheye lens.  What are yours?

By getting close to this daisy, it is easily emphasized in the foreground, while the other daisies just behind it get pushed back. EOS 5D Mark III with EF 8-15mm Fisheye Zoom

By getting close to this daisy, it is easily emphasized in the foreground, while the other daisies just behind it get pushed back. EOS 5D Mark III with EF 8-15mm Fisheye Zoom

Fisheyes are great for portraits of kids. The extreme wide angle emphasizes the expressions and movements, creating a cartoon-like effect. EOS 5D Mark III with EF 8-15mm Fisheye zoom.

Fisheyes are great for portraits of kids. The extreme wide angle emphasizes the expressions and movements, creating a cartoon-like effect. EOS 5D Mark III with EF 8-15mm Fisheye zoom.

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

Going Fishing! Fun With Fisheye Lenses


Digital Photography School

 
Comments Off on Going Fishing! Fun With Fisheye Lenses

Posted in Photography

 

Samsung introduces 10mm F3.5 Fisheye for NX

11 Jun

10mm-1.png

Samsung has announced a 10mm F3.5 Fisheye lens for its NX mirrorless cameras, which it says is the smallest and slimmest of its type. It offers a 180 degree diagonal angle of view, and includes Samsung’s unique ‘i-Function’ button that allows the manual focus ring to re-purposed to operate other camera controls. It’s just over 26mm / 1″ thick, and is a featherweight 71g (2.5 oz). It’ll be available at the beginning of July.  

News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on Samsung introduces 10mm F3.5 Fisheye for NX

Posted in Uncategorized

 

Sigma 4.5mm True Circular Fisheye Lens on a Canon 7D

09 Jan

Filmed in HD with the Canon 7D. This video shows the unique properties of Sigma’s 4.5mm f/2.8 True Circular Fisheye Lens.
Video Rating: 4 / 5

 
 

5 Ways to Get Creative with a Fisheye Lens

07 Dec

A fisheye lens is easily one of the best ways to get creative and have a blast with photography. As far as lenses go, a fisheye is relatively cheap (around $ 650) making them accessible to a wide group of photogs. It’s important to know what a fisheye lens is, where it came from, and where the uses of a fisheye lens begin and end.

Originally used for meteorology to study the sky and cloud formations, fisheye’s were originally called “whole-sky lenses.” These lenses quickly became popular in the general photography field because of their fun and unique uses, and of course their incredibly distorted lines. They can be used for many different purposes, both professional and for fun (but mostly for fun). Here are 5 creative ways to use a fisheye lens that you can implement immediately…

1. Radial Blur

Shooting a wedding reception with a fisheye lens can be an absolute blast. These receptions are usually in low light and are a challenge to get great images out of. When I’m shooting a reception, I get right in the middle of the dance floor and just shoot away. To get this radial-blur effect, simply slow down your shutter speed to around 1/25th of a second. Next, you need to spin the camera 90 degrees counter clockwise. To do this, simply cradle the lens with your left hand while using your right hand to pivot the camera body around. Not every image is going to come out, but you can almost always walk away with a few keepers.

2. Exaggerate the Curvature of the Earth

One thing to note when using a fisheye lens is this: The further you move an object or line to the edge of the frame, the more distorted it becomes. If you place the horizon in the middle of the frame, it will be perfectly straight across the entire image. The exaggerate this distortion, place the horizon dangerously close to the top of the frame. Just be careful, you might get home and find your legs in the bottom of the frame ;-) .

3. Shoot Super Wide Landscapes Without The Fisheye Look

Sometimes, a fisheye can be used simply to capture everything you want in a scene. Sometimes, you don’t want distorted lines but still need that super wide angle. If you have a landscape without straight lines (buildings, trees, telephone poles, etc) you can sometimes position the lens in a way that it simply looks like a wide angle lens. Just make sure your horizon is towards the middle of the frame. Doing this will allow you to capture a nearly 180 degree view of a scene while avoiding the distorted, crazy look of a fisheye lens.

4. Capture Entire Ceilings

There’s no way you could capture this much of a ceiling with a normal lens. This was taken at the Gaylor Texan in Grapevine, Texas and this ceiling is absolutely massive. With symmetrical architecture like this, a lot of times there will be a clear marker on the ground to signify the exact middle of the room. When I looked up and saw this site, my fisheye was the only lens that crossed my mind!

5. Change Your Perspective and Embrace Those Lines!

The most important thing is to have fun Whether you’re shooting for fun, or for clients (as pictured above). A fisheye is a prime lens, meaning that you can’t zoom in or out with it. Therefore, it’s up to you to act as the zoom for the lens. Be sure to change perspectives and experiment with different angles and lines. Get down low to the ground, even if it means laying on your stomach in the gravel on a railroad track. Lean up against a wall and use the distortion of the lens to wrap the wall around the frame. Just have fun!

If you have examples of fisheye photography that you’d like to share, be sure and leave a link in the comments below!

Also – Check out these 15 Fun and Fabulous Fisheye Photos for a little more inspiration!

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

5 Ways to Get Creative with a Fisheye Lens


Digital Photography School

 
Comments Off on 5 Ways to Get Creative with a Fisheye Lens

Posted in Photography

 

Why You Might Want To Consider A Full Frame Fisheye Lens Even If You Have A Crop Sensor Camera

13 Nov

There are few things better in life than having something go wrong that leads to the discovery of something even better.

Such is the case with my plan to test out a Canon 8-15mm fisheye lens courtesy of BorrowLenses.com. My intent with the lens was to take it with me to the wilds of Arches and Canyonlands National Parks in Utah for some crazy, circular images. The problem is I lack a full frame Canon camera, but would be traveling with Michael Riffle, who owns a Canon 5D Mark III. He accepted the challenge to test the lens, being familiar with fisheyes himself.

One thing led to another and we never got around to testing the lens on his camera. Instead, I often found myself using the lens on my Canon 7D, a crop sensor camera. The Canon 8-15mm is intended to fit a full frame sensor and produce, at 8mm, a fully circular image, much like this example from a Sigma 4.5mm on a crop sensor camera.

PeterWestCarey-Nepal2011-1008-9891

What happened instead was a cross between this full circle and a more traditional 15mm on a crop sensor. The 8-15mm lens will show edges of the circle when below 10mm but will otherwise fully cover the sensor from 10mm-15mm. A major difference from a non-fisheye lens, though, is the curving in the image.

For instance, here are two shots, both taken at 10mm. The difference: the first lens is a non-fisheye Canon EF 10-22mm lens and the second is the Canon 8-15mm fisheye.

PeterWestCarey-Utah2012-1021-7193

PeterWestCarey-Utah2012-1021-7187

Both shots are taken from nearly the same perspective (the fisheye is taken from the position of the Nikon D800E in the first image) but the fisheye gives a different feel. I only made slight clarity and level adjustments in the photos and did not crop them, so this is what you can expect at 10mm.

Below 10mm the black edge of the area outside the fisheye is seen. How bad is it? It depends.

At first it annoyed me to have the incomplete image. Neither full fisheye nor filled frame. Like this:

Peter-West-Carey-Utah2012-1021-7155

But then I started finding instances where it worked well. The arches found in these parks lent themselves naturally to the form factor. The more I experimented, the more I enjoyed the effect.

I realize not everyone will like this look. By the time you read this, there might be a dozen notes in the comment section below stating how horrible it is. But this is photography and it is art, so it doesn’t really matter what I like or the commenters like. It matters what you like.

Below are more examples from my short trip. If they intrigue you to give the lens a try, all the better. Some have the corners blacked out and some are zoomed in slightly. Experiment, play, have fun.

(Click on an image for a 1000px version)

The first set of images are from Mesa Arch in Canyonlands NP at sunrise which was packed with 20 or more photographers. The second set is from Delicate Arch in Arches NP at sunrise with absolutely no one else around.

Peter-West-Carey-Utah2012-1022-7348

Peter-West-Carey-Utah2012-1022-7392

Peter-West-Carey-Utah2012-1022-7445

Peter-West-Carey-Utah2012-1022-7451

Peter-West-Carey-Utah2012-1022-7456

Peter-West-Carey-Utah2012-1022-7500

Peter-West-Carey-Utah2012-1023-7955

Peter-West-Carey-Utah2012-1023-7961

Peter-West-Carey-Utah2012-1023-8001

Peter-West-Carey-Utah2012-1023-8010

A special thank you to BorrowLenses.com for giving me the chance to play with the lens.

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

Why You Might Want To Consider A Full Frame Fisheye Lens Even If You Have A Crop Sensor Camera



Digital Photography School

 
Comments Off on Why You Might Want To Consider A Full Frame Fisheye Lens Even If You Have A Crop Sensor Camera

Posted in Photography

 

How To: Use Fisheye, Wide Angle & Telephoto Lenses – Skateboarding Photographer Sam McGuire-In Focus

25 Aug

Tune in every other Monday to learn firsthand how to film, edit and shoot like the pros, from your favorite videographers and photographers in skateboarding! Subscribe to Ride: www.youtube.com facebook.com twitter.com instagram @ridechannel
Video Rating: 4 / 5

Erin Manning’s Top 5 Posing and Directing Photo Tips Some people are really uncomfortable in front of the camera—they aren’t sure what they’re supposed to do, and they’re afraid they’ll look bad. This can result in stiff, unnatural looking photographs. It’s your job as the photographer to help your subjects feel comfortable and relax. You can do this by talking, interacting, giving them direction and encouragement. When you are photographing people, you are in a relationship, whether it lasts for a few minutes, a few hours, or a lifetime. Following are five tips that can help you direct your subject and capture natural-looking portraits. Tip 1 Have your subjects make a three-quarter turn to camera and shift their weight to the back leg. This position gives the body shape, dimension and makes them look slimmer. Tip 2 Create a sense of movement in your photograph. Direct your subjects to shift their weight back and forth from one foot to the other. Tip 3 Most people are uncomfortable in front of the camera. Help them out by giving them direction. Tell them they look great, give them feedback and interact. The positive energy will show in your photographs. Tip 4 A real expression is always better than a fake one. To alleviate a frozen, unnatural smile, try my Pufferfish technique for relaxing your subjects face. Do it together! Puff out your cheeks, hold, then blow it out. This exercise relaxes your face, and the goofy look is enough to make anyone laugh. Tip 5 Portraits are
Video Rating: 4 / 5

 

FishEye lens Test: Opteka HD² 0.20X Professional Super AF Fisheye Lens

02 Aug

Opteka HD² 0.20X Professional Super AF Fisheye Lens for Nikon D3000, D3100, D5000, D7000, D40, D40x, D50, D60, D70, D70s, D80, D90, D100, D200, D300, & D700 Digital SLR Camer
Video Rating: 3 / 5

Sheffield Timelapses 2012 — 1080p This was shot over the course of the 2011/2012 academic year, with many hours sat in the good (and bad) weather. I’ve had to cut this project short as the weather hasn’t allowed me to film all the timelapses I wanted and the end of year stress with exams has meant I had to cut down the editing. Overall there were 8371 photos taken, with just over 11.6 hours filming. Shot from 22 locations in and around Sheffield. The locations are (in order): -Crookes Cemetery (Crematorium) -Ladybower Reservoir -West Street -Sheffield Train Station -Ponds Forge -Ladybower Reservoir -Crookes Cemetery -Parkwood Springs -Derwent Dam -Crookes Park (North) -St George’s Church -Sheffield City Hall -Redmires Reservoir -Crookes Cemetery (North) -Stanage Edge (North) -Stanage Edge (South) -Rivelin River Weir (1) -Rivelin River Weir (2) -Stanage Edge (North) -Crookes Clouds -Brook Hill Roundabout (University Square) -Western Park Camera — Nikon D60 Software — DIYPhotoBits Camera Contoller 5.1, After Effects CS5 Song — Cherry, Ratatat Hopefully I’ll be releasing more timelapse videos in the future, so keep your eyes peeled! Also, if you’ve any questions/comments feel free to let me know! Watch in full 1080p HD!
Video Rating: 5 / 5

 
 

Samyang updates 8mm F3.5 fisheye with CPU for Nikon

26 Nov

Samyang_AE_8.png?v=1238?v=1238

Samyang has updated its 8mm F3.5 fisheye lens in Nikon mount, adding a CPU to allow better-integrated operation in auto exposure modes. The Samyang AE 8mm 1:3.5 Aspherical IF MC Fish-eye CS allows for full control over exposure from the camera, enables i-TTL flash exposure control, and records lens-related data into image EXIF data. Like its predecessor, the optical design includes 10 elements in 7 groups, with one hybrid aspheric element. The lens is manual focus only, and is designed for use on DX format SLRs. It will be priced at €325 (approx $ 430 / £280).

News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on Samyang updates 8mm F3.5 fisheye with CPU for Nikon

Posted in Uncategorized

 

Best Homemade Fish-Eye and Wide-Angle Lens for Your Camera – $5

02 Jan

Get wide-angle and fish-eye effect for about with this DIY lens attachment. Expands your camera’s viewing angle up to 200 degrees. Great for tight-quarters indoor shots, stunning landscapes, and funny fish-eye photos. Amazing results. For use on photo and video cameras.
Video Rating: 4 / 5

Canon PowerShot A2000 IS Digital Camera is the latest triumph of the A Series. Inside its sleek, pared down design, this top-of-the-line PowerShot A2000 IS is packed with easy-to-use features. You’ve got a 10.0-megapixel resolution and a 6x Optical Zoom with Optical Image Stabilizer for big, beautiful prints and superb stability. To keep subjects looking their best, the DIGIC III Image Processor with Canon Face Detection handles the technical details – automatically. An Easy Mode allows you to concentrate on your scene, while Easy Playback lets you screen your images on a super-sized 3.0-inch LCD.
Video Rating: 4 / 5