Photographic Society of RI https://www.psri.us Best Photography in New England Thu, 09 Jun 2016 12:00:06 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 https://www.psri.us/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/cropped-PSRI-Logo-32x32.jpg Photographic Society of RI https://www.psri.us 32 32 7502620 Fun With Fisheyes https://www.psri.us/fun-with-fisheyes/ Wed, 08 Jun 2016 17:52:50 +0000 http://www.psri.us/?p=6587  

You have heard about fisheye lenses and have often seen them used for many weird images: people with huge distorted faces, pets with massive noses, bent horizons, bizarre buildings, etc.  Do you want to use one?

Of course!

The fisheye lens can create absolutely amazing images unlike any other lens. The distortion of the fisheye compared to a rectilinear lens adds a completely new dimension to photography: creativity. And as photographers we want to be creative, don’t we? But as with all good things, there can be bad results, therefore the lens must be used with discretion and only when it adds to an image, not detracts. It is important to remember that the field of view of a fisheye is 180 degrees; the nearest rectilinear lens is the Canon 11-24mm with a 126 degree field of view…the fisheye takes in a lot of real estate and if you’re not careful an image can get very busy. And remember, you can get extremely close to objects; mine will get as close as 12 inches…

I have a Canon 15mm F2.8 fisheye.  It goes everywhere with me;  do I use it a lot?  No.

A fisheye lens is very light and usually small, therefore it is easy to bring along in your bag or in a pocket. You don’t need filters, it would be hard to fit one on the bulbous front lens element, so if I am shooting, the bracketing ability of my camera takes away the element of surprise when I review images. By bracketing, I can combine the sky in one image and the foreground in another if necessary…many times it is not…

I have found that there are certain times a fisheye can do wonders for an image. Night sky images can be incredible. My thought process is simple: if it looks like a fisheye will add something to my composition, I try it…at least by trying the lens, it can be ruled out if the composition fails.

There are even telephoto fisheyes… many manufacturers have fisheye lenses: Canon, Nikon, Sigma, Rokinon.

The lens I have was about $600…they are usually under $1000…some can be found used at Amazon for a lot less.

Here are some examples that may get you motivated to rent or purchase a fisheye:

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This was taken with the camera pointed down; when the fisheye lens is pointed down, the horizon becomes a semicircle and emulates the shape of the earth. As an aside, it was -29F in Canada when I took these ice images and I was freezing my butt off.

 

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This was taken with the lens pointed upward, so the horizon becomes dished.

 

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If you can position the horizon dead center in the image, it will appear almost level with very little distortion.
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This is a canyon with ice climbers; if you are in a canyon, a fisheye can create a rounded feeling to the area and we all know the human eye is drawn to circular shapes.
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This is the left side of Cape Kiwanda in Oregon…the peninsula juts into the Pacific and has a somewhat circular shape-perfect for a fisheye!
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These are”the Fins” at Arches National Park with Milky Way taken with the fisheye…the rocks are massive, but because of the fisheye distortion, they are merged in a unique way.
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an abandoned boarding house in Canada…building interiors can be fascinating with a fisheye
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