Fisheye lens

shimaurashibalover92shimaurashibalover92
edited May 2009 in General
I see that alot of you guys are amazing really amazing photographers. I was wondering if any of you ever use any fisheye lenses to shoot your dogs. I'm thinking about getting one to take some pictures of Katsu but not really sure what I need. I notice that most fisheyes have a number in their name like .20 or .35, what do those numbers mean and which one would be the best for taking closeup pics?

Comments

  • CrimsonO2CrimsonO2
    edited November -1
    Not sure you'd like the effect of a fish-eye lens as a close-up portrait. Your close-up photos would look like you're looking at your dog through a door peephole. Most people here are using primes, or macro lenses for the close-ups AFAIK.

    Jesse
  • dlrobertsdlroberts
    edited November -1
    I'm not sure where you are getting those decimals from. I've never had much interest in a fisheye, but as far as I know they are described using standard metrics (focal length, max aperature, etc.) with the addition of a mapping function that describes the distortion present in the lens. Some might be described by a field of view (e.g. 180 degrees) but that can be recovered from the frame size, focal length, and mapping function using geometry.

    Jesse is correct, most of the really great portraits you see from forum members come from prime lenses (or really expensive zooms). A fisheye will distort the image in a way that you probably won't like.

    What camera do you have?
  • JessicaRabbitJessicaRabbit
    edited May 2009
    This is what a closeup with a fisheye looks like.
    image
    is this what you had in mind?
  • CaliaCalia
    edited November -1
    ooh, I love macro photography, especially the emphasis on texture. Personally, I think you should find yourself a cheap manual film camera and just play around with it. Learning about shutter speeds and F-stops is very helpful with getting creative with picture taking. And then learning about the different film types is pretty cool too (like the eeriness of b/w infrared film, especially what it does to the eyes). Oh, I wish my old camera hadn't broke, than I wouldn't be so lazy with picture taking.

    I haven't had much experience with Digital SLR type cameras (I get annoyed at the demos in the store, but I think that's because I know nothing about zoom lenses).

    Here's an image I found of what a fish-eye lens does to a picture.
    Picture 850

    I think you have a pretty good camera right now, and I think maybe you should try reading up on the use of lighting in picture taking, If you have a good understanding of lighting, even a basic click and shoot can produce some really nice pictures.
  • animatorshibaanimatorshiba
    edited November -1
    Awesome. I was actually considering posting a question like this. I've been thinking about buying lenses if I can and my favorite look in photos is macro and also fisheye. : )

    I have a Nikon D40x and an old manual Minolta. :D I use the Nikon most though.
  • shimaurashibalover92shimaurashibalover92
    edited May 2009
    that's exactly what I had in mind jessica. I want to take some portraits of Katsu like that. Like those "The Dog" pictures. I'm looking for the peephole effect. I love the giant noses on those pictures.

    sh1


    Here's a lens I found on amazon. I was wondering what the 0.20x meant. I have a panasonic fz 28 lumix, btw.

    http://www.amazon.com/Opteka-Professional-Panasonic-DMC-FZ18-DMC-FZ28/dp/B001K5T4J2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1241582718&sr=8-1

    I have noticed how important lighting is when it comes to taking pictures. More sunlight + faster shutter speed = less blurry action shots.
  • dlrobertsdlroberts
    edited November -1
    Hmmm. Interesting. I can only assume the 0.20X is a magnification factor? Due to the "ultra-wide" angle of fisheye lenses, they can make objects appear farther away than they actually are? That's just a guess.

    For $60, it may be fun to play around with. Then again, that $60 could get you 1/10 (or more) of the way toward a nice DSLR setup....
  • shimaurashibalover92shimaurashibalover92
    edited November -1
    we just got our fz 28 a few weeks before we got Katsu. We actually got it for her. I was looking at DSLR but wasn't really prepared to spend that much on a camera. I'm very happy with the FZ 28 at this point so I think I'll just get that lens and see what happens.
  • brandon_wbrandon_w
    edited November -1
    That little lens looks like an interesting add on for your camera. For $60 I'd give it a shot. I wish I could get a fisheye lens for $60 for my camera.
  • shimaurashibalover92shimaurashibalover92
    edited November -1
    I think I'll get it soon. I'll post spam of course
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