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DPChallenge Forums >> General Discussion >> Zenitar 16mm fisheye
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Showing posts 1 - 6 of 6, (reverse)
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08/04/2005 10:35:35 AM · #1
Does anyone have any experience with this lens? Are you happy with it?

"EDIT" If there is thread already about this lens, can someone pleas post a link? Thanks!

Message edited by author 2005-08-04 10:39:24.
08/04/2005 10:39:36 AM · #2
I bought one to play with...it is pretty good for the price...Built like a tank, color is ok, sharpness is all right if you can manual focus.
08/04/2005 10:41:41 AM · #3
Originally posted by doctornick:

I bought one to play with...it is pretty good for the price...Built like a tank, color is ok, sharpness is all right if you can manual focus.


What software do you use to correct barrel distortion?

Message edited by author 2005-08-04 10:49:28.
08/04/2005 11:57:08 AM · #4
Originally posted by qmdi:

Originally posted by doctornick:

I bought one to play with...it is pretty good for the price...Built like a tank, color is ok, sharpness is all right if you can manual focus.


What software do you use to correct barrel distortion?


Eric,
For a 15mm fisheye, use PanoTools plug-in for Photoshop, that way you have direct access to it under the "filters" menu. Here's how I defish my 15mm (Canon) fisheye:

Filter>Panorama tools>Remap

Then select "Fisheye Hor." as the "Convert From" and "Normal" as the "Convert To." Set the horizontal FoV to 90° and the vertical to 60° (for 16mm, use 85° and 57°).
Now click on the Prefs button at upper right in the dialog box, and uncheck choice a, then check choices b and c.

The last step (preferences) tells PanoTools to save the result as a separate file and open it in your editor. When you do it this way, you get the uncropped result, which allows you more flexibility in how you want to treat it after defishing. You also get a separate file and window, so you can directly compare side by side with the original.

Note that you can also easily do a "partial defish" where you set the FoV to values less than 90 & 60 to just reduce teh fisheye effect but not eliminate it.

Message edited by author 2005-08-04 12:00:27.
08/04/2005 12:16:00 PM · #5
I'd recommend PTLens which a very easy to use add-on for Panorama Tools to correct for lens distortions.
PTLens.

Message edited by author 2005-08-04 12:16:24.
08/04/2005 12:48:58 PM · #6
I might add that I've used this lens a bit (I had it on loan for few days) and the biggest problem for me was focus. It may sound a bit strange as one would think that there should be plenty of DOF at smaller apertures with such a wide lens and that focusing shouldn't be that critical but this was a huge issue for me unless I stopped down to, say, f/16 where the DOF is very large.
For those instances where the focus was spot-on the lens was plenty sharp though.

Here is one of my pictures with this lens.
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