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DPChallenge Forums >> Hardware and Software >> Almost as rare as a leap year....
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11/12/2009 01:11:44 AM · #1
I got a new lens!! Only two months after our anniversary my wife gave me a present, the 15mm f2.8 fisheye. I am hoping this will give me some inspiration as I have been in a serious photo-funk lately. Anyone who owns this lens have any thoughts? Likes, dislikes etc.....
11/12/2009 01:15:10 AM · #2
It's not very good for shooting birds... ;)
11/12/2009 01:17:35 AM · #3
Originally posted by DrAchoo:

It's not very good for shooting birds... ;)


....but great for seeing if your child swallowed something!!!!!

11/12/2009 01:20:02 AM · #4
Originally posted by DrAchoo:

It's not very good for shooting birds... ;)


fortunately I only shoot the bull
11/12/2009 12:27:49 PM · #5
hmmmm, i was hoping for a little more insight....
11/12/2009 12:35:11 PM · #6
I have the nikon 10.5mm f/2.8.

I love it, but its a novelty for the most part. The only reason I was able to justify getting it was the amount of band photos I do, and that I bought it used with an 80-200f/2.8 for a grand.

Ultimately, a fish eye is fun, but it can be abused very easily, and you have to be prettty close to your subject to get a good effect.
11/12/2009 12:43:01 PM · #7
I had the 15MM FE for about 6 weeks and while it was fun, that is just about all I can say about it. It wasn't something that I would normally carry and only pulled it out a few times to play. I found the older noisy AF and the lens cap to be a PITA and sold it and honestly haven't missed it. There are many people who use it that lens a lot, I'm just not one of them.

Matt
11/12/2009 01:29:03 PM · #8
I bought the Nikon equivalent (16 mm f/2.8) recently. With any piece of camera gear, it takes awhile to bond with it ... to figure out what it's good for ... when to use it ... and just as importantly what not to use it for. I made a pact with myself that i would shoot with it exclusively for a month which will be up in a week or so.

So far ... I like it for shooting exterior real estate shots, for cityscapes, for some landscapes, and for shooting things in crowded places (motorcycle shows, auto shows, air shows) where i can get really close to my subject and let it fill the frame. It's no good at all for shooting the flying part of an air show. It's really no good for nature photography if your subject is alive.

I've found I need to be very careful with camera angles. Sometimes I like the distorted images and have learned to produce them when I want, and sometimes I don't. Shooting with the focal plane of the camera absolutely vertical and perpendicular to your subject seems to help minimize unwanted distortion. Increasing the angles tends to maximize them.

I love the fast lens (f/2.8) and find i can shoot with lower ISO settings than my slower 12-24 wide angle yielding less noise. But the 12-24 wide angle creates less distortion since it isn't a fisheye.

I consider it a specialty lens. I think in the end, I will use the lens maybe around 10% of the time. This is about the same %age as I use my 105 macro which I also love and which is also a specialty lens for me.
11/12/2009 03:04:18 PM · #9
smardaz,

Don't think of your fisheye as a gimmick or novelty lens. It is a tool and has great applications. It is not just for making the photo look crazy. I like to use it in places with limited room, but I want the photo to look more spacious or if I want to capture more of the surrounding. I've had some success and some failure with it, but depending on your subject and environment it can be just as good as any other wide-angle.... and of course you can create weird photos too. Here are some of my better shots with it...

It is great if your studio is your cramped no-bedroom apartment in Japan. :)







Don't forget to checkout this lens' gallery on DPC.
11/12/2009 03:38:00 PM · #10
these last 4 posts were great, just the kind of info I was looking for, and Brian, I never did view it as a novelty lens, otherwise I never would have put it on my wish list for an anniversary present! ;)
11/12/2009 04:02:09 PM · #11
i just got that lens! its supposed to be here on the 16th! im soooo excited:D
11/12/2009 05:30:16 PM · #12
Originally posted by LadyK:

i just got that lens! its supposed to be here on the 16th! im soooo excited:D


well i guess we'll both have to post some shots here eh?
11/12/2009 09:31:57 PM · #13
Originally posted by smardaz:

Originally posted by LadyK:

i just got that lens! its supposed to be here on the 16th! im soooo excited:D


well i guess we'll both have to post some shots here eh?


sounds liek a plan:)
11/13/2009 09:01:08 AM · #14
Oh one other thing...you have to be realy aware of yourself when you are shooting. At first wit hthe 10.5, I was finding bits of myself in the frame, depending on the angle I was shooting. I mean its really crazy how wide it is.
11/17/2009 05:59:12 PM · #15
Originally posted by LadyK:

Originally posted by smardaz:

Originally posted by LadyK:

i just got that lens! its supposed to be here on the 16th! im soooo excited:D


well i guess we'll both have to post some shots here eh?


sounds liek a plan:)



Your turn

Message edited by author 2009-11-17 17:59:31.
11/17/2009 07:57:51 PM · #16
oh jeez, the only pic i have is of my tongue. gimme a day
11/17/2009 10:13:37 PM · #17
What have we here, a veritable school of fish? Congrats to you both, you will love it. But Katherine already knows that ;-)
Surprised it took you this long!
11/18/2009 11:21:00 AM · #18
Originally posted by kirbic:

What have we here, a veritable school of fish? Congrats to you both, you will love it. But Katherine already knows that ;-)
Surprised it took you this long!

you!!! i blame you for this large purchase! you suck fritz:P
12/27/2009 02:42:33 PM · #19
here i am, 2 months later. finally took something with the fisheye i think is funny enough to post:)

12/27/2009 06:14:40 PM · #20
labuda did this one a while back during a GTG in San Francisco...


Message edited by author 2009-12-27 18:15:27.
12/27/2009 10:27:18 PM · #21
I had a fisheye zoom lens, but I lost it. <"ยค">
12/28/2009 05:37:48 PM · #22
And I thought this was going to be about the Blue Moon on New Year's Eve
12/28/2009 06:46:01 PM · #23
I love the one that I have. I have an older 15, 2.8 Sigma manual focus. If you put a short (11mm ) ext ring behind it, it focuses at about 1/4 inch, and gives interesting perspective on little things. Big DOF makes it great for shooting landscape shots where you want a low angle, so that the foreground will lead the viewer into the image.
It's also great for using on a monopod with remote or self timer to get shots that would otherwise not be possible.
ETA flower shot, with 11mm ext ring.

Message edited by author 2009-12-28 18:56:22.
12/29/2009 03:11:48 AM · #24


heres another one
12/29/2009 05:00:09 AM · #25
The fisheye is a unique lens to have, if used correctly you can take photos with much more of an impact than if you just used a wide angle lens. Definantly a great lens to have on when the area you are shooting in is cramped for space.


Another great use for it is making large object POP off the screen when combined with motion


Adds a nice touch to group shots


If you do none of the above with it, just have fun with it and make everyone within a 180 view do funny faces


Message edited by author 2009-12-29 05:05:15.
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