Fisheye?

[tulips*n*truffles]

I've been looking at a fisheye lens for my Rebel to get some fun shots, but it's absolutely not in the budget right now! :eek: Is there a "generic" fisheye that will give me the same effect without spending a gagillion dollars?

 

I was looking at this lens: http://www.amazon.com/Opteka-0-20X-Professional-Fisheye-Digital/dp/B001K5R38Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1242937464&sr=8-1 or this one: http://www.amazon.com/0-42X-FISHEYE-MACRO-CANON-DIGITAL/dp/B000FW1X4K/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1242937464&sr=8-2 but I have no idea if I'm setting myself up for disappointment or if I'll actually find it decent quality. I've been playing around with a friend's lens (the real deal) and love it...

 

Any thoughts?

Thanks!

[pierces]

If it was just as good as a true fisheye at $59, they would sell no fisheyes.

 

That being said, it may give you some interesting effects and if it vignettes the corners, you can always crop them.

 

I thought I was risking good money when I ordered my Lensbaby, but it is still inspiring me to try new things after two years!

 

 

 

 

 

If you have the $60 to burn, I'd go for it, but make sure you can get one to fit your front filter threads. It has 52mm threads and comes with 55mm and 58mm adapter rings which will give you a circular image like this (from their website):

 

Dave

[tulips*n*truffles]

Dave, do you have any issues with the Opteka "brand"? I don't have anything Opteka, but I've read extremely mixed reviews.

 

I also found this off brand...Precision Design... http://www.amazon.com/Precision-Design-Digital-Lenses-Minolta/dp/B000S6OBAG/ref=wl_it_dp?ie=UTF8&coliid=I1FVWUG0XRDYDS&colid=N0CW8S7XNYZE... but have no idea (:eek:) what the difference is between .20x, .25x, .35x, .42x yadda yadda...

 

Thanks!

 

Great shots by the way! A friend of mine has a lensbaby and loves it - she gets crazy good shots. Looks intimidating!! :-)

[pierces]

Dave, do you have any issues with the Opteka "brand"? I don't have anything Opteka, but I've read extremely mixed reviews.

 

I also found this off brand...Precision Design... http://www.amazon.com/Precision-Design-Digital-Lenses-Minolta/dp/B000S6OBAG/ref=wl_it_dp?ie=UTF8&coliid=I1FVWUG0XRDYDS&colid=N0CW8S7XNYZE... but have no idea (:eek:) what the difference is between .20x, .25x, .35x, .42x yadda yadda...

 

Thanks!

 

Great shots by the way! A friend of mine has a lensbaby and loves it - she gets crazy good shots. Looks intimidating!! :-)

 

 

The x = .20, .25, etc times your focal length. Ig you put a ,35x converter on a 50mm lens, the will give it the field of view similar to a 17.5mm lens.

 

Opteka makes a wide range of reasonably priced accessory items that are pretty good. They make a slick interval timer that costs a tiny fraction of the name brand units and works like a charm (I have one). I don't think I'd bet a photography career on the quality of their lenses, but for simple close-up lenses and such, they do a good job...especially if a $600 macro lens isn't in your budget.

 

Most of the mixed reviews are heavily influenced by the users expectations. If you expect the quality of a dedicated macro lens out of a $30 set of screw-in close-up lenses, you'll give it one star. If you want a cheap fisheye effect to play with without spending $400-$1000, you might give the lens four stars.

 

Dave

[tulips*n*truffles]

The x = .20, .25, etc times your focal length. Ig you put a ,35x converter on a 50mm lens, the will give it the field of view similar to a 17.5mm lens.

 

Opteka makes a wide range of reasonably priced accessory items that are pretty good. They make a slick interval timer that costs a tiny fraction of the name brand units and works like a charm (I have one). I don't think I'd bet a photography career on the quality of their lenses, but for simple close-up lenses and such, they do a good job...especially if a $600 macro lens isn't in your budget.

 

Most of the mixed reviews are heavily influenced by the users expectations. If you expect the quality of a dedicated macro lens out of a $30 set of screw-in close-up lenses, you'll give it one star. If you want a cheap fisheye effect to play with without spending $400-$1000, you might give the lens four stars.

 

Dave

 

Hmmm. I think I understand. So a .20 converter would give a better field than a .42 converter...? Or do I have that backwards?

 

I absolutely just want a coverter to play with. I know I'm not buying a lens - but a converter. And I know if I spent the $1000 on the real deal, I'd be a lot happier with the results...and a lot poorer. :-)

 

Thanks Dave!

[pierces]

Hmmm. I think I understand. So a .20 converter would give a better field than a .42 converter...? Or do I have that backwards?

 

I absolutely just want a coverter to play with. I know I'm not buying a lens - but a converter. And I know if I spent the $1000 on the real deal, I'd be a lot happier with the results...and a lot poorer. :-)

 

Thanks Dave!

 

.20x is wider than a .42x.

 

Sigma makes a great 10mm fisheye for APS-C cameras in Canon, Nikon, Sony and Pentax mounts. It is a true 180° fisheye on the smaller sensors and is about $700. Keep in mind that a 16mm Canon fisheye is made for film and full-frame digital. It will fit, but will be equivalent to a 25.6mm fisheye on the Rebel and you won't get the full effect. The Sigma may actually be a better choice.

 

 

Dave

[Aplmac]

I just passed thru St.Maarten on Apr. 22nd.

and bought my 10.5 mm. Nikkor fisheye for USD 599 -a fairly good price, I think?

 

 

 

God it's amazing doing interiors on the ship

..in fact almost anywhere in and on the ship, if used judiciously..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This illustration is considerably bigger than life-sized.

I was kinda surprised at how little lens I got for the money

especially after buying the way-bigger Sigma 10-20

- but then that lens has a built-in AF motor - the fisheye above does not

and I have to manually focus it on the D60 body...not a hardship!

 

..........................................

 

 

I have fooled with screw-on's "in past lives", and they were fairly acceptable

especially since fisheye imagery is kinda wacky anyway!!:D

Even had an undwerwater screw-on that screwed into the 35mm. lens on the Nikonos!

That was fun for awhile!

 

 

If I wanted to play with a screw-on unit, I'd try to get a fairly decent one

and fiddle the results with software, post-shoot

to come up with acceptable images to delight the eye and titillate the imagination..

 

.