general Lens-questions ...

hummmm... i am such a noob about all these informations you can find when you look for new lenses... so a general question thread is good i think XD...

 

first question:

I plan to buy a fisheye lens or similar one day for my canon ...

What informations must i look for?

What is important to know?

hummmm... i am such a noob about all these informations you can find when you look for new lenses... so a general question thread is good i think XD...

 

first question:

I plan to buy a fisheye lens or similar one day for my canon ...

What informations must i look for?

What is important to know?

Nothing I guess. Just epic distortion. It's up to one to appreciate the epic distortion. Some may like it, some may not. Worth the money or not, up to you. You can try the fisheye lens from samyang. Heard it's very cheap, and most importantly, good.

haha ok think you dont understand my helpless ... some example what i found when i search "fisheye" and than you may understand XD

 

 

 

http://www.ebay.de/itm/Fisheye-f-Canon-EOS-300D-350D-400D-450D-500D-550D-600D-1000D-1100D-20D-30D-40D-/200717288050?pt=DE_Foto_Camcorder_Objektive&hash=item2ebbaec272

 

http://www.ebay.de/itm/Weitwinkel-Makro-Canon-EOS-450D-500D-1000D-Fish-eye-/251002712137?pt=DE_Foto_Camcorder_Objektive&hash=item3a70ed7049

 

http://www.ebay.de/itm/Fisheye-Weitwinkel-f-Canon-EOS-450D-400D-350D-300D-40D-/300658933575?pt=DE_Foto_Camcorder_Vorsatzobjektive&hash=item4600ab3f47

 

http://www.ebay.de/itm/58mm-0-25X-FISHEYE-Canon-EOS-400D-450D-500D-550D-/220582821999?pt=DE_Foto_Camcorder_Vorsatzobjektive&hash=item335bc2c06f

 

i dont understand the differents O_o ... and why the h... are they so cheap? whats wrong? ...What doese they not have what samyang have?

haha ok think you dont understand my helpless ... some example what i found when i search "fisheye" and than you may understand XD

 

 

i dont understand the differents O_o ... and why the h... are they so cheap? whats wrong? ...What doese they not have what samyang have?

Maybe you don't understand my reply either

 

Fisheye lenses are not meant to be taken seriously. The picture that only comes out from the lens = Distorted. That's all you need to know. The reason why Fisheye lenses is cheap because, there's not much thing in that lens. It's just for the fun out of it. Also due to it's Ultra Wide Angle, and as in Ultra, it's really wideeeeeeeeeeeeeee (8-10mm) so it gives that circular (Distorted) image. EITHER WAY, this effect can be easily achieved in post processing so I think you can save your money and go for the PP option instead.

 

Oh and btw, there's no difference. You will always get a distorted image on all fisheye lens, so yeah, really no difference. It's a toy lens

fisheye lenses have some uses, but AntElitist is right - LOTS OF DISTORTION. It's an interesting style but for DD photography it seems like a very poor choice of lens.. (the best fisheye shots seem to be taken from a distance, generally DD's are photographed at close range)

 

Here's some examples of fisheye lenses at their "finest"

 

 

 

 

Honestly I think you'd be better off experimenting with some filters! A diffuser, a polarizing filter...

 

You could even try out a lensbabykit to get some really funky shots and have intense control over your camera. ^_^

For doll photography much more use have so called "portrait" lenses. And for close-ups the ones with macro function.

I'd say something in 60 to 135mm range for an APS-C/DX camera, fast (f/2.8 or less) and fix-focal.

 

For example Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM (focuses from 85cm) or Canon EF-S 60 mm f2.8 Macro USM

special shoots like the second and third ones are shoots i want to do ^^ ... i like it ^^

 

Ok i see this side, but my technical english isnt much good ... so maybe a short explain was a lensbaby is? OO ...

 

Edit: no no its ok, after second view i understond the most XD

special shoots like the second and third ones are shoots i want to do ^^ ... i like it ^^

 

Ok i see this side, but my technical english isnt much good ... so maybe a short explain was a lensbaby is? OO ...

 

Edit: no no its ok, after second view i understond the most XD

 

Did you check out the website for lensbaby I linked? They're like kits you put onto the camera body, they give you crazy control (by your hands) to change distortion and other things.

 

You may be able to find a fisheye filter rather than an actual lens that could give you the distortion shoots you're looking for at a cheaper price taking up less space.

Getting a fisheye filter will most probably degrade the image quality vs getting a fisheye lens. But a filter is a cheaper route on getting the effect.

 

Kinda off topic, anyway I don't know if this applies to all filters, but you may get ghosting images of bright light sources. When i bought my prime lens i got a protection filter (noob) and after taking a lot of photos i ended up noticing ghosting images in some of the photos. It happens when the light enters the lens and bounces off the sensor then bounces at the back of the filter and back to the sensor. I have now taken off the protection filter. So if you want to protect your lens, get a lens hood.

Here's an example of the ghosting near the leg.

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/w_33gncL3Og5VSiVEoeQz9MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=directlink

 

Back on topic, I saw some nice photos by AZURE TB using a Fisheye lens

 

BULE and ORANGE by AZURE_TB, on Flickr

 

Snow white birch by AZURE_TB, on Flickr

 

Moonlight snow by AZURE_TB, on Flickr

 

Ride On by AZURE_TB, on Flickr

The photos are beautiful...

 

As for ghosting - yes, any additional glass surface adds to unwanted reflections and loss of contrast and sharpness.

Filter coating helps but doesn't eliminate the problem. And cheap filters doesn't have a good coating so either You should get the good and expensive ones or don't use them at all.

this photos are the reason why i want a fisheye XDDD ...

But they're probably not straight-from-camera.

Like already said, fisheye have lots of distortion so probably they're processed through some correction software. Like DxO, Fisheye-Hemi or similar software

http://www.imagetrendsinc.com/products/prodpage_hemi.asp

http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/dxo/optics-pro.htm

 

Especially the last photo - the closer the edges, the bigger distortion, and Rina here looks quite okay.

Or it's cropped from bigger picture.

And I strongly suspect the use of good polarizer filter, too

 

BTW - the links You put here are NOT fisheye lenses. They're some cheap ultrawide or "fisheye" adapters.

If You want quality photos, You have to get the true lens.

For example Samyang 8mm f/3.5 Fisheye http://www.photozone.de/canon-eos/526-samyang8f35eos

or Sigma 15 mm f/2.8 EX DG Fisheye http://www.bythom.com/15lens.htm

Edited February 24, 2012 by Guest

Generally, fisheye lens are only meant to take some "artistic" shots, well if you call them artistic, but so far, a lot of these picture can be easily done through filters, photoshop.... you name it, you have it. So yeah. Hence that's why I am recommending the Samyang 8mm because it is the most bang of buck lens you can get. But to be honest, this lens might be able to bore you out.

Hi dears ^^ ...

 

My english isnt good enough to understand, whats the different between "Muse Lensbaby" and "Composer Lensbaby" ... >___<

Price and control.

With Muse You have to "Squeeze the Muse to focus, and bend your Sweet Spot around the photo.".

It does not stay in place.

With Composer You "Simply tilt the lens to a desired angle then focus with a manual focusing ring."

Check the descriptions and video demos on http://www.lensbaby.com/index.php

I readed the side, thanks, thats why i told, my english isnt good enough to understand everything, that was the reason why i asked ... To hear a selfmade easier to understand discription, the different between this lenses "muse" and "composer" ...

A lens - a true lens - has a "screw" inside and ring outside, to change it's focus point.

You turn the focus ring (not the zoom), the focus plane changes because the lenses inside are moving.

 

Composer has this "screw" and "ring".

Now imagine having the lenses on a spring or rubber tube - thats' Muse. You have to push or pull the tube to put the lenses in correct distance from Your camera, and hold them there constantly.

 

The bending, used for tilt effects, is also done in different way. Composer has a stiff spherical joint, and Muse has this flexible tube.

 

In a word - You can put a camera on a tripod with the Composer, set the selftimer and go away (probably).

With Muse You have to hold the lens.

Than a composer sounds easier to use...?!?!

Easier to make two or more shots in a row with the same settings, for sure.

 

I really like the way you can now focus the Lensbaby with a focus ring, like a traditional lens, and the focus mechanism is totally separate from the adjustment of the sweet spot, though you do have to refocus after you adjust it. I like to shoot on a tripod, and take my time over composition, and fine tune the focus etc. That was not possible with the Lensbaby 1.0 or 2.0.

http://blog.martinbaileyphotography.com/2009/06/17/the-lensbaby-composer-initial-impression/

 

But the whole Lensbaby concept is a special-effect type lens.

Not something for everyday photos, unless You really like that kind of effects

And that Composer is almost as expensive as mentioned earlier Samyang 8mm f/3.5 Fisheye, which is a true glass and metal lens.

I thought Lensbaby was worth mentioning because they're a lot of fun to play with. I've been able to try a few of these kits out and experiment with them and you can get some really interesting shots. If you're interested in doing some effects shots (which it seemed like you are because of your interest in the fisheye) this was just another way to go about it.

 

All the lensbaby kits are easy to use, it's just a matter of experimenting to get what you want. They give you some very unique control over your lens that you normally wouldn't have. Flickr is filled with all sorts of crazy shots:

 

Lensbaby voorbeeld foto by Transcontinenta, on Flickr

 

Lensbaby voorbeeld foto by Transcontinenta, on Flickr

 

Stacey Dance by *Mr. Story*, on Flickr

 

Lensbaby Composer Pro by Transcontinenta, on Flickr

I've played with a true fisheye lens (Nikkor 8mm) when I was in a camera shop. It was fun to look through and shoot, however I didn't think there was too much practical use for it beyond "look at this cool thing!"

 

If you don't have any other lenses aside from what came with the camera, I highly *highly* recommend looking at a basic 50mm f/1.8. For both Canon and Nikon mounts, the simplest version of this lens runs around $100-$150 new! For you, the Canon EF 50mm runs about $120 from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Canon-50mm-1-8-Camera-Lens/dp/B00007E7JU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1330783547&sr=8-1

 

A good 50mm is great for general purpose portrait photography and works great for doll work too!

 

Generally, true fisheye lenses can get pricey, especially if you buy the first party version. You can easily spend $500 for a good used one or in upwards of $1000 for a new one.

 

The lens that I use most frequently for doll photography is an ultra wide angle. If you have a crop sensor camera (like the T3i), then lenses in the 10-18mm range would qualify. I have a Tokina 12-24mm f/4 lens and absolutely love it. At 12mm, you get some interesting linear distortion that looks cool with close ups, at 24mm the distortion is minimized, but it makes it easier to do "real style" shots.

 

Here are some examples:

Reimu at 24mm:

Reimu at 12mm:

Reimu at 50mm:

Yoko at 12mm:

 

Finally, here is a good example of how a wide angle can distort:

 

All of the straight lines stay straight, however everything is stretched out slightly as you get closer to the outside of the frame. Since Sakura is off-center, her face is pulled out towards the corner and her arm looks a bit longer than it actually is. XD

Fast question:

 

Which zoom-lense for canon?

(i am thinking of a Tamron 18-270mm but would be happy to hear what you use or think ^_^)

You don't list what you already have, nor what your budget is. What priorities do you have for your set up?

 

That said, these are some of the most common/popular primary lenses in increasing price, along with the basic reasoning to have it. Since you mentioned the Tamron, I will assume you have an APS sensor camera. (Rebel, xxD, 7D)

• EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS. Default kit lens. May already have this. Cheap and good. $100.
  
• EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS. In addition to the kit lens. Gives you much more range in total, but you have to swap lenses. $200.
  
• EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS. Flexible range with an image quality hit and more money. There's a newer STM version that's hard to find right now. $400.
  
• Sigma 18-250mm f/3.5-6.3 OS HSM. Very large range for an image quality hit and more money. $450
  
• Tamron 18-270mm f/3.5-6.3 VC PZD. Largest range Canon mount lens, but you pay for it. $550.
  
• EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM. Very flexible range that is wider than usual. No quality hit vs. default kit. $700.
  
• EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM. Large and heavy lens for low light shooting. $1000.

My personal opinion is to take the 55-250 and a 50mm f/1.8 prime: a capable and light kit that costs less than all the other options ($300). If you want a superzoom, choose Sigma. If you want image quality at any cost, the 15-85 or 17-55.

Ups .......

Edited August 14, 2012 by Guest

I have a canon camera 550d and the 18-55mm and the 55-250mm but i want a lence that complete 18-250 or more ... ^_^ ... I want a stabilistor in it, an AF ^_^

Budget is ~400

 

My thought was the 18-270mm or the 18-250mm whats the better one?!? (quality and light)