I am looking for info from anyone shooting the Olympus Zuiko 8 mm f/3.5 fish eye lens in an Ikelite housing. I'd like to verify the results you may be getting with this lens using the Ikelite Super Wide Port Body and the 8" Dome Port. Also, are you removing the dome shade to avoid getting the edge of the shade in the view, or vignette? I want to buy the Port Body to go with this lens and I want to get the best one.
The 8 mm FE lens length is 3" from mount base to the front of the fixed hood. It is 2&7/8" (2.875") from the mount to the front surface of the front lens element. IOW, the lens front element is 1/8" shorter than the longest edge of the flower petal hood. Just FYI, the lens offers a fish eye view with 180 degree FOV on the diagonal.
Looking at the Ikelite web page for the Modular Port System I see that the #5510.11 is for lenses up to 2.75" with the Dome and that the #5510.16 is for lenses up to 3.5" with the Dome. But the port chart for Olympus on the Ikelite page suggests using the #5510.11 with the 8 mm FE. Is that to avoid vignette of the dome shade or is it the better length for sharpness?
I called Ikelite and their port expert told me the right port body is probably the #5510.16, not the #5510.11 based on the length of the lens. He said it may improve sharpness by increasing the distance from the lens to the dome. He said the lens will project just past the flat black base of the dome and therefore won't cause the base to show in the image or cause vignette.
Has anyone tested either port body enough to verify whether the port body they have fits the lens length and distance to the dome port correctly? Does anyone know if either port body provides the best optical focus? With your Port Body are you getting any edge softness or are the images sharp in the corners? If so at what f-stops?
Did you remove the dome shade for use with this lens? Did anyone try filing or grinding the Dome shade down to remove it from the image without having to take it off completely?
Regarding the 7-14 mm lens in my other post here, I may not be stopping the lens down enough to prevent edge softness. I'm going to continue to experiment with that lens and dome port combo to see if I can improve results at f/5.6 to f/8.
Thanks for any info you can give me,
Dave in So Cal
