Trying to decide between fisheyes

I have been looking at stuff online for days because I don't have the shops where I live to be able to try things out. I am looking for a fisheye lens and have narrowed it down between the sigma 15 and the nikon 10.5. I am currently using on one strobe with my setup ys120 and I have seen some amazing pics with the 10.5 here on this site.

If I go with the 10.5 is it advisable to get another strobe with it? Will the defishing software of capture 4.1 work on both lenses when shot in raw format with my D70? The price difference for both makes no difference to me at this time. Any recommendations from you housing experts out there?? BTW using an ikelite housing.

Tony

Hi,

The 10.5 is considered a "specialty" lens because you just can't use it for that many shots. Unless you are shooting massive corals, wrecks, etc everything will look itty-bitty.

The Sigma 15mm fisheye will be a much more "general purpose" lens when used with your D70. It will be good for just about all of your wideangle shooting. You won't be able to use Nikon Capture to "defish" the shots from the Sigma 15mm but you can use another software, like Panotools.

That's my opinion at least.

Sincerely,

James Wiseman

James, what would your recommedation be if you also had a 12-24mm?

Would you still consider the 15 FE?

Karl

No.

I agree with James. Nikon Capture can defish the 10.5 but there is plenty of software that can do that already. The one I like is ImageAlign.

I would agree with James. I chose the 15mm rather than the 10.5 because I was concerned that I would have a tough time getting a composition that wide without also getting undesirable subject matter in the frame, or that the subject would be too small. I've seen some great wreck pics with this lens but really how many times do I see an unobscured wreck without 10 other divers on it? I don't like taking pictures of people I don't know or who aren't cooperating with my composition. I felt I could control this better with less fielf of view.

About strobes. I think this depends on how you are going to use it. If you want it for CFWA, I would say you would. But my vision for this "specialty" lens (when I eventually get one years down the road) is for taking large reef or wreck panoramics. I this case, the extra strobe won't help you. I envision using this with filters to get good balanced light across the whole scene. It takes gel filters in the rear holder.

The 10.5mm is a much harder lens to use than narrower viewing wide angles, when starting out. Lighting FE images can be tough and framing them isn't easy too. As a general comment I do not think that the FE is the right place to start wide angle UW.

That said once you have mastered the idiosyncrasies of the FE (I'm talking 10.5 not 15/16mm here) - no other wide angle lens comes close. They are just not wide enough to get the shots you want.

To give you an idea of the different lenses I have a gallery of images taken last week when I used the 10.5 FE, 16 FE, 12-24 and 17-35. The gallery contains images from each:

http://www.amustard.com/rs/index.htm

Of the 32 images:

10.5mm - image nos. 1, 2, 20, 21, 24, 25, 26, 31

16mm - image no. 6

12-24mm - image nos. 5, 8, 10, 32

17-35mm - image no. 11,

Alex

Thanks for all the tips guys..wich I had a place where I could get my mits on this stuff and try it out.

Tony

Tony, I would say that the 10.5mm FE is stupidly wide on land - enough to put you off buying one - but suddenly makes a lot more sense UW. Alex

Alex thanks for the links your pics are outstanding. Your pictures infact are the ones that got me to consider the 10.5 more. I have been shooting wide angle with a 15mm Sea and sea with my Nik V and I think going with a dslr and the 1.5 crop with a FE would give me the wideness that I want. Perhaps the safest thing to do is get the sigma and get rid of it if I don't like it.

The big trick when flash lighting the 10.5mm is to try not to have to light the whole frame. Fill say half the frame with your subject, light that, and leave the rest of the frame as open blue water.

My Red Sea images aren't good examples of this! Mainly because with the instant results of digital I have been trying to fill more of the frame (and light it) with my 10.5mm FE shots.

One of the best at FE lighting (though on film) IMO is Espen Rekdal from Norway.

http://www.espenrekdal.com/

Check out his Pic of the Month for Classic wide angle lighting where he isn't trying to light the whole frame with the flash.

Alex

Alex-

Would you put the Sigma 15 and Nikon 16 in the same class? I know the Sigma can focus closer.. I already have a dome that will fit the Nikon 16.. Any disadvantage to the 16 over the 15 Sigma?

thanks!

M.

I think after reading a lot of this over the last few days I really need to think the fisheye thing over. Maybe I would be much better off getting a 12-24 that will be more usable on land and give me more range underwater. If I do this I will get rid of another lens out of my bag (15-30 sigma). Here I go to ebay again......

Tony

I agree Tony. On balance I think that a 15mm or 16mm isn't a good choice for a cropped sensor F-Mount DSLR (it is a good choice if you have a full frame SLR too). Either go 10.5mm or 12-24mm. I have only 1 dive experience with the 12-24, but it really is a wide lens (see attached pic below - shot with 12mm and UR Pro). A 15/16mm FE is not significantly wider than this, plus the 12-24 is rectilinear and zooms! The 10.5mm is great, but not as flexible.

Personaly I have never used the Sigma 15mm. But I doubt I could tell it apart from the Nikon 16mm on a cropped sensor (shot behind a domeport, UW). The superior quality of the Nikon would most likely be seen in the corners which happily the cropped sensor crops!

Alex

Hi Alex-

Thanks for that info on the 15/16 lenses. I will probably go with the 10.5 after reviewing your pictures from the Red Sea. It'll fit my current dome and pocket book! Im trying to get my d70 setup for next trip.. The kit lens is a 18-70 so the 15/16 FE are probably not wise choices.

Thanks!

M.

Thanks Alex, the flexibility of the 12-24 in the long run makes a lot of sense. Are there filters that work with that lens that you are aware of? If so what kind? Too me that shot you took looks plenty wide and well lit up I might add...nice work..

Tonh

Alex - did you use a filter on that shot? I really like the effect

A question about the 12-24. Can you take those half and half shots with this lens? What is a good technique to get good balance lighting on top and bottom. Is it best to take the shot in shallow water I presume..Thanks.

Tony

David Haas wide angle images shot with a 15mm Sigma and Digital Rebel are on following URL:

http://www.ikelite.com/web_pages/0photos.html

Spoke to Ryan and he said the half and half shots with the current ikelite dome are pretty hard to do. I guess ikelite is trying to make an optically better/bigger dome to do those kind of shots and hopefully will be available soon. Those photos with the drebel are real nice. Ike you are confusing more....here I was settled on the 12-24 and you show me these shots..

Tony