Fisheye Lens: Pros and Cons
Yorktown Beach captured with a fisheye lens; you can see the slight curve in the foreground from lens distortion
The 8mm Rokinon fisheye lens is a great lens to capture landscapes and to create surreal images. There are definite advantages and disadvantages to using a fisheye lens. The photographer has to decide what adds to or takes away from the image.
Pros of using a fisheye:
Using the fisheye to creatively “bend” the subject is a pro of this fine lens. The clarity throughout remains intact. It creates a snow globe effect when used close-up.
When shooting with a fisheye lens it is possible to capture sweeping landscapes with a greater depth of field. The image quality and sharpness throughout the image is a definite pro. The photographer can also create surreal images with a fisheye lens.
Getting low to the ground will provide for interesting foreground in the image.
Cons of using a fisheye:
While the pros listed above are very positive uses, they can turn into cons if you do not want your subject to bend or curve. Even in the best case scenario you may end up with a slight curve on the edges. When looking through the viewfinder, move the camera up and down and watch for the bend. The image can be exaggerated or will look fairly normal as the camera is moved.
Photoshop and Lightroom have excellent lens correction features; with practice, lens distortion can be corrected or enhanced depending on the final vision of the photographer.
In the sunrise photos above you can see how the clouds curve, but the horizon is fairly level. It does make for a nice effect with the arching clouds. In the photograph of the boat, the horizon is curved and the foreground is bubbled toward the viewer. While this may not be a desirable outcome, the photographer has to decide if that is what the end result should be.
The fisheye lens definitely has its place in the photographer’s bag and there are many creative uses for it. Adding a slight curve to a photograph can enhance the image or provide an unwanted distraction to the viewer. It is up to the photographer to decide how to use the lens. If given the opportunity to try one; see what kind of images can be made!
Photography is a skill with infinite learning opportunities!
Portsmouth Murals: A Different Perspective
A few evenings ago I took a walk along the Portsmouth Murals. I just purchased a fisheye lens and thought I would experiment with the lens distortion. I like the 3D quality of the lens; it also makes for a cool “snow globe” effect. The shoe factory buildings stood out and appeared to be coming out of the wall! I stood against the mural with the motorcycle and moved the camera around to create just the right curve; the motorcycle looks like it is coming right off the wall! I had always enjoyed looking at images taken with a fisheye lens, but never really thought about purchasing one myself. I have played around with other images using the fisheye; it is definitely something to get used to and will work well on some subjects, but not necessarily on others.
I like the look of the mural images. Cropping a fisheye image is best done unconstrained; meaning adjust the crop manually vs a fixed dimension. Thank you for looking and I look forward to sharing more creative images in the near future!
Pam DeCamp Photography 