Is a fisheye really useful?
I asked myself this question many times over the years. While
the images I've seen looked interesting (most were close up's
making full use of the fisheye effect), I figured it would get
old pretty quick and wouldn't be that useful a lens. Given that
the most reasonable way to even try a "GOOD" fisheye (as
in a really sharp one) was with my OM 35mm stuff (which I hate
using 35mm after shooting with med and lrg format) which was over
$600 for the cheapest "bargain" rated zuiko lens I have
seen. It wasn't hard to talk myself out of needing this type of
lens. given that most MF fisheyes are 5-10 times that much, using
a medformat one was out of the question. Well once I got a kiev,
a 30mm fisheye was within reason. At $230 new with
filters,caps,case
it would be hard not to get one just to have one!
So now that I've had one for a while and played with it, I've
found it to be a VERY useful tool for doing landscapes. While it
does have the classic fisheye distortion, if used with some
thought, being very careful composing and leveling the camera, it
makes a great SUPER wide angle lens for all sorts of subjects.
Also because of it's optical design, it doesn't have the severe
light fall off issues a rectiliniar lens does. Given most
landscapes don't have straight lines anyway, you can REALLY get
some neat shots with one. I would have never guessed that this
kind of lens would be good for "normal" looking
landscape photography until I experimented with one. Below is an
example of a shot I took last weekend at a local park. I've been
shooting there for years trying to get a good shot of the lake
front. This lens got the "look" I've been trying to
capture for years but never could.
This lens is going to be a take everywhere one!
http://www.geocities.com/kievgurl/30mm.jpg
--
Stephe Thayer
Your sample photograph illustrates how a fisheye lens can be
used to make tasteful rather than gimmicky images. Thanks
for posting it.
It's a really nice looking shot.
-Dave