Full vs. Semi Fisheye

[tuartboy]

As a photographer who has never dabbled in fisheye, I have no idea how to answer a friend's question. She is interested in purchasing a fisheye lense and wishes to know the difference between a "full" and a "semi" fisheye lense.

I found some stuff about frame coverage and circular vs. full, but I'm still not sure if it is an adequate answer.

 

[iGary]

Semi-Fisheye?

There are semi-circular fisheye adapters.

Maybe she is talking full-frame?

There are circular fisheyes, rectangular fisheyes, and circular full frame fisheyes (might have one of those wrong).

Here's a circular fisheye shot:

All fisheye images can be re-maped to look "flat" with software like so:

 

[tuartboy]

Semi-Fisheye?
There are circular fisheyes, full-frame rectangular fisheyes, and circular full frame fisheyes.

From the information I have found, it looks like I have seen the 2 circular types. How is the full-frame rectangular different from the circular types (design, results, etc...)?

 

[iGary]

From the information I have found, it looks like I have seen the 2 circular types. How is the full-frame rectangular different from the circular types (design, results, etc...)?

The full frame does not have the cropped circular edges like the circular fisheye does - it covers the whole frame without the circle:

A cicular is cropped like mine is above (Sigma 8mm):

Did she tell you what she wanted to use it for?

 

[tuartboy]

Did she tell you what she wanted to use it for?

Nope.

Well, it appears to be pretty straightforward. I'll just shoot her off to the wikipedia page on fisheyes and tell her there isn't really a "semi" lense and that should be fine.

Thanks for the help iGary.

 

[Mike Teezie]

I can tell you the little I know, I don't have a lot of experience with fish eye lenses.

On a 5D, the 15mm Canon fisheye is great. But on any 1.6 crop body, the effect is drastically less pronounced. I was blown away by the difference in the full frame versus the crop, the crop camera just looked like it had a pretty wide lens on it. Not much fisheye effect at all.

 

[sjl]

On a 5D, the 15mm Canon fisheye is great. But on any 1.6 crop body, the effect is drastically less pronounced. I was blown away by the difference in the full frame versus the crop, the crop camera just looked like it had a pretty wide lens on it. Not much fisheye effect at all.

Funny you say that. I know somebody who, this time last year, had a 20D and the Canon fisheye (amongst other things). I was a little surprised - for my money, if I had a fisheye, I'd be buying a full frame body to use it properly. A crop body - yes, even the 1D series - is a waste of the fisheye, in my opinion.

He bought a 5D a few months ago. I think he's a bit happier with the fisheye now.

and yes, a fisheye on a 5D is one of the things I'd like, but it's low on the list. Starting to think that I'll save my pennies for the 24-105 f/4L, then follow that up with the 17-40, and finally the 5D. "If I were a rich man ..."

 

[cookie1105]

This is a fisheye picture from a 1.6x body. If you have any from a 1.3x or full frame body, please post them. I'd be really interested to see the difference in pictures rather than just numbers.

1.6x

 

[brett33]

I believe that the circular fisheye gives a full 180 degree field of view all the way around, whereas the rectangular fisheye gives a diagonal 180 degree field of view. Something along those lines anyway.

I have a Sigma 8mm, it's a great lens for what it does, but the uses are relatively limited.