post #1
09 November 2005, 08:43 UTC#1
Ok, I see so much questions and thought it might be nice to settle things out.
I will start off with thread sizes and magnification.
Now all cameras have a thread. The thread is located by the lens of the camera and this is the part you screw/snap on your lens. Most small handycams are all on the 28mm-30mm-30.5mm range, which means they will only fit a lens which has that thread size. Bigger cams such as the vx1000, TRV900, etc have a thread from around 52mm -58 mm.
You need to know what thread size you have exactly before buying your lens, and they must be the same!
For example, my Sony DCR-HC90E has a thread of 30mm which makes a lens with a thread of 30mm completely appropriate.
Once you have your thread sorted you need to start looking at a lens. Now a “Fisheye†lens is really slang that we all use. A true fisheye means the camera can see 180 degrees over the lens, as seen here. Most people use a “Semi-Fisheye†lens or “Wide Angle†lens. All of these have a magnification – the lower that number = the wider, which in most cases means better.
Example:
Here is a camera with no Fisheye attached.
External image not preserved — inspect source: http://img342.imageshack.us/img342/1533/photo45yj.jpg
Here is a 0.7x Fisheye.
External image not preserved — inspect source: http://img342.imageshack.us/img342/8894/funsuitrv20qc7079ch.jpg
Here is a 0.5x Fisheye.
External image not preserved — inspect source: http://img488.imageshack.us/img488/5994/photo52hk.jpg
Here is a 0.3x Fisheye.
External image not preserved — inspect source: http://img457.imageshack.us/img457/883/photo75qf.jpg
Most good Semi-Fisheyes are ones which show more picture, but the wider the picture also brings distortion and vintage.
Distortion is how everything on the edge of the picture is shaped like half an oval. This effect comes with all Fisheyes and most of the time looks pretty cool for most filming. If you have a really wide Fisheye it can sometimes become so extreme that it looks unbearable and everything is twisted and ugly. Make sure when buying a lens you look at how much distortion is created first.
The vintage effect is what we like to call “those black areas†around the picture. I don’t know too much about this but I think it is based off how big your lens is and the camera actually picks up the inside of the lens due to its hugeness. Now a little bit of vintage is not bad if you plan for your video to be shown on a TV. Televisions pull the edge of the picture off the side of the screen to make the picture look bigger. If you have some vintage on your camera due to a lens it won’t really matter, as most TVs will not even pick it up. If you have heaps of vintage you can zoom through it with your camera. This basically eliminates the black spots from the picture for good.
If the lens you want to get is too big for your thread size, you can pick up a step up or step down ring which basically are a piece of metal which you screw onto the lens then onto the camera. Say your camera thread is 30mm but your lens is a 38mm, one side of the step up ring would have a 37mm thread for the lens and the other side would have a 30mm thread for your camera. This is good in most cases, but don’t buy a big fuck off 58mm lens for your 30mm camera and hope a setup ring will work, the point of the Fisheye will be lost.
Spacers are bits of metal which are similar to a step up/step down ring except both sides of the ring are the same thread size (eg 30mm – 30mm). These are used to space the lens away from the camera, giving a wider view. Some people use up to 3 or 4 to get a wider view with a not so wide lens. But too many will cause less strength in holding the lens to the camera. Both spacers and step up/step down rings are really cheap, 5-10 bucks.
Always have a lens cap. Even if you are using the built in lens for your camera. Dust and scratches can really effect a lens and the risk is not worth it if you are putting big money into your setup. Also remember to clean your lens often. If you have a smug on the lens, the camera can focus on it more and everything which you really want to be filmed will be all blurred.
A good lens is expensive lens. If you want good quality you need a bit of dosh to make up for it. The most ever loved lens in the world is the Death lens – made by Century Optics. These fit almost every camera.
If your camera has a 27mm, 30mm, 30.5mm or 37mm thread type then the “Baby Death†is the way to go.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller...oughType=search
At $299 you will never be let down by this bit of equipment.
If you have a bigger thread type you will want to go for the “Death†lens.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller...egoryNavigation
It goes at $799 – its used in most skate videos or by professionals.
The Century Optics range is for anyone who has a passion for these lens, but seen as most of you are cheap buggers here are some other good fisheyes.
Raynox has heaps of lens for handycams at this page:
http://www.raynox.co.jp/english/video/egwidedvr.htm
If you have a bigger thread type (52-67) then the MX-3000PRO is a good choice.
http://www.raynox.co.jp/english/video/semi...egmx3000pro.htm
Any questions, post here or PM me. Thanks!
KEYWORDS:
raynox, fisheye lens, wide angle, what fisheye?, help with lens
I will start off with thread sizes and magnification.
Now all cameras have a thread. The thread is located by the lens of the camera and this is the part you screw/snap on your lens. Most small handycams are all on the 28mm-30mm-30.5mm range, which means they will only fit a lens which has that thread size. Bigger cams such as the vx1000, TRV900, etc have a thread from around 52mm -58 mm.
You need to know what thread size you have exactly before buying your lens, and they must be the same!
For example, my Sony DCR-HC90E has a thread of 30mm which makes a lens with a thread of 30mm completely appropriate.
Once you have your thread sorted you need to start looking at a lens. Now a “Fisheye†lens is really slang that we all use. A true fisheye means the camera can see 180 degrees over the lens, as seen here. Most people use a “Semi-Fisheye†lens or “Wide Angle†lens. All of these have a magnification – the lower that number = the wider, which in most cases means better.
Example:
Here is a camera with no Fisheye attached.
External image not preserved — inspect source: http://img342.imageshack.us/img342/1533/photo45yj.jpg
Here is a 0.7x Fisheye.
External image not preserved — inspect source: http://img342.imageshack.us/img342/8894/funsuitrv20qc7079ch.jpg
Here is a 0.5x Fisheye.
External image not preserved — inspect source: http://img488.imageshack.us/img488/5994/photo52hk.jpg
Here is a 0.3x Fisheye.
External image not preserved — inspect source: http://img457.imageshack.us/img457/883/photo75qf.jpg
Most good Semi-Fisheyes are ones which show more picture, but the wider the picture also brings distortion and vintage.
Distortion is how everything on the edge of the picture is shaped like half an oval. This effect comes with all Fisheyes and most of the time looks pretty cool for most filming. If you have a really wide Fisheye it can sometimes become so extreme that it looks unbearable and everything is twisted and ugly. Make sure when buying a lens you look at how much distortion is created first.
The vintage effect is what we like to call “those black areas†around the picture. I don’t know too much about this but I think it is based off how big your lens is and the camera actually picks up the inside of the lens due to its hugeness. Now a little bit of vintage is not bad if you plan for your video to be shown on a TV. Televisions pull the edge of the picture off the side of the screen to make the picture look bigger. If you have some vintage on your camera due to a lens it won’t really matter, as most TVs will not even pick it up. If you have heaps of vintage you can zoom through it with your camera. This basically eliminates the black spots from the picture for good.
If the lens you want to get is too big for your thread size, you can pick up a step up or step down ring which basically are a piece of metal which you screw onto the lens then onto the camera. Say your camera thread is 30mm but your lens is a 38mm, one side of the step up ring would have a 37mm thread for the lens and the other side would have a 30mm thread for your camera. This is good in most cases, but don’t buy a big fuck off 58mm lens for your 30mm camera and hope a setup ring will work, the point of the Fisheye will be lost.
Spacers are bits of metal which are similar to a step up/step down ring except both sides of the ring are the same thread size (eg 30mm – 30mm). These are used to space the lens away from the camera, giving a wider view. Some people use up to 3 or 4 to get a wider view with a not so wide lens. But too many will cause less strength in holding the lens to the camera. Both spacers and step up/step down rings are really cheap, 5-10 bucks.
Always have a lens cap. Even if you are using the built in lens for your camera. Dust and scratches can really effect a lens and the risk is not worth it if you are putting big money into your setup. Also remember to clean your lens often. If you have a smug on the lens, the camera can focus on it more and everything which you really want to be filmed will be all blurred.
A good lens is expensive lens. If you want good quality you need a bit of dosh to make up for it. The most ever loved lens in the world is the Death lens – made by Century Optics. These fit almost every camera.
If your camera has a 27mm, 30mm, 30.5mm or 37mm thread type then the “Baby Death†is the way to go.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller...oughType=search
At $299 you will never be let down by this bit of equipment.
If you have a bigger thread type you will want to go for the “Death†lens.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller...egoryNavigation
It goes at $799 – its used in most skate videos or by professionals.
The Century Optics range is for anyone who has a passion for these lens, but seen as most of you are cheap buggers here are some other good fisheyes.
Raynox has heaps of lens for handycams at this page:
http://www.raynox.co.jp/english/video/egwidedvr.htm
If you have a bigger thread type (52-67) then the MX-3000PRO is a good choice.
http://www.raynox.co.jp/english/video/semi...egmx3000pro.htm
Any questions, post here or PM me. Thanks!
KEYWORDS:
raynox, fisheye lens, wide angle, what fisheye?, help with lens
). Some lenses produce that effect, if you zoom out little bit they will be left out. I think their is more info about this in main post
