Can software replicate what a fisheye lens does?

[RumDaddy]

Im getting ready to make some major purchases. One item is a fisheye lens. But Im led to believe through the buldge option or the many different ways to distort your image via softrware it may be a waste of money.

Can software do the same thing to a stock image as a fisheye lens would. If so why bother buying one. Whats yuor opinion?

 

[480sparky67 66]

Yes it can. Many PP programs have distort functions. You just won't have the same (read: wide) angle of view that a true fisheye would have.

 

[o hey tyler]

Not really. Fisheye lenses are wide angle lenses that give you a wider FoV. If you take an shot with your 18mm kit lens, you can make it APPEAR to be shot with a fisheye, I suppose, but it's not the same FoV and it more than likely will not look as good.

 

[480sparky67 66]

One work-around would be to take a series of photos, stitch them together, and then use a distort function. But that would take a lot of time in post.

 

[2WheelPhoto]

i was distorting with software using my 35mm DX Nikon prime or 18-55 kit which was OK. I wish i could express how much I enjoy my Tokina 11-16mm lens since dropping the coinage!

 

[OrionsByte]

What they said. If the only reason you're looking at a fisheye is to get the "bulging" effect, then it's a waste of money. A fisheye lens is nothing but a lens with a really short focal length; it's designed to have a really wide field of view, and the distortion is a side effect.

 

[RumDaddy]

Does a super wide angle lens and a fisheye lens have a very similiar effect. I image searched super wide angle images. I noticed majority of them were landscape shots. Where the forground and background were both equelly as crisp and clear. They also gave a stretching illusion making the backgruond look further away. How ever a lot of the super wide angle images with buildings in the background had the buildings slightly bulged. Resembling or replicating the fisheye feature.

 

[2WheelPhoto]

I'd have to say a 10.5 fisheye would distort a bit more for use in very special applications, I usually use distortion correction for landscape and such with my 11-16 and am interested in superwide although i can purposely get a ton of distortion with the lens when i want it. might want to rent a fisheye first and see if thats what you want in pics?

here is a thread full of fisheye specific:

Fisheye Images - NikonCafe.com

 

[Village Idiot]

What they said. If the only reason you're looking at a fisheye is to get the "bulging" effect, then it's a waste of money. A fisheye lens is nothing but a lens with a really short focal length; it's designed to have a really wide field of view, and the distortion is a side effect.

Well if a fisheye lens is just a lens with a really short focal length, how come my 15mm fisheye looks completely different from the Sigma 10-20 I was previously using?

Does a super wide angle lens and a fisheye lens have a very similiar effect. I image searched super wide angle images. I noticed majority of them were landscape shots. Where the forground and background were both equelly as crisp and clear. They also gave a stretching illusion making the backgruond look further away. How ever a lot of the super wide angle images with buildings in the background had the buildings slightly bulged. Resembling or replicating the fisheye feature.

No. Most normal lenses are rectilinear. This means straight lines appear straight. Wide angles and barrel distortion can cause obvious distortions of the lines, but it doesn't change the fact that you're shooting with a rectilinear lens. Fisheye lenses are 180° lenses where they'll either produce a 180° hemispherical viewpoint or a 180° diagonal angle of view. The first type of lens will produce an image in a circle surrounded by a black frame where as the second type fills the entire frame and does not require cropping.

Focal length matters too. If you're shooting with a crop sensor, a 15mm fisheye lens won't appear very distorted compared to an 8 mm fisheye lens.

 

[Helen B]

Fisheye lenses aren't simply very wide angle lenses that have distortion as a side-effect - they use a different type of projection (also called 'mapping function') than a rectilinear lens. One of the effects of using the type of projection they use is that image illumination is more constant than it is for a rectilinear lens - ie there isn't the same degree of fall-off in illumination as you get away from the centre of the image.

Best,
Helen

 

[GooniesNeverSayDie11]

Why not buy yourself a super wide lens that has more applications and will probably get used much more, and then use software if you want to distortion? Sigma makes an 8mm non-fisheye now.

 

[480sparky67 66]

Here's the difference between a 10mm 'normal' and 10.5mm fisheye:

10mm 'normal':

10.5mm fisheye:

You can plainly see that not only does the fisheye 'see' a wider angle of view, but it also curves any straight lines. It's obvious in these photos, but in a landscape it may not be so easy to spot.

 

[OrionsByte]

Well if a fisheye lens is just a lens with a really short focal length, how come my 15mm fisheye looks completely different from the Sigma 10-20 I was previously using?

Fisheye lenses aren't simply very wide angle lenses that have distortion as a side-effect - they use a different type of projection (also called 'mapping function') than a rectilinear lens.

I always thought "fisheye" was just a nickname of sorts for a wide-angle lens. I was obviously mistaken and didn't realize they were two separate things.

My apologies for the misinformation.

 

[Village Idiot]

but it also curves any straight lines.

Not lines on the center axis.

 

[GooniesNeverSayDie11]

but it also curves any straight lines.

Not lines on the center axis.

You forgot this emoticon ----> :greenpbl: