Customer requests for virtual tours.... noob photographer inside! (advise on fisheye)

[Slavik]

Hi guys,

Hopefully someone will be able to help. And i'll try and keep it short and sweet.

I currently do a lot of web design and development, and serveral local companies subcontract work to me for coding. However, in recent weeks, i've been getting a lot of demand for virtual tours.

Anyways, fortunately a friend has a nikon dlsr 5100 (i think thats right), which isn't a bad camera im told, so i've had a play and it seems easy enough for a noob to understand, and then picked up a "pano pro" to start shooting these tours.

Unfortunately, after 3 days of trying to get anything close to acceptable and saleable results, they simply arnt good enough, so will be sending it back.

Speaking with someone who has given me some fantastic advice thus far, he suggested to get a fisheye lens, he ptgui software and pano 2vr instead. He sent me some of his shots to try, and sure enough, the result was amazing.

Anyway, im constrained on budget, so am looking for some advice on the lenses, as he has only used one type of fisheye lens, but, I missed out on one on eBay this morning (doh) and to buy them new are the best part of £400. Put simply, by the time of purchasing the 2 softwares and the mounting mechanism, that comes over budget.


I've spotted these, and am wondering, if anyone has used them, or can offer advise on picking up a decent lens to shoot the virtual tours with.

Samyang 8mm F3.5 II AE Fisheye Lens for Nikon 8809298882204 | eBay

Rokinon 8mm Fisheye Lens for Nikon D7000 D5200 D3100 D5000 D3000 D5100 084438741018 | eBay



Or, failing that, if you can suggest something else (and whilst yes, i know many people will reccomend £600+ lenses... the fact is, they are simply out of budget)?

I've also been advised, to ensure at the low range, that it is a full frame shot, opposed to a circular one to help speed up the stiching and other production parts of the photos themself.

Look forward to your replies!