wide angle vs fisheye

argyle409 · Apr 20, 2009

I'm new to photography I finally convinced my mom to give me her Rebel XT that she never uses so now that I have it I really want to get a fisheye or wide angle lens for it. So what are the advantages to each type of lens from what I know the fisheye is a more curved shot and the corners get cut off so its fun for a while but gets old quick, where the wide angle gives you a stretched picture and is more versatile. Also recommendations for one of two lens that will work with a Rebel XT, thanks.

dcclark · Apr 20, 2009

You've got it mostly right: a fisheye deliberately has a special type of curvy distortion -- basically a really extreme form of barrel distortion. Fun, but hard to use unless you really want that kind of distortion. Straight lines will always curve with a fisheye.

An ultrawide just has enormous perspective distortion, but keeps straight lines straight (the term is rectilinear). They are a lot of fun as well.

Joves · Apr 20, 2009

Though with a fisheye there are programs out there to flatten them out in post. I like my fisheye but it does have its limit. I mainly have it as my fun lens.

SrBiscuit · Apr 21, 2009

personally i'd go wide (im still in the market for a sigma 10-20)...you can always add that fisheye distortion in post. as said, you can also remove that distortion in post, but for me, i'd be wanting to just shoot wider more often than i would distorted.

redtippmann · Apr 21, 2009

Like any lens you will ever get, each lens is made for a certian reason. So it's all about what you shoot and want to be able to shoot. So if you just wanted a lens for fun and not for use for some thing like your schools news paper the fish eye is fine. And it's always nice to have a fast prime lens in your bag( and there cheep!).

Village Idiot · Apr 22, 2009

dcclark said:
Straight lines will always curve with a fisheye.

Not always. The curvature of the lines depend on how far from the center of the lens they are. A horizon running straight through the center of the lens (barring slopes and hills that chage the direction of the line) will still be straight. If you look down, taking the center of the line farther from the center of the lens, it will start to curve.

dcclark · Apr 22, 2009

Village Idiot said:
Not always. The curvature of the lines depend on how far from the center of the lens they are. A horizon running straight through the center of the lens (barring slopes and hills that chage the direction of the line) will still be straight. If you look down, taking the center of the line farther from the center of the lens, it will start to curve.

Good point, I was too general. But in general, straight lines will be curved in a fisheye, whereas they will remain straight in an ultrawide. That is one of the defining differences between fisheye and rectilinear lenses.

Village Idiot · Apr 22, 2009

dcclark said:
Good point, I was too general. But in general, straight lines will be curved in a fisheye, whereas they will remain straight in an ultrawide. That is one of the defining differences between fisheye and rectilinear lenses.

And some rectilinear lenses have more distortion giving slight non extreme curvature you'd get with a non 180 degree fisheye or a fisheye that's not wide enough to provide enough "fish". That's the difference between purchasing a 3rd party UWA and a first party UWA sometimes.

Like the Sigma 10-20 seems to have more distortion at 10mm than the Canon 10-22 at 10mm.