What is the best fisheye lens for a Canon 40D or up?

During the PDN Photographers' Virtual Tradeshow a few questions had surfaced regarding what the best fisheye lens is for a Canon 40D and up. We will take a look at three different lenses and give insight into them.

Tokina 10-17mm f/3.5-4.5

Tokina AT-X lenses are built for quality. The lense is made of medal which reduces the lense bobble once attached to the camera body. Focus and zoom operate very smoothly and the lens extends a few millimeters at 10mm and 17mm. It is impossible to mount any filters despite the extreme field-of-view. A new WP (Water Proof) coating has been applied to the front element making it easier to resist water and smudge marks. 

The lens has no internal AF motor and relies on a slotted drive screw operated by the camera. As a result, it will generate a moderate degree of noise. The AF speed is quite fast, but being a fisheye lens it is quite meaningless. 

Sigma 8mm f/3.5 EX DG

This lens is the only 8mm lens with a full autofocus capability. The lens' only controls feature the manual focus ring with a distance scale and the standard AF/MF switch. There is no filter thread, or, for that matter, a hood bayonet as the coverage of the lens, being a full 180°, stops any accouterments forward of the front element being permissible. The lens cap/hood consists of a stopped sleeve and a fairly normal lens cap that fits onto it.

The sleeve sports a 72mm filter thread and cap. And 72mm filters can be used in this thread, albeit at the expensed of further vignetting. Under manual focusing, the ring requires a quarter turn to go through the full range and the ring does turn during autofocus, which is fairly quiet during operation and quick enough for any purpose this lens could be put to.

A spring loaded holder is fitted to the rear element of the lens to accept gelatin filters and the lens comes with a metal template to assist in the cutting of these from gelatin sheet.

The lens is not the kind of thing you would want to carry on the camera all day, but it is light enough and compact enough to fit in the camera bag with hardly any penalty.

Peleng 8mm f/3.5

The Peleng lens is a T-mount lens. It can be used on both T-mount to MAF adapter or with T-mount to M42 adapter, even M42 to MAF adapter. One of the biggest problems photographers face when using DSLRs is the ability to focus properly. Small viewfinders are not really optimized for manual focusing. However, in the case of this 8mm lens, you can set the aperture at f/8 and you will have everything in focus. 

Besides the all metal build, there is an additional ring for opening or closing aperture blades which is used for stop down metering process. 

Even though images are sharp at f/8, the lens really rocks at f/11 and f/16. Image quality is best at center of the frame, with the sharpness and contrast decreasing in the corners.

Another strength of the lens is the color quality. The lens is multi-coate, which means that it should be resitant to flare but we are talking when used at wide focal lenghts. 

 

Organizing Your Digital Photos

Is your computer full of digital images and scattered in kinds of different folders?

 

Similar to the previous post Back Up Your Digital Photos Before Its Too Late, this post will focus on organization. Not the most exciting subject, but there is nothing exciting about stressing over images you cannot find because they are saved in different locations.

 

Here are some suggested practices Apollo recommends following.

 

1. Delete your blurry images in your camera. They will not miraculously become focused just because they are on your computer. If you have enough juice in your camera battery, scroll through your images during some down time in a shoot and clean up your memory card.

 

Also, if your uploading program allows you to manually select which images you want to upload to your computer, delete any unwanted images. This will also help the time it takes to upload from your camera to your computer.

 

2. Take the time to upload your images after every shoot. Then erase the images from your card. By doing this continually not only will you be ready for your next shoot, you will get in the habit of properly organizing your images.

 

3. Select a folder that you will be saving your images to and always upload them to the same spot. If you have a Photos folder on your computer use it. Or create a different folder and place it on your desktop so you will always know where your images are.

 

Don’t forget to backup your images as soon as they are on your computer. That way if there is an error, you will still have the original image.

 

4. Come up with a filing system that you will stick with. Different people have different preferences on how they like to file their photos. Many people create subfolders and title them the year the photos were taken, then break it down further into months within the year.

 

If you are scanning photos and are unsure of the year the images were taken, we suggest creating a separate folder and title it “Scanned Photos.” Then break it down into subjects such as vacations, family, pets, etc.

 

5. Be as descriptive as possible when naming your photos. Instead of naming photos of your pet as Rover_1, Rover_2, etc. Be very descriptive such as Rover Sleeping, Rover Eating, etc. This will help you search through your images with ease.

 

6. Create a folder for edited photos. If you convert your images to black and white, create a folder and title it accordingly.

 

The most important thing is to stay on top of organizing your images. It takes a long time, but it can take just as long to search for an image if you do not organize properly. There are many photo organizing products available for free. Things to look for when searching for photo organizing software is editing functions such as rotation and cropping, ability to view thumbnails, batch naming, and search key words. Some may even add the dates and what camera settings you had.

 

 

Reviewing the Leica Noctilux-M Camera Lens

The new Leica lens - Noctilux-M 50mm f/0.95 asph - is a quality buy, and you certainly get your money's worth (a complimentary lens case is even included when you make a purchase). But it'll cost you. The average asking price for this state-of-the-art lens is approximately $10,000. Let's take a look at some of the features that make this camera so highly touted.

The manual-focus, full-frame lens is made of ground and polished glass, not hybrid or molded glass. The glass is surrounded by anodized matte-black aluminum. Due to its sheer size and weight, the lens will make the complementary Leica M8 and M8.2 cameras a bit top heavy when combined. Also, Popular Photography magazine reports that the lens barrel blocks some of the viewfinder.

With a built-in lens shade/hood, the Noctilux lens is a step up from the Canon 50mm f/1.0. Why? In tests, "barrel distortion edged close to imperceptible, outdoing the Canon by a big margin." The Noctilux also showed signs of vignetting, "but Leica says that on full-frame, M-series bodies, such as the M7, it shows 3.2 stops of light falloff in the corners at f/0.95." Unfortunately, the lens only has focus capabilities of 38 inches. But here's a photo tip that will help you get more out of your new lens: "Adding a neutral-density filter in broad daylight lets you place a sharply focused subject against a radically defocused background - even when they're only a few feet apart."

Leica Noctilux-M specifications:

• Diagonal-view angle: 36 degrees (focus ring turns 130 degrees counterclockwise)
• Size: 2.83 inches x 2.95 inches
• Weight: 1.71 pounds
• Filter size: E60
• Mounts: Leica M
• Distortion: 0.12 percent
• Light falloff: None
• Close-focusing distance: 38 inches
• Maximum magnification ratio: 1:16:28

Reviewing the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 Digital Camera

While the latest Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 has many impressive features, including a built-in stereo microphone and a stereo-mic input, its high-definition video recording with stereo sound makes this camera truly unique. Because HD video is fast becoming a necessity for today's digital cameras, I'm focusing on the GH1's capabilities here.

The high-definition video is available in two resolutions: 1920 x 1080 and 1280 x 720 pixels. At 1920 x 1080 pixels, the camera only shoots 24 frames per second, which is cinema rate, rather than 30 fps of HDTV. The 1280 x 720 option allows recording up to 60 fps, which is preferred for shooting fast-moving subjects. According to Popular Photography magazine, "The 720p footage [is] on par with the image quality you can expect from a [mid-level] HD camcorder."

In addition to great footage quality, the new Panasonic allows photographers to select the type of video file they want to use. The top resolution is AVCHD. "At 1280 x 720 or less, at 30 fps, you can...record MOV Motion JPEG files, also a common format, so it should be similarly trouble free to edit. For the smoothest video, use the AVCHD 1280 x 720 60-fps mode."

A great attribute of the GH1 is its ability to auto focus, although the camera is presently limited by a lack of available lenses. "The only Micro Four Thirds lenses optimized for continuous AF for video are the 14140mm f/4-5.8 that comes in this kit and the 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 Olympus kit lens for the E-P1."

For comfort of shooting, the DH1 celebrates a 3-inch, 460,000-dot LCD monitor that flips left and swivels. This erases the feeling of a shooting with a camcorder. "Instead, the body mimics a tiny DSLR or electronic-viewfinder, super-zoom still camera." Try holding the camera (below shoulder length) from the bottom, and use your left hand to handle the zoom and manual focus controls. Meanwhile, the right hand is kept free to control panning, adjust brightness or start/stop recording.

Yes, the camera boasts a far-reaching lens, but the unit is a bit on the pricey side ($1,500) because it comes only in kit format with a 10x zoom lens. Perhaps cameras like the GH1 will become more economical as HD offerings become more common.

And if you're interested in the camera's shooting capabilities, consider these features:

• Imaging: 12.1MP, 4000 x 3000 pixels, 12 bits/color in RAW mode.
• Storage: SD/SDHC cards, JPEG, RAW, RAW + JPEG.
• AF system: TTL contract detection, 23 focus areas, single-area focusing, face detection, single-shot and continuous AF.
• Shutter speed: 1/4000 to 60 sec plus B.
• Metering: TTL metering, 144-zone Intelligent Multiple, center weighted, spot metering, EV 0-18.
• ISO range: ISO 100-3200.
• Flash: built-in pop-up flash GN36.
• Viewfinder: electronic, 1,440,000-dot equivalent.
• LCD: 3-inch TFT, 460,000-dot resolution.
• Output: high-speed USB 2.0, HDMI video, NTSC/PAL composite, PictBridge compatible.
• Battery: rechargeable DMW-BLB13PP Li-ion, CIPA rating (300 shots in LCD or 320 shots in EVF).
• Size: 4.9" x 3.3" x 1.8".
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.

Digital Camera Battery Maintenance

1. Use your view finder versus your LCD screen. Photos that appear on your LCD screen can eat up battery power. Looking through your view finder will save you valuable power; however, be aware that what you see through the view finder may not always fit the actual image.

2. Stick with the single focus feature. Your battery can eat up a lot of money while it is on continual focus. That feature should only be used for objects that are in motion, such as athletes at sporting events.

3. Use your zoom sparingly. The motor that adjusts the zoom on your camera can eat up battery power.

4. Wait until you delete your images. If you are at an event and find yourself going through your images to delete them, remember that can drain power as well. Wait until you get home to sort your images and upload them on to your computer.

5. Don't hold the shutter button down halfway. Wait until you actually need to take the shot before you press the shutter button. When pressing the shutter button halfway, the camera goes into ready mode and continually resets itself and refocuses.

6. Use the flash only when necessary.

7. Remove your batteries when you know you will not be shooting photographs for a while. By removing the batteries, you can prevent accidental discharge.

-TJ Dinsmoor

Social Media Specialist