Sony 16mm fisheye on digital

[Philip]

I am considering getting the Sony 16mm f2.8 fisheye for use on my A700 (and possibly the full frame, if I can afford it!). What experience have forum members had with either this lens, or the identical Minolta forerunner, on digital bodies? Thanks for your replies in advance.

Philip

[01af]

On APS-C format, the Minolta/Sony 16 mm fish-eye lens has the following angles of view:

* diagonally -- 110°
* horizontally -- 90°
* vertically -- 60°

So the (diagonal) angle of view is far from the 180° you'd see on full-frame 35-mm format; instead it will correspond to the diagonal angle of view of a 10 mm super-wide-angle lens on APS-C. Horizontally, however, it will correspond to a 12 mm super-wide-angle, and vertically to a 14 mm. The equivalences being different for vertical, horizontal, and diagonal angles of view are a consequence of the fish-eye's particular way of imaging. It will look like significant barrel-shaped distortion.

You can use the fish-eye image for surprising compositions and impressive vistas---if you can. And if the subject is right. It's difficult but not impossible ... particularly groups of persons as well as some sorts of architectural vistas (yes really!) can benefit from a (cropped) fish-eye. I saw breath-taking, surrealistic images taken with a 16-mm fish-eye on an APS-C camera. For general use, however, a regular (i. e. non-fish-eye) super-wide-angle lens will yield better results most of the time. There is software available that can de-fish, or linearize, digital fish-eye images so they'd resemble regular wide-angle shots ... however that's quite some additional work and it'll lead to reduced resolution near the edges of the image, so that's not recommended as a routine workflow.

Generally, I'd say a 16-mm fish-eye lens won't make a lot of sense for use on an APS-C camera most of the time. You should purchase one only if you already own a super-wide-angle lens (like e. g. the 11-18 mm zoom) and/or if you plan to acquire a 35-mm-format camera in the near future. Or if you exactly know what you're going to do with it. Sigma currently is the only lens maker who has two fish-eye lenses designed for use on APS-C format which will cover an angle of view of 180°---a 4.5 mm EX DC circular-image fish-eye and an 10 mm EX DC full-frame fish-eye (full-frame APS-C, that is, as opposed to circular image). Unfortunately both of them are not available in Sony Alpha mount (Canon, Nikon, and Sigma only). For Sony Alpha mount, Sigma is offering their 8 mm EX DG circular-image fish-eye lens which will render a circular image on 35-mm format and (with a bit of cropping) a rectangular full-frame image with a diagonal angle of view of 180° on APS-C format.

-- Olaf

[Philip]

Thanks for your reply Olaf. I have actually taken the plunge and bought the lens (there was one, brand new, on special offer at £399) on the basis that it will complement my other lenses, and that at some point in the future I intend to get a full frame sensor camera, and then it will be to restored to a true fisheye!

Philip

[Glyn R]

Brave purchase seeing we don't know when or how much an FF Sony will cost.!

[Philip]

True, but I don't have to but it when it first comes out! (not sure who I'm kidding). Initial impressions on the A700 are that it is v. sharp - now I just need some suitable targets to point it at.........

Philip