wide angle/"fish eye" lens recommendations...

[mountainman 0]

Hey everyone. After all the talk about wide-angle lenses and the Diamond .3, I have decided against getting this when we get a camera due to how close one must be for a good shot.

So, I am curious to what you would recommend for something that is wide-angle and really gives that "bend" effect when shooting from altitude at the horizon. The less black in the corners, the better.

Also, what else should I look for?

Thanks to all of you great people. I love having this forum for all these camera/lens questions.

http://www.brandonandlaura.com

[skreamer 1]

I was using a Kenko 0.43 fish-eye lens but it was only good for close-up stuff. I'm now using a Kenko 0.45 which gives much better results (in my limited experience). I got both these lenses really cheap and for the stuff I do (ie funjumping only) they are adequate.

But to answer your question : the Kenko 0.43 will give you the bends () - you can just zoom it in a smidge to get rid of the black corners(vignetting). Also, if you notice vignette when you edit on your PC don't be too worried, it probably won't show on a TV (lower resolution).

Will

[AndyMan 7]

I bought the Kenko .5 as a general use wide angle lense. It works pretty good. I intentionally bought a bigger number because I do plan on getting the .3 at some point. The .5 does not give any walley-vision, but either does the .47.

_Am

__

You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

[mountainman 0]

Thanks for the thoughts guys!

It sounds like the .43 is the best choice, eh? Don't have to be 3 feet or less to get a shot and you can still get that "fish eye" aspect, right?

http://www.brandonandlaura.com

[Deuce 1]

Don't do it Mountainman.

I went pro yesterday! Yeah! Sold two videos and I'm in the rotation.

OK, the guy who went pro with me had (HAD) a .43. It's just too far for tandem, RW work. I guess you could zoom it, but all the way out you have to be about 3 feet from touching the customer to get a good tight facial shot. When you zoom a converter you lose sharpness. He sold his .43 and bought a .5 and now his video is saleable. (sellable?)

I have a .5 for outside work, and I just got a .3 for inside work. Flew it yesterday inside RW and inside a wicked 10 way hybrid.

I also got paid to fly video on a 4-stack and the .5 with a little zoom was perfect.

I"ll post about the best day skydiving yet for me, Yesterday, tomorrow.

I'm a rookie camera flyer, but my heartfelt advice is to get a .5 and go wider when you get, way, better.
A 28mm SLR lens is a good match for that. If you have the .43, a 24mm lens is a better match, and those cost more.

I defer to all the more experienced camera flyers, but my rookie advice is that the .5 will make your live easier, and you'll get better video

[mountainman 0]

OK, then I have 2 questions for you:

1) will that .5 offer the "fish eye" effect?

2) what brand of lens do you recommend for .5?

Thanks!

http://www.brandonandlaura.com

[AndyMan 7]

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1) will that .5 offer the "fish eye" effect?

No. But I'm surprised you actually WANT walley-vision. Sure, it gives some neat visuals, but to use this as an every day lense would suck, IMHO.

Quote

2) what brand of lens do you recommend for .5?

Kenko.

_Am

__

You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

[mountainman 0]

Hey Andy...I would really just use that Fisheye for skydiving, when the time came.

I would probably just use the regular lens it comes with for everyday stuff.

Thanks.

http://www.brandonandlaura.com

[Deuce 1]

No. The .5 won't give you fisheye, neither will a good quality .43. The lens makers try hard to not get distortion. The .3 doesn't give much distortion either. The fisheye effect you are talking about, the serious, er, the hardcore video folks call distortion, and they generally don't like it. They want lots of field in the view, but no distortion.

The fisheye lenses that are fisheye on purpose are really, really big. Too big for most unmodified D-boxes big. Check out the Generationfreefly.com Diamond lens site, and they show some examples. Like the Kenko .42.

I have the Kenko .5, got it from Pier, happy with it.

A computer guy like you could get a nice clear undistorted frame grab from your 120, firewire it into your computer and warp it all you want. It would probably be harder to take a distorted frame grab and make it look straight.

Aloha.

JP

[PhreeZone 20]

The times where I'd like the horizon to be all bent on my video I can count on one hand out of 250+ camera jumps. If you want to use the video for tandems or even to show to your friends all the time a good straight horizion is the ticket.

The distortion is cool for special times only, but for everything else a sweet .5 lens is the most all around lens you can get.

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[mountainman 0]

OK, cool.

Thanks a lot guys. I guess doing tandem videos and such, you probably want to show them something that looks closest to reality.

Personally, I think that fish eye effect is really cool, but not necessary.

http://www.brandonandlaura.com

[JGarcia 0]

Someone earlier in the thread mentioned that they bought their 0.5 Kenko from Pier Media...HOWEVER, they charge DOUBLE what any other place on the internet sells theirs for. I bought my 0.5 for $45 about 1.7 years ago.
I use this lens for ~85 percent of my Tandems, and all RW work. However, I do like using the 0.43 Kenko for Tandems, when the clouds are just right. The customers DO like the seeing that curvature of the earth because it looks like they're really high up, as long as you can be within ~3 feet at all times. That just takes experience, but it IS do-able. That said, shop around. For the price that Pier sells one 0.5 lens, you can afford to get BOTH the 0.5 and the 0.43 Kenko lenses...and get the best of both worlds!
--Jairo

Low Profile, snag free helmet mount for your Sony X3000 action cam!

[Zennie 0]

It sort of depends on what you plan on using the camera for. In my case, I'm doing it solely for freefly video.

You might want to check out the Diamond .3 as well. I've seen it in action and it is truly amazing.

I figure the .3 will be good for close-in freefly stuff. I'm vacillating on the .42 and .45 for outside freefly video. I like the fact that the .45 makes things appear a bit closer, but I'm afraid it may be too narrow. I could be wrong.

- Z
"Always be yourself... unless you suck." - Joss Whedon

[PhreeZone 20]

I use a .5 for outside video. Bump it in a tad for over the top RW and its great. .43 requires being in way close to fill the frame. If you are that close, you might as well dock.

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[jmfreefly 0]

I just had a similar discussion with a few people at our DZ about this, and this is what I told them.

1) I started off with using a Kenko (Hi-Res) .5 lens
(KGW-05 Hi) ($49)
for Tandem work. I was also using it for videoing
RW, but I was almost always missing a bit on
exit (we jump a king air).

2) For freeflying, I bought a Kenko (Hi-Res) .42.
(KUW-042 Hi) ($88)
It is -huge-, and somewhat heavy. Huge is
downside -- I had one ripped off during a FF
collision. Would a different lens have survived?
Maybe. Max's .3 lens would have, but probably
no others.

That being said, the hi res .42 is a great lens.
It has very -very- little barrel distortion (especially
when compared with the .43 consumer lens which
has barrel distortion and some vingetting).

Truthfully, I use the .42 for everything now,
even Tandems. I fly myself right up in the mix,
so I get full frame video without any problem.
A .5 lens does do a better job at representing
distances more accurately.

I use .42 for videoing RW too, you just need
some good wings, good flying, and fly a bit
less 'over the top'. Also, there is less issue
with missing exit grips.

BTW, call these guys if you want good prices
on Kenko lenses.I bought 2 lenses and some
photographic filters from them, and they have great
service (no internet ordering though).
http://www.2filter.com/kenko/Kenkodigital.html


FYI, I have 750 jumps, about 400 of them tandem/RW video.

[mountainman 0]

Just to let you know that B&H is offering the .5 Kenko 37mm lens for $25 right now.

Pick one up if you need one.

http://www.brandonandlaura.com

[freeflir29 0]

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.5 Kenko 37mm lens for $25 right now

That's cheap enough to buy one just to have it IN CASE you ever wanted it.....LOL

[mountainman 0]

Quote

Quote

.5 Kenko 37mm lens for $25 right now

That's cheap enough to buy one just to have it IN CASE you ever wanted it.....LOL

That is why I posted that!!
They are still selling it at Pier Ltd. for $75. Hahaha!!

http://www.brandonandlaura.com