How Much Experience Have We Had?

kelpdiver wrote:

Architeuthis wrote:

I am quite happy with the MFT format. My favorite WA solution is the Canon 8-15mm fisheye adapted with Metabones 1x adapter using Nauticam 140mm domeport, providing diagonal angles of view of 180 (8mm) - 85 (15mm) degrees. The optical quality is so brilliant, that I am reluctant to switch to a larger sensor, since there is no optical solution available for the big sensor, that comes close (eventually these super-expensive and super-heavy WAPC's from Nauticam come close).

That caught my eye, owning both. But puzzled by you saying there's no larger sensor solution - all of the Canons are recommended pairings for the 8-15. However, I think you have to go to the massive > 200mm dome ports. If you're getting good results with the N85 140 dome on the 4/3, that's interesting.

Hi kelpdiver,

The Canon 8-15mm lens is also a favorite on FF cameras (Sony, Canon; Nikon has its own 8-15mm fisheye). Normaly the Nauticam 140mm dome is used also with this lens, but in FF it covers a different range of angles of view (AOV): one can switch between circular fisheye and 180 degree diagonal, but no further Zoom out is possible. A solution MAY be to use it with a 2x teleconverter on FF, then the very useful AOV that it provides on MFT would be restored. The widest aperture, however, would be f:8.0 then (from f: 4.0). It may well be that AF is compromised when there is so little light available...

Do you prefer it over the 8mm FEs on the 100mm domes because you have some zoom range?

See here on a general description about my the fisheye approach on MFT sensor: https://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?/topic/62560-canon-8-15mm-and-tokina-10-17mm-on-om-d-em5ii/

and here some sample photos:

https://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?/topic/64924-canon-8-15mm-nauticam-140mm-minidome-and-em1ii/

https://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?/topic/62974-canon-8-15-140mm-minidome-and-omd-em5ii/

I did not test out the Zen DP-100 for use with the Canon 8-15, since I could not find a version that would fit the recommended extensions (but you can find comparisons of Nauticam 140mm with Zen DP-170 in the links above). Before I used the zoom fisheye, the Zuiko 8mm was a favorite lens of mine, providing tack sharp ultra-WA photos. Often, however, the AOV is too wide (e.g. when approaching shy animals) and one would want to zoom in. The IQ of the Canon, BTW, at 8mm is at least as good as the Zuiko, with the additional option to zoom out (=> Yes this is the reason, why I like this lens so much!).

Only for APS-C sensors a pendant to 8-15mm on MFT exists: the Tokina 10-17mm fisheye. This lens is extremely useful on APS-C for the reasons above, but the IQ is not good. It was designed more as a "fun" lens, while the Canon 8-15mm fulfills the highest optical standards (Many APS-C shooters use now the excellent Canon or Nikon 8-15mm fisheyes with 1.4x teleconverters instead of the Tokina; ironically these lenses do not require treleconverters on the smaller MFT sensor). For FF sensors nothing comparable exists (i.e. moderate fisheye with the option to zoom out to e.g. 80 or even more). Therefore these WAPC's (two versions exist already) and also the WWL-1 and WWL-C were developed in order to provide fisheye zoom capabilities at moderate AOV's, in connection with moderate rectilinear WA lenses. These fisheye zoom characteristics are documented to deliver far better IQ (i.e. more sharpness) compared to rectilinear WA, that require hughe domes and small apertures to deliver satisfactory results...

I love to discuss these technical things, but in case we continue the discussion, I suggest you start another tread in order not to ruin Craig's wonderful "nostalgia" tread here...

Wolfgang