A real photographer - whether he is an amateur or a professional - has a fair amount of funny gizmos made of steel, glass and aluminum. Some of them were here by chance, due to a stupid misunderstanding, and during the upcoming inventory will leave this place forever. At the same time, the rest will be to your taste and will remain wandering together. What is included in the standard set of amateur photographer? A tripod, several lenses that are used most often, and perhaps that's all. And if no one argues about the need for this standard set, then a lot of copies are broken about whether a fisheye lens is needed.
Differences in choosing photo equipment
It is well known that an amateur who treats his hobby as a hobby can spend a large sum on acquiring his favorite equipment without any remorse. The only limitation is financial opportunities. While a specialist who perceives photography from a business point of view, everything is somewhat different. After all, even if it is a small private enterprise with one person in the state, it is governed by the same mercantile laws of the economy. And if the workflow is sprayed on excesses, then the functioning of the business may be disrupted. Indeed, an unnecessary thing will hurt the profitability and income of the company, so it is better to invest the same amount in your own projects. However, do not neglect the whims of the customer who is willing to pay for them to take photos of the appropriate quality or artistic level.
To be or not to be...
One of these controversial acquisitions is the fisheye lens. We will try to figure out why it is necessary, and in general, what is a fish. Photos taken with this lens can be recognized among hundreds of others at a glance. After all, he has a strong distortion, which in some cases can be represented as an original idea. Since trees or buildings curved in the photo have some attractive appeal, they are more interesting than the usual images without distortion.
Historical excursion
Only the fisheye camera and its increasing popularity is not a novelty. After all, these lenses have been used by photographers from around the world for entertainment for more than a decade. “Fisheye” made it possible to obtain pictures with an angle of about 180 degrees and was well known to Soviet professionals. Photographs taken on the wide-angle "Bearing", were a source of pride for everyone. However, in fairness it is necessary to clarify that the Japanese were considered recognized leaders in this segment. Their designers went even further and designed a creepy device, the viewing angle of which reached 220 degrees. This almost impossible thing had enormous dimensions and a "modest" weight of just over 5 kg.
Lens types
We will continue to explain and determine what a fish is, as well as what types of fish are now found. Only two types of such lenses are considered traditional - circular and diagonal. The first is different in that when photographing, a circle fits into the frame, like the one in the viewfinder. While the diagonal part of the image is cut off, and the entire hemisphere of space is placed only on the diagonal. It is important to clarify that in modern fisheye cameras for the phone they use a somewhat modernized subspecies of technology, whose frame size is much larger than the matrix, and it accommodates almost the entire image. Therefore, this unit is somewhat arbitrary, because, as you can see, there are combined solutions.
Advantages and disadvantages
Although no one is trying to dispute that capturing as much space as possible is quite good, not everything is so simple. When working in cramped conditions, this particular advantage takes on particular importance, because in order to find a good angle with ordinary cameras you have to climb walls or fences. What prevents you from installing fish on an iPhone? Why does this technology remain only in the hands of geeks? In reality, there is no secret in this, since with all the advantages of the "fish eye" there is also a set of flaws, or features, to put it more delicately. Negative distortion leads to the fact that the further the straight lines from the center of the frame, the greater the distortion they receive. As a result, the fisheye photo takes on characteristic features with the camera: the horizon line turns into a part of the circle, and so on. It is these differences that inhibit the development of this technology, while traditional wide-angle lenses only strengthen their positions.
Innovation
However, this does not end the story of what a fish is, because recently the problem of distortion has been solved. Moreover, such cameras are very actively produced and are used with no less pleasure. The review of this technique remained at the desired level and has a value of about 100-125 degrees, but the prospect played a cruel joke. Despite the fact that the lines remain straight, the background noticeably moves away, and in the boundary zone of the frame, distortions increase several times. As a result, the WHA becomes a limousine, and a pretty bride with a thin waist gains 80 kilograms in an instant. Therefore, it is unlikely that anyone will be satisfied with such photos, they are more appropriate in entertainment rooms with curved mirrors than at corporate parties or weddings. The “fish eye” has no such drawbacks, and the proportions of the environment remain almost the same as in reality. Distortions of horizontal and vertical lines, of course, cannot be avoided, but which of the two evils is less, must be solved individually. As a result, we can conclude that the question of what a fish is and how practical it is to use is better left to personal discretion.
Shooting
In order to get decent photos when using the fisheye camera, it is important to know some wisdom. It is better to leave all the experience and knowledge of the perspective with traditional devices at home, since what you observe in the viewfinder will not be like the outside world. The photographer may experience uncertainty - the distances when looking at objects through the eyepiece increase, and you can hit accessories, equipment or even furniture. Therefore, installing fisheye on the “Android” smartphones is very rarely practiced - these lenses have no place on the mainstream. Indeed, despite the increase in the capabilities of a person with a phone and a fish eye, he will not be able to realize them in fact due to the limitations of the gadget. Although in a friendly circle this may be enough, but you need to make sure that everyone has a sense of humor. Otherwise, fisheye on an “Android” smartphone can turn into a bone of contention, which will cast doubt on the skills of the photographer and relationships with people close to him.
Processing methods
However, if a person with a camera is confident in his own abilities, then using computer technologies and the technology of “gluing” several frames, you can get high-quality panoramic images. Their use for capturing interiors is especially relevant - if earlier it was very difficult to make a great shot in a limited space, now everything is simpler. With the involvement of the fish eye, a couple of pictures are taken, after which they are glued together programmatically. The result is a beautiful panorama of the interior without distortion and inaccuracies.
Panoramas
Therefore, the need for fishey to create images with the effect of 3D-presence is not in doubt. Indeed, the complex of work on creating flash panoramas includes a lot of labor costs, in which photography is only a small part of them. Indeed, to build a full-fledged picture, four to eight pictures are enough, followed by gluing. At the same time, a fisheye becomes an indispensable assistant if creative shooting of architectural objects or their elements is carried out. After all, the city passes distortion through the lens of the lens and takes on a very cute and original shape that transforms it in the most unusual way.
As you can see, even neglecting the fact that the “fisheye” cannot be used as the main tool, it is able to introduce remarkable optical illusions into images that cannot be achieved not only by computer processing, but also by other methods of photography. Indeed, in a frame made with the soul, flaws skillfully turn into virtues, which easily explode the foundation of the foundations of physics and change the perception of the world through the prism of human eyes.