Digital Photography - Fisheye Lenses

Among all the lenses that are available the fisheye lens is low on most people's list of priorities. The uses of this lens are limited and it is rather expensive. Nevertheless, it can be highly effective in the right situation.

It is sensible to hire a fisheye lens from a professional photographic dealer and try it out before deciding to buy one. If there seem to be many genuinely worthwhile uses for it, then and only then consider a purchase.

Most people looking through an SLR camera with a fisheye lens for the first time find it highly amusing to see the world through a 180-degree angle of vision. Objects appear severely distorted, and it is easy to get carried away by gimmicky shots of people's faces close to the lens, but used thoughtfully, a fisheye lens can produce uniquely striking images. The art of exploiting the lens is to make the photograph look as if a fisheye lens has not been used at all. Great care is needed in choosing a viewpoint and in framing the subject to obtain the best effect.

Because of their extremely wide angle of view, fisheye lenses cannot be used with lens hoods. Filters can be fitted, but these are special ones that are screwed in at the back of the lens. Graduated filters cannot be used.

There is a difficulty when using flash. Even when a flash gun is fitted with a wide angle attachment, the area that it illuminates is no wider than the field of view of a 28mm lens. This falls far short of what is needed for a fisheye. If flash has to be used, at least two, even three or four flash heads are needed.

Willis J. Watson is a freelance writer since 2006, living in United States and he writes about his great passion...digital photography for about 4 years. If you want to read more informations about Digital Photography Classes and also read more reviews about Youth Sports Photography, you can check out his websites.