Nikkor 16mm fisheye

[mprocter]

I've read how some u/w photographers use a 16mm fisheye lens in their housings.
From my knowledge, the Nikkor 16mm lens has a 180 degree angle of view (diagonally) with the common circular disortion of a fisheye lens.

Now, if you take it underwater in a housing; what is the angle of view reduced to? and do you still get the "fisheye disortion" underwater?

 

[RSdiver]

I use the 13mm Nikkor RS-AF lens and although it is called a "Fisheye" that is a misnomer as it is a wide angle lens underwater.

It is versatile and especially great for low vis situations by getting in close. Here is a photo taken in 5 ft vis
(max) and within inches of the subject.
Click here to see a WA photo at Monterey Breakwater

 

[mprocter]

That was a good picture from RS, gives me a little understanding of how ultra wide angle lens work underwater.
By the way, I found a web site that gives good hints on taking wide angle photos and RS certainly followed the right technique.
www.divenet.com/photog/0503photo.htm

 

[mprocter]

sorry, got that website wrong.
here it is:
http://www.divernet.com/photog/0503photo.htm

 

[jarhed]

As I understand it, the 16mm isn't really 180 deg on a cropped sensor camera like most NIKON digital SLRs. I don't actually know the number off the top of my head, but I think it's more like a 120 deg. For true 180deg on a cropped sensor Nikon, the 10.5mm DX lens is what most people use.

Take care,
John

 

[Mike Veitch]

John is right.

On film the 16mm is 180 and about 110 on digital.

the 10.5 replaced the 16mm for fisheye on dig.

Its my fave underwater WA lens. You don't really notice the distortion too much unless you are shooting something with straight lines like a dock or wreck.

 

[MarkH]

I'm finally thinking of going digital and for a wide lens, I'm also looking at a fisheye. I don't think I'll get the full-frame fisheye (16mm) though, because of the crop factor (1.6 for Canon) which will leave me with a sort-of wide (17-20mm equivalent) with lots of barrel distortion. In our often-low vis I like the widest angle lens I can get. I'm probably going to get an 8mm circular fisheye (Peleng makes decent ones for less than $300). On the 1.6 cropped sensor, I'm still left with a 180 degree (diagonal) view. The only problem is that there will be the dark areas of the "circle" in the corners. I can either live with that or crop it out and still have about a 120-degree diagonal image. As for the field of view underwater it should stay the same (it could be slightly more or less depending on the curvature of the dome port). If you use a flat port the angle will be reduced. I forget the refractive index value (1/4 ?). Of course I also wouldn't be able to use a dome shade which could lead to flare problems. With the 16mm and the digital crop factor you should still be able to use a shade (I use one on my 17mm, 110-degree lens), but it will be close depending on how far the lens protrudes into the dome.

 

[Mike Veitch]

Swankenstein...

You want the new Tokina 10-17mm fisheye zoom, it has mounts for both Nikon and Canon

 

[MarkH]

Swankenstein...

You want the new Tokina 10-17mm fisheye zoom, it has mounts for both Nikon and Canon

Thanks! I didn't know that existed and you're right, I do want it. It does cost a couple hundred bucks more, but is more versatile. One downside is that it's only designed to fit the APS-C sized sensor so if full-frame sensors become popular, you can't use it. That's not really a big deal for me since most cameras that cost less than a car use APS-C and any camera that costs more than $50, I'd hope to use for a few years at least.