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[OM] Re: Spiratone Fisheye 12mm

Subject: [OM] Re: Spiratone Fisheye 12mm
From: Andrew Fildes <afildes@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Mon, 26 Dec 2005 21:24:45 +1100
Yes it is too much! I have a couple of these and wouldn't pay more  
than $70-80 tops. There are several versions - the old and large f8  
type with a 2 piece cap, the later, smaller f8 with a one piece cap  
and a late version in f5.6. I have all three. They come under the  
names Spiratone, Accura and Beroflex. It is often claimed that they  
were made by Sigma but I have my doubts - people may be confused by  
the fact that the Spiratone trademark was a Greek capital sigma.   
They are a T mount which means that you can fit them on anything and  
they have three apertures, usually 8, 11 and 16. These are dial in  
'holes' (Waterhouse stops) rather than a diaphragm. You can adjust  
focus by screwing them out in the mount as there is no focus helical.
Now the downside. They are rather soft and usually need some  
recalibration. They are 12mm - sound weird? That means that they are  
neither a full circle fisheye (7-8mm) nor a full frame fisheye  
(15-17mm). What you get on a 35mm frame is a  circle clipped on top  
and bottom - or a serious case of vignetting on each side, depending  
on how you look at it. I think that the idea was that you could crop  
it to a square full frame fisheye with 180deg view from corner to  
corner.
I've mounted them on a Canon or Nikon DSLR as with the APS size  
sensor, the 1.5/1.6 factor makes it close to a full frame fisheye.  
neat trick if you can deal with the softness. On an E series Oly it  
would be a 24mm fisheye - far wider than a conventional 24mm  
perspective but with serious barrel distortion.
You'd be as well off getting a front-mount fisheye adapter by Raynox  
or someone similar I think - bigger but probably just as good optically.
AndrewF


On 26/12/2005, at 10:14 AM, NSURIT@xxxxxxx wrote:

>
>
> In a message dated 12/25/2005 3:59:23 P.M. Central Standard Time,
> oly-zooko@xxxxxxxxxxxxx writes:
>
> Olympus  USA has a Spiratone Fisheye 12mm up on the Bay. Best offer is
> $149.00...is
> that too much for this lens?
>
>
>
>
>
>
> I probably wouldn't buy it, however that may have more to do with  
> my  wants
> or needs for a full circle fisheye lens.  My assumption is that it  
> is  full
> circle.  In the late 60's I bought a Nikkor full circle for the  
> Nik*n  F I was
> using at the time and it didn't get used much.
>
> Have you tried or do you own the 16mm  Zuiko.  It is in my  opinion  
> a much
> more versatile lens.  Its images would probably  generate comments of
> "Interesting perspective" as opposed top "Fisheye lens used  with  
> this image."  The BIN
> on this Spiratone lens is about $200.  Were  I wishing to expand my  
> kit, I
> spend my money another way.  Some  examples, each of which could  
> leave you with
> some change in your pocket if you  shopped carefully, might be:
>
> 90mm f2.5 or so, macro
>
> 17mm Tamron SP
>
> 50mm f3.5 Zuiko and auto extension tube set
>
> Olympus bellows and double cable release
>
> decent tripod (either new or used)
>
> Another OM body or two
>
> more complete OM lighting kit
>
> set of simple studio lights
>
> backpack or camera case
>
> Cokin filter holder and some split neutral density filters (or   
> others)
>
> focusing rail for close-up photography
>
> multi-disk type reflectors/diffusers
>
> good used ball head for your tripod
>
> pinhole body cap and a Lens Baby
>
> and the list goes on . . .
>
>
> So my answer is, "No not to me," and I neither need nor want one.   
> If  I did,
> I might find $200 a tolerable amount to spend.  If you will use it   
> and if it
> will somehow help to improve your images then it would be a good  buy.
> Having both owned a similar lens and having seen the results  
> produced  by them over
> a good number of years, I doubt either would be the case.
>
> My 2 cents worth and then some.  Bill Barber
>
>
>
>
>
>
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