GH2 New Samyang m4/3 7.5mm f3.5 Fisheye lens and still sample images

S

SteB

Active member
Samyang apparently have a new 7.5mm f3.5 fisheye out for m4/3. This is an entirely different design than their 8mm fisheye, and is much smaller and more compact. There are some still image samples on the Lens Tip website, and I have to say that these are some of the best samples I've seen from a fisheye. It looks to have good sharpness across the frame even full open, and a surprising lack of fringing and CA at the edges on high contrast areas. To those not used to the Lens Tip samples it's worth noting that they turn the sharpening right down, so some of their samples initially look a bit softer than other site's sample images. However, if you download them and add PP sharpening you can get a much better idea of the potential.
http://www.lenstip.com/1940-news-Samyang_7.5_mm_f_3.5_UMC_Fish-eye_MFT_-_sample_images.html

I don't know about elsewhere, but in the UK they are now available from eBay and the price is about £270, less than half the price of the Panasonic fisheye in the UK.
 
I'm not too excited about this lens in that I don't have many situations where I'd want a fisheye, but I am happy to see a third party company making what appears to be a rather good m4/3 lens. Hopefully the trend continues as while I'm pretty happy with my legacy lenses, I'd like to have some more options for decent (and hopefully affordable) glass with an m4/3 form factor.
 
Postmaster said:
Yeah, I also never needed one, but I never shot a GangstaRap video. :happy:
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Ha, I hope I didn't sound snarky. I just haven't seen them used too often outside of a particular type of music video and the occasional shot supposedly from inside a computer/camera/tv/cookie jar as the actor peers in. I was curious what uses people were finding for them.
 
Postmaster said:
Yeah, I also never needed one, but I never shot a GangstaRap video. :happy:
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Lol pretty much




I use it to jazz up normally boring shots. Or next to the stage front so I can get the entire band with out crowds. Mostly for music work.
 
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So excited about this. i film skateboarding so this will pretty much be the most important lens.
 
I have the 8mm Rokinon and use it for landscape/timelapse. It's not perfect for all situations but the effect can be interesting. However, I prefer the bulge away into the distance effect rather than the weird orb-bulge effect of a close-up.
 
Fisheyes remind me of watching MTV in the 90s. They are the anamorphic flares of today.:cheesy:

Joking aside they are a staple of extreme sports filming. Its good to have a cheap alternative on the market.
I am looking at getting one for arial footage.
 
I've been interested for a long time in a very close-focusing fisheye for in habitat natural history close ups. In other words low angle shots of pretty small creatures in their natural habitat. Whilst I'm a stills photographer I want to get into video for several reasons and projects. I have experimented with wide-angle macros or close-ups of this type for a long time, so I know what I'm hoping to achieve is possible. I just needed the right lens for the image quality. The most success I've had is with wideangle converters on small sensored digicams, where I could get the angle of view and compositions I was looking for, but the image quality wasn't really there. I was reluctant to spend a lot on one of the more expensive fisheyes for experimenting with a technique I might not end up using too much. I think this could translate well into video. The field curvature isn't too important with this type of perspective as there tends to be few straight lines, and the perspective is not something anyone has enough familiarity with to think it looks odd or annoying. The Samyang 7.5mm samples I linked to actually look much better than I've seen from other more expensive fisheyes. Even many expensive fisheyes produce visible fringing on high contrast areas at the edges of the frame, both CA and purple fringing. I think the persective I've experimented with could translate well into video. Looking up at a small creature in its habitat is an unusual perspective, and grabs attention. I guess in time it's novelty value will wear off, but in the mean time I think I might be able to get some mileage out of it. One of the big problems with live creatures is getting this close to them, and for them to carry on behaving normally and not fleeing from you. However I've spent a long time developing techniques which allow me to quickly habituate small creatures, and that allows me to take liberties with them whilst they carry on behaving normally. There's a few samples of the type of thing I do on my Flickr photostream.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/9578475@N02/

I don't have any of my experimental photos wideang close-ups hosted anywhere. However, I've put a few links to the work of other photographers who have experimented with this to give an idea of what is possible with this perspective. I know these are stills but I think it also gives some impression how this perspective could convert into moving images.
http://imagesfromtheedge.com/blog/?page_id=3210
http://naturalimagery.blogspot.com/search/label/wide angle macro
 
I like the look of what you are trying to accomplish. I like that you get a lot more DOF then I am used to in micro shots.

I have no experience with a fish eye and micro extension tubes but maybe some here has given it a shot.
 
There is now a review of the Samyang 7.5mm f3.5 fisheye up at Lens Tip. The performance of the lens is quite amazing, the best fisheye lens they've ever tested. As the sample images suggested it is very sharp across the frame from wide open, and best of all has very little fringing and good resistance to flare. These last 2 qualities are important because even quite expensive fisheyes have a tendency towards quite visible CA and purple fringing at the edges. Also with a 180 degree angle of view, getting the sun in the frame can be difficult to avoid. I'm very excited by this lens, although unfortunately I will have to wait next year to really try it out as most of my subjects are seasonal. At the price I think it will be a good addition to any m4/3 outfit. Many people don't have much use for a fisheye so an affordable one makes it easier to justify for a lens you might not use much. In the UK the Samyang is less than half the price of the Panasonic 8mm f3.5 fish eye lens, yet possibly has even better performance.
http://www.lenstip.com/317.1-Lens_review-Samyang_7.5_mm_f_3.5_UMC_Fish-eye_MFT_Introduction.html
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