Fisheye Lens Help A640

[y3ngy]

I recently just purchase a A640, and I would like to get a fisheye lens for it. But honestly I have no idea or knowledge of what kind of lens I should be getting. Can anyone help me out? Thanks!

[Keoeeit]

You can go with the Raynox DCR-CF185 Pro Fish-eye that sells for more than your camera at $372, or you can go with a cheapie $80 special that I extensively tested a few years back on my Sony camera: http://koyaanis.tripod.com/misc/fisheye.html (scroll to the bottom to get to the page link with all the test images, with full-resolution samples from each image).

It works just as well on my Canon S3 IS. (It actually works better now, because I found the cause to that faint internal flare that shows in some of those test images under extreme lighting conditions, and fixed it.) At certain aperture settings it has even less chromatic aberrations than the test images they used to post for the outrageously priced Raynox (and even more outrageously priced Nikon lenses). It's not a full 180 degree angle-of-view however. (More like 170-175 degrees. Which is fine by me, because then when taking mountain vistas my toes aren't in the FOV.) Read the test I did.

[BBoi]

I bought a Wide angle lens with macro +10 as a distortion corrector. eBay. What I discovered through playing was that with a male to male coupler ring I could do away with the macro correction and lo and behold, had a fisheye lens without the extra purchase.

Coupling ring:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/58mm-58mm-Lens-Coupling-Ring-Extreme-Macro-Close-Up_W0QQitemZ120113062956QQihZ002QQcategoryZ4687QQr dZ1QQssPageNameZWD2VQQcmdZViewItem
Wide Lens + Macro:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/0-45X-Wide-Angle-Conversion-Lens-Macro-UV-58mm-29_W0QQitemZ160109111679QQihZ006QQcategoryZ30070QQ rdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Example (click)
http://img140.imagevenue.com/loc425/th_74534_dwinkieswide_122_425lo.jpg (http://img140.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=74534_dwinkieswide_122_425lo.jpg)


That said If you want a dedicated lens, I can highly reccomend the raynox:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Raynox-QC-303-PRO-Semi-Fisheye-Ultra-Wide-Angle-Lens_W0QQitemZ230121204246QQihZ013QQcategoryZ29964 QQcmdZViewItem

[y3ngy]

Wow that was a pretty neat idea BBoi. Thanks for the help you two! I think I have my eye on one now. Thinking about ordering it today maybe?

[dallas_cash]

Keoeeit...

Did you just use the .58mm adapter?

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/25x-Super-Fisheye-Lens-fo-Canon-300D-350D-400D-20D-30D_W0QQitemZ190112635791QQihZ009QQcategoryZ30066Q QcmdZViewItem

Thats a link to the lens on ebay AUS, they arent too easy to find here. It says a few canon cameras in the title...but it seems to just be the lens and the adapter...would this work with the S3IS?

cheers :)