What fisheye for Wedding photography?

[FrontStageLeft]

Hi everyone

Would love to buy a fisheye for weddings, but which one would you suggest? I find that my 17-40 is not wide enough on my 5D for anything really artistic...

Thanks

[tim]

17mm on the 5D is about the same as 11mm on the 40D, that's fairly seriously wide (unless I have the maths wrong again like I did yesterday). I think perhaps you need to just take a step back, not figuratively, but literally move your body backward. What situations do you find 17mm isn't wide enough?

[FrontStageLeft]

Good point... when I used it last it was in a pretty confined space so didn't get much effect other than at least I was able to fit everything in! Bonus! It has also saved me in small chapels up front where there is no room on the alter to move an inch let alone use 24-70.

However, its definitely not 'seriously' wide though. Having said that, I don't think that the extra 2mm on the 15mm fisheye would make that much difference..or would it? I have never tried one.

I am just keen to bring something new into my style and was thinking either UW or TSE but am more keen on UW for now.

[The Moose]

It's not just "an extra 2mm" with the fisheye. It's the 180 degree field of view. See this review: http://the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-EF-15mm-f-2.8-Fisheye-Lens-Review.aspx and scroll down a bit to find the comparisons between the 14mm, 16mm, 17mm and 24mm. You'll find that the fisheye is much wider than even the 14mm.

[tim]

At 17mm on full frame you're getting some pretty serious perspective distortion, which happens because the subject at the center is a lot closer to you than the subject on the edge of the frame. You get diagonal egg headed people. Going fisheye is just going to change the nature of the distortion, it can be fixed to a point but still, it's never going to be like it's done properly.

A fisheye is really a novelty lens, I wouldn't suggest it for a lot of serious work. For some cool shots? Sure. But if you're taking family formals or something in a place that small I think you're better off changing the location. It is the same as 11mm on a crop body, which really is seriously wide. I've only ever needed it for very very cramped ceremonies, or a particular effect. How about a rectilinear lens instead? Less work in post.

I thought South Africa was big!

[jonwhite]

I use the 15mm Canon at weddings quite a bit on my 5D MKII, probably a bit more than I should do at times but clients seem to like the different look it gives.

Lots more on our blog here, we usually post at least a couple of fisheye shots for each wedding we photograph > Wedding Photographer (http://boundlessphotos.com/blog/)

http://boundlessphotos.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/ftp/cotswold-wedding-boundless-photos-bp074-40.jpg

http://boundlessphotos.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/mallory-court-weddding-photos-bp071-035.jpg

http://boundlessphotos.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/sutton-coldfield-wedding-photography-bp073-053.jpg

http://boundlessphotos.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/warwickshire-wedding-photography-woodside-kenilworth-bp062-044.jpg

[FrontStageLeft]

I use the 15mm Canon at weddings quite a bit on my 5D MKII, probably a bit more than I should do at times but clients seem to like the different look it gives.

Lots more on our blog here, we usually post at least a couple of fisheye shots for each wedding we photograph > Wedding Photographer (http://boundlessphotos.com/blog/)




Awesome blog! Loving the photobooth concept! And your fisheye confetti shot and interior church shot is exactly what I am after. No go with the 17-40 on 5DII.

Thanks for the link.

[FrontStageLeft]

I thought South Africa was big!

Big enough - still not a lot of room in some of our chapels though. Some only seat about 40 people (including B&G!)