Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2006/08/15
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Nikon's history of the OP fisheye-Nikkor mentions its use as a weather camera lens giving a full vier of the sky as late asl the 1960's. "This camera was capable of capturing the sky-image above the horizon in a single shot, and we widely used for meteorological observation by the Meteorological Agency, National Defense Academy and NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation). From September 1960 this system became available in our Japanese catalogues as the "Camera with Fisheye Nikkor"." http://www.nikon.co.jp/main/eng/portfolio/about/history/nikkor/n06_e.htm Allen >On Aug 15, 2006, at 12:13 PM, Frank wrote: > >>It reminded me that the original use ( in the 60's anyway) for the >>fisheye lens was to study cloud formations. Using 180 degree >>lenses allowed the entire sky to be studied at one time. > >Frank, > >You are undoubtedly thinking of the Hill Sky camera which was >intended to study cloud formations. The camera was about the size of >cigar box and took a single glass plate. The fisheye lens was >mounted on one flat side and the camera was placed on its back to >record the clouds. It produced a fully circular image with a 180 >degree field of view. The photographer had to crouch lower than the >base of the camera otherwise he would be in the picture. To rectify >the distortion, the same lens was used to project the image. But the >date was early in the 20th century, certainly before 1920. By the >1960s Spiratone was selling fisheye adapters to use on 35mm SLR >lenses for less than $50. I have one of them. > >Larry Z > > >_______________________________________________ >Leica Users Group. >See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information