Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2006/08/16
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]On Aug 16, 2006, at 2:24 PM, lug-request@leica-users.org wrote: > At 9:28 PM -0400 8/15/06, Lawrence Zeitlin wrote: >> 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. > > Nikon's 10mm f/5.6 OP (Orthographic projection) lens was intended for > something similar, if not exactly the same. The orthographic > projection formula allows for completely even illumination, so the > image could be used for environmental lighting studies. This is as > opposed to the usual equidistant projection used on mose fisheyes. > > I believe Nikon developed its fisheyes in the beginning to help > investigation into things like pipelines and other commercial areas > of similar difficulty. For a picture of the R. Hill Cloud Camera, go to: http://www.eastman.org/fm/mees/htmlsrc/mB39300001_ful.html#topoftext Larry Z