Small Music Venue? Try a Fisheye!

 

Jake and the Burtones with Melissa Wright, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX7, Rokinon 7.5mm f3.5 Fisheye Lens

iso 3200, f3.5, 1/50 sec.

 

I'm getting ready to leave on a trip, and pulled the card out of my GX7 to download what was on there, before formatting and getting ready to leave. I remembered this shot of local band Jake and the Burtones and guest Melissa Wright when it came up.

 

They were playing at the Mad Horse Brewpub in Lovettsville, VA when I decided to give this shot a try. It's not really a small venue, but the band was tightly packed into the corner. I also wanted to try to get the whole group and include some of the artwork on the walls in the shot.

 

One of the challenges I've had shooting these guys is that there's a single microphone for vocals, which you see just left of center in the image above. This means that they spend a lot of time facing each other, with the microphone in between them. My real goal is to get the fisheye right up to that mic, with all of them looking in to sing at the same time. This was really just a test shot to see how the fisheye renders a group close up.

 

Apart from the extreme distortion at the edges, which is par for the course with a fisheye, it looks pretty good. I'll have to pursue the shot I really want soon.

 

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More Fisheye Images - Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX7

I've always thought of a fisheye lens as a novelty. I never really owned one, other than a toy fisheye film camera, and I only used that once or twice. Over the holidays, I found the Bower 7.5mm f3.5 fisheye lens for Micro 4/3 for an amazing low price, and bought it.

 

I decided to take it with me on my trip to New Mexico. Another place where Micro 4/3 compactness shines. I don't think I'd ever carry a lens like this with a full-sized DSLR kit. The probability of use : weight ratio would be too low.

 

Anyway, I used it. The shot below is the only interesting one I could make at sunset over the city. Instead of a beautiful desert sunset, on this evening the clouds were rolling in, and the color just wasn't there. So, I pointed the fishey upward, got right to the base of the tree, and shot this.

Upward Reach, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX7, Bower 7.5mm f3.5 Fisheye Lens

iso 200, 1/125 sec., f-stop unrecorded

 

The Bower lens is also marketed under other names. I believe it's identical to one sold under the Samyang and Rokinon name. It's a manual focus lens, but with the depth of field you get with a 7.5mm lens on Micro 4/3 sensors, that really isn't a drawback at all. At far less than half the cost of a Panasonic fisheye lens, I think it's a reasonable compromise.

 

Here's a shot I made outside a church in New Mexico:

 

Sacred Tree, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX7, Bower 7.5mm f3.5 Fisheye Lens

iso 200, 1/800 sec., f-stop unrecorded

Here again, the fisheye perspective allowed me to make a somewhat interesting image, even in midday sun. The distortion of the lens works with the tree branch arching overhead, with its crucifixes hanging down. Mother Mary makes a nice off-center focal point.

 

So, this lens has my vote. I enjoyed using it on the GX7 quite a lot.

 

Click on my Amazon link below to buy yours, and support this blog!

 

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Gear Acquisition Syndrome (GAS) Is Killing Me - More Great Fisheye Shots

I have been writing about getting a fisheye lens, especially about the choices available right now. Those choices include the nice (expensive) Lumix 8mm, the Rokinon/Samyang 7.5mm, and the yet-to-be-available fisheye attachment for the Lumix 14mm f2.5.

 

Image Source: http://www.mu-43.com/f56/we-all-need-fisheye-22864/

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3, Rokinon 7.5mm f3.5 Fisheye

Well, other posters seem to be taunting me. I am anxiously awaiting the availability of the Lumix fisheye attachment, the DMW-GFC1. So much so, I have memorized that part number, from typing it into Amazon's search over and over. Kinda sick, right?

Anyway, this series of fisheye images from New York City at the holidays really has me wanting a fisheye.

(Click Here) to see the original post on mu-43.com.

I am hoping that the DMW-GFC1 will be in stores in Tokyo when I go there in a week or so. Anyone know if it's out in Japan yet? I cannot seem to find it here in the US. Unfortunately, with the exchange rates, it will likely be even more expensive in Japan. That Samyang lens is looking pretty good at less than $300...

But, I'm not buying yet, until the Lumix attachment is a real option.

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