Fisheye mapping function

[OwlGreen]

The wikipedia for "Fisheye Lens"
( https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fisheye_lens ) has an interesting section on the "mapping function" of different models of fisheye lenses. They categorize lens examples as either Stereographic, Equidistant, Equisolid angle, or    Orthographic.

Does the perfect fisheye exist? What is its mapping function? If not, what would it be?

How fishy is too fishy?

Probably from familiarity, I have a bias toward the Century Mk 1 on a VX1000, in the right hands. I'm not saying it's perfect, but when I see fisheye footage shot with camera & lens setups that are significantly different from it, I am at least a little bit turned off. This includes the HD Panasonics with the Xtreme.

Some factors:

Aspect ratio--
4:3 is probably my ideal, but 16:9 and 3:2 can also be cool if they can be shot close while somehow not also cutting off heads
 
Sensor format--
Whatever works, bigger the better. Alexa 65 could be interesting.

Vignetting--
I think I want the choice to have none. In reality a bit in the corners might be nice. Optional, ideally.

Peripheral compression of subject/spot--
I think high compression on the edges of the frame is good for stability of shots, and I like how it makes spots look. Some lenses, like the stereographic Samyang 12mm and 8mm can stretch things out a bit on the sides, which I think can accentuate the filmer's wobbles.

Fishiness--
There's a 4mm Laowa, and some of the iPhone attachment lenses, somehow they look a little too fishy to me. Though that guy in Chicago uses his 4mm pretty well. The Samyang/Rokinons don't seem fishy enough for me. They're a little flat. I suppose this could be warped a bit in post either way, though that seems a little sacreligious.

Ability to get very close to the skater and not cut their head off--
Essential

Anyway, I'm rambling.

[moshandwallies]

It's almost impossible to no cut head with a 16:9 aspect ratio I feel like

[green]

IMO the best option for 16:9 will always be a fisheye like the Century Xtreme / Abakus Stadium lens (B4 and PL mount only)

The front element of this one looks identical to the Xtreme – they call it an 'F-Theta' lens which apparently  "offers a wide angle view with minimal distortion in any one sector of the image."
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/580833-REG/Abakus_381_381_Stadium_Lens_for.html

Not 100% sure Century employed the same design in theirs but I have a feeling that's what enables it to retain even distortion from corner to corner.

If you're worried about cutting heads in 16:9 format, you can always adapt the (slightly cheaper) HVX200 Xtreme lens to fit an HPX170 bayo mount – that's what I did, and the extra width lets you get in as close as a mk1 thanks to the extra vertical coverage in the center of the frame.

Will update with example images when I have time

[OwlGreen]

These are the four examples on wikipedia, attached. The last two, Equal Area, and Orthographic, look the best to me. I would guess the Mk 1 is somewhere between the two. My ideal is also probably somewhere between the two. I thought I was agnostic about 4:3 vs 16:9, but I can't stand cut-off heads, so maybe 16:9 is mostly out for me.

I wasn't aware of the Abakus. Looks cool.

I really despise the look of the first example, the Stereographic mapping function, but it is clearly getting the most width and height onto the sensor. Shooting with one of these, for example the Samyang 12mm, and then fishing it in post could achieve the best of all worlds. Like increasing the size of the center of the frame and compressing the edges.

[CHONGO]

It's almost impossible to no cut head with a 16:9 aspect ratio I feel like

[OwlGreen]

Expand Quote

It's almost impossible to no cut head with a 16:9 aspect ratio I feel like

[close]

I just watched some Primitive shit. They seem to not cut off heads about half the time, at the expense of not getting in quite so close. Long lens is a different story, but that's mostly by choice. With the 8-15 they mostly use nowadays, the amount of vignette they shoot with varies quite a bit.
There's a vid with a JB section in 4:3 while everything else is 16:9. It really didn't work for me. Maybe it's all gotta be one or the other. Black bars on the sides of the screen are a tiny bit annoying, but cut off heads are really fucking annoying. The black bars of 4:3 viewed on a 16:9 window sort of disappear as long as you don't cut between aspect ratios.

[moshandwallies]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

It's almost impossible to no cut head with a 16:9 aspect ratio I feel like

[close]

[close]

I just watched some Primitive shit. They seem to not cut off heads about half the time, at the expense of not getting in quite so close. Long lens is a different story, but that's mostly by choice. With the 8-15 they mostly use nowadays, the amount of vignette they shoot with varies quite a bit.
There's a vid with a JB section in 4:3 while everything else is 16:9. It really didn't work for me. Maybe it's all gotta be one or the other. Black bars on the sides of the screen are a tiny bit annoying, but cut off heads are really fucking annoying. The black bars of 4:3 viewed on a 16:9 window sort of disappear as long as you don't cut between aspect ratios.

Exactly, if you don’t film really close everything’s gonna be in the frame but if you wanna get close to the skater it’s inevitable to cut a little bit of head. In my opinion I prefer the fisheye to be closer to the skater and cut a little bit of head instead of being far.

[Burton Ernie]

that Abakus Stadium Lens is $17,000???

Hadn't heard that phrase "stadium lens" before, thought it might help turn up 16:9 fisheyes but google searches only pull the Abakus one.

[CHONGO]

It's almost impossible to no cut head with a 16:9 aspect ratio I feel like

16:9 HPX xtreme feel like everyone is chopping heads.

[radcunt]

Anyone run a fisheye on a full frame sensor in opengate 6k 4:3?  I reckon that’d be sick if the rolling shutter isn’t too fucked on such cameras. The LUMIX s5ii with a fisheye would be interesting.

[OwlGreen]

Open gate FF is 3:2. There's a lot of potential there. Both for 4:3 and 3:2. Most newer MFT cameras can shoot 4:3 open gate.

[radcunt]

Funnily enough I just got an S5iix for work. Will try and figure out a way to get them to at least rent a fish eye for a job and see how it goes.

[bacaflockaflame]

Funnily enough I just got an S5iix for work. Will try and figure out a way to get them to at least rent a fish eye for a job and see how it goes.

Here is a project I shot with the s5ii and canon fish!