Fisheye FIX for the S90

[Nemrod]

The UWL-04 comes up as the widest usable lens. The 165AD-FE is the widest but the zoom you have to use to eliminate the vignetting robs you of it's real capacity for WA/FE.

I'm also eagerly waiting for the result of Nemrod's tests.

The Inon 100WAL and the 100-28AD were tested without the dome. What I am saying is that having used the 100WAL bare and then with the dome and then comparing to the Fisheye example page, I am saying the 100WAL with dome is as wide as the widest shot on that page. Apples to apples, not stink'n oranges!

Next, I am saying the UFL165AD-FE will work and will produce the full 165 degree FOV without vignetting.

The mission, twin hose at ready, Sea Hawk BFK drawn for blood, test the lenses in water. I am Nemrod, stranded by the gods on dry land, going where mortals fear to tread.

Now what is fact, I have now tested both lenses above water using my AD adapter on the FIX90 and the 100WAL with dome shows no tendency to vignette and is very wide and the 165AD shows a hint, about a 98% crop and is hugely wide. Now, I am going into the deep end, of the hot tub, da, dah, da doooom. I expect the 165 vignetting to clear or improve.

OK, now, shooting fisheye wide photos in a bathtub does not work well, the surface appears as dimming and the corners wrap back so far that there is apparent dimming that is NOT vignetting, it is an artifact of shooting in a dimly lighted bathtub with the surface only inches above the dome, these lenses, especially the 165AD wrap way back in the corners.

FIX90 at 28mm:

FIX90 at 35mm:

FIX90 with Inon UFL165AD-FE at 35mm:

FIX90 with Inon 100WAL and dome at 35mm:

From these tests and having used these lenses for two and three years now I am confident they will work well in actual use, no dSLR Tokina 10-17 but pretty good for semi-poor folks. I am confident that the UFL165 is delivering the full 165 degree diagonal wrap and a 98% crop should really spiff it up, if one must.

The set up with the UFL165AD is all commercially available parts, using the 10Bar AD adapter and FIX 67mm kit. My AD adapter actually is about 1/32 thinner and works slightly better because the lens is a hair closer but, the 10Bar seems adequate.

Inon UFL165AD-FE on FIX90:

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[Nemrod]

Two more, trying to eliminate the shawdows but it is hard.

Inon 165 at 35mm, about 12 inches to tape, the dark corners, especially at the top is the water surface:

And added a little aux. lighting to help eliminate shadows:

Inon 165 still at 35mm but I have moved to about 6 inches from the tape, trying to eliminate distracting shadows and surface by aiming more downward but surface still is in the top corners, just too wide and no enough room to work:

So, pretty good I think, again, no dSLR but dudes, it will do just fine. Now, if somebody could please shoot a Fisheye UWL-04.

And, finally, an older hot tub shot with the UFL165AD on the Canon A570IS and DC-12 housing, full wide and about 15 inches or a bit more, tape is a little further back to edge of tub:

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[Atom]

Thanks for posting the pictures. And I agree that the comparison on the Fix site is a bit unfair to the Inon WAL100 lens since it doesn't have the dome.

I'm also starting to think that a Inon UWL-100 28AD + dome could be good choice, doesn't give the full fisheye effect but it's reasonably close (150 degrees). Since I don't have any investment in a lens, it's not as big an issue as it could be for somebody who already had a 165FE

Now you need to get this in real water, at this rate I'll have time to order it, receive it, chainsaw a hole through the ice and test it before you do

 

[Nemrod]

Thanks for posting the pictures. And I agree that the comparison on the Fix site is a bit unfair to the Inon WAL100 lens since it doesn't have the dome.

I'm also starting to think that a Inon UWL-100 28AD + dome could be good choice, doesn't give the full fisheye effect but it's reasonably close (150 degrees). Since I don't have any investment in a lens, it's not as big an issue as it could be for somebody who already had a 165FE

Now you need to get this in real water, at this rate I'll have time to order it, receive it, chainsaw a hole through the ice and test it before you do

Per the Fisheye website, under Accessories on the home page, the UWL-04 is .42X and 131 degree diagonal FOV, therefore, the Inon 165 as just demonstrated is wider and the Inon 100WAL with dome is at least as wide unless the Fisheye webpage has incorrect numbers.

The Inon 100-28AD with dome native requires a 98% crop which then gives a 150 degree FOV. The 165AD, as shown my tub pics, may, though I doubt it, require a 98% crop to clean the corners and is around 160ish degrees give or take. This is very minor and not worth fretting over, it appears the 100WAL with dome is OK at 100% but I need to get in the swimming pool to verify corner sharpness as reasonable.

Atom, you get that chainsaw going. I had to cancel my Feb trip to Coz due to a promise to my boss. But, no worries, I have plenty of diving and photography planned for this year ahead including nearly a month in the Keys with my own boat to do as we please, shoot critters (with camera) all day long and put some time on the new camera.

If I find some spare cash I will get the Fisheye thread on lens for testing also, just cuz but at this point, I think the Inon 165AD is the dealio but could be wrong. If somebody will fly me to Japan I will shoot that same dang rock they did and prove it--or not, lol. I am very impressed with Fisheye quality.

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[Atom]

Atom, you get that chainsaw going. I had to cancel my Feb trip to Coz due to a promise to my boss. But, no worries, I have plenty of diving and photography planned for this year ahead including nearly a month in the Keys with my own boat to do as we please, shoot critters (with camera) all day long and put some time on the new camera.

Sorry to hear you had to cancel your trip to Coz That trip to the keys doesn't look bad though, especially if you have your own boat. Although I can't complain, my next dive trip is in SEAsia, and it's actually the reason why I'm looking at upgrading my camera setup.

 

[avster]

Same here, will test in actual water today if all goes well. I am pretty darn sure, just from having owned and used the dome fitted Inon 100WAL that it is as wide as what we are seeing in the Fisheye pic or very darn close.

The 165AD-FE is a 4 inch dome--fingers crossed
The Inon dome for 100 series lenses is about 5 inches (this is a heavy lens)
The Fisheye UWL-04 is a much larger 6 inch dome

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Nemrod - thanks for the tests - very informative. Not already owning a 165AD or a dome for my 105 I'm still interested in the UWL-04. The 6inch dome is very appealing for anyone who likes taking over/under pics.

 

[CompuDude]

Now if only I could mount the 165AD lens onto the AD adapter on my Fix housing, I'd get one in a heartbeat.

 

[Nemrod]

I do not know why the FIX example page shows the 165AD-FE with the same apparent magnification as the (non-dome)100WAL and 100-28AD. The lens appears to be a little over zoomed and I suspect the distance to the port is greater than what I am doing here with the 10Bar adapter and FIX 67mm mount. The 10Bar mount actually places the AD lens about 1/32 inches farther from the port than my DIY adapter but it is acceptable and that is what is used above.

However, whatever, it is clear that the 165AD is operating as wide or wider than the dome corrected 100WAL so that example on the FIX page does not represent the best that lens can do.

Compu, if you have the 28AD adapter?? could you measure from the face of the adapter to the port surface of the housing? Maybe that would tell us why the FIX page example is "odd".

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[Nemrod]

Nemrod - thanks for the tests - very informative. Not already owning a 165AD or a dome for my 105 I'm still interested in the UWL-04. The 6inch dome is very appealing for anyone who likes taking over/under pics.

I think the advantage to the Inon UFL165AD-FE is it's compact size that is in keeping with the equally small FIX90 housing and it's possibly wider FOV.

However, I think from what little we know, the Fisheye brand UWL-04 would be an excellent choice and it's larger dome area better for your over/under shots. The instruction sheet that came with my FIX 67mm kit showed the threaded 52/67 Fisheye lens mounted, as an example, it looked darn good to me, obviously a good deal larger physical size though.

From the Fisheye site for the UWL-04 lens:

"This fisheye wide angle conversion lens offers _____ 130 ° field of view at 0.42x magnification ______ for the wide angle performance which allow you to enjoy the underwater fisheye photography."

Apparently this lens works without vignetting at the S90s native 28mm, so this too is a small advantage perhaps.

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[CompuDude]

Compu, if you have the 28AD adapter?? could you measure from the face of the adapter to the port surface of the housing? Maybe that would tell us why the FIX page example is "odd".

Sure, I'll see if I can measure it when I get home.

I'd really love to be able to use the nice, compact Inon 165, for all the reasons you mentioned. I just hate threading lenses on underwater... and switching among options (using the AD bayonet connectors) is a big part of my diving. No lens, macro lens, wide angle lens (someday)... three shots, three options, that's how I roll. If I wanted to be stuck with one lens throughout an entire dive, I would have given more consideration to just saving my pennies for a DSLR. God knows my little S90 project cost so much I'm a lot closer to DSLR territory that I ever would have imagined for a compact camera.

Ryan at Reef was pondering a lens caddy for the various Fix adapters... let would let me switch among 28AD for my macro and M67 for the Fix lens (or Nemrod-style adapter with the Inon 165). I wonder if that will come about? I have concerns about long term viability, though... I'd think constantly popping that adapter on and off, while easy enough, would eventually wear via friction and cause the $200 adapters to become loose and not hold on strongly enough.