Nikkor 10.5mm f/2.8 - 62mm filter threads modified

[Erik Lund]

Here is a quick shot, composite of two images with the 10.5mm, one in vertical and one in portrait direction.

A gimbal head can be used for this type of shot to avoid misalignment.

Rotunde10_5_2 by Erik Gunst Lund, on Flickr

[Kim Pilegaard]

Erik,

Great result!

A bit of explanation would help. Why did you take the two images in different orientations? Why not just two vertical ones? How do do you handle the alignment? How did you do the stitching? Is the "shaved" version of the 10.5 mm needed for this task?

[Jakov Minić]

Erik is an expert in using fish-eye lenses

Kim, I may perhaps answer your first question.
When you shoot the 10.5 in landscape mode, the top and bottom part of the photo is not fully round, parts are missing.
So you rotate the camera and lens 90 degrees to fill in the blanks in order to get a full circular image.

[Kim Pilegaard]

Thanks Jakov!

I think I am understanding it now. So even with the shaved version, parts of the full circle is cut off. The landscape and the portrait pictures supplement each other, provided the two pictures are centred at the same point?

[Erik Lund]

Yes, that is it. Thanks Jakov

And yes cantered along the optical axis

The 10.5 is designed as a 'Full frame' Fisheye on DX it just turns out that when rotating it 90 degrees you get the full circle, the two missing top and bottom bits of the image.

The advantage is that you can use a much larger area of an FX sensor than an 8mm Circular Fisheye lens on FX, this gives you much more 'pixels in use' so to say and the 10.5mm is a remarkably sharp performer!