Which fisheye lens?

Panomonkey currently works with any fisheye lens and SLR camera. Find your lens below to see the way we recommend shooting panoramas. Again, you will get the most reliable results if you shoot all of your panoramas in the same way.

Sigma 8mm

Using a tripod/panohead: Tilt the lens up 10 degrees. Shoot 4 images around, 90 degrees apart. Handheld: Shoot the first image “level”. Shoot the other 3 images 90 degrees apart tilted slightly up.

Peleng 8mm, Samyang 8mm (Bower, Polar, Rokinon, Walimex and Falcon. Opteka 6.5mm, Vivitar 7mm)

Handheld or tripod: Tilt the lens down 10 degrees. Shoot 4 images around, 90 degrees apart. Tilt the camera up 65 (or more) degrees and shoot one image.

Nikkor 10.5mm, Tokina 10-17mm (at 10, 11, or 12mm)

Using a tripod/panohead: Tilt the lens down 10 degrees. Shoot 6 images around, 60 degrees apart. Tilt the lens up 90 degrees and shoot one image. Handheld: Shoot the first image “level”. Then tilt the camera down slightly so that you can nearly see the point directly below the camera. Then shoot 7 more shots at 45 degrees for a total of 8 shots around (you can shoot only 6 shots around, but it is much easier to turn your body 45 degrees than 60 degrees).

If you have a “full frame” camera, you can use these lenses also. If you don’t know what a full frame camera is, you probably don’t have one, because they are very expensive ;-). Full frame cameras include the Canon 5d, Canon 5d mk2, Nikon D3.

Canon 15mm, Sigma 15mm, Nikkor 16mm, Zenitar 16mm, Contax 16mm, Tokina 10-17mm

Using a tripod/panohead: Tilt the lens down 10 degrees. Shoot 6 images around, 60 degrees apart. Tilt the lens up 90 degrees and shoot one image. Handheld: Shoot the first image “level”. Then tilt the camera down slightly so that you can nearly see the point directly below the camera. Then shoot 7 more shots at 45 degrees for a total of 8 shots around (you can shoot only 6 shots around, but it is much easier to turn your body 45 degrees than 60 degrees).

Samyang 8mm (Bower 8mm, Vivitar 7mm, Rokinon 8mm) “shaved” (i.e., the lens hood is removed)

Using a tripod/panohead: tilt the camera up 5 or 10 degrees. Shoot 4 images around, 90 degrees apart.
Handheld, technique #1: Shoot the first image “level”. Shoot the second image “level”. Shoot the third shot tilted up slightly (between 10 and 30 degrees). Shoot the fourth image tilted up slightly (10-30 degrees).
Handheld, technique #2: Keep camera “level”. Shoot 4 images around, 90 degrees apart. Tilt camera up (between 60 and 90 degrees) and shoot one more image.

Nikkor 10.5mm “shaved” (i.e., the lens hood is removed)

Using a tripod/panohead, technique #1: Tilt the camera down 10 degrees. Shoot 3 images around, 120 degrees apart. Tilt the camera up 90 degrees and shoot one more image.
Using a tripod/panohead, technique #2: Tilt the camera up 10 degrees. Shoot 3 images around, 120 degrees apart. Handheld: Shoot the first image “level”. Shoot 3 more, 90 degrees apart (total of 4 images, 90 degrees apart).