wide angle vs fisheye

Curious if anyone has any advice on wether to go with a wide angle or a fish eye lens for those semi-close up shots with a full scenic background...on and off route....  thanks 

What body are you using? The sensor size will dictate effective focal length and help make the decision.

Ditto what Mike said about sensor size and focal length. But also, in my experience anything labeled "fisheye" ends up feeling like somewhat of a novelty after a while. I do really like my 17mm + full frame sensor though - enough to capture action + scenery like you say, but any wider would just be too much distortion for my tastes.

Matthew Tangeman wrote: Ditto what Mike said about sensor size and focal length. But also, in my experience anything labeled "fisheye" ends up feeling like somewhat of a novelty after a while. I do really like my 17mm + full frame sensor though - enough to capture action + scenery like you say, but any wider would just be too much distortion for my tastes.

yes, this, fisheye lenses are fun every once in a while when you want that ultra-distorted look, but most of the time the distortion is just distracting and takes away from the photo.

GDodds dodds wrote: Curious if anyone has any advice on wether to go with a wide angle or a fish eye lens for those semi-close up shots with a full scenic background...on and off route....  thanks 

IMO, a 16-20mm wide angle on a full frame camera is ideal for this. A 12mm would be ideal on a crop sensor.

I personally hate fisheye lenses, but this is just my preference.

its on a sony a6300

For mirrorless crop sensors, the Rokinon/Sanyang 12mm f/2 is the go-to lens for that focal length. Great for Astro too

I looked into this last year by checking out articles where famous pro climber/photographers talked about what lenses they use. For the type of shots you are talking about pretty much everyone seems to use a wide-angle, (but not fisheye) full frame lens with 16mm to 36mm ish range (at least for commercial work). People also use smaller sensor cameras (micro 4/3rds or APS-C sensors).  As you probably know the A6300 has a Sony APS-C sensor. You can use this website to convert to full-frame equivalents for different sensor sizes.

Full Frame
Wide angle is roughly 16-35mm
Sony Zeiss FE 16-35 F4
Canon EF 16-35mm F2.8L

 4/3rds Sensor
Wide Angle is about 9-18mm
Olympus M Zuiko 9-18 F4-5.6

Sony APS-C 
Wide Angle is about 10 or 11 to 20
Sony E 10-18mm F4 OSS

I also have a Sony APS-C camera (a5100) and have been debating between the 10-18 OSS, or non-zoom (prime) lens like the Rokinon/Sanyang 12mm f/2 mentioned above (which doesn't have autofocus or OSS, but has a wider aperture (lets in more light / "faster" lens).

I have the NEX5n and I bought a prime lens that would accept a fisheye attachment.  So if I am shooting photos and I am not sure which to use I can quickly try each of them out. fisheye attachment
and ​prime lens​​​

By all means, if you don't have a WA lens (far more practical), get that before a fisheye.

Ken Noyce wrote:

...fisheye lenses are fun every once in a while when you want that ultra-distorted look, but most of the time the distortion is just distracting and takes away from the photo.

Clearly, the barrel distortion is to be embraced and, therefore, appropriate to the composition for success. Shooters often jump from standard wide-angle to fish and overlook the rectilinear super- and ultra-wide, though they're far short of a 180 AOV fish. Yet not all fish are 180. I'm partial to an ultra-wide rectilinear (Canon 14/2.8, 114 AOV) over a fisheye.

Rob Blakemore wrote: 

Sony APS-C 
Wide Angle is about 10 or 11 to 20
Sony E 10-18mm F4 OSS

I also have a Sony APS-C camera (a5100) and have been debating between the 10-18 OSS, or non-zoom (prime) lens like the Rokinon/Sanyang 12mm f/2 mentioned above (which doesn't have autofocus or OSS, but has a wider aperture (lets in more light / "faster" lens).

Are you planning to do just photos? Any interest in astrophotography or lower lighting photography? Is spending a couple hundred dollars less important to you?

With that wide of a lens, manual focus is pretty much a non-issue. Haven’t fact checked this, but I bet the 12/2 has to be lighter than the Sony 10-18 as well

Drew Nevius wrote:

Are you planning to do just photos? Any interest in astrophotography or lower lighting photography? Is spending a couple hundred dollars less important to you?

With that wide of a lens, manual focus is pretty much a non-issue. Haven’t fact checked this, but I bet the 12/2 has to be lighter than the Sony 10-18 as well

Good points, and a useful way of thinking about it. Thanks!

So much insight.
I appreciate it
Looks like defiantly a wide angle and I am thinking about pulling the trigger on this converter
Sony VCL-ECU2 Ultra Wide Converter -
Opinions? 

The converter is not very good.
Get the Samyang/Rokinon 12mm f/2 and turn on focus peaking. 

GDodds dodds wrote: So much insight.
I appreciate it
Looks like defiantly a wide angle and I am thinking about pulling the trigger on this converter
Sony VCL-ECU2 Ultra Wide Converter -
Opinions? 

That only works with the Sony fixed pancake lenses (16mm or 20mm), not the kit lens (16-50mm zoom). See here. If you do already have one of those pancakes, the converter wouldn’t add much bulk to your bag, and may be worth it. If you don’t already have one of those lenses, you won’t be able to use the converter. It attaches to be front of either fixed pancake lens. Google around, but most reviews indicate the Rok 12/2 is a better purchase as long as you don’t mind the different form factor

hmm so it would or wouldn't work with my 3.5-5.6/16-50 sony lens? I dont think its the full pancake.. I might have to look up that lens after all Brendan... just was looking forward to minimizing the lenses I bring on a trip and trying to save some $$... 

GDodds dodds wrote: hmm so it would or wouldn't work with my 3.5-5.6/16-50 sony lens? I dont think its the full pancake.. I might have to look up that lens after all Brendan... just was looking forward to minimizing the lenses I bring on a trip and trying to save some $$... 

It would not. You’d have to buy the 16mm pancake as well, and you could likely get a 12/2 for $50-100 cheaper than the 16mm + wide angle adapter combo. (PS - If you use the wide angle adapter with the 20mm pancake it gives you the same FOV as a 16mm lens, so that option wouldn’t really gain you much)

Another +1 for Rokinon MF lenses. I bought a Rokinon 16mm f/2.0 for my APS-C Pentax body, with landscapes and astrophotography in mind, and have ended up using it for all sorts of other things. It even makes a great lens for the "party" shots at wedding receptions. As mentioned above, with such a wide lens you don't even need to worry about focusing for most shots.

Thanks again..
I am bailing on the converter and now trying to hunt down the Rokinon lens at a steal.. you all are awesome..
If anyone wants to sell or trade one let me know..
I have some gear to trade and I paint.. portraits landscapes etc... could do anything specific you might want in working from a photo..

got the 12mm Rokinon, hard to get my shots in focus.. but its got a nice angle.. any tips on focusing?

For daytime climbing shots? Camera in A mode, lens aperture at f/8, focus ring around 3ft. Turn on focus peaking so you can more easily tell what’s in focus.

If you’re getting motion blur with the climber, use S or M mode and set the shutter speed to 1/250 or 1/400 sec