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When is a Fisheye Not a Fisheye?

Do you hate the fisheye look, or maybe just moderately dislike it? I do... and the more exaggerated the look the more it isn't for me. But, there is a lens that I recently discovered that creates a 180 degree horizontal field of view with only moderate rectilinear distortion. After using appropriate image process technique, it can produce images that are even good enough for some architectural use.
This lens is a 12mm f/2.8 full-frame fisheye lens of stereographic design, made by Samyang, and sold under that name as well as under the Rikonon name. These lenses are identical and from the same factory. Only the branding differs.
The one I purchased is the Roki...

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Michael Reichmann is the founder of the Luminous Landscape. Michael passed away in May 2016. Since its inception in 1999 LuLa has become the world's largest site devoted to the art, craft, and technology of photography. Each month more than one million people from every country on the globe visit LuLa.
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