Erik Ahrend
Posts: 87
Location: Canary Islands, Spain
Registered: 26 May 2005
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Nikon FC-E8/9 and Panasonic LX2??
Posted: 13 Jun 2008 at 16:44 GMT
updated: 13 Jun 2008 at 16:44 GMT
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HI, does anybody have any experience with a Panasonic LX2 and a any of the mentioned Nikon Fisheyes? Would it work? What would be the main difference between these two lenses (E8 vs E9).
Thanks and excuse if my question has been asked before.
Best.
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mediavets
Posts: 418
Location: Isleham, Cambs., United Kingdom
Registered: 8 Feb 2008
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Re: Nikon FC-E8/9 and Panasonic LX2??
Posted: 13 Jun 2008 at 19:06 GMT
updated: 13 Jun 2008 at 19:07 GMT
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Erik Ahrend said: HI, does anybody have any experience with a Panasonic LX2 and a any of the mentioned Nikon Fisheyes? Would it work? What would be the main difference between these two lenses (E8 vs E9).
Thanks and excuse if my question has been asked before.
Best.
Dunno, and goodness knows how you would attach either convertor to that camera.
But FC-E8/9 can be attached to the Nikon P500/5100 compacts using either the Agno's custom adapters, or in the case of the FC-E8 using the Nikon UR-E20 adapter.
FC-E8 is much smaller and lighter and although not readily available (both the FC-E and FC-E9 are long out of production)it is easier to come by than the FC-E9.
FC-E8 has 28mm thread and IIRC FC-E9 as 46mm thread.
FC-E9 allows in more light.
I have the Nikon P5100/UR-E20/FC-E8 combo that I use with a Bophoto pano bracket on a cheap photo-walking pole (as a lighweight monopod) for 'casual/snapshot' panos shooting 4 around.
Andrew
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Philip Warner
Posts: 23
Location: Austin, United States
Registered: 14 Mar 2008
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Erik Ahrend
Posts: 87
Location: Canary Islands, Spain
Registered: 26 May 2005
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Re: Nikon FC-E8/9 and Panasonic LX2??
Posted: 14 Jun 2008 at 15:54 GMT
updated: 14 Jun 2008 at 15:55 GMT
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Guys, thanks for the kind replies..Phil, I saw your custom adapter in Flickr a while ago when I was doing research for an adapter. I finally got a very nice one that I have paired with Nikon WC-E68 wideangle converter for a 19mm equiv field of view, awesome!! If anybody is interested you may read my findings and reviews in my LX2 blog, for the very nice converter here: lx2diary.wordpress.com/2008/05/29/panasonic-lx2-f... and for he LX2 paired with the Nikon converter here: lx2diary.wordpress.com/2008/06/06/panasonic-lx2-n...
So I know for good that you can attach a Nikon converter to my LX2. Now, the P5100 and the LX2 have very similar sensor sizes (1/1.72 for the Nikon vs 1/1.65 for the LX2), so I sume that the FC-E8 should work OK..? Am I wrong asuming that the FC-E9 will give a bigger image circle??
Andrew, when attached to your Nikon, does the FC-E8 image circle fill the frame or do you need to zoom the camera in? The Panasonic´s coverage is 28mm, but that is shooting 16:9 (the camera´s native ratio), so when using 2:3 it should be something quite similar to the Nikon´s 35mm..
Apart from your comment on the FC-E9 "sucking" more light, what would b the main differences between the two lenses (leave price and size aside..). Any important IQ difference?
Thanks for your patience and replies.
Best, Erik.
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Doug Aurand
Posts: 711
Location: Albuquerque, NM, United States
Registered: 2 Jan 2008
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Re: Nikon FC-E8/9 and Panasonic LX2??
Posted: 14 Jun 2008 at 16:06 GMT
updated: 14 Jun 2008 at 16:09 GMT
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Erik
One big difference I found when I move up from a Coolpix 950/FC-E8 to the Coolpix 5400/FC-E9 I use for real estate tours is the E9 almost completely eliminated lens flares at the edge of the circle.
I almost always got a lens flare opposite a light source when like a bright window or sliding glass door doing a 2 fisheye capture with the 950/E8. So much so that I had figured out how to take a second shot, blocking the light source with a piece of card stock (which was now in the photo), then pasting part of the second shot into the first, covering the flare. I was getting really good at it.
I can only recall one lens flare using the E9 that I had to do any editing to eliminate out of hundreds of scenes I've shot with it. Other than that, the E9 just doesn't produce lens flares.
Doug Aurand
Albuquerque, NM
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Erik Ahrend
Posts: 87
Location: Canary Islands, Spain
Registered: 26 May 2005
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Re: Nikon FC-E8/9 and Panasonic LX2??
Posted: 14 Jun 2008 at 17:27 GMT
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Doug, thanks for your reply. I am very happy with the results that i achieve with my Canon30D and EF-s 10-22. VERY high quality panos, but while that is OK for high end market (Hotels and fancy restaurants), the price tag the workflow imposes makes it impossible for real estate..Hence my need of a light-less fancy combo that will enable me to introduce a new price tag(lower end) in my product line that will hopefully broaden my working horizons... 
I would really prefer to go with the FC-E8: Seems much more widely available, considerably cheaper (the FC-E9 simply doesn´t exist here in Spain..).
Now I downloaded the PM8 & PM9 samples from the Agnos website to give them a run..Stitcher "eats" the fisheye files without trouble..Three shots against 14 from my Canon Combo does speed things up considerably. But even when the final output from both lenses is equal size (6588x3294), indicating that the image circle might be the same from both lenses, There seems to be a slight advantage in image quality for the FC-E9..In all honesty the samples are done at iso200 and look quite crappy, so it is difficult to compare, but this is only helping to icrease my angst... 
Could anybody point to some other E8 and E9 samples or could anybody donate some (iso100 and good quality please  ) files for me to give them a run...??
Thanks!!
Erik.
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Doug Aurand
Posts: 711
Location: Albuquerque, NM, United States
Registered: 2 Jan 2008
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Re: Nikon FC-E8/9 and Panasonic LX2??
Posted: 14 Jun 2008 at 18:13 GMT
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Erik
That's the approach I'm working on; using my Coolpix 5400/FC-E9 for standard real estate tours and learning to use my Canon Xti/Sigma 8mm for high end work
I can send you a set of 2 fisheye captures from the 5400/E9.
Do you want the -0- exposures or the Enfuse composites or both.
Just send an e-mail to djaurand at aol dot com
Doug Aurand
Albuquerque, NM
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mediavets
Posts: 418
Location: Isleham, Cambs., United Kingdom
Registered: 8 Feb 2008
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Re: Nikon FC-E8/9 and Panasonic LX2??
Posted: 14 Jun 2008 at 19:21 GMT
updated: 14 Jun 2008 at 19:23 GMT
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Erik Ahrend said: I would really prefer to go with the FC-E8: Seems much more widely available, considerably cheaper (the FC-E9 simply doesn´t exist here in Spain..).
Now I downloaded the PM8 & PM9 samples from the Agnos website to give them a run..Stitcher "eats" the fisheye files without trouble..Three shots against 14 from my Canon Combo does speed things up considerably. But even when the final output from both lenses is equal size (6588x3294), indicating that the image circle might be the same from both lenses, There seems to be a slight advantage in image quality for the FC-E9..In all honesty the samples are done at iso200 and look quite crappy, so it is difficult to compare, but this is only helping to icrease my angst...
Could anybody point to some other E8 and E9 samples or could anybody donate some (iso100 and good quality please ) files for me to give them a run...??
Thanks!!
Erik.
AFAIK the PM8 and PM9 samples you refer to were shot with Nikon P5000 10MP compact, and mostly using a monopod, so I expect ISO 200 was chosen to increase shutter speeds and reduce effects of camera shake.
The FC-E8 and FC-E9 FE convertors were never intended to be used with this camera nor with the later P5100 12MP compact.
I use a P5100 with the FC-E8 using the Nikon UR-E20 adapater and Bophoto pano bracket.
The results - I shoot 4 around - are reasonable for 'casual/snapshot' panos at a reduced resolution - probably a max. of 5000x2500 - but no match for panos shot with my 6MP D40 with the Sigma 8mm f3.5 4 around and one up, which are good for fullscreen display via the Web at 6000x3000.
But you should not compare shots taken with the P5000/5100 and FC-E8/9 with images shot by Doug using the CP5400 and FC-E9 - a combination which was optimised to be used together.
And neither sets of images will give you any idea of what the FC-E8 might produce if you can attach it to your Panasonic LX2.
IMO you'd be better off buying a Sigma 8mm f3.5 for your Canon 30D than messing around with an FC-E8/9 convertor on a compact digital camera. It takes very little more time to shoot (and process) 5 images rather than 3 images, and the image quality will be very much better from your 30D than any compact digital camera.
I only use my P5100 and FC-E8 setup where it's desirable or more convenient to use a more compact, lightweight and relatively discrete pano setup - usually on a monopod - and for 'casual/snapshot' panos where image quality is not the top priority.
In other words you cannot assume that the FC-E8/9 convertors will work equally well on any camera to which one manages to attach them; and in no circumstances will they match the results you could get with your 30D with a Sigma 8mm f3.5.
Andrew
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Philip Warner
Posts: 23
Location: Austin, United States
Registered: 14 Mar 2008
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Re: Nikon FC-E8/9 and Panasonic LX2??
Posted: 15 Jun 2008 at 0:36 GMT
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Erik,
I agree with Andrew. Get a fisheye lens for the 30D because I fell that camera is easier and faster for shooting spherical panos.
Phil
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mediavets
Posts: 418
Location: Isleham, Cambs., United Kingdom
Registered: 8 Feb 2008
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Re: Nikon FC-E8/9 and Panasonic LX2??
Posted: 15 Jun 2008 at 8:23 GMT
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Philip Warner said: Now I'm using a Canon 30D with the Sigma 10mm f2.8 for my 360° spherical pano shots here, www.flickr.com/photos/philwarner/sets/72157603882....
The LX1 is now a good pocket camera for my wife.
Phil
How many shots do you take for 360x180 with the Sigma 10mm on your 30D? I read that that lens provides 167 degrees diagonal FOV on a Canon 1.6 cropped sensor.
With my Nikkor 10.5mm FE on a DX format Nikon DSLR - which provides 180 degrees diagonal FOV - I take 6 around at -10 degrees and one up at about 60 degrees (which usually gives a good link between the main row and the zenith. Thish leaves just a small hole at the nadir, the size of my NN5 pano head rotator.
Andrew
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enridp
Posts: 1
Location: Argentina
Registered: 11 Feb 2008
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Re: Nikon FC-E8/9 and Panasonic LX2??
Posted: 18 Jun 2008 at 22:04 GMT
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Hello ! I have a P5100 and the FC-E8 but I can´t find the UR-E20 adapter, I´m from Argentina and it seems to be impossible to obtain it here.
But maybe I can make my own ring adapter, can you help with this task? I need to know the sizes, or at least the exactly length of the UR-E20 ring.
Do you think its possible? Or an error of just 1mm could be enough to lose the focus?
Thanks !
Enrique.
PD: sorry for my bad english 
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Doug Aurand
Posts: 711
Location: Albuquerque, NM, United States
Registered: 2 Jan 2008
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Re: Nikon FC-E8/9 and Panasonic LX2??
Posted: 18 Jun 2008 at 22:30 GMT
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Enrique
I just checked and www.Adorama.com has the UR-E20 and will ship international.
It would probably be easier than precision machining you own adapter
Doug Aurand
Albuquerque, NM
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