The 8mm f/1.8 fisheye lens is on loan to me from Olympus, and after using it just a bit, I’m pretty close to buying a copy for myself. That should give you an idea of what I think of it. The lens is light and super sharp, providing an interesting look for creative imagery.
Field of view
The Olympus M.Zuiko 8mm f/1.8 Fisheye PRO lens gives a similar field of view as a 16mm fisheye on a full-frame camera. This was handy when scouting a Milky Way shot from Back O’ Beyond in Sedona, AZ. I found a downed, bark-less tree that was situated perfectly with some root reaching to the heavens in front of Cathedral Rock.
I was able to set up very close to the tree making it prominent as a foreground element. The Milky Way and red rock formation were still strong supporting players in the composition.
PhotoPills
If you shoot any celestial bodies including the sun, moon and Milky Way I highly recommend that you get the PhotoPills app. My favorite part is the Night AR feature. When you are on scene, you can invoke Night AR and see the Milky Way superimposed over your scene.
You dial in various times to track where the Galactic Center will be, so you can figure out an ideal time to make your image.
You can also plan shoots from the easy chair in your living room, but that’s a whole ‘nother story. At fewer than $10 you can’t beat having this app in your tool kit!
Post-processing
Night images need some work to bring out the details and tame the noise you can gather. Adobe Photoshop is my main squeeze for processing.
You can see my Layers palette below to get an idea of how I finish off a photo. Some highlights include color grading, enhancing the Milky Way and adding some moonlight to the scene.
For more inside scoop on finding the Milky Way check out this article from Ken Lee.
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
