COMPOSING

Composing with a fisheye lens requires much more thought and planning than with a conventional lens. The lens not only produces wideangle distor- tion but it also exaggerates the relative size of objects to conform to its circular format. The 8mm f/2.8 offers the photographer the maximum pos- sible control over picture composition with reflex viewing and focusing control.

Be careful not to include in the picture unwanted objects such as the legs of a tripod or the photographer's hands or feet. Also, try not to let too much direct sunlight strike the lens as this may cause ghost images. One way to prevent this is to create an artificial "eclipse" using a three-inch diameter shield attached to a thin rod or wire. Hold the shield in front of the lens in such a way that it blocks out the direct rays of the sun. The further you hold the shield from the lens, the less conspicuous it will be in the final photograph.

USING BUILT - IN FILTERS

D

A set of five filters is built into the rear end of the lens mount: skylight (L1BC), medium yellow (Y48), deep yellow (Y52), orange (056) and red (R60). These filters are mounted on a revolving turret so they can be moved into place quickly one after another. Turn the knurled filter selector dial on the side of the lens mount until the desired filter designation on the rim of the dial clicks into place.

The skylight filter (L1BC) is used in either black-and-white or color photo- graphy. The others are normally used to subdue the effect of certain colors or to increase image contrast in black-and-white photography. Contrast in- creases progressively from yellow to orange to red.

The table below shows the filter factors for film rated at ASA/ISO 100. No exposure compensation is necessary with Nikon cameras, since the built-in meter reads only the light passing through the lens and compensates auto- matically for loss of light. However, when using the R60 in tungsten lighting, set the aperture one f/stop wider than the figure indicated by the exposure meter.

Type of film

Black-and-white and color

Black-and-white only

Type of filter

Color and shade Designation

Skylight

L1BC

v ..

f Medium

Y48

Y e " o w { D e e p

Y52

Orange

0 5 6

Red

 

R60

Filter factor

Daylight Tungsten light

11

1.71.2

21.4

3.52

65

12

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Nikon f instruction manual Composing, Using Built in Filters