[Leica] Re: Fisheye "cloud" lens

[lrzeitlin at optonline.net (Lawrence Zeitlin)]

On Aug 15, 2006, at 12:13 PM, Frank wrote:

> It reminded me that the original use ( in the 60's anyway)  for the  
> fisheye lens was to study cloud formations.  Using 180 degree
> lenses allowed the entire sky to be studied at one time.

Frank,

You are undoubtedly thinking of the Hill Sky camera which was  
intended to study cloud formations. The camera was about the size of  
cigar box and took a single glass plate. The fisheye lens was mounted  
on one flat side and the camera was placed on its back to record the  
clouds. It produced a fully circular image with a 180 degree field of  
view. The photographer had to crouch lower than the base of the  
camera otherwise he would be in the picture. To rectify the  
distortion, the same lens was used to project the image. But the date  
was early in the 20th century, certainly before 1920. By the 1960s  
Spiratone was selling fisheye adapters to use on 35mm SLR lenses for  
less than $50. I have one of them.

Larry Z