Hong Kong wet market fish with Nikon fisheye lens.

Approaching wet market from Hennesy Road.

Whenever I visit Hong Kong, I like to stay in the Causeway Bay area for its vibrancy.  From street food to street shopping, there is plenty to do in the area.  This wet market is across the road from Times Square and is an great place to visit as evening shopping draws to a close.  Earlier in the day, it can be crowded with people which can impede one’s chances to take photos of the market’s offerings.  Just around the corner from this location are a number of high end restaurants and shops that are the modern Causeway Bay.  The market is a vestige of an earlier time that will someday disappear and become the latest skyscraper.  Enjoy while you can.

Photos were shots with a Nikon D700 and  AF Fisheye Nikkor 16mm f/2.8 lens.

Fish-eye tomatoes.

 

Fish-eye fish.

Typical view at market.

Close-up.

Shanghai boulevard at night with Nikon wide angles lenses.

Shanghai tower with Nikon fisheye lens.

Last month I spent a week in Shanghai on the Pudong side of the river near the large TV-radio tower.  One night I took a long walk with my Nikon D700 and two lenses, the Nikkor – fisheye 16mm f/2.8l lens and the Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 lens.  These photos are some of the results of the photo walk.  I don’t know which ones I like more, the photos with the 24mm or the fisheye.  They lend a different feel to the photos but I think that they are both pleasing.   I happen to like the fisheye results as the severe distortion does focus attention on the center of the photo, that is, the area in the photo that has the least distortion.

Taillights in motion.

Passing bus.

Bus in fisheye.

More photos with the Nikkor 16mm f/2.8 fisheye lens.

Pass on by.

I’ve having so much fun with this fisheye lens.   For me, it’s important to have a subject in the foreground as it draws the viewer into the photo.  The placement of the subject can be experimented with.  Remember that distortion is less in the center of the frame than the edges  where the barrel distortion becomes obvious.   And the more you shoot, the better your photo becomes.   Ideally this lens is at its sharpest around f/7 and a couple of stops past.

Photos taken with Nikon D700 and Nikkor AF 16mm f/2.8 D fisheye lens.

Grilled pork.

Near and far.

Motorcycle taxi.

Really a Christmas tree.

Nikon D700 with Nikkor AF 16mm f/2.8 fisheye lens in Bangkok

No, the dog is not that LARGE.

Fisheye lenses have always been a bit difficult to figure out and most photographers don’t get beyond the relegation of this type of lens to the “don’t have to have” bin.  With it’s extreme barrel distortion, images take on a look that are far beyond an accurate depiction of the captured scene.  Straight lines on the edges bend and curve to the point that sometimes the lens becomes little more than a novelty act.

Yet fisheyes can be useful in drawing one’s attention to the subject of the photo.  Since distortion isn’t  quite as severe towards the center of the photo, that part of the image can retain a connection to the actual appearance of your target.  With slight distortion still present, it lends a perspective that is familiar yet somewhat different.  It’s in these situations the fisheye is at its best.

Photos taken with a Nikon D700 and Nikkor AF 16mm f/2.8 fisheye lens.

Chinese doughnuts in the round.

Centered on the vendor.

Street vendor.

Plain bagel.