Fisheye Lens - Other Applications

Other Applications

• Many planetariums now use fisheye projection lenses to project the night sky or other digital content onto the interior of a dome.
• Flight simulators and visual combat simulators use fisheye projection lenses in order to create an immersive environment for pilots, air traffic controllers, or military personnel to train in.
• Similarly, the IMAX Dome (previously 'OMNIMAX') motion-picture format involves photography through a circular fisheye lens, and projection through the same onto a hemispherical screen.
• Scientists and resource managers (e.g., biologists, foresters, and meteorologists) use fisheye lenses for hemispherical photography to calculate plant canopy indices and near-ground solar radiation. Applications include evaluation of forest health, characterization of monarch butterfly winter roosting sites, and management of vineyards.
• Astronomers use fisheye lenses to capture cloud cover and light pollution data.
• Photographers and videographers use fisheye lenses so they can get the camera as close as possible for action shots whilst also capturing context, for example in skateboarding to focus on the board and still retain an image of the skater.
• The first music video to be shot completely with fisheye lens was for the Beastie Boys song "Shake Your Rump" in 1989.
• In Computer Graphics, circular fisheye images can be used to create environment map from physical world. One complete 180-degree wide angle fisheye image will fit to half of cubic mapping space if proper algorithm applies on. Environment maps can be used to render 3D object and virtual panoramic scene.