$11 Super Wide Angle Digital Camera

Add a 160 degree wide angle lens to your existing digital camera for $11. This was based on ideas from the following webpage: http://aggregate.org/DIT/peepfish/

Step 1: Go to Your Favorite Hardware Store, and Buy a Wide Angle Door Viewer.

You should be able to find one of these at any hardware store. I got mine at Home Depot for about $11. The key attributes that you're looking for is the largest possible "eye hole". There are a bunch of these door viewers that have very small openings, and they won't produce a very good image. Get the one I'm showing here, and it will work great. The opening is just about the size of the lens on my old Canon S230.

Step 2: Take Some Pictures!

Remove the threaded backing from the Door Viewer, hold it directly on the lens of the camera, zoom all the way in, and start taking some pictures! Some cameras may have a bit of trouble focusing, so if your camera has a center-weighted mode, turn that on to force it to meter and focus on the center of the image. It also seems like using the "macro" mode helps focusing as well, since you usually need to get really close for the best wide angle effect.

Step 3: Edit Photos in the Gimp or Photoshop.

The photos don't necessarily need to be edited, but doing so will create a nice effect. All you need to do is use the circular select tool to crop out the circular image, and black out the rest. Using "guides" will help with the positioning of the circular selection.

Step 4: Take Lots More Pictures!

See http://slacy.com/gallery/v/2006/wide_angle for more!

Comments

[Technomage]

I tried this over the weekend. It works great. I used the idea on my 300D SLR.
As there was a lot of bright lights I got a ton of flaring. Check out some of the pictures below.

There are good SLR instructions here. Short version below:

I had drilled a hole in a 55mm lens cap ($4.95)
I used the same peephole from homedepot and hot glued it to the lens cap. ($7.50 and $1)
I attached the lenscap to my 28-90 Sigma lens (it has macro)
Pictures where best around 50-70 mm not in macro mode and with manual focus
Done.

This was my first instructable project!

[RUMCYCO]

Nice work mate ;)

[Ninzerbean]

I went to your link - these speak to me also! They are really cool - use them for the art work on CD's - you can buy round labels for them, glossy is best. Wonderful!

[poetapex]

Hey good job.

[PetervG]

Okay so how do I do this...

[maito]

ZAS! en toda la boca

http://www.geeky-gadgets.com/diy-fish-eye-lense-19-11-2009/

[Ghost Wolf]

Translation: ZAP! whole mouth

[Ghost Wolf]

LAME! Check out mine! It's bigger than yours lol

[jenniec]

it goes on your stock lens - i have the canon Xti - and it works awesome.
way less of a risk ahah just buy this

[PetervG]

The door viewer wont fit on a DSLR..

[linuxrules]

Hey bud, take a look at this image: http://duolian.smugmug.com/Other/Faux-Fisheye/gear/14344129_JjoU6-O.jpg

[Phoghat]

In the OLD days, we would find an extra lens cap and cut a hole in the center big enough to hold the door viewer. Just snap it on and you're good to go.

[Pepealej]

Zoom in

[buffysissy1]

I also tried this with a point and shoot but epoxied another lens on top, a lens I got out of a cheap "panoramic camera", just epoxied the edges and got a nice effect. Will post pix soon.

[buffysissy1]

The large door viewer seems the way to go with these projects.

[mg0930mg]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AB7rnAY55UM

Thanks!

[Funguystuff]

thanks for this instructable man, i knnew that saving this door "eye" would help me someday, and now i did. you should add to the key words of this intstructable "skate" because this is how sk8 videos are shot and that was what i was looking for.
Gr8 Instructable!

[yerfdog123]

my camera has a square shaped around the lens, will this still work?

[mista.v]

You know, if you measure out the DoF properly, you won't need to crop this bit out.

[sjoobbani]

you should use some kinda tube, and maybe some tape, without using the sticky side on your cam. to make it removable.