PanoTools NG:
Re: Coastal Optics 4.88mm fisheye
Scott Highton scott@... 2014-Oct-14 18:40:44
My recollection is that these Coastal Optical lenses were designed and built specifically for IPIX as an option for APS-C digital cameras, in lieu of using the Nikkor 8mm on a 35mm film camera. They were provided with the heavy steel rotator, and were intended to capture an entire spherical view in two shots. I believe their field of view was about 185? in order to provide a small overlap between hemispheres.
Coastal Optical designed these to have very minimal chromatic aberration (something most other true fisheyes like the Nikkor 8mm suffered -- even worse for the Sigma versions), and to contain the full image circle within the then less-than-full-frame sensors, which were the only option for digital cameras at the time. Hence, their significant price tags. I believe they were only sold through IPIX, as they were designed and built specifically for the company. After IPIX went bankrupt, I believe Coastal Optical sold them independently for a while.
During the sordid history of this era of VR photography, Ford Oxxal (proprietor of Mind's Eye View) sued IPIX for supposedly stealing his intellectual property with their development of the IPIX / Omniview / Tele-Robotics International spherical imaging technology. The two parties reached a settlement wherein Oxxal was reportedly paid a very small fee, in order to make the lawsuit go away. According to sources at IPIX, this saved them the incredible expense of defending what they felt was a baseless lawsuit, but gave IPIX a license to continue using their own technology, and gave Oxxal the ability to maintain that IPIX licensed HIS technology. He promptly started going after other players in the VR imaging industry, threatening legal action if they didn't pay him licensing fees, as well.
After IPIX's bankruptcy, Oxxal / Mind's Eye View and others pursued purchase of IPIX's patent portfolio at bankruptcy auction, but were outbid by Sony. If I recall corruptly, Sony paid about $7 million for these, and many of us were excited about what a large company like Sony might do with them in terms of releasing commercial VR products. Unfortunately, we've not really seen anything in this area resulting from Sony since then, and I suspect that most of the patents have expired (or are close to it) by now. Oxxal and Mind's Eye View were the successful high bidder on IPIX's remaining physical property at a subsequent auction, which included furniture, electronics, software packages, various cameras and lenses (including Coastal Optical items, plus one Nikkor 6mm, several Nikkor 8mm, etc.), as well as the IPIX name, web domain, and logos. Oxxal and Mind' Eye View have continued to sell IPIX software and camera kits (using predominantly Sunex lenses) on the ipix.com web site, with IPIX's Interactive Studio software -- which still requires payment of an annual licensing fee.
I never did use any of these Coastal Optical lenses, but I understood from others that they were quite good for their intended purpose. My experience with IPIX technology was limited to shooting primarily with the Nikkor 8mm on 35mm film, but we did a number of leading edge projects with this combination (including photography of Toyota's entire product line in the late '90s for a couple of years). I still have an 8mm Nikkor, as well an an inferior Sigma 8mm, in my studio closet, along with several of the heavy IPIX rotators. None of them have seen any use for quite a few years now.
Scott Highton
Author, Virtual Reality Photography
Web: http://www.vrphotography.com
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Posted by: Scott Highton <#removed#>
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