Re: light gathering vs diameter of reflecting spheres

[Alan Zinn <azinn@xxxxxxxxxx>]

At 02:41 AM 7/7/2000 -0500, you wrote:
>Spiratone made a 220 degree bird's eye lens for circa $20 US; it used a 
>lens thread mount, clear plastic tube to hold an aluminized spheroidal 
>surface, and a closeup diopter lens to bring it into focus. Folks 
>suggested you could do the same thing with a +10 diopter lens, a silver 
>xmas tree bulb (epoxied inside for strength?), and a clear PVC tube and 
>broken out filter epoxied to the inside of the PVC tube. 
>
>see http://www.tbk.de/news/birdeye1.htm for somewhat similar newer item
>and http://www.smu.edu/~rmonagha/third/weird.html Wierd Lenses pages
>and ~rmonagha/bronfe.html fisheye pages on related low cost options...
>
>regards bobm
>
>
>* Robert Monaghan POB752182 Dallas Tx 75275-2182 rmonagha@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx  *
>* Third Party 35mm Lenses: http://www.smu.edu/~rmonagha/third/index.html    *
>* Medium Format Cameras: http://www.smu.edu/~rmonagha/mf/index.html megasite*
>
>

Don't know if this will help but I was just in a Michaels craft store and
saw a 12in. mirrored glass "Gazing sphere" for $24.00 US. It is for making
lawn ornaments. It looked very nice. I wouldn't think too fancy a sphere
would be necessary for VDT display. I presume the camera is edited out. 

AZ

New Minneapols pans 6/30/00
Lookaround Panoramic Camera and Gallery:
http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Gallery/8874/

Bob Talbot's Vagabond Camera web page
 http://www.st-abbs.fsnet.co.uk/vagabond/

Where's the camera? http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Gallery/8874/passcam.html