Fisheye lens with a 180º angle of view for unique and intriguing effects. The wide depth of field makes it even more interesting. The short minimum focusing distance of 8 in. (20 cm) gives new meaning to close-up shots. The lens has a fixed petal-type hood and a gelatin filter holder at the rear.
6Fisheye lens with a 180° angle of view for unique and intriguing effects
Short minimum focusing distance is 8 inches (20 cm)
The lens has a fixed petal-type hood and a gelatin filter holder at the rear
8 elements in 7 groups
Pros: Fast auto-focus, Superior build quality, Super-sharp images, vibrant colors, so much fun
Cons: watch your toes
I needed a wide lens for an upcoming trip to Europe, and after some volleying about I eventually settled on this one. I had been drooling after it for a while anyways. Boy, I was not disappointed at all. It is so very sharp in direct sunlight, looking at the pictures I took I feel like I'm back taking them again. And even indoors at night, with moderate lighting, there isn't a problem with focus or clarity. I haven't thoroughly tested it out at night, but it had nary a struggle focusing off the second platform of the Eiffel Tower pointed at the Seine at 9PM. Perhaps the single downside is that when, in rare instances, this lens has to search for focus, it is noisy. Angry fly noisy. But most times the search is brief enough anyways that it's not unbearably annoying. Also, I haven't had a single problem with the lens cap. Mine fits snugly and so far it hasn't come off when it's not supposed to. I greatly appreciate the metal petals on the front, too. This is perhaps my favorite lens, ever. It is wide. So wide. I never imagined how wide 15mm was until I saw it on a full frame camera, which is what one should have to fully exploit the fishy wonder of this lens. (Be careful to watch the toes.) From an artistic point of view, this lens is an absolute dream. It may not have much use for commercial endeavors, but for personal use it is ridiculously, almost sinfully fun to use. It opens up so many weird, wonderful possibilities.
Cons: Slow auto-focus, metal lens cap needs to be bent to stay on
This lens is very sharp and adds an incredible sense of context to close up images, almost to the point that it makes rectilinear wide angle lenses seem somewhat boring once you get accustomed to using it. With a full frame the field of view is impressive, and the barrel distortion is great for underwater & nature photography. With an APS-C body it is tamed into being a nice general purpose wide angle lens, with which you can shoot at an angle to dial in the barrel distortion near the edges when you want it. It is my favorite lens, having done some of my best work with it.
Cons: highly unreliable front lens cap., pop eye design vulnerable to damage
Like a macro, this is a specialty lens. Meaning it is not a primary workhorse lens. But it's concave design gives it a whole new world to work with. Excellent for landscape and interiors, it can create special effects that you would otherwise not get with ordinary wide angle lenses. This is as wide as you can get with a Canon lens, though you will need a full frame camera to bring out its full potential.
Alongside the Canon EF 14mm f/2.8 (MK I and II), this lens is "pop eye" design. So take great care with the frontal elements since you cannot add screw in filters. The frontal cap is a nice metal design. But this quality design is useless since it attaches by friction and falls off way too easily. Handle this lens with caution, especially in the bag where too much room can make the cap fall off amidst all that jostling, which can lead to the lens being scratched by its own cap.
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