# Cheap fisheye for canon full frame?



## bornshooter (May 7, 2013)

Well as the title says,what are the cheap fisheye options for canon full frame as these lenses are only used rarely i dont see the need for splashing out on the 8-15L version so just whats out there?


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## wickidwombat (May 8, 2013)

http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Samyang-14mm-f-2.8-IF-ED-UMC-Lens-Review.aspx

the samyang 14mm is supposed to be pretty good

I got the 8mm for my EOS-M and i'm very happy with it on that little camera for the odd occasion i want to use a fish eye


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## ChilledXpress (May 8, 2013)

Love the Sigma 15mm DG EX rect. fisheye.... all on 5D3s and produces a 180 diagonal FOV. I'm an admitted fisheye addict  I bought a new one for 550$US and a used one for UW work for 350$US both are quite sharp and did better than the 8-15L @ 15mm.




Palace of Fine Arts, San Francisco by David KM, on Flickr



Epic photographer shot Ver.2 by David KM, on Flickr



MotoGP 2012 Mazda Raceway, Laguna Seca - Helicopter Ride by David KM, on Flickr



Wings Over Wine Country Air Show 2012 - P51 Lady Alice by David KM, on Flickr


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## Click (May 8, 2013)

Wow! Awesome shots ChilledXpress. I just love your P51 8)


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## ChilledXpress (May 8, 2013)

Click said:


> Wow! Awesome shots ChilledXpress. I just love your P51 8)



Thanks.


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## Mt Spokane Photography (May 8, 2013)

The Canon 15mm FE is pretty nice, mine was so much better than the Samyang 14mm I bought it was like night and day. (The Samyang 14mmis not a fisheye, but it does distort everything)

I was able to pickup a used 15mm FE for $250, but deals like that don't happen often. The front cap was missing, but there were no marks on the glass, and a new cap cost $27. I used a front lens thread repair tool to expand the built-in metal hood very slightly so the cap fits snugly and securely.


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## ChilledXpress (May 8, 2013)

Mt Spokane Photography said:


> The Canon 15mm FE is pretty nice, mine was so much better than the Samyang 14mm I bought it was like night and day. (The Samyang 14mmis not a fisheye, but it does distort everything)
> 
> I was able to pickup a used 15mm FE for $250, but deals like that don't happen often. The front cap was missing, but there were no marks on the glass, and a new cap cost $27. I used a front lens thread repair tool to expand the built-in metal hood very slightly so the cap fits snugly and securely.



Good luck in finding a decent one of these... getting exceptionally hard to find (in the Bay area, Cali) and when you do they are usually quite "used". Cost more for a used Canon than the Sigma... the Siggy is newer, cheaper (new or used), warrantied if new, sharper and better built. I chased the Canon 15mm for quite a while, finally tested out a few 8-15L but Siggy won out after all was said and done. I also tried a few selections in the Bower/Rokinon/Samyang route, 8mm / 14mm... meh, no AF, cheesy build. Sigma still kicked arse. Love their 10-20mm for a crop, a great choice for the 7D. Not a true fish on a the crop but still fishy enough.

Some rarely use their fishes, me... I use it quite often. I own a lot of "L" glass, actually all "L" except for the Sigma's I spoke of. When my son was about to arrive, it was this 15mm Fish that I took into the delivery room. There are lots of examples in my Flickr link if you want to see more...


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## vbi (May 8, 2013)

While not a true fisheye the Samyang 14mm is pretty good value for money.


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## Nitroman (May 8, 2013)

Here's a mint condition and boxed Canon 15mm Fisheye on ebay in UK.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Canon-EF-15mm-F-2-8-Lens-/190833970061?pt=UK_Lenses_Filters_Lenses&hash=item2c6e974b8d

£400 !

I have one as well ... love mine. ;D


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## bornshooter (May 8, 2013)

ChilledXpress said:


> Love the Sigma 15mm DG EX rect. fisheye.... all on 5D3s and produces a 180 diagonal FOV. I'm an admitted fisheye addict  I bought a new one for 550$US and a used one for UW work for 350$US both are quite sharp and did better than the 8-15L @ 15mm.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


fantastic shots just what im looking for


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## bornshooter (May 8, 2013)

Nitroman said:


> Here's a mint condition and boxed Canon 15mm Fisheye on ebay in UK.
> 
> http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Canon-EF-15mm-F-2-8-Lens-/190833970061?pt=UK_Lenses_Filters_Lenses&hash=item2c6e974b8d
> 
> ...


still no bids yet with a day to go he may drop the price


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## canonuser78 (May 8, 2013)

wickidwombat said:


> http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Samyang-14mm-f-2.8-IF-ED-UMC-Lens-Review.aspx
> 
> the samyang 14mm is supposed to be pretty good



indeed, Samyang/Walimex/Rokinon (the same thing) 14 mm VDSLR or DSLR version ...,good value for money .Take note the mustache distortion is pretty nasty, specially on a Full Frame camera but in most of the cases you can fix this in post processing, there are some software solutions .discussions on the subject here if this help :
http://www.canonrumors.com/forum/index.php?topic=11407.0
cheers


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## GMCPhotographics (May 8, 2013)

bornshooter said:


> Well as the title says,what are the cheap fisheye options for canon full frame as these lenses are only used rarely i dont see the need for splashing out on the 8-15L version so just whats out there?



The 8-15L is the last fisheye anyone would buy. It's pretty much THE definiative fishy on a full frame camera. That said, it's easy to tire of them if they are over used and as such I've bought and sold just about every fish there is available over the last 12 years or so. So lets be clear, to do what the 8-15L does, you will need two prime lenses, an 8mm circular fish and a 15mm fish. In my opinion, the best of these are made by Sigma, and are better and cheaper than the Canon variants (although these days, they are combined into the one zoom lens). New, they will cost the same as the Canon zoom when combined. But second hand, they are a lot cheaper...especially if you aren't in a rush and can linger in ebay for a few months to pick up a bargain.
I paid around £160 for both my old Siggi 15's and about £200 for the 8mm. I would avoid the russian manual focus lenses which are available. They really aren't worth the money and they are pretty awful quality. Buy cheap, buy twice.


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## infared (May 8, 2013)

Well...I am an L-Lens aholic...but not adverse to other manufacturers. (have two Sigmas and a Zeiss)....and I have no real call for circular images on my FF camera. I own the Canon 15mm Fisheye..I bought mine just before they were discontinued (why did Canon make that choice?), to make way for the 8-15mm, and although it is one of the oldest lenses in the Canon lineup I find mine to be small, sharp and a lot of fun. I researched the Sigma, and my readings told me that the Canon was sharper, built better and had no focus issues, better multi coating, and less flare which comes into play a lot with a fisheye...so I bought the Canon. I considered the 8-15mm, but the COST, the size and the slower f/stop and super-exposed front element just deterred me from buying that lens for a field of view I use occasionally when it is just right. (I thought it would be fun to have the circular, "novelty" option but resisted!!! LOL!). The Canon can stays tucked in my bag with its small footprint and can be on the ready when that fleeting opportunity arrises. Great little lens..I even like the whirring of the non-USM...kind of a cool photo quirk!!!!! ;D


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## SwissBear (May 8, 2013)

there is the lensbaby fisheye: http://lensbaby.com/optics-fisheye

Rather inexpensive, might buy one myself in time...


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## infared (May 8, 2013)

SwissBear said:


> there is the lensbaby fisheye: http://lensbaby.com/optics-fisheye
> 
> Rather inexpensive, might buy one myself in time...



Remember...you have to have a Lensbaby Lens to drop that into. Most common is the Composer Pro @$280 Plus $150 for the fisheye =$430 and if you pick up a used sigma or Canon fisheye you are in the same ballpark money-wise with WAY better optics and FF coverage...plus the Lensbaby vignettes intensely on a FF camera...
It does have a certain fun, artistic appeal though!


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## Hillsilly (May 8, 2013)

Not quite what you're seeking, but have you seen the "little cyclops"? Would fit in with your budget. But IQ looks a bit questionable.


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## Maui5150 (May 8, 2013)

I hunted down a Sigma EX DG 15 for just over $400 and should be in this week. 

I am not a huge fish eye fan, but have seen a lot of great work with them which is why I opted for the 15mm which I think has more practical usage than the smaller sizes. 

I think it is a lens that can really do some nice shots, but definitely a specialty lens. Eventually would like to get into the Tilt-Shifts as well, but those are completely another beast


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## AlbertPorres (May 8, 2013)

I have the Zenitar 16mm f2.8, it is a full frame fisheye that covers without vignetting mi Canon 5D mark II.
Just google and you will find pics and reviews.
Image quality is quite good, and at f8 it is perfect, but sometimes you get tired with such a fisheye distortion.
A brand new one could cost around 200$, with a little more you could get the samyang 14mm, it is not fisheye but it is extremely wide open with an astonish image quality.


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## Gjako (May 8, 2013)

I was in the same situation, I wanted to get a Fisheye but not spending too much, after a little bit of reading I decided to get the Siggy 15mm DG EX, so far I'm quite happy with it. ;D

Some pics 




El Domo por Daniel Gjakoni, en Flickr




Catedral de San Esteban por Daniel Gjakoni, en Flickr




Rundetårn por Daniel Gjakoni, en Flickr


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## Mt Spokane Photography (May 8, 2013)

ChilledXpress said:


> Mt Spokane Photography said:
> 
> 
> > The Canon 15mm FE is pretty nice, mine was so much better than the Samyang 14mm I bought it was like night and day. (The Samyang 14mmis not a fisheye, but it does distort everything)
> ...


 
You are right!

Used Canon 15mm FE's are indeed getting hard to find. I've bought a couple for low prices in past years, but nothing cheap has popped up in the last two years on our local Craigslist.

The Sigma has a good reputation, I'd buy it any day over another Samyang. Someone was trying to sell a used Sigma for $600, that seemed a bit pricey. I guess the Canon 8-15mm has pulled used prices up.

I had been looking at the refurb 8-15mm L and the MP-65 longingly while they were on sale. They are out of stock now, but I had already decided to save my pennies and see what new products appear later this year.


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## ChilledXpress (May 8, 2013)

Mt Spokane Photography said:


> ChilledXpress said:
> 
> 
> > Mt Spokane Photography said:
> ...



That MP-65 is a great lens... I don't do enough macro work to justify it but if I did, that lens is as good as it gets. Tricky lens though.


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## jdramirez (May 8, 2013)

I have an 8mm rokinon fisheye. I like it it is sharp. I stop it down to around f8 or so. it is entirely round, but it works well enough.


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## jdramirez (May 8, 2013)

I paid 255 for the new version where the hood is removable.


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## ChilledXpress (May 8, 2013)

bornshooter said:


> ChilledXpress said:
> 
> 
> > Love the Sigma 15mm DG EX rect. fisheye.... all on 5D3s and produces a 180 diagonal FOV. I'm an admitted fisheye addict  I bought a new one for 550$US and a used one for UW work for 350$US both are quite sharp and did better than the 8-15L @ 15mm.
> ...



Thanks, hope it helps...


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