Why would I buy a Fisheye lens?

Speaking of screw in fisheyes, Nikon produced a surprisingly good one for their Coolpix 9XX digital cameras, the ones with the twist screen & lens design.

Nikon Coolpix 990 1577.JPG
 
Jonnybrad2001 said:
It's been a while (long while) since I looked at crop sensor lenses, but Tokina 10-17mm fisheye zoom every time. Should be easy on the budget.

It's a bonkers 180º rectilinear (so square image, not a circle in the frame which personally I'm not a fan of) fisheye at 10mm, but to stop it being a one trick pony, zoom in to 12-15mm and it's just a bendy bonkers super wide angle lens. So it's not the usual fisheye one trick pony.
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I suspect the Tokina may be much the same as my Pentax 10-17 (possibly even identical?). In which case I agree an excellent option. But it's not rectilinear as that term means it presents straight lines as straight lines with minimal distortion - basically all lenses other than fisheyes.

I couldn't recommend a macro for Canon, the only Canon macro I know id the MPE 65 which is fantastic but somewhat more specialised than normal macro options
 
Decent budget(ish!) macro options are the Tamron 90mm and Sigma 105mm. I ended up with a Tamron purely because that was what turned up on a local 2nd hand shelf first.
 
Nod said:
Decent budget(ish!) macro options are the Tamron 90mm and Sigma 105mm. I ended up with a Tamron purely because that was what turned up on a local 2nd hand shelf first.
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You probably don't mean the same Tamron 90mm macro as I have, mines an old Adaptall2 model, an excellent lens but only managing half life size. Sadly mine is not in great condition, but it did only cost me £1 with the right mount fitted :)
 
You're right, I mean the (relatively!) modern f/2.8 version rather than the older f/2.5.
 
I've got an R7. Although I've always had a 10-18 lens I wanted something wider. After an abortive trial of Sigma 8-16 (not wide enough and too heavy ) I bought a 7Artisans 7.5mm fish-eye. Only £149 from Amazon (DO NOT BUY FROM 7ARTISANS!. Cheaper but major hassles)
Manual focus, but set it to 2/3 way between 1metre and infinity and everything from 50cmto infinity is in focus.
Some shots from Oxford Open Doors
Atrium, Schwarzman Centre, Oxford
https://flic.kr/p/2sChXaG
View: https://www.flickr.com/photos/kenbarley/55544669742/in/album-72157665753456421/

Staircase, Rhodes House, Oxford
https://flic.kr/p/2sDwmL5
View: https://www.flickr.com/photos/kenbarley/55558602060/in/album-72157665753456421/

Staircase, Rhodes House, Oxford
www.flickr.com

Staircase, Rhodes House, Oxford

Staircase, Rhodes House, Oxford, 12 Sep 2026
www.flickr.com www.flickr.com


Ken
 
Petrochemist said:
I suspect the Tokina may be much the same as my Pentax 10-17 (possibly even identical?). In which case I agree an excellent option. But it's not rectilinear as that term means it presents straight lines as straight lines with minimal distortion - basically all lenses other than fisheyes.

I couldn't recommend a macro for Canon, the only Canon macro I know id the MPE 65 which is fantastic but somewhat more specialised than normal macro options
Click to expand...

[Edit] PS yes the Pentax 10-17 & Tok 10-17 are one and the same. Not the only Pentax lens that's made for Pentax by Tokina.

The MPE is a specialist lens, for true Macro geeks. For the rest of us

All 1:1 capable
Tamron 90mm Macro
Sigma 100 (could be 105 can't remember)
Canon 60mm USM? EF-S
Canon 100mm USM (and the even older non USM)
Canon 100mm L USM (IS?)

I'd say the 60mm EF-S or the 100mm USM should be the good budget options nowadays. I still use the 100mm USM (non L) on my my modern R6

Even the ye ancient Canon 50mm F2.5 macro. This is only 1:2, bloody slow focus, needs extension tubes or Tele-converter for 1:1 (there was a proper Canon adapter for it for 1:1), I had one many years ago & used it with a Kenko 1.5x TC & Jessops extension tubes and still some of my fave macro images are from this.
 
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Mr B said:
I bought a 7Artisans 7.5mm fish-eye.
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I wonder if that's the same design as the Samyang 7.5mm that I've used for ten years or so....

Fisheye leaning tree Glasshouse Lane E-PL5 P7200003.JPG
 
Bob Monkhouse said:
Now theres a point.I'm accident prone,my children refer to me as Mr Bump so it's very likely that if I stepped back somewhere without looking there's going to be a 1000ft drop into a river full of crocodiles. Although thinking about it there aren't many 1000ft drops around Huddersfield and I'm sure we don't have crocodiles, still,it looks like a good reason to buy a fisheye.
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Emley moor mast, might be interesting with the fish eye
 
boogie 16 said:
Emley moor mast, might be interesting with the fish eye
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Now there's a thousand foot drop although there weren't any crocodiles there the last time we went . But,being serious for a nanosecond, I will bear that in mind when I get a lens. I remember when the first one fell down,I was on my paper round in Kirkheaton and was looking over at the mast and suddenly it wasn't there, I didn't really think anything of it until I got home and my Mum said the tv was off. You can still make out where one of the stay cables cut the chapel in half across the road.
 
Jonnybrad2001 said:
It's been a while (long while) since I looked at crop sensor lenses, but Tokina 10-17mm fisheye zoom every time. Should be easy on the budget.

It's a bonkers 180º rectilinear (so square image, not a circle in the frame which personally I'm not a fan of) fisheye at 10mm, but to stop it being a one trick pony, zoom in to 12-15mm and it's just a bendy bonkers super wide angle lens. So it's not the usual fisheye one trick pony.
Click to expand...
Thanks,I'll have a look.
 
Jonnybrad2001 said:
It's been a while (long while) since I looked at crop sensor lenses, but Tokina 10-17mm fisheye zoom every time. Should be easy on the budget.

It's a bonkers 180º rectilinear (so square image, not a circle in the frame which personally I'm not a fan of) fisheye at 10mm, but to stop it being a one trick pony, zoom in to 12-15mm and it's just a bendy bonkers super wide angle lens. So it's not the usual fisheye one trick pony.
Click to expand...
£75-£120 so easily affordable, I'll have one of those in the next couple of weeks.
 
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