Nikon 8-15mm Fisheye with Monster Adapter on Sony Mirrorless – Experiences & Setup?

[Yazid]

Hi everyone,

 

I’m curious to know if anyone here has tried using the Nikon 8-15mm fisheye with a Monster Adapter on a Sony mirrorless camera for underwater photography.

 

-What dome size and port setup did you use? (140mm, 230mm, etc.)

-How was the performance in terms of corner sharpness, autofocus, and general usability?

-Any tips or insights on optimizing this combination for best results?

Looking forward to hearing about your experiences!

[RVBldr]

I shoot that configuration with Sony 7AC, but use the Zen DP-100 (it was a cost consideration). With that dome, the corners get a bit soft but it works for CFWA shots. I wasn't a big fan of the zoom knob on the extension port as you had to install the lens after installing the camera body then install the dome, so I printed a zoom gear that would work with the knob on the housing, allowing me to install the camera/lens as one unit. There's one fisheye on this page, but most of the wider angle were shot with the lens at 15mm. Jim Piavis - Browning Pass (God's Pocket) at 8mm the lens hood shows in the shots, but with the Zen, it's removable as needed during the dive. 

[Chris Ross]

4 hours ago, Yazid said:

Hi everyone,

 

I’m curious to know if anyone here has tried using the Nikon 8-15mm fisheye with a Monster Adapter on a Sony mirrorless camera for underwater photography.

 

-What dome size and port setup did you use? (140mm, 230mm, etc.)

-How was the performance in terms of corner sharpness, autofocus, and general usability?

-Any tips or insights on optimizing this combination for best results?

Looking forward to hearing about your experiences!

Not a lot of people adapt the Nikon 8-15mm, but a great many adapt the Canon 8-15 usually on Metabones.  Historically it seems the Canon lenses have been easier to adapt and only recently have Nikon adapters appeared.  I have heard some say that that the Canon is the sharper lens - it really is an excellent optic.  Many people use it with the 140mm dome - the 230mm doesn't give any advantage, possibly partly because it is not a full hemisphere.  Nauticam recommend the 140mm dome as most optimum.  A cheaper option might be the Sigma 15mm fisheye in Canon EF mount on a metabones or sigma adapter, if you don't feel the need for the circular fisheye.

 

The standard setup is as recommended by Nauticam in the port charts.  The last line item on the chart for Sony is the N100-N120 35.5mm port adapter  for all Canon EF lenses.  You use the 35.5mm adapter plus the extensions/dome recommended for the lens in the Canon EF port charts, the Nauticam zoom gear also matches up with the control knob on the adapter.  So the recommended setup for the Canon lens is 30mm extension plus 140mm dome with the 35.5mm adapter.  Nikon would use the 20mm extension ring as per the Nikon F mount port chart.

 

As mentioned by RVbldr the side knob on the adapter works but feels coggy and sometimes disengages, my example ( on m43-EF adapter) required inward pressure to avoid dis-engaging the gear.  Just doesn't seem as smooth as other lenses which use the housing zoom control knob.  Some people just set the lens at 15mm and leave it there unless they specifically plan to use the 8mm end for circular fisheye images.  The lens is effectively either a 15mm or an 8mm lens - in between on full frame the corners vignette and the resulting image looks  alittle odd.

[Dave_Hicks]

I shoot the Nikon 8-15 behind the Zen 170mm port. You need to remove the port hood at 8mm, but i don't really use that often to date.

[scipionems]

Hi Yazid,

I use the Monster + Nikon 8-15mm on my Sony A1 by a couple of year flawlessly, using a Nauticam Extension ring 35mm N100-N120 + Nauticam Extension ring 30 and the Nauticam 140mm Dome port.

This combination (Monster adapter + Nikon 8-15mm) works very well, good quality of the pictures (at least for me) , fast and accurate autofocus and zero problems with my Sony A1.

 

Unfortunately I had a LOT of problems using the Monster adapter with my Nikon 60mm Macro lens in blackwater dives.... Often suddenly and unpredictably the Sony A1 freeze and it is impossible to switch off and on....for minutes.... 

I update the Monster to the last firmware available, but this problem persist and I am afraid that the electronics of my Sony A1 could be damaged using the Monster with my Nikon 60mm macro lens....

 

With the Nikon 8-15mm the Monster works perfectly with zero problems...

 

[Yazid]

18 hours ago, RVBldr said:

I shoot that configuration with Sony 7AC, but use the Zen DP-100 (it was a cost consideration). With that dome, the corners get a bit soft but it works for CFWA shots. I wasn't a big fan of the zoom knob on the extension port as you had to install the lens after installing the camera body then install the dome, so I printed a zoom gear that would work with the knob on the housing, allowing me to install the camera/lens as one unit. There's one fisheye on this page, but most of the wider angle were shot with the lens at 15mm. Jim Piavis - Browning Pass (God's Pocket) at 8mm the lens hood shows in the shots, but with the Zen, it's removable as needed during the dive. 

Thanks for your feedback, and very nice images.

[Yazid]

18 hours ago, Chris Ross said:

Not a lot of people adapt the Nikon 8-15mm, but a great many adapt the Canon 8-15 usually on Metabones.  Historically it seems the Canon lenses have been easier to adapt and only recently have Nikon adapters appeared.  I have heard some say that that the Canon is the sharper lens - it really is an excellent optic.  Many people use it with the 140mm dome - the 230mm doesn't give any advantage, possibly partly because it is not a full hemisphere.  Nauticam recommend the 140mm dome as most optimum.  A cheaper option might be the Sigma 15mm fisheye in Canon EF mount on a metabones or sigma adapter, if you don't feel the need for the circular fisheye.

 

The standard setup is as recommended by Nauticam in the port charts.  The last line item on the chart for Sony is the N100-N120 35.5mm port adapter  for all Canon EF lenses.  You use the 35.5mm adapter plus the extensions/dome recommended for the lens in the Canon EF port charts, the Nauticam zoom gear also matches up with the control knob on the adapter.  So the recommended setup for the Canon lens is 30mm extension plus 140mm dome with the 35.5mm adapter.  Nikon would use the 20mm extension ring as per the Nikon F mount port chart.

 

As mentioned by RVbldr the side knob on the adapter works but feels coggy and sometimes disengages, my example ( on m43-EF adapter) required inward pressure to avoid dis-engaging the gear.  Just doesn't seem as smooth as other lenses which use the housing zoom control knob.  Some people just set the lens at 15mm and leave it there unless they specifically plan to use the 8mm end for circular fisheye images.  The lens is effectively either a 15mm or an 8mm lens - in between on full frame the corners vignette and the resulting image looks  alittle odd.

Thank you I think this is very helpful; I will try it with the 20mm extension and see how it goes.

[Yazid]

8 hours ago, scipionems said:

Hi Yazid,

I use the Monster + Nikon 8-15mm on my Sony A1 by a couple of year flawlessly, using a Nauticam Extension ring 35mm N100-N120 + Nauticam Extension ring 30 and the Nauticam 140mm Dome port.

This combination (Monster adapter + Nikon 8-15mm) works very well, good quality of the pictures (at least for me) , fast and accurate autofocus and zero problems with my Sony A1.

 

Unfortunately I had a LOT of problems using the Monster adapter with my Nikon 60mm Macro lens in blackwater dives.... Often suddenly and unpredictably the Sony A1 freeze and it is impossible to switch off and on....for minutes.... 

I update the Monster to the last firmware available, but this problem persist and I am afraid that the electronics of my Sony A1 could be damaged using the Monster with my Nikon 60mm macro lens....

 

With the Nikon 8-15mm the Monster works perfectly with zero problems...

Thanks for sharing your experience! Great to hear that the 8-15mm works flawlessly with the Monster adapter on your A1. It’s really helpful to find someone with firsthand experience using the same setup.

I’ll be trying this out soon, but I’ll use the 20mm extension instead of the 30mm for two reasons—first, I don’t have the 30mm, only the 20mm and 35mm, and second, based on another reply in this thread, matching the 20mm with the 35.5mm adapter brings it closer to Nauticam’s recommended setup for the Nikon version of the fisheye. Hopefully, the Zoom will still work, which could open up more creative choices when using crop mode!

Interesting to hear about your experience with the Nikon 60mm. I just started using it with the Monster adapter in the same port I use for the Sony 90mm. What port do you use? So far, I like the results (see attached, and haven’t had any issues—fingers crossed it stays that way!

[scipionems]

4 minutes ago, Yazid said:

Thanks for sharing your experience! Great to hear that the 8-15mm works flawlessly with the Monster adapter on your A1. It’s really helpful to find someone with firsthand experience using the same setup.

I’ll be trying this out soon, but I’ll use the 20mm extension instead of the 30mm for two reasons—first, I don’t have the 30mm, only the 20mm and 35mm, and second, based on another reply in this thread, matching the 20mm with the 35.5mm adapter brings it closer to Nauticam’s recommended setup for the Nikon version of the fisheye. Hopefully, the Zoom will still work, which could open up more creative choices when using crop mode!

Interesting to hear about your experience with the Nikon 60mm. I just started using it with the Monster adapter in the same port I use for the Sony 90mm. What port do you use? So far, I like the results (see attached, and haven’t had any issues—fingers crossed it stays that way!

Hi Jazid,

yes I use the port of the 90mm Sony for the Monster Adapter + Nikon 60mm macro lens.

Probably the problems that I had with this setup depends by the extreme conditions of light (better of darkness) in blackwater dives.

The Monster struggles a lot to focus on with tiny and transparent subjects (like small jellyfish or something like that).

With bigger and more "consistent" subjects (like long arm octopus or paper Nautilus) it works better (even if it is not fast like an original Sony lens, obviously).