Canon 8-15mm fisheye - anyone tried it?

Please excuse me if there is already a thread on this, did a quick search and didn't find anything.

Was wondering if anyone had used it yet and what there results where? Did the good old Dr.Mustard do a review on it?

Insights as always would be much appreciated..

Please excuse me if there is already a thread on this, did a quick search and didn't find anything.

 

Was wondering if anyone had used it yet and what there results where? Did the good old Dr.Mustard do a review on it?

 

Insights as always would be much appreciated..

I don't think they are here in the US yet, my dealer claims late March. The canon video suggests it will be quite nice.

http://web.canon.jp/imaging/ef/samples/ef8...movie.html?high

Bill

wow, some nice video in that... was trying to work out what he was using for the ariel shots... remote control helicopter? what you think? Anyhooooww.. looks nice..

I believe Jean from Aquatica (Viz'art) has played with one. The images quality looks very nice, but I am sure there will be more detailed test once they are on the market.

Erol

Was wondering if anyone had used it yet and what there results where?

+1

This lense alone might be a sufficient reason to buy an Aquatica housing for my Mark IV. With the 1.3 crop factor, I have been seeking a suitable lense/port combination. I hope the port will have gears for both focus and zoom.

Release of this lens has been officially delayed. http://www.canonrumors.com/2011/03/lenses-...cially-delayed/

Not surprising, given the disaster in Japan.

I just came home from a few days with the Canon 8-15mm lens with the whale sharks off Isla Mujeres. I used the Seacam housings for both Canon 5DMKII and 60D. The Superdome with the removable sunshade for the full frame camera, and the Fisheye Macro Dome on the 60D. Here are a few quick JPGs to illustrate how the lens works with each camera. I’m just now back home so haven’t had time for serious edit or processing, but this will show the angle of view.

5DII, 8mm, 6 inches from subject

5DII, 8mm, 4 feet from subject

5DII, 15mm, 2 feet from subject

60D, 10mm, 2 feet from subject

Me, with Seacam Prelude for Canon 60D, fisheye macro port. Photo © Marko Dimitrijevic

Very nice lens. Important for full frame, but even more so for the added versatility it brings to the cropped sensor Canons.



Nice pix Steve. I was wondering which PVLs you used. I have a few pix posted here:

http://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?showt...mp;#entry290068

Here is a more recent shot done with the Superdome and PVL30, de-fished using Lightroom and cropped.

Nice pix Steve. I was wondering which PVLs you used. I have a few pix posted here:

http://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?showt...mp;#entry290068

Here is a more recent shot done with the Superdome and PVL30, de-fished using Lightroom and cropped.

Tom - Liz shared with me the salmon series you shot recently. Really nice images.

I used the PVL20, as per Harald's suggestion. Not defished, but now that you've reminded me I'll tweak them a little. Blue water is pretty forgiving for corner performance, so I won't know for sure until I shoot it on the reef, but I too believe PVL20 to be correct.

I saw there was port discussion on the other thread you referenced. The superdome has removable sunshades, so no worries there, and the Fisheye Macro Dome worked without modification on the on the 60D. Seacam is making a Fisheye Macro Dome without a sunshade as well now, so that port can be used with my MKIV and 1DSMKII/5DII cameras as well.

Great images Steve,

As I wrote on your facebook page - for full frame I see this lens as a 8 and 15mm rather than 8 to 15mm for full frame users. A zoom that you either use at one end of the other.

For crop sensor work the useful range seems to be 10-15mm - rather like a high quality version of the 10-17mm Tok.

If you are a Canon user with both a full frame and crop sensor camera - then you will get many, many options from this lens.

Alex

Great images Steve,

 

As I wrote on your facebook page - for full frame I see this lens as a 8 and 15mm rather than 8 to 15mm for full frame users. A zoom that you either use at one end of the other.

 

For crop sensor work the useful range seems to be 10-15mm - rather like a high quality version of the 10-17mm Tok.

 

If you are a Canon user with both a full frame and crop sensor camera - then you will get many, many options from this lens.

 

Alex

How does this lens compare at the 15mm end with the Canon 15mm and the Sigma 15mm which I already own. Would it be a worthy investment to have it to use as you say Alex at opposite ends. Most of my WA photography is Red Sea reef shots on the 5D MKII, but I also still have my cropped sensored 350D.

Stew

Steve

If I remember correctly, this lens has closer focus than Canon's 15mm prime FE. Have you had chance to shoot anything at its closest focus setting?

<<Alex said: As I wrote on your facebook page - for full frame I see this lens as a 8 and 15mm rather than 8 to 15mm for full frame users. A zoom that you either use at one end of the other. For crop sensor work the useful range seems to be 10-15mm - rather like a high quality version of the 10-17mm Tok. If you are a Canon user with both a full frame and crop sensor camera - then you will get many, many options from this lens. Alex>>

Thanks Alex, and you are absolutely correct. On full frame camera I was always racking to one end or the other. The in-betweens were kind of irrelevant. But, on the 60D with 1.6 crop, it was useful throughout the zoom range, similar to the Tokina 10-17 on a cropped sensor camera. I haven't tried it with my MKIV yet, but as this is the only way to get 180-degree fisheye with that 1.3 crop, it is a no-brainer for me to have this lens. Have fun in Canada! I got back into cold water this summer in Alaska after 7-years off drysuits, and I'm hooked again. I know it will be ultra-productive for you and the boys.

<<Stew said: How does this lens compare at the 15mm end with the Canon 15mm and the Sigma 15mm which I already own. Would it be a worthy investment to have it to use as you say Alex at opposite ends. Most of my WA photography is Red Sea reef shots on the 5D MKII, but I also still have my cropped sensored 350D. Stew>>

Stew - Absolutely worthy for 350D. Really an essential lens for any Canon shooter interested in wide-angle using a cropped sensor lens. In the Red Sea it will be fabulous, and very versatile.

<<Paul said: If I remember correctly, this lens has closer focus than Canon's 15mm prime FE. Have you had chance to shoot anything at its closest focus setting?>>

Paul - The shot above was done with the Seacam 60D housing and macro fisheye port almost touching the whale shark's mouth. I didn't have my eye to viewfinder, just swimming along with housing alongside the shark. So, I could see that I was like 4" away from mouth at that point. I was using single-servo AF and it never locked me out on AF, so I don't know how close it will really go. But, with fisheye macro port it will be much closer than conventional Canon or Sigma 15mm.

Speaking of ports and pelagic animals, I had a buddy shooting with a 5DII with Seacam superdome and sunshades. Swimming after whale sharks using that was like pushing a sea anchor. The sunshades provided significant water resistance. I also had my own Seacam for a 5DII, but I removed the sushades so I could use the 8-15mm in circular fisheye. As you know, that's simply unscrewing 3 Allen screws on each port shade, so it takes very little time and no expertise. That provided perceptibly less water resistance than the same housing/port with sunshade.

But, swimming with the Seacam Prelude 60D and the Fisheye Macro port was so effortless. I used the standard pro viewfinder so I could more easily see the LCD for video and to minimize weight, and it was like swimming with a point-and-shoot. Tonga for whales or any free dive scenario, this system rocks.

I just ordered the Fisheye Macro Port without sunshade from Seacam, Then I can use it with 8-15mm on either full frame or cropped cameras, as it is only the port's sunshade that eliminates its functionaity on a full frame camera. The port extension used was 20mm (PVL20), necessary to physically fit the lens with the low profile Fisheye Macro Port, and coincidentally the correct port extension for Superdome.

Thanks Steve, very helpful.

Thanks Steve, very helpful.

yes very helpful Steve, cheers. Love the shots BTW

Stew

<<Paul said: If I remember correctly, this lens has closer focus than Canon's 15mm prime FE. Have you had chance to shoot anything at its closest focus setting>

Paul - The shot above was done with the Seacam 60D housing and macro fisheye port almost touching the whale shark's mouth.>>

Oops. My bad. I plugged the wrong shot in there, for the 60D will not render circular fisheye. The shot above was with the 5DII and Superdome, with sunshades removed. Still, in answer to Paul's question, the 8-15mm does focus very near, and in this case the dome was nearly touching the left mouth of the whale shark.

I looked for close focus examples with the 60D and the Fisheye Macro Port, but don't think I have one truly that close, although not because of any focus restriction. The perspective just began too look a little extreme so I backed off. This one is with the 60D, 8-15mm at 10mm, at about 18 inches away from the whale shark.

http://vimeo.com/28686598

Video shot with 8-15, whale sharks of Isla Mujeres.

I just received the new Seacam fisheye macro port, now available with or without sunshades to be able to use with Canon 8-15mm lens on a full frame camera like 5DMKII or 1DsMKIII without vignetting. Cant wait to try it next week in Bonaire!

I just received the new Seacam fisheye macro port, now available with or without sunshades to be able to use with Canon 8-15mm lens on a full frame camera like 5DMKII or 1DsMKIII without vignetting. Cant wait to try it next week in Bonaire!

 

From the reflection in the dome it looks like it is sunnier in the key's than in Monterey t'was nice seeing you Sir!