Fisheye lens is a lens that can take pictures with a wider scale. Photos using a fisheye lens will look different with a noticeable distortion. You could say that a fisheye lens is a must have item for those of you who like to take scenic photos or travel.
Since fisheye lenses are not ordinary lenses, not many people understand how to choose a fisheye lens. For this reason, this time we will explain how to choose and provide the best fisheye lens recommendations. You will find a variety of quality fisheye lenses from Canon, Olympus, Nikon, and so on in this article. Come on, take a look!
How to choose a fisheye lens?
There are several things you should consider when choosing a fisheye lens. For more details, see the explanation below.
Choose a lens based on the effect it produces
Based on the effect, there are two types of fisheye lenses, namely diagonal fisheye and circular fisheye. Fisheye lenses in circulation are generally diagonal fisheye types.
This type gives the effect that the farther from the center of the photo, the distortion will increase and look like convexity. It's true that you can actually use an ordinary lens to take landscape photos. However, for more dynamic photos, we recommend using a fisheye lens.
Meanwhile, a circular fisheye gives a photo where the entire object of the photo seems to be compressed to the center of the photo.
Therefore, the resulting photo will be round like a circle with all four corners turning black. There are also those who call this type of fisheye lens photo a little planet because the result looks like a photo of a small planet.
A little trick that is quite useful, try attaching a diagonal fisheye type lens APS-C camera to an SLR camera lens. The effect will change like the effect produced by the circular fisheye type. In this way, you can save costs because one fisheye lens can produce two types of effects.
Choose a lens based on how it is attached
Many think that distorted photos can only be produced when a fisheye lens is attached to the camera. In fact, fisheye lenses can not only be attached to the camera.
Lately, there are many accessories circulating with functions such as fisheye lenses that can be attached to smartphones. If you have limited funds, but want to produce photos with fisheye lens-style effects, accessories like this are the solution.
However, it could be that you are concerned with high image quality and resolution. If so, you should still use a fisheye lens that is specifically designed to be attached to the camera. Compared to the results of the photos are very sharp, of course the price of fisheye lenses for cameras is also much more expensive.
Choose a bright lens to take photos of the starry sky
Not a few people who use fisheye lenses to take photos of the starry sky. Many use a tripod with a low ISO setting and long exposure in order to take photos at night.
However, this method is not appropriate if you want to take photos of the stars in the sky.
Even though they appear motionless, stars are actually moving very fast. If you set the shutter speed too low, the star photos will be blurry.
Therefore, set the shutter speed in such a way plus set the ISO as low as possible to reduce noise. Apart from doing all these things, we also recommend you to use a bright lens with an aperture size of < f/2.8.
Top 10 recommended fisheye lenses
Of course you already understand the use and how to choose a fisheye lens, right? Next, we'll give you ten recommendations for the best fisheye lenses.
1. AUKEY Professional 238 FOV Super Wide Angle FOV High Clarity Optic PRO Lens
Coated with aluminum, this lens product is quite impact resistant. You also won't find it difficult to attach this product to a smartphone or tablet because of the clip-on design. In addition, this product is claimed to be easily attached to the lens of various gadgets.
The lens angle of this product is very wide, you can get a panorama with an angle of up to 238°, you know! You will also get photos that are quite clean and sharp when using this product. A must consider if you are looking for a super wide angle fisheye lens that is compatible with all gadgets.
- Lens type: Fisheye diagonals
- How to install: Paired to a smartphone or tablet
- Aperture: Not mentioned
- Weight: 59 grams
- Mounting: Smartphones and tablets
2. APEXEL Fisheye Lens For Smartphone (8mm/HD 4K)
If you often browse while carrying your smartphone and want high-quality photos, this product is not to be missed. When attached to your smartphone, this lens will provide very premium HD quality photos.
With its diagonal fisheye effect, you can take photos of wider landscapes up to an angle of 185 degrees. The combination of the two makes every trip perfectly documented in high quality photos.
- Lens type: Fisheye diagonals
- How to install: Paired to smartphone
- Aperture: Not mentioned
- Weight: Not mentioned
- Mounting: Smartphone
3. Meike MK-6.5mm F2.0 Fisheye Lens
Those of you who have limited funds, but want to get circular effect photos using a camera, you should buy the product. This lens is compatible with Canon, Sony, Olympus, Panasonic, and Fujifilm cameras. The resulting image is quite sharp and minimal flare so this product is suitable for you to use outdoors.
This lens itself allows you to produce a circular fisheye effect. Coupled with the combination of an aperture of f/2.0 and a wide angle of up to 190°, a lot of photo objects can fit into your photo frame. The size of this product is also quite compact, of course, it is easy for you to carry and store in your bag.
- Lens type: Circular fisheye
- How to install: Mounted to mirrorless camera
- Aperture: F2.0-F22
- Weight: 300 grams
- Mounting :APS-C Camera (Advanced Photo System type-C)
4. Ricoh Pentax DA 10-17mm Fish-Eye F3.5-4.5 ED (IF)
You can shoot photo objects as close as 2.5 cm when using this product. With a weight of 320 grams, your hands will certainly not get tired or sore when using this product. The angle that can be photographed is also quite large, reaching 180 °
This lens is also coated with a super protective (SP) coating which makes it even more water and oil resistant. As a result, oil residue from fingers, cosmetics, or other stains is easy to clean from this lens. If you're looking for a fisheye lens that looks smudge-free even with regular use, this is the product for you!
- Lens type: Fisheye diagonals
- How to install: Attached to DSLR camera
- Aperture: F/3.5-4.5 and F/22-32
- Weight: 320 grams
- Mounting: PENTAX K-AF
5. Samsung 10mm F3.5 Fisheye Lens – White
Are you looking for a fisheye lens that doesn't require a lot of storage space and is easy to carry anywhere? This product is the best solution. With a maximum diameter of only 5.8 cm, you can even store it in a shirt pocket, you know!
Its weight is also very light, which is only 72 grams. When used, you will also get a fisheye diagonal effect with an angle of 180°.
The combination of a focal length of 10 mm and an aperture of f/3.5 makes this product capable of producing great photos.
- Lens type: Fisheye diagonals
- How to install: Mounted to a mirrorless camera (Samsung NX)
- Aperture: F3.5-F22
- Weight: 72 grams
- Mounting: Samsung NX
6. Panasonic LUMIX G Fisheye Lens 8mm F3.5 Micro Four Thirds
This product weighs only 165 grams and has a diameter of 6.07 cm. This makes it relatively light and compact for you to carry and does not make your hands get sore when used. With a minimum focus distance of 10 cm, this product is also suitable for you to take close-up photos.
With an aperture of f/3.5, you don't need to doubt the sharpness of the photos from this lens. Moreover, this lens also uses an ED (extra-low dispersion) lens so that the photos will be clearer and have minimal aberrations. If you are looking for a fisheye lens with bright and sharp photos, this product is worth considering.
- Lens type: Fisheye diagonals
- How to install: Mounted to Micro Four Third camera
- Aperture: F3.5-F22
- Weight: 165 grams
- Mounting: Micro Four Thirds
7. Sigma 15mm F2.8 EX DG Diagonal Fisheye
For those of you who like to take pictures of various outdoor photo objects at night, this product is the right partner. Having an aperture of f/2.8, you can easily take photos of various objects even when it's dark at night. Stars, cities at night, parks, and so on are very easy for you to capture.
Combined with a minimum focus distance of up to 15 cm, you can get unique perspectives at night. Having a diameter of 7.3 cm, this product also feels more fitting in the hand and is easy to grip.
- Lens type: Fisheye diagonals
- How to install: Mounted to DSLR camera
- Aperture: F2.8-F22
- Weight: 370 grams
- Mounting: Sigma (EX and DG), Nikon (EX and DG), Sony/Minolta (EX and DG), Canon (EX and DG), and Pentax Sigma (EX and DG)
8. Nikon AF Fisheye-Nikkor 16mm f/2.8D
The existence of the CRC (Close-Range Correction) feature allows this product to give you excellent performance when taking pictures at various distances.
Whether you're shooting from afar or when you're focused as close as possible, the results are always top-notch. Coated with SIC (Super Integrated Coating), the photos produced by this product become very minimal flare and ghosting.
Not only that, the presence of this layer also makes this product able to produce photos with colors that seem balanced. If you don't want flare and ghosting to spoil the beauty of the object you're shooting, this product is not to be missed.
- Lens type: Fisheye diagonals
- How to install: Mounted to DSLR camera
- Aperture: F2.8-F22
- Weight: 290 grams
- Mounting: F Mount Lens/ FX Format
9. Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 8mm f/1.8 Fisheye PRO /16mm (35mm equivalent)
Included in the Olympus PRO series, this lens is extremely durable, dust-proof, and even freezeproof. You can still use it even in the worst weather. The size is also compact plus it has a fast f / 1.8 maximum aperture. This product is a must-have if you have to take fast-action photos of natural landscapes on rough terrain.
Combined with a 180° wide angle and a maximum zoom of up to 0.20x, you can also use it for astrography. In addition, the combination of HR (High Refractive Index), Super HR, and aspherical lenses makes this product capable of producing high-resolution photos. Cool!
- Lens type: Fisheye diagonals
- How to install: Mounted to Micro Four Third camera
- Aperture: F1.8-F22
- Weight: 315 grams
- Mounting: Micro Four Thirds
10. Canon EF 8-15mm f/4L Fisheye USM
If you are looking for a fisheye lens that can give a diagonal and circular fisheye effect at the same time, this product is the best choice. Specially designed, this lens is able to give you both effects with ease, so versatile and practical!
Not only that, its USM (Ultrasonic Autofocus Motor) lets you zoom-in or zoom-out quickly. The presence of three aspherical elements also makes this product able to give you high-quality photos with captivating clarity.
- Lens type: Diagonal and circular fisheye
- How to install: Mounted to DSLR camera
- Aperture: F4-F22
- Weight: 540 grams
- Mounting: EF-Mount Lens/Full-Frame Format
Conclusion
There are various fisheye lenses that you can use to produce cool and unique photos from different angles. You can choose products with diagonal fisheye or circular fisheye effects according to your preferences.
In addition, also check the installation method and the aperture owned by the lens. By choosing the right product, of course your photos will be more beautiful. Have fun photographing landscapes and various objects you like!
