Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 8mm f/1.8 Fisheye Pro Lens for Micro Four Thirds, Black

2022-03-03T19:00:00

Adding some thoughts to what other users of this lens have already mentioned.... The combination of a fast fisheye with computational photography makes this lens much more versatile than other fisheyes. IT can de-fish not only in-camera, but in the viewfinder, so it effectively becomes a rectilinear F1.8 super wide angle; The digital teleconverter in OM cameras that takes the sharpest central area of the image and upsamples it turns this lens into a 32mm F1.8 fast, rectilinear street photography lens. Whereas there is no substitute for a properly-used fisheye perspective for any number of memorable super-wide-angle images, the added versatility of this lens when combined with an OM body makes it a more compelling alternative to the other super wide angle M.Zuiko pro lenses: the 8-25 F4.0 and the 7-14 F2.8. Compared to those two wide angle zooms, this lens is smaller, lighter, much faster and offers what many shooters consider a more dramatic perspective for ultra-wide-angle images (i.e., fisheye) while also allowing very wide and medium wide rectilinear views. For all of those reasons, this lens arguably represents a better alternative to the ultra-wide-angle Pro zooms. It does require additional skill to use effectively compared to a wide angle rectilinear zoom.

Mark

Originally posted at

2021-09-08T20:00:00

This is a PRO quality lens in terms of construction and optics. A fisheye lens may not be for everyone, but the E-M1 Mark II and E-M1 Mark III offer in body fisheye correction, which is working quite well for me. This was a much smaller lens than I expected it to be, easily the smallest PRO lens in the m.Zuiko lineup. The field of view is 180 degrees, somewhat less if you use in body fisheye correction. My primary interests are landscape and wildlife, and for the former this renders quality images corner to corner, corrected or not. I do not pixel peep, I shoot for the enjoyment of photography and to improve my skill set. If a wide angle prime interests you, it is difficult to get more wide than this, and you have the build and optical quality of a m.Zuikoi lens.

Roger

Originally posted at

2020-12-10T19:00:00

Super sharp. Awesome lens for starscapes. You can really reach into the heavens with this lens . The 1.8 aperture and wide angle allow for a lot of light to reach the sensor. The fisheye adds an interesting creative look.

Bob

Originally posted at

2019-09-15T20:00:00

Very fast fisheye lens. More of a specialty lens. Those on a budget should check out the Olympus 9-18mm lens - one of my favorites.

SN_TX

Originally posted at

2019-07-22T20:00:00

For a good while I shot with third party fisheye, 2 stops slower and non-weather sealed. I was telling myself that this was a specialty lens, I had an excellent 7-14/2.8 for other ultra-wide needs, so it had to suffice. Then at one of Olympus events I got a chance to handle FE 8/1.8 and all self-convincing came to a crashing end. The lens is just that great. Being a little larger than third party one, it's still quite small. 1.8 aperture makes it incredible for astro photography and, surprisingly, for some unusual close-up shots with blurry background. Ease of turning the image into rectilinear on latest bodies just adds to versatility. Play a bit with lens positioning and angles, and you'll discover amazing versatility of distortions or lack of them to make an image uniquely suited for your vision and your subject All in all, this is very versatile and very fun lens.

Vadym

Originally posted at

2019-07-12T08:15:44

Excellent Build Quality and opens creative opportunities.

JAMES I.

2019-02-24T19:00:00

I already had the 7-14 Pro when I added the 8mm Fisheye after seeing the images others were getting. The lenses are so different, and both get used a lot. As you get to know the angles and positioning, this lens can be as distorted as you want, or quite rectilinear, particularly as you move your vertical position up and down. With the optional in-body fisheye correction on the M1ii you can get 3 different lens angles besides the fisheye effect. If this were a full circular fisheye I wouldn?t want it. It?s very small and easy to put in a pocket to bring along when your bag is full of other gear! Like all the Pro lenses, the weather sealing and focus clutch are very useful. The front glass is less bulbous than the 7-14 and seems easier to keep clean. Obviously can?t use any filter with it as you can with adapters for the 7-14. Very sharp and tons of depth of field as you would expect.

Morey

Originally posted at

2018-10-23T20:00:00

Extremely sharp when stopped down corner to corner. With such a wide angle of view and close focus ability, the limit of this lens is up to the limits of your imagination. The 8mm Focal length fish eye can be difficult to use in the beginning but once you have this on your camera and start shooting you can come up with some very interesting angles and capture everything in front of you or something very up close to yield a perspective that's very seldom seen. It's best paired with an OMD em 1 mkii and its built in defishing algorithms, this lens will be unleashed. With an aperture of F1.8 your night sky images will be low noise and cause less star trailing while capturing a full bodied milkyway unless there's a lot of light pollution. For such a wide angle its very compact and light. It can be paired with smaller bodies too.

Ken

Originally posted at

2018-03-14T20:00:00

Possibly the the most fun I have had with an ultra wide. This fisheye gives you a whole new perspective. Its easy to use, and has fantastic build quality. Works perfect for sweeping landscapes and tight spaces. Also a joy for night photography.

c

Originally posted at

2017-12-10T19:00:00

Great lens! Like others have mentioned, this is not an everyday lens. In fact, I think some people can overdo it with a fisheye, But for certain shots, it's a must! Very sharp lens, providing a unique perspective of your subjects. Also, you can achieve some seriously wide angle landscape shots with minimal distortion when you line up the horizon in the center of your frame. Size is perfect. Much smaller than the original 4/3 version. You won't be disappointed.

Scott

Originally posted at

2017-09-24T20:00:00

There aren't a ton of occasions a fisheye is "necessary," but that doesn't mean there shouldn't be an extremely high-quality option for those times that it is. The lens is durable and weighty to the extent that you don't have to worry about it, but not so weighty as to be annoying to carry. More importantly, it shoots beautiful, crisp images! If you can see yourself using a fisheye, THIS is the one to get.

mc_gatty

Originally posted at

2016-01-01T19:29:56

I was hard-pressed to switch from my old Olympus 4/3-system fisheye to this little lens -- I'd done work I loved with the big fisheye, and was resigned to using it with an adapter on my micro-4/3 body. But once I got a taste of using this little gem, there was no going back. This lens is light, focuses really fast, and is both optically fast and can focus very close to the lens -- so you've got all sorts of new creative possibilities with it. No, fisheyes aren't for every occasion, and this is hardly a cheap one at that -- but it's worth every penny you'll pay, and you'll love the photos it will help you take.

Eric S.