ProOptic Pro Optic 8mm f/3.5 Manual Focus, Fish Eye Lens with Nikon Mount.

SKU: PRO835NK

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Questions & Answers

Shopper : hi, is the lens hood removable? what happen if i use this on a full frame Nikon Camera?WEI J : No, it is permanent. It doesn't work on FX camera. See Ken Rockwell's review for details. www(dot)kenrockwell(dot)com/tech/8mm-f35.htm It is a great lens for non-full frame cameras through.BRAD D : The lens hood on this lens is not removable; it is permanently attached. I am not sure if this works on a full frame Nikon or not, as I have been using it on a Nikon d200, where it works fine.LLOYD B : Lens hood is fixed. On a Nikon D800 (full frame), the image area is larger than the DX crop rectangle, but smaller than the full frame. Also, the camera did not automatically recognize this as a DX lens, so you need to go into the Image Area menu to choose DX image area, unless you want to manually crop from the somewhat larger image.RYAN C : Hood is not removable. Image circle is for apsc not FF. However it will be operational on FF cameras. You will just have to crop the image. I use it on 5D.RYAN C : Hood is not removable. Image circle is for apsc not FF. However it will be operational on FF cameras. You will just have to crop the image. I use it on 5D.ERIC K : The lens hood is integrated with the lens and doesn't seem to be removable. The lens cap is hard plastic and clips over the hood, so it really isn't a concern in practice. On a full-frame Nikon camera, the picture circle does not cover the whole sensor, so you get a circular picture with a significant area of black in the corners. Setting the camera to DX mode (which is available on the D3/D3s/D800/D600 that I've tried) will produce a full photo. Because it's a manual lens the cameras do not auto-sense it as a DX lens in my experience, so you have to change the framing manually when this lens is attached.DAVID H : No, the lens hood isn't removable. Unless I mis-remember, the lens is supposed to cover a full-frame sensor as well as DX-size. Note that it does not support exposure automation. My only criticism is that the supplied front lens cap does not grip the lens shade very securely. Otherwise, an excellent lens.WENDELL F : The lens hood is not removable. There will be significant vignetting on a FF camera. The lens was not acceptably sharp and I returned it and bought the Nikkor.KETV C/O AARON G : The lens hood is fixed, if you google it you can find people who filed theirs off and the resulting images. With the lens hood on there is heavy odd vignetting with a full frame Nikon camera, could be used for a cool effect but not the most useful full frame. A few web searches will turn up some examples of people who have tested this out. On a crop sensor camera it's a fantastic fisheye and highly recommended.
Shopper : Will it work on D800 in DX mode? Will it brake the mirror ?KENNETH O : Sorry I can't help since I use a D300, but I'll say that used correctly the results are quite good and I've had a lot of fun with it.FRED R : It's a great lens and will work with your camera. And, it will noit break your mirror.DAVID H : Can't answer this question, I'm afraid, because I don't have a D800. But it works fine on my D90.ERIC K : I had both pieces, and saw your question, so I decided to have a look. There is nothing on the back of the lens that sticks out unusually far, so I felt comfortable mounting it to try out. Turning the focus or aperture rings on the lens doesn't cause the back element to move, so that's also encouraging. The short answer is that this lens works in DX mode on the D800, and doesn't cause any physical damage. The longer answer is that there are definitely some usability questions that you'll have to work through. First, it's not secretly an FX lens and there is definitely a black border in the viewfinder. This gives you less visual room to work with in telling if the image is in focus, so you'll have to carefully use the range indexes on the lens to set focus near where you want it, though once you're close it's pretty forgiving. Also, it's not a computerized lens, so you'll need to manually set your D800 to capture the DX area only (24x16) or you'll capture the whole frame with a large black border.KETV C/O AARON G : It will work on a D800. No fear of mirror breakage.
Shopper : Will this lens meter on a Nikon D7000?DAVID W : No unfortunately it will not meter with the D7000. I have a D7000 though and use it often when shooting weddings and the results are fantastic. You can only use it with the camera on the manual setting, and you have to manually set the F-stop on the lens and adjust your white balance on the camera appropriately. It's a little work but well worth it, I've gotten a ton of compliments about it since I've had the lens for a couple years now. It is so wide that you have to be careful not to get yourself or your shadow into the picture as this is easy to do. The auto white balance on the D7K is very smart and this lens puts it to the test at 3.5. If you'd like to see some samples that I've taken with this lens with my D7000 just let me know, I'd be happy to send them to you.BRAD D : I am not certain if it will meter on a D7000. I have a Nikon D200 and it meters very well on that.ADAM T : No. It's fully manual so you need to set the aperture & shutter speed & focus. Wont work w flash either. Usually you need a few test pictures first to see the exposure. Once you have it set you can leave it for most all your spots. Unless the lighting changes drastically of course. This is the give for having it be a fraction of the cost of a Nikkor fisheye. I love the lens though. THOMAS N : The cpu version of this lens will.I know the non cpu lens that I shoot with meters on my d200 and d2h but not my d40....i have to meter manually.this lens works besst set at F5.6-F8 at 200 sec. iso 100 I hope this helps. ShootzA2RANDALL K : Depends on your camera if it can accept non-Nikkor lenses. I use this on my Nikon D300 and it works with the metering, but I have to program it in. My D300 also accepts old nikkor lenses that are not auto-focus. You might need to check to see if your camera can accept these lenses. I don't know much about the D7000. You can also go to a dealership in your area and bring your camera and see if it will work with certain all manual lenses. That is one of the reasons I like the D300 is so it would accept all my old 1970's and 1980's glass. The Nikons below the D300 at the time I bought my camera (2008) did not have this cool feature. Good luckRANDALL W : This is a MANUAL lens, so it will send no data, nor will it communicate with any DSLR. But it is SO easy to use, I have never ever missed the data link, or auto focus.MICHAEL R : This lens will work but will not meter because it's a manual lens. It's very simple to use once you get the hang of it. I would highly recomend it.MELVERN O : It is manual focus, but will meter thru lensJASON A : Yes. I've used this in aperture priority on my D7000. Set the 'non-cpu lens data' for 8mm f/3.5 and you're good to go.

Reviews about this item

Review Summary

2014-04-14T21:00:00

Rated 4 out of 5

Enjoyable lens

Lots of fun taking pictures with such a wide angle. Really good for architecture and dog faces. Manual focus only, but the site information is clear on that. Hard to focus because of large depth of field. Definitely turn on peaking (color marking of in-focus parts of image) if you have it. Very reasonable cost.

Greg R.

2013-06-03T21:00:00

Rated 4 out of 5

Fish Eye

Specialty lens that is well worth the price. Set the focus and forget it. It's that simple. Image quality is quite good.

Rick L.

2013-04-22T21:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Everything I was expecting and more

A lot of fun

LEO K.

2013-04-20T21:00:00

Rated 4 out of 5

Good lens for the price

First of all you can not beat the price. At less than $300 it does what I need. My first few shots using this lens were in one word "Spectacular". We have an Old courthouse built in 1888 and from the first floor you can see all the way to the cupola. I shot straight up (with my D5100) and got beautiful concentric rings of the second and third floors with the brass railing and accent lights. A fisheye except for a very few is not your everyday lens. Thios one does present a few challenges. It is NOT a CPU lens and you can only use it in shutter priority and manual and it is manual focus. You can only playback (at least of my camera) only in those modes as the camera's computer does not recogize that a lens is attached. Attching the lens to the camera is a bit stiff, but considering the price and the fact I needed this lens for a few planned shoots, I can't complain at all. THe optics are excellent, just without the "Bells and Whistles". If you need a fisheye in your kit for now and then shooting, I highly recommend it, if you need a fisheye lens a lot (such for realtors) then you need something a more expensive.

Maverick1854

2013-03-23T21:00:00

Rated 4 out of 5

Great for artistic lines

I initially bought it to get the fish-eye effect. This lens does an amazing job at that, biggest thing is to keep your fingers out of the way don't hold it by the focus ring. As Ken Rockwell mentions focus it once and you will probably never touch it again. My D7100 will meter with when set as a custom lens, and it will give the focus assist. Also be sure to get insanely close to long straight objects and place them near the edges. It's definitely the most fun I have had with a new lens. Added bonus Sun Stars it does a wonderful job.

darin

2013-03-10T21:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Awesome Lens

Probably one of my favorite lenses.

Lost T.

2012-12-05T19:00:00

Rated 4 out of 5

I'm happy with it!

I had a still camera with a fish eye on it. When I changed to a DSLR i really missed that effect, but the image quality from the DSLR it was amazing. I get this lens less than a week ago from Adorama and I'm really happy with it. It has a strong construction and its image quality is incredible, no dark zones in corners and you can have the biggest aperture from your lens during all the way since is manual. The hardest part is indeed the manual focus, you need to be very careful at what are you shooting because doesn't have any exposure information in your camera. Beside that it is a great deal.

AlxDJ

2012-09-23T21:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

great for sherical panoramas

I use it with a Ninja 3 panohead on tripod and PTgui find good control point everytime. Great lens.

VINCENT G.

2012-07-17T21:00:00

Rated 4 out of 5

Great Bang for your Buck!

Great Lens, comes in all sort of names, Bower, Vivitar, Sammy... so just get the cheapest one unless you care about the packaging and brand image. THEY ALL ARE THE SAME and come form the same factory somewhere in Korea.I really wanted to add a fisheye to my collection, problem was they're too expensive. I found this one, cheap compared to its Nikkor Counter parts.It's a bit tricky to put it on at first but you'll get a hang of it in no time.If you are just getting into fisheyes get this one, you won't regret it. It takes great videos, and great photos.If you are still in doubt read Ken Rockwell's review: http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/8mm-f35.htmThis lens was a no brainer for me!

Ediology

2012-06-24T21:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

More than I expected

I'm not used to having lenses that are so exposed, so I'm extra careful. My friend had a try and accidentally touched it with a sweaty strap. so I had to clean it up a little with lens tissue and fluid :( As for the rest, this is one affordable lens that gives so much more for what you pay. Honestly, I didn't expect it to deliver this good results. But it does. It surpassed my expectations.

BebopDesigner

2012-05-26T21:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Just buy one

Great bargain fish eye. Solid with clear optics. Fun, creative lens

bubles

2012-05-10T21:00:00

Rated 4 out of 5

Sharp and more useful than I expected

The construction is of plastic and fine but not really heavy duty. The bayonent mount is tight and a bit sticky for the last couple of mm. It is sharp and clear and while of course it is heavily distorted (at 8mm) it turns out this is not an issue for more shots than I thought.

Paul D.

2012-04-22T21:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Amazing and Fun Lens for a Great Price

I love using this lens! Though it's very job-specific, you will have fun taking unique pics w/a fun fish-eye angle. The only issues to have are the fact you can only shoot in Manual (f-Stop and Shutter Speed) as the Nikon chip will not read the lens. Also, there is no white dot line-up marker, but you'll get the hang of that in no time. Overall an amazing purchase with great glass for the price.

Mike

2012-04-15T21:00:00

Rated 4 out of 5

Pro-Optic (Samyang) 8mm lens review

I use this lens for creating 360 x 180 panoramas used for image based lighting. This was the cheapest fisheye lens I could find yet it has astounded me. At f 8 the lens is sharp, and has very very little lens flare when pointed directly at the sun. Only problem I have found is that the focus ring and the painted scale are off, however there a fixes for this on the internet! (try google) Over all, this inexpensive lens is well worth the price. The quality is actually good and the image sharp (in the hands of a good photographer). Now probably my most used lens.

tek5828

2012-04-12T21:00:00

Rated 4 out of 5

Get this lens!

This is a manual focus lens, but that's not really a problem, almost everything will be in focus if you set it for a focus in the middle of the focus range you want (called "Hyperfocal distance"). Colors are deep and rich, contrast is excellent (too good, sometimes), and my copy is plenty sharp when stopped down a few clicks (I don't know how sharp it is wide open at 3.5 since I've never used it there). The curvature of the fisheye-effect is visible, but not super pronounced; I find that with landscape photography, if I keep the shot lined up with the horizon in the middle, curvature is not even noticeable unless you have a vertical straight line near the far left or right of the frame (see my included pic as a good illustration of this point). Also, there is software available that does an incredible job of 'flattening' fisheye pics to remove any curvature; oh, the wonders of computers... Because this lens has such a wide angle (167 degrees on Canon crop sensors, like my Rebel XSi, a full 180 degrees on other brands like Nikon), if it's a bright sunny day, your frame will include the full gamut of lighting, from bright sun to deep shade, and digital cameras don't have that much dynamic range; I find that taking pictures with the XSi in daylight, I have to set exposure compensation between -1 1/3 to -2 full stops to keep from totally blowing out most of the sky. With this lens, I find that I must check the histogram of each picture to see if *anything* bright is blown (not just highlights!), and comp down appropriately. I never used to pay attention to histograms, but with this lens I must; it has been a learning experience, and it doesn't bother me. This is my first fisheye, and they are a different beast for sure. I originally wanted a regular wide lens, but they are very expensive, and this 8mm was about half the price of the cheapest wides, so this was my choice, and I am very, very pleased with it. In fact, I can just crop my pics and have the equivalent of any lens between 8mm and 18mm (where my 18-135mm lens starts). I'm no longer shopping for a wide-angle lens, I've got such a good one in this fisheye! To use, I set my XSi to Aperture-priority, check my focus ring (I leave it set at about 8' all the time, and most everything from 2 feet - infinity will be in focus), and check my aperture ring setting (usually f5.6 - f11), then take a test pic, check the histogram, and set my exposure comp accordingly to protect my highlights. Easy! And second-nature to me now. I only have two complaints: firstly, the aperture ring is thin and right up to the camera body, and the overhang of the built-in flash covers it, making it problematic to see (especially without my glasses); secondly, when removing the lens, about the only place to grip it where you can twist the lens is on the built-in lens hood, so be careful not to get hand prints all over that huge curved glass in front (good luck, it takes practice). But these are minor. This has lens has been lots of fun, and I keep it in my camera bag and use it almost every time I take pictures outdoors (and it is essential for indoor wide shots). Get it! It's a bargain.

Sir Y.

2012-04-02T21:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Great Deal!

Want a true wide angle, almost fisheye lens without spending the dough that Nikon demands? This lens is for you! It's manual focus, but at this wide an angle, the DoF is extremely deep making focusing a matter of simply reading the scale. It's sharp, clear, smooth, made of metal, and durable. An all around great deal on an aftermarket lens. The price difference between this and the closest thing to it that Nikon offers is significant. The quality of the image and the build of the lens is the same however.

JIM S.

2012-04-01T21:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Super value

I've been wanting a fisheye for years buy couldn't justify the price of a dedicated lens for the number of applications. However, this is a super product for the price. Just about every shot may be made more creative by using this lens. You cannot imagine in your mind's eye what this will do so you have to try. Absence of autofocus is a pain, but the $1,000 savings more than makes up for it. Do not buy this lens. I want to keep this a secret for myself.

Hercky

2012-03-25T21:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Best photo bargain around

So happy I bought this. Good images. Requires getting used to. Not for every photo. Sometimes you have to take the pictures and only then decide whether it's worth keeping. Great for experimentation.

PETER H.

2012-02-22T19:00:00

Rated 4 out of 5

Good fisheye for the money

Harvey, it should work on your 7 D with proper adaptor The problem with any fisheye is its limited use and the fact it needs extra light. all the more reason not to spend a fortune on one.

milertym

2012-02-20T19:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Pro-Optic 8mm f/3.5 Fisheye

Cool fisheye effect is a must in my bag of lenses. Sharp, light, cheaper then autofocus lenses.

Michidan

2012-02-13T19:00:00

Rated 4 out of 5

Works fine

To bad it's not a full framer

HAROLD H.

2012-01-29T19:00:00

Rated 4 out of 5

Fun to experiment with

A nifty gizmo for the price, I'm still exploring uses for this lens and having fun doing so. When you really need a fisheye nothing else will do, and this one fills the perfomance/price bill. Sharpens significantly when stopped down a bit. No autofocus (pretty worthless feature on a fisheye anyway IMO), so you need to be attentive to f-stop and focus ring. Tremendous DOF in daylight at f/8. For astrophotographers - if using an EOS clip filter on a modified body, focus for infinity will be almost all the way to the close focus end of the focus ring.

ED M.

2012-01-29T19:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

excellent product for niche use

This is a niche product which is great for unusual landscape shots and for specialty shots at events.

sunrisesunsetphoto

2012-01-22T19:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Nikon Pro-Optic 8 mm, outstanding!

Wonderful lens to render that special difference. The curvature can be controlled, also can be used to effectively add interest to special shots especially architectural.

WD

2012-01-22T19:00:00

Rated 4 out of 5

Catch this Fish!

I use it with my Nikon and my Sony NEX

JAMIE Z.

2012-01-15T19:00:00

Rated 4 out of 5

Bargain price and gets the job done

Possibly not as good as the much more expensive oem alternatives... Don't have any to compare it to, but lots better than the converters I have tried. For the limited use it will get it is a clear choice over the brand models, and has no obvious flaws. With adapters the Nikon model will fit just about anything, and since manual focus and exposure are preferred at this focal length I am now done getting fisheyes.

anon

2011-12-21T19:00:00

Rated 1 out of 5

Bad Sample?

Hopefully this was a bad sample and it says alot about quality control. To say no part of the frame was in focus would be generous. After viewing first 3 images, double checked focus and took several more. Looks like a screw in fisheye attachment. Will send back and perhaps try another.

WILLIAM A.

2011-12-11T19:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

A cure for photographer's block

I bought this for myself as a birthday present. It isn't the kind of thing I use every day. This is something I pull out when I want a photo to have a different "look", or when I'm feeling creatively blocked. The object in the center of the frame looks normal, while the surrounding area gradually gets more and more compressed as you look to the edges of the frame...it can be a very cool look! I've had a surprising amount of fun with this lens, and it has helped my photography by making me more conscious of what is at the edges and corners of the frame.

Pizzaman

2011-12-04T19:00:00

Rated 4 out of 5

Excellent fisheye

For the price, it's unbeatable. Excellent optics and as a fisheye, the lack of auto-focus can't be a dealbreaker. The front lens cap is very poorly made, but there is little solution for it. The rear lens cap may as well sit on your shelf as a back-up if you have extra Nikon caps around. If not, the extra five bucks to get one is about as close to a must-buy as there can be.

James K.

2011-11-13T19:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Lots of bang for the buck !

Wanted a fisheye for some time now. The cost allways put me off for some thing I would use occasionaly. This lens fit the bill. I used it to take some close up shots of myself and my guitar player on stage with just the house lights. The shots turned out great. I used the suggestion from another review" set the focus on 2 foot and the apeture on F8" and most every thing is in focus from near to far.There is a learning curve since the lens is manuel every thing. I set my Canon 50D on manuel and adjust the shot as required with ISO, and apature. You can set the Canon to AV and get good results to.Just remember the camera won't comunicate with this lens. If I broke this lens today I would order another to replace it, I'm fully satisfied with what it is and what it does.

MICHAEL R.

About ProOptic 8mm F/3.5

FEATURED REVIEWS

Very nice lens

By RUSSELL G.

Great lens. The Distortion at the edge is not as bad as normal fisheyes that enlarge the center and compress the edges; This projection makes a persons head appear round, even at the corners. Focus is sharp (and depth of field is huge). The Picture on Adorama didn't show a Pentax mount, fortunately the KR mount lens they ship does have the A setting on the aperature ring. This lens is designed by Samyang in Korea, if you want to check the web for detailed reviews and sample pictures.

BEST FISHEYE FOR THE MONEY

By BAHA A.

Can NOT beat this lens when it comes to being wide. I use it with my Canon EOS 7D and the picture quality is unbeatable. I love everything about this lens. And for about $300 you will not find anything better!

The 8mm f/3.5 Pro Optic Fish-Eye CS lens is a breakthrough in optical design producing the first affordable fish-eye lens designed for digital SLRs that have APS-sized sensors. APS-C sensors have a multiplication factor of 1.5 or 1.6x so the effect the lens produces will vary slightly between cameras. The well-constructed and precision designed lens features a built in lens hood and a sturdy locking lens cap to protect the large front element from damage when it's stored or not being used to make photographs. The optical construction consists of ten elements in seven groups and is computer optimized to produce clear, crisp photographs, which is critical with a lens like this that is capable of extreme depth-of-field. When set at f/22 the result is a great range in depth-of-field that makes focusing less critical.The field of view with the APS-sized sensor is a full 180° producing the kind of super wide-angle view found only in much more expensive lenses. With a close focusing distance of just 12 inches and its outstanding angle-of-view and deep depth-of-field, users will be able to produce truly unusual and dramatic close-up photographs. The compact size makes ideal for travel photographers who want to add new perspectives to their work. The lens is also perfect for architectural interiors, landscapes, and special effects photography. And for infra-red eXPLORers this lens will open up a new world.

Needs manual metering