ProOptic 8mm f/3.5 Manual Focus, Fish Eye Lens with Canon EOS Mount

2013-04-22T21:00:00

A lot of fun

LEO K.

2013-03-10T21:00:00

Probably one of my favorite lenses.

Lost T.

2012-12-05T19:00:00

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

2012-05-26T21:00:00

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

bubles

2012-04-12T21:00:00

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.

2012-02-22T19:00:00

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

2012-02-13T19:00:00

To bad it's not a full framer

HAROLD H.

2012-01-29T19:00:00

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.

Edward M.

2012-01-29T19:00:00

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

sunrisesunsetphoto

2011-12-11T19:00:00

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

2011-11-13T19:00:00

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.

2011-11-13T19:00:00

This is such a great lens especially when you compare the price to other canon fisheye lenses. Although there is no auto focus, it has such a large depth of field you hardly need to change it. I have been using this lens for skiing/snowboarding actions shots, it's alot of fun to use.

Ezra

2011-11-06T19:00:00

I was really surprised by this lens in every which way. i was expecting a cheap plastic lens but it feels nice and solid. It feels very well built. the focus ring and aperture ring rotates smoothly. It also has a sturdy metal camera mount. The image quality of this lens is pretty amazing. it has a little CA but other then that its pretty sharp for a fish eye.

KEVIN W.

2011-10-16T21:00:00

This is a manual focus and manual exposure lens but focus isn't an issue because of it's ultra wide angle. Also, on my Canon DSLR I set it to aperture priority and it works like a charm. A very sharp lens.

KENT O.

2011-10-11T21:00:00

A fun lens

Smokey

2011-09-12T21:00:00

Have to shoot at f3.5, or use tripod, need good light above f3.5

EDWARD H.

2011-09-10T21:00:00

Amazing performance from such a low cost lens! I use it with my EOS 50D & Oly PEN-PL1 (with adapter).

LOU D.

2011-09-07T21:00:00

I use this lens on a Canon Rebel XT that has been converted for infrared photography. The lens is all manuel, but you get use to it. I'm in the habit of leaving it at f/8. At f/8, everything is in focus from near to far. This lens produces amazing detail, even at the corners. The corners aren't as sharp as the rest of the field of view, but very good; very noticeably better than the corners of my Canon EF-S 10-22mm lens at 10mm.

TOM G.

2011-09-04T21:00:00

I use this lens when ever I get a chance, I like the lack of auto-focus, remindes me of the good old days. It's such a wide angle that if you can use f8 or higher you'll have all the depth of field you need. I use it with my Canon 60D, set the camera in AV mode and the camera picks a shutter speed that is 95% of the time right on the money. For the price this is the best lens I've bought yet!

CHIP W.

2011-09-03T21:00:00

It's a cheap fisheye lens because it's doesn't have an automatic focus. But it work very good.

dansolo1982

2011-06-08T21:00:00

After I CLOSE ONE OR TWO STOPS, STARS APPEAR PINPOINT FROM ONE SIDE TO THE OTHER. Good bargain for the price & FUN TO USE.

Yossi H.

2011-03-12T19:00:00

This fisheye lens produces beautiful colors and contrast in images. It's manual focus and manual aperture, but the DOF is broad enough that focus is usually not an issue. This lens is a great value and I would definitely recommend it for anyone looking at a fisheye.

JERRY M.

2011-02-11T19:00:00

I purchased this lens after having researched it thoroughly and was aware that it is full-manual. It seems to be unable to take low-light shots. The lens takes beautiful daylight shots, however. My primary issue there is the chromatic aberration that is evident during any cropping. I can't seem to get rid of it. The only other issue is that my manual focus ring doesn't seem to work. I'm not sure if it's defective or whether that's just a function of this lens. Despite the indicated shortcomings, this is a great lens, and you can't beat it for the money. I would highly recommend it to anyone.

WILL R.

2011-02-07T19:00:00

I took a couple pix of one of Texas' County Court Houses. The lens is remarkably sharp. While you don't get auto focus, you really don't need it. Auto exposure was right on using my canon 7D and Av setting. No need to use manual exposure except is special situations. This is a fun lens. Can't beat it for the price and quality

Railrunner

2011-01-30T19:00:00

This is a fun lens. Manual focus is no problem on my Canon 7D. And while there is no data on f stops, it exposes perfectly in Av mode. It is interesting to see the difference in output with this fish eye and a really wide angle. Whats not to like ?

NORMAN S.

2011-01-11T19:00:00

I bought this lens for shooting HD video and taking shots in low light. Unfortunately, this lens is not fast enough for high speed action shots and low light photos. The biggest complaint is my camera body (Rebel T2i) did not recognize the lens because the lens did not have sync keys on its mount. This meant that my aperture stayed at "00" and i couldnt shoot any faster than 1/60 shutter speed. On the plus side, the price of this lens is UNBEATABLE and if you like to take your time with shots and enjoy the fisheye effect, this lens will do the job very well. When i shot video, the picture seemed to brighten up a bit too. If you have an older SLR, BUY THIS LENS. If you are on a budget or just want a fisheye for fun shooting, BUY THIS LENS. Otherwise, you'll have to shell out 2-3x the amount of money for another lens.

BRADY F.

2011-01-11T19:00:00

I'm not the most accomplished photographer so this is a bit of a learning curve. If you're not used to manually adjusting your lens it will take a little practice, but if you're looking at one of these, you're further along than just a newbie photographer. It just takes some practice like anything else. For the canon, I'm finding it works best set in AV mode. It sets the exposure properly for regular day to day cool shots. I plan to use mine mostly for astrophotography, so I'm used to manually setting up my camera as noted above. For the amount of money I saved, I'm very happy. A more advanced photographer who may want all of the techie features that may come with a more expensive lens may not be happy, though I'm not sure why. Probably not good enough for you if you are a purist. For a commoner like myself, I'm happy. Maybe I don't know better.

MIKE D.

2010-12-28T19:00:00

I use it for wide panorama shots (if you shoot with the line of interest centered, distortion is quite low),distortion that adds impact or accentuates elements and plain fun shots. I like that it's compact, light, easy to use and gives very good results. Great to use on a Canon DSLR using live-view. I honestly have no negative issues with this lens.

Roy

2010-11-13T19:00:00

I find this lens a fun lens to use.It is a manual focus , But don't let that stop you from buying this len s, It's like the old days when cameras where all manual.

Ralph

2010-10-19T21:00:00

[...] First impression:Mechanically, it feels good, solid construction and nice feel of the focus barrel. It fits the 550D and you can mount on the 1D4.I made the mistake to order the EOS version, considering it will be used on Canon bodies. BIG mistake!I intended to buy the Nikon version and use it with an adapter that has the focus confirm chip. Stay away from the Canon version. No communications with the camera, aperture and exposure settings are a guess, and NO focus confirm!This is bare bones: what you pay is what you get. I will sell the lens ASAP, buy the Nikon vDSLR version + the proper adapter.

Wizard O.