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

2013-06-03T21:00:00

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.

2013-04-20T21:00:00

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

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

2012-09-23T21:00:00

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

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

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

2012-05-10T21:00:00

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

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

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

2012-04-02T21:00:00

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

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

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.

2012-01-22T19:00:00

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

I use it with my Nikon and my Sony NEX

JAMIE Z.

2012-01-15T19:00:00

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

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.

2011-12-04T19:00:00

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.

2011-09-04T21:00:00

Fun alternate lens for experimenting. Seems well made.

Jim B.

2011-09-03T21:00:00

Great for wide landscape shots as long as you're careful to hold the camera level - if you don't the horizon will be warped. You can take a single shot, crop out the top and bottom, and have an instant panorama with no stitching involved. (This doesn't work so well if there's anything in the near field at the sides of your frame - those things will be very warped.) Good, sharp optics, and a pleasant projection which fills the frame. Fixed aperture, but that's not a big deal - even at f/3.5, an 8mm lens is going to have pretty much everything in focus. (Just set the focus distance to 3 feet and leave it there. Everything from 1.5 feet to infinity will be within your depth of field.) This isn't an autofocus lens, so it might be a good idea to set the focus at 3 feet, as mentioned above, and tape it down. You probably won't notice if the focus ring gets knocked off of 3 feet, and it could affect the near limit of focus. Not everyone needs a fisheye lens, but if you do, this is a good, and inexpensive, choice for a Nikon DX camera.

John B.

2011-09-03T21:00:00

Fisheye photography sure is fun, but the price of a good super wide-angle lens is enough to deter most casual photographers. Enter the Pro-Optic 8mm. Unbeatable for it's price, this lens is a great way to shoot fisheye and not go broke in the process. There are surely better lenses, but none in this price range. It may even give lenses that are twice the price a good run for their money. Hit Ken Rockwell's always insightful site for some actual hard data and comparison shots, you will be surprised how well it performs. Having said that, some things are less than ideal. Most cameras will yield you no metering with it, which is fine by me, but will no doubt annoy some people. It is fully manual, which works great with aperture but not with focus. Focusing a 180º image on your tiny viewfinder is next to impossible, so get used to a lot of guesstimate and trial-and-error. Note: This is a full-frame fisheye, not a circular, so it will give you a full curved image and not a circle with black edges.

Konil

2011-09-03T21:00:00

It's a great DX fisheye that can't be beat for the price.

icewtr

2011-09-03T21:00:00

having an aperture ring makes it easy to adapt to one of Sony's mirrorless cameras with an adapter

lapdog99

2011-05-16T21:00:00

I live and shoot for a major college campus (maze block M). This lens works great for campus panoramic and interior images. I love the high contrast especially when using HDR. 3 of my pro friends have purchased this lens after seeing the images from mine. By the way great for a new perspective on weddings and portraits........

THOMAS N.

2011-03-23T21:00:00

really nice for pics, but mainly been shooting video with it,got lense for xmas,using it with d5000...

dan b.

2011-01-26T19:00:00

I am a photographer who sticks with Nikkor lenses. After being burned by Tamaron and Sigma lenses decades ago, I have only invested in Nikkor glass since. Recently, I was looking for an ultra wide angle lens, and Nikon offerings were not very promising. The price for the Nikkor ultra wide products was extreme, and the image quality was mediocre at best. I researched the Pro-Optic 8mm, and after reading several sterling reviews, (the best of which is on Ken Rockwell's site) I decided to test Adorama's return policy if necessary, and take a chance on the Korean Pro-Optic 8mm lens. I was not only impressed, I was thrilled. The lens is bright, sharp, and by f/5.6, it's as sharp or sharper, and has less lateral color fringes than the exotic Nikon 8mm f/2.8 or Nikon 10.5mm 2.8 G. Of course, this is a manual focus lens, but focusing is not really an issue. If the photographer guesses the distance at greater than one foot, sets the focusing ring accordingly, and the aperture at f5.6 or better, the fantastic depth of field does the job for him. This lens has an aperture ring, so it will only meter appropriately on cameras that allow aperture ring use. Among Nikon cameras, these include the D200, the D300, the D700 and of course the D2 and D3. Just go into the CPU menu and enter the lens values, and the result is metering in aperture priority and manual modes with full EXIF data. If you are shooting with a D40, D5000 or similar gear, there is no way to meter through the camera. You will have to guesstimate exposure using the sunny 16 rule or use a hand held light meter. The lens diaphragm consists of six straight blades, and stops down to f/22. Angle of view is 180 degrees. The barrel and focusing ring are metal, most likely aluminum. The lens mount is stainless steel, attached with screws. The aperture ring and lens shade are tough plastic. The lens functions smoothly and easily, without any catches or glitches. If the focus ring is set to 1 foot and the aperture to f/5.6, focus will be tack sharp from a foot to infinity. If you own a DX format camera and are looking for an ultra wide angle fisheye lens, Look no farther. Have no hesitation. This is the one.

JIM S.

2011-01-25T19:00:00

I use this lens for landscapes, some macro, and some with dogs. You can't beat the price on this lens and I am more than happy with the results I'm getting. I consider fish-eye lenses as sort of a novelty and this one is the right price and abilities for what I want to do.

DAVID E.

2011-01-15T19:00:00

This is a super lens for the money! The nice price tag comes with the compromise that it is a full manual lens. However, this Is not a big deal - focus is easy given the forgiving depth of field of the fisheye, and manual aperture is acceptable for the situations for which I use this lens.

MKD

2010-12-08T19:00:00

Great for creative stuff having fun with subjects as well as landscapes gives an affordable option to Nikon at half the price. No data or comm with the camera but simply manually set the f stop and focus to infinity since not much more matters shooting at this angle.

KEVIN B.

2010-10-30T21:00:00

Very sharp at f/5 and optimum at f/8

Chief

2010-07-25T21:00:00

It was easy to use right out of the box. Proves you do't have to pay alot for a decent fisheye.

Gravy