Samyang 8mm f/3.5 HD Fisheye Manual Focusing Lens with Removable Hood for Canon

2018-12-17T15:53:01

I've always wanted to experiment with a fisheye lens; this lens was at a super-reasonable price so I decided to go for it.But a fisheye it isn't, despite what it says on the box. It's a very wide-angle (roughly 180 degrees) but the fisheye effect can't be found, either on a full-frame or an APS-C sensor. So I'll keep it, because I can use an ultra-wide angle, but I need to keep searching for a true fisheye at a reasonable price.

JOHN P.

2018-11-03T11:04:46

Bought this on impulse because it was a great deal and the reviews were good. Using the Canon EF mount on a Sony A7III via a Sigma adapter worked fine. The circular fish eye view was neat (especially if you take off the hood). This really shined using the Super35 crop mode on the Sony. It gave a really wide field of view that worked perfectly in a tight space. Of course there's distortion but that's the nature of the lens. The first time out with it gave me shots I loved. I shared it with a friend (also using a Sony A7III and Sigma adapter) and she loved it. She's buying one. The build quality was fine. Easy enough to work around setting the aperture on the lens and the lack of auto focus and confirmation.

HENRY L.

2018-10-26T15:14:46

I own a number of Sammy/Roki lenses for both my D500 and D810 cameras. Great value, always sharp and built well. I’ve used these for astro photography as well as landscape and love them all.I don’t mind them being manual focus since that is perfect for astro/landscape work.The sample photo shows how wide it is on my D500, it makes the inside of my camper look huge! :-)I highly recommend them for anyone looking for an inexpensive quality lens.

MARK F.

2018-08-07T12:35:30

Very solid lens made of metal and quality plastics. The f-stop ring turns smoothly and clicks into each position. A very well mad lens. Shooting at f3.5 the photos are slightly blurry. At every other f-stop the pictures are very crisp. I would recommend this lens to a friend.

TODD H.

2018-07-25T11:38:20

Really like this lens good quality pictures and it's made me take my camera out of auto mode and learn how to use the manual settings

MATT O.

2017-09-19T11:12:31

if it only had one issue that didn't work for me , i would have kept the lens. but with 2 major issues against it, i returned the lens. fortunately i got an answer to a question on the review segment. 1. since i have full frame camera i would need to crop very photo. 2. with out magnification possible, i wouldn't get distorted photos of tall buildings ( makes for some very cool photos). BTW Adorama were a class act & graciously took my return!!

erick l.

2017-07-04T10:55:30

It's out of the box ready to go. It performs exactly as I thought it would. Provides cool effects with the 180 degree field of view. Well built.

John H.

2013-04-01T21:00:00

This is the first fish eye lens I've owned. I own several Canon L-lens and other Canon non-L and other manufacturers. This lens is built rather well. Its construction is a strong (posh) plastic. You'll be hard pressed to tell it isn't metal. The aperature ring is nice and solid, with good detents to feel when you're on a stop. The focus is mildly stiff, however, as you will learn, the focus on a fish eye like this is not really tough to manage. Set it for 3 to 5 feet and shoot away happy that you'll be in focus. I used this lens first in low light at a band concert. It worked really well at f/3.5 and lower. I tested my copy before hand and pixel-peeped, stopping down and taking test shots. At 5.6 to 8 the lens is as sharp as it is going to get. It's a fish eye, so remember, you're not zoomed in. Everything is far away from you. That's why focus becomes irrelevant. Forget that the lens doesn't supply any info to Canon body. It really makes no difference. Look through the view finder, plan your shot and take it. I am a fanatic about setting up a scene, but again, this is a fish eye. The scene is bigger than you can see. I bought the lens with the intention of taking it to Disneyland in another couple months, and it is going. It travels very well. It's light and sturdy. Mine came with an imitation leather bag with draw strings. Be careful with the lens as the glass protrudes out. I found myself walking right up to an object looking through the viewfinder, thinking I was many feet away, when in fact I was less than an inch. I've tested it maninly for stills although I did take some video. The focus on this is not well suited for a geared follow-focus (would it be necessary??). Being so wide you can hand hold and walk with this lens and the video looks like it's IS. My photos were all on a crop-sensor, 60D. I have a 5D MkII coming in next week. If Adorama lets me edit this review, I'll include a discussion of the image on a full frame.

Michael B.

2013-03-19T21:00:00

I don't know why there is no REVIEW for the SAMYANG 8mm but the ROKINON lot of people write about it, the SAMYANG is the mother of all other similar lens with different brand out there... trust me get the ORIGINAL one made in Korea I'm glad I made an excellent choice I'm not regret about it its worth EVERY SINGLE penny invested on this GLASS. How I use the product well I'm not sure YET but I try it with an actual JOB its came out AWESOME client very satisfy. The great think about this lens is the GLASS elements capture everything super sharp even in a LOW LIGHT with no FLASH. I don't like the lens COVER and the HOOD they are made out of a CHEAP very CHEAP plastic . After long research I almost buy the CANON FISHEYES than I figure out I'm not going to use it all the TIME and the price was sooo expensive, than a friend of mine recommend me the original SAMYANG made in Korea... I like it so much that I definitely recommend to everyone. But be careful "IF YOU ARE NOT A PRO photographer don't buy it" because this lens are 100% MANUAL you need to know your GEAR "Camera"

ALEXIS L.

2013-01-21T19:00:00

I use this lens a lot when snowboarding, rockclimbing and slacklining. It's a small lens that allows you to get large sujects in the frame when only a few feet away.

kris