Canon full-frame fisheye: EF 8-15mm f/4L or EF 15mm f/2.8 for a 5D?
Asked 7/21/2012
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I’m choosing a fisheye lens for a Canon 5D full-frame body and am considering the Canon EF 8-15mm f/4L and the Canon EF 15mm f/2.8. I understand that on full frame, the 8-15mm can produce a circular fisheye image at the wide end and a diagonal fisheye image at 15mm, while the 15mm prime is a faster lens. For full-frame use, is there a real advantage to the zoom beyond the circular 8mm option? Has anyone compared the image quality, especially sharpness and corner performance, between the two? Are there any other practical things to consider when choosing a fisheye lens?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
14y ago
2 Answers
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The zoom helps with crop sensors but that's not the main reason. Basically on a full frame sensor the 8-15 is two lenses in one, at 8mm it's a full fisheye with a circular image and a 180 degree vertical field of view. At 15mm it's a diagonal fisheye, with 180 degrees corner to corner and no black areas.
Even if you don't want to shoot circular images I would still recommend the L as its reportedly sharper in the corners. The slower maximum aperture really isn't a concern with a fisheye lens as the depth of field is huge at those focal lengths, and camera shake virtually non-existent!
Originally by user1375. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user1375
14y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
On a full-frame Canon body, the EF 8-15mm f/4L offers a real advantage: it effectively gives you two fisheye looks in one lens. At 8mm it produces a circular fisheye image, and at 15mm it gives a diagonal fisheye with roughly 180° corner-to-corner coverage and no black frame edges.
Based on the community feedback, the 8-15mm f/4L is the better choice overall, even if you mainly want to shoot at the 15mm diagonal-fisheye end. It’s reportedly sharper in the corners than the older 15mm f/2.8.
The slower f/4 maximum aperture usually isn’t a major drawback for a fisheye. These ultra-wide focal lengths naturally give very deep depth of field, and camera shake is much less of a concern than with longer lenses.
So if you want the best all-around option for a 5D, the 8-15mm f/4L is the stronger pick, especially for flexibility plus better corner performance.
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