wnagel Loc: Fair Oaks, CA

Has anyone had experience with this lens? The description makes it sound like a fun piece of equipment. All thoughts welcome.

flip1948 Loc: Hamden, CT

Are you sure it's 8-14mm because I cannot find any such Nikon zoom?

They do make an 8-15mm zoom but that is not an ultra-wide, it's a fisheye.

wnagel Loc: Fair Oaks, CA

You are correct, the lens is 8-15. I have seen it called a “fisheye “ as well as “ultra wide”. The real question is, have you used one and what was your experience?

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

Based on my experience with the 14-24mm rectilinear zoom, I would think that this is a lens that calls for having a plan before purchasing it. With such a plan, it would be possible to build a portfolio based on the novel effects that the lens is capable of. Without the plan, I believe there would be some initial novelty, but that it would pretty quickly wear off and the lens would be mostly relegated to a spot on the shelf. It is a fisheye lens, which means that it preserves angles, but bends straight lines. Rectilinear lenses, on the other hand, preserve (at least mostly) straight lines, but distort angles. Making best use of either type of lens requires some study and understanding of how they function and the images they produce. The $1249 price is not exorbitant, but I'd like it better if it were a f/2.8 lens, to better facilitate indoor shooting.

wnagel Loc: Fair Oaks, CA

Thanks. Your answer was most helpful. It may satisfy my GAS attack for a while, but then be relegated to the hardly ever used cabinet.

flip1948 Loc: Hamden, CT

No, I don't own one and have not used one.

I did, however, read Ken Rockwell's review. It is definitely a fisheye. Used on a full frame (FX) Nikon camera it is a circular fisheye at the 8MMS focal length and becomes a full frame (rectangular fisheye) with a 180 degree diagonal angle of view at 15mm. Used on a cropped (DX) sensor camera the circular image does not fill the frame at 8mm, the top and bottom of the circle will be cut off. As such it is better used on an FX camera.

That being said I have owned and used a Sigma 15mm full frame fisheye on my Nikon film cameras. It produces some interesting shots for some subjects, but is not for everything.

One caveat is you had to be careful where you point the camera...if you pointed it down even slightly your feet would end up in the shot.

If you google it you might want to read Rockwell's review...he has some sample images.

Ctrclckws

I used this lens to take some shots of BB-62. Will upload a few later.
It was interesting.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

Yes, I have used it. It goes from untra wide to fish eye all in one zoom. It is a unique lens that I could just could not find a use for. But you may. It is sharp and gets good reviews.

Ctrclckws

Here are some pictures taken of the Battleship USS New Jersey, BB-62, docked in Camden, NJ.
There are four shots, two exterior, two interior.

Shot's were taken from the same vantage point, at both ends of the zoom ranges.

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wnagel Loc: Fair Oaks, CA

Thanks great examples

Blurryeyed Loc: NC Mountains.

Good response.