Sigma 8mm F/3.5 EX DG Circular Fisheye

[producerism]

please add the this to the lens archive, I noticed the Sigma 8mm was missing, and I would really love to see some examples other than the very few from google. :D

[Swift1]

I'd love to see some samples with this lens as well.

[ZeroFiveOne]

Anyone?

I'm in need of some justification to buy this lens! :D

[folville]

I have this lens. It's pretty nice as far as fisheyes go, but if you're looking to justify your need for it, you'll probably end up disappointed. Like I said, this lens is great for what it does (it has excellent optics, is pretty sharp, and focuses fairly quickly [and close for that matter]), but it's applications are limited.

I'll post samples later.

[folville]

Ok, here are some samples. Let me first say that this lens is sharp and extremely good at producing pleasing colors and contrast. None of the following photos has any PP at all other than resizing.

http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/6295/img6137webqu4.th.jpg (http://img69.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img6137webqu4.jpg)
this is to give you an idea of the sort of bokeh this lens produces

http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/3599/sharpnesstestut0.th.jpg (http://img69.imageshack.us/my.php?image=sharpnesstestut0.jpg)
This should also give you an idea of the sharpness this lens has. It is focused just a bit behind the edge of the surface of the birdbath. It is wide open at f/3.5.

http://img475.imageshack.us/img475/4633/fisheyesky2sh7.th.jpg (http://img475.imageshack.us/my.php?image=fisheyesky2sh7.jpg)
Gawk at the colors this lens can reproduce without a c-pol (which would be hard to attach, i suppose).

Also of note is the incredible distance at which this lens can focus. The shot of the birdbath made me put two of my fingers between the birdbath and the lens, and that was it. I do that because I'm afraid of scratching the objective element on something because I'm fairly confident that I would actually hit the object before the lens failed to focus on it. I'll see if I can also find a sample of flare in this lens, which I feel is the best that i've even seen.

[El Duderino]

The lens definitely produces a cool effect, but overall I don't see the usefulness of it.

Personally, I would only want to use it in special circumstances.

[folville]

That's the problem. This lens' usefulness is short lived. I'd say that if somebody is in the market for a fisheye in the canon mount, then this is the lens to buy, but otherwise, it's a pretty big waste of money.

[AirBrontosaurus]

Psh... fisheyes are incredibly versatile with a little photoshop knowhow. The Peleng 8mm fisheye writeup link in my sig details what you can do with a fisheye lens.

I agree that you don't want to use them everywhere, but at the same time I don't think that they are a "novelty" lens. As long as you don't go overboard, the shots fisheyes produce leave a lot of room for creativity.


That being said, I'd buy the Peleng over the sigma. 1/2 of the cost and just as good (no AF, but it isn't necessary because of the extreme DOF).

[angryhampster]

The lens definitely produces a cool effect, but overall I don't see the usefulness of it.

Personally, I would only want to use it in special circumstances.



It would be a killer lens for certain sports...especially extreme sports. I want one :)

[ZeroFiveOne]

Ok, here are some samples. Let me first say that this lens is sharp and extremely good at producing pleasing colors and contrast. None of the following photos has any PP at all other than resizing.


Also of note is the incredible distance at which this lens can focus. The shot of the birdbath made me put two of my fingers between the birdbath and the lens, and that was it. I do that because I'm afraid of scratching the objective element on something because I'm fairly confident that I would actually hit the object before the lens failed to focus on it. I'll see if I can also find a sample of flare in this lens, which I feel is the best that i've even seen.

Thanks for taking the time to post those examples. I was wondering why your fingers were in that shot. Amazing that it will focus that close:eek:

[Kickstart]

Hi

I bought one but haven't yet had a chance to use it for its intended purpose.

It is quite fun to use. Especially for extremely unflattering portraits.

This was the underside of a bridge (cropped a bit):-

http://www.alfa-pages.co.uk/TempPicture/BackGrounds/Bridge%201024x768.jpg

This is of one of our bikes. You can see a fair bit of purple fringing on the left where the light was coming from.

http://www.alfa-pages.co.uk/TempPicture/FishEyeFull.JPG

Down side is that it is very easy to get bits of yourself in the shot.

All the best

Keith

[Kickstart]

Hi

One thing I have noticed is that it makes cloudy skys far more interesting. Adds more contrast between the clouds and the bits between them.

All the best

Keith

[jcw122]

So amazing, though the Peleng is half the price....

[mophoto]

Ok, here are some samples. Let me first say that this lens is sharp and extremely good at producing pleasing colors and contrast. None of the following photos has any PP at all other than resizing.

http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/6295/img6137webqu4.th.jpg (http://img69.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img6137webqu4.jpg)
this is to give you an idea of the sort of bokeh this lens produces

http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/3599/sharpnesstestut0.th.jpg (http://img69.imageshack.us/my.php?image=sharpnesstestut0.jpg)
This should also give you an idea of the sharpness this lens has. It is focused just a bit behind the edge of the surface of the birdbath. It is wide open at f/3.5.

http://img475.imageshack.us/img475/4633/fisheyesky2sh7.th.jpg (http://img475.imageshack.us/my.php?image=fisheyesky2sh7.jpg)
Gawk at the colors this lens can reproduce without a c-pol (which would be hard to attach, i suppose).

Also of note is the incredible distance at which this lens can focus. The shot of the birdbath made me put two of my fingers between the birdbath and the lens, and that was it. I do that because I'm afraid of scratching the objective element on something because I'm fairly confident that I would actually hit the object before the lens failed to focus on it. I'll see if I can also find a sample of flare in this lens, which I feel is the best that i've even seen.
Folville-
I notice your first and third shots have black vignetting in the corners- how do you avoid that? I just bought the 8mm for my canon 20D and noticed the same thing. When I called B&H they said the lens may be defective?? Is that right? I don't want the vignetting and if that's normal, maybe I should try the Tokina 10-17mm--- what do you think?
Thanks!!

[wimg]

Folville-
I notice your first and third shots have black vignetting in the corners- how do you avoid that? I just bought the 8mm for my canon 20D and noticed the same thing. When I called B&H they said the lens may be defective?? Is that right? I don't want the vignetting and if that's normal, maybe I should try the Tokina 10-17mm--- what do you think?
Thanks!!
I am not Folville, but I can answer your question regardless :).

The guy you spoke to at B&H clearly hasn't got a clue.

Essentially, the Sigma (and Peleng) 8 mm fisheyes are circular fisheyes, for FF. This means they project their image in a circle just fitting within the 24 mm height of a 24 X 36 mm frame. Actually, this circle is about 23 mm in diameter, resulting in a circular image with black all aroun dit for the rest of the frame size.

If you superimpose the APS-C sensor over the centre of this circle, you'll find that the diagonal of the sensor is just a little larger than the image projected, hence resulting in black corners on an APS-C sensor.

So, while the diagonal is still a 180 degree AoV, it does have the side effect of black corners.

If you want the frame to be filled completely, you'll need a 180 degree diagonal fisheye for APS-C, which indeed is the Tokina 10-17 at 10 mm. And it is the only one of its kind, as the Pentax design, the original, is essentially optically the same.

Furthermore, IMO the zoom function is a gimmick, because you'll want to use at 10 mm, 180 degree AoV normally, except for one side benefit: at 12-13 mm it is a 180 degree diagonal fisheye for APS-H, and at 15 mm for FF. 3 lenses for the price of one :).

Anyway, HTH, kind regards, Wim

[folville]

I can't get into any of the 'math' involved in calcualting this sort of thing, but what wimg said about the Sigma is true. On an APS-C sensor like my 30D or your 20D, the Sigma's projected image will always have the vignetting as you see it in my non-cropped samples. If you would be bothered by that, I suggest you cancel your order immediately because it's not going anywhere. As for flare, contrast, BQ, IQ, etc on the Tokina, I cannot comment, but I haven't really heard anything too negative about it, so it's certainly worth a look.

[DavidPhoto]

bump for some better sample images (particularly on an aps-c)

[GAELICSTORM7]

I've just received the Peleng 8mm, if I get chance tomorrow I'll shoot some images with the 1D mkII (1.3 crop) and some with the 350D (1.6 crop) for you to see.

Alan

[Mike-DT6]

The Peleng 8mm fisheye writeup link in my sig details what you can do with a fisheye lens.
That was a very interesting and informative article. Thanks for writing that.

[folville]

I really fell bad about the adding those earlier photos that don't do this lens any justice. It is truly a wonderful piece of glass. Here's a shot I took a couple weeks ago at Mariucci Arena, home of the University of Minnesota Golden Gopher men's hockey team. I think it demonstrates the usefulness of this super wide angle (well, 180 degrees on FF) lens, especially if your aim is to capture ambiance, not standard action.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2187/1927980757_1d06b84957_o.jpg (http://flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=1927980757&size=o)

[Mike-DT6]

I like that image! :-D It seems that these fisheye lenses have more use than I thought previously.

I was just reading a review (here: http://www.photozone.de/8Reviews/lenses/peleng_8_35/index.htm) where the tester says 'guess the focus distance via the focus ring on the lens'. Does he mean that you can't focus visually through the viewfinder, or does he just mean 'guess' in that AF doesn't work with this lens? It's not clear what he means.

Mike

[Mike-DT6]

I've just noticed that your EXIF data shows the aperture used. How does it do that if the lens apparently has no communication with the camera? The article said that the camera would record it as 0.0 or something similar because it won't even know that the lens is attached to it!

Mike :-)

[folville]

I like that image! :-D It seems that these fisheye lenses have more use than I thought previously.

I was just reading a review (here: http://www.photozone.de/8Reviews/lenses/peleng_8_35/index.htm) where the tester says 'guess the focus distance via the focus ring on the lens'. Does he mean that you can't focus visually through the viewfinder, or does he just mean 'guess' in that AF doesn't work with this lens? It's not clear what he means.

Mike

Well, I have no personal experience with the Peleng, but it is strictly a manual focus lens (and a manual aperture control lens, as well). What's implied by that statement is that at 8mm, a fisheye has such a large depth of field that focus really isn't a huge problem, allowing the photographer to focus the lens once and then concentrate mostly on taking the photo. That's probably best discussed with somebody who owns the Peleng, though.

As this is a threat for the Sigma 8mm, I'll just add that I find the AF to be relatively slow (not that it really matters with a lens of this type) but very accurate, even in low light on the 30D. :)

[Mike-DT6]

Thanks for the details :-) I quite like the idea of owning one of these lenses now!

Mike

[Mike-DT6]

Whoops, sorry; I've just realized that this is the Sigma thread. The mention of the Peleng lens in this thread got me confused! That explains why your EXIF has the aperture data: you've got a Sigma!

Mike

[folville]

Whoops, sorry; I've just realized that this is the Sigma thread. The mention of the Peleng lens in this thread got me confused! That explains why your EXIF has the aperture data: you've got a Sigma!

Mike


Well, I think the slightest mention of a fisheye lens will bring mention of the Peleng model from those who feel that its price point outweighs any of the benefits of electronic functions or AF, so it's no surprise that you ended up here! I'm glad you could at least get an idea of what this sort of lens looks like on a crop body.

[Mike-DT6]

I prefer the idea of having some electronic control as well, so the Sigma would make more sense in that respect.

Mike

[AirBrontosaurus]

That was a very interesting and informative article. Thanks for writing that.


You're welcome! Thanks for reading it ;).

[paiintballa182]

just a few to show different options when shooting on a 1.6x sensor. Several of these were cropped from different points to show distorted edges but somewhat regular subjects.

With a crop sensor, the circular fisheye effect is still achievable with the "lens hood" provided, and without it, you get just the back corners.

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb200/verynicephotography/011.jpg

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb200/verynicephotography/016.jpg

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb200/verynicephotography/028.jpg

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb200/verynicephotography/032.jpg

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb200/verynicephotography/031.jpg

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb200/verynicephotography/033.jpg

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb200/verynicephotography/014.jpg

[EmiMain]

I'm renting the 8mm right now.. and using it with my 30D. I haven't had a chance to use it much, here are just a few shots from last night with friends and their baby girl...

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2409/2419787517_82024c55e1_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3073/2420582546_90ae9ac64d_o.jpg

[Linkzi]

Just aquired one, all photos have been PP'd to my taste. The aerial shots had the rotorblades cloned out. Taken with 40D.

This is cropped.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3129/2577105506_5173dcbc21_o.jpg

This is without hood.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3065/2576165187_7182097a42_o.jpg

This is with hood.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3282/2567102232_0dd08dc6a4_o.jpg


It is very W I D E !

[Linkzi]

With hood and cropped:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3263/2577529865_319f794a07_o.jpg

[johnjayb]

definitely one of my choices... cant decide if auto focus matters to me..

[Linkzi]

Mounted on full frame 5D cropped.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3281/3036489337_ae77e86786_o.jpg

[ProjektSol]

i have a xti with 1.6 crop so how will my pictures turn out?

[MercuryFree]

i have a xti with 1.6 crop so how will my pictures turn out?
Like Linski's first lot.

[PrOxY]

I just started using it for its initial intended purpose (although I have had it over a year). Its sorta tricky to get it really sharp, but I'm still trying to figure it all out. Here was my first backyard quickie 360 QTVR attempt. I dont have a site to host the full virtual pano yet, but it stitched up perfectly and looks great in full-screen QuickTime:) I used it on my 40D and an old NN3 rig. I took 4 shots around and one down (shown below and visible if you roll down inside the QTVR)). I think its going to work well for this purpose.
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa34/proxy2/BACKYARDforWEB.jpg
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa34/proxy2/Strip.jpg
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa34/proxy2/11.jpg

[monochrome.fav]

This is amazing!
all your shots were w/ the sigma 8mm??

[monochrome.fav]

Linkzi, I've seen your first shot before!
very nice!

[Linkzi]

Linkzi, I've seen your first shot before!
very nice!

Thanks, yes the same lens using different techniques.

[monochrome.fav]

I see.. interesting though
I'll be sure to let you know which i decide on getting..

[Linkzi]

Shot at f/10, 1/10 hand held.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3352/3419661337_2269aa8853_b.jpg

[Kryptix]

This seems like the perfect 1.6 fisheye... I wish Canon made it. I hate buying non-Canon lenses!

[MikeES]

Figured I add a few to the archive since I picked this lens up last week...
...these are from Halloween on Church Street in Toronto, Canada.

http://www.michaelswerdlyk.com/z/1DM38184.JPG

http://www.michaelswerdlyk.com/z/1DM38203.JPG

http://www.michaelswerdlyk.com/z/1DM38186.JPG