Canon EF 15mm f/2.8 Fisheye

Canon EF 15mm f/2.8 Fisheye Lens for Canon SLR Cameras.

Canon EF 15mm f/2.8 Fisheye Lens.

Canon EF 15mm f/2.8 Fisheye Lens: An Overview

The Canon EF 15mm f/2.8 Fisheye Lens is a unique and creatively expressive lens designed for Canon full-frame DSLR cameras. Here are the key details:

1. Fisheye Perspective:

   • The lens offers an impressive 180-degree diagonal angle of view, which means it captures an ultra-wide field of vision. This extreme perspective creates a characteristic "fisheye" effect, where straight lines appear curved and the world seems to wrap around you.

2. Close Auto Focusing:

   • Unlike many other autofocus SLR lenses, the Canon EF 15mm f/2.8 Fisheye allows close focusing down to just 0.2 meters (about 8 inches). This feature enables photographers to play with exaggerated near-far relationships and achieve intriguing pan-focus effects.

3. Depth of Field:

   • The wide depth of field inherent to this lens adds to its allure. Even at its maximum aperture of f/2.8, you'll find that a significant portion of your scene remains in focus. This characteristic makes it particularly interesting for creative compositions.

4. Compact and Lightweight:

   • The lens is surprisingly small and lightweight. It's notably smaller than other wide-angle lenses in Canon's lineup, such as the EF 14mm L USM or the EF 16-35mm L USM. This portability makes it a great choice for photographers on the move.

5. Build Quality:

   • The Canon EF 15mm f/2.8 Fisheye Lens features a metal mount, indicating decent build quality. While the focus ring may not feel as luxurious as some high-end lenses, it's functional and gets the job done.

6. Image Quality:

   • Despite its intentionally distorted nature, this lens surprises with excellent image quality. Close subjects may be a tad soft at f/2.8, but stopping down to f/8 yields sharp results.
   • Corner sharpness is particularly impressive, especially before any rectilinear conversion (more on that below).

7. Rectilinear Conversion:

   • With digital post-processing tools, you can convert the fisheye distortion to a rectilinear (non-distorted) image. Software like PTLens or Photoshop's lens correction tools can achieve this.
   • Keep in mind that rectilinear conversion sacrifices some corner sharpness, but it's a trade-off for straight lines and less distortion.

8. Vignetting:

   • At its widest aperture (f/2.8), you'll notice some vignetting (darkening of corners). However, it's less pronounced than in many other lenses.

9. Aperture Blades:

   • The lens has only 5 aperture blades, resulting in 5-pointed out-of-focus highlights. But given its extreme wide-angle nature, achieving a creamy background blur isn't the primary goal here.

10. Autofocus and Manual Focus:

    • Autofocus speed isn't critical for a lens this wide. It buzzes a bit while focusing, but that's forgivable.
    • Unfortunately, Full-Time Manual (FTM) focus isn't available, and the manual focus ring feels coarse.

In summary, the Canon EF 15mm f/2.8 Fisheye Lens is a quirky and delightful tool for creative photographers. Whether you embrace its distortion or convert it to rectilinear, it opens up a world of visual possibilities.