The Canon EF 8-15mm f/4L Fisheye USM broke the mold when it was first launched, although Nikon later followed suit with a similar lens. Previously, you had to choose between two types of fisheye lens. A circular fisheye produces a circular image that only covers the central portion of the sensor, the remainder of the frame being black. The other option is a diagonal fisheye, which produces a larger image that covers the whole sensor, resulting in a more typical, full-sized rectangular picture. The neat thing about the Canon 8-15mm fisheye zoom is that it produces a circular fisheye image at 8mm, stretching to a diagonal fisheye image at 15mm. Essentially, you get two lenses in one.
Canon EF 8-15mm f/4L Fisheye USM review
The Canon EF 8-15mm f/4L USM is both a circular and diagonal fisheye in one lens
(Image: © Matthew Richards)
Digital Camera World Verdict
On a full-frame Canon camera, the EF 8-15mm Fisheye is a wonderfully versatile lens that enables you to switch between circular and diagonal fisheye effects with a twist of the zoom ring. Image quality is very good in terms of sharpness, contrast and resistance to ghosting and flare, although color fringing can be quite noticeable when using older Canon cameras that don’t offer automatic correction.
Pros
- +
Circular and diagonal fisheye
- +
Very good image quality
- +
Typically strong L-series build
Cons
- -
Color fringing can be noticeable
- -
Expensive for a fisheye
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