Laowa is back again with yet another weird and wacky lens. This time it's not one of their bizarre probe lenses, but rather a fisheye lens with a difference: it can zoom. This isn't the first time Laowa has given us such a lens, as it already has the CF 8-15mm f/2.8 FF Zoom Fisheye lens. But where that's a full-frame optic, the new Laowa CF 4.5-10mm F2.8 Zoom Fisheye is for APS-C bodies, hence the incredibly short minimum focal length.

The CF 4.5-10mm will be available for Sony E, Fujifilm X, Nikon Z, Canon RF, Canon EF-M, L-Mount and Micro Four Thirds cameras, and unsurprisingly with so many mount options, it's manual focus only. However, with such a large depth of field when shooting at these extremely short focal lengths, manual focussing will be very forgiving.

The lens is comprised of 13 elements arranged in 9 groups, incorporating 4 extra-low dispersion elements and a single ultra-high refractive index element. At 4.5mm you'll be rewarded with a huge 180-degree angle of view, and we assume this is only possible by capturing a circular fisheye perspective. Whether or not this changes to a diagonal fisheye image when you zoom to 10mm remains to be seen. This is how the recent Canon RF 7-14mm f/2.8-3.5L Fisheye STM works, and it results in a versatile creative tool that's able to give you a range of unique perspectives.

Laowa has managed to keep the new CF 4.5-10mm F2.8 relatively compact, as it measures a manageable 59.3mm in length, with a diameter of 68.9mm. It's also reasonably light at 330g.

Right now we only know that the CF 4.5-10mm F2.8 is coming - there's still no exact release date. Some sources have stated that the lens will be priced at 2780 yuan (approx. $410 / £306), and could have a pre-order price of 2500 yuan (approx. $368 / £275). If true, this would massively undercut the cost of Canon's RF 7-14mm f/2.8-3.5L Fisheye STM, which has an RRP of $1,899 / £1,719. The CF 4.5-10mm would also be significantly less expensive than Laowa's own 8-15mm f/2.8 FF Zoom Fisheye that costs $699 / £699, although both those lenses are full-frame optics.

Hot on the heels of the recently revealed AF 17mm f/1.8 Air, TTArtisan is back with an even wider offering. The 7.5mm F2.0 is a diagonal fisheye lens for APS-C Fujifilm, Nikon and Sony bodies, as well as Micro Four Thirds cameras. The lens captures a huge 180-degree angle of view (150 degrees with an MFT body), and when combined with the 0.12m minimum focus distance means you can compose captivating distorted close-up compositions. The fast f/2 maximum aperture also makes the lens suitable for astrophotography.

Inside the compact 343-370g (depending on mount) metal barrel is an 11-element optical stack arranged in 8 groups. A 7-blade diaphragm is said to provide 'smooth and pleasing bokeh', and there's a dedicated aperture ring with click stops.

As you might imagine from an accessibly-priced, multi-mount lens, focussing is manual and there are no electrical mount contacts for lens-body communication. However, given the relatively deep depth of field available at such a short focal length, even when shooting at f/2, focussing manually needn't be a chore.

And when we say the 7.5mm F2.0 Fisheye is accessibly priced, we mean it. Costing just $139/$149, it massively undercuts any comparable lens from Fujifilm, Nikon, Sony or OM System. So if you want to go ultra-wide with your APS-C or MFT camera, then the TTArtisan 7.5mm F2.0 Fisheye lens looks like a no-brainer.

Buy now from Amazon UK / Amazon US

7Artisans has launched a new diagonal fisheye lens for APS-C cameras. The MF 6mm F2 is, as its name suggests, a manual focus lens, but with the generous depth of field available at such a short focal length, manual focussing needn't be difficult. Various mount options are available, including Sony E, Fujifilm X, Nikon Z, Canon R and Micro Four Thirds.

7 Artisans says this is its widest-ever lens. Once launched it'll also be one of the widest lenses you can buy for APS-C mirrorless cameras. Laowa produces a 4mm f/2.8, but that's a circular fisheye design, where the new 7Artisans optic is a diagonal fisheye. Consequently, though the Laowa has a shorter focal length, its angle of view is 210 degrees, whereas the 6mm 7Artisans lens has a claimed 220-degree field of view.

With the ability to 'see' behind itself, such a lens opens up new creative possibilities, helped by the extremely short 3.9" / 0.1m minimum focus distance. Such a lens is especially useful in tight interiors, but the fairly fast f/2 maximum aperture also makes the MF 6mm F2 a viable choice for astrophotography.

The lens comprises 10 elements in 8 groups, including two extra-low dispersion elements and two high-refractive elements, which should help minimize chromatic aberration and improve overall sharpness. A 9-blade diaphragm is said to contribute to smooth, rounded bokeh.

The 7Artisans 6mm f/2 fisheye lens is available to buy now from B&H, priced at $179.

Portrait photographers tend to avoid barrel distortion by using standard or telephoto lenses. But when used intentionally, extreme barrel distortion can be a great way to capture creative portraits. And it doesn’t get much more extreme than a fisheye lens.

These ultra-wide optics are so-called because they replicate the ultra-wide vision possessed by fish. They’re often used to capture street scenes, architecture, skateboarding and occasionally portraits. The latter is particularly effective on pets, since the extreme barrel distortion emphasizes the subject’s features – much like a caricature.

Since a dog’s snout is one of its most poignant features, artists often choose to amplify this feature when designing cartoons – think Scooby-Doo, Snoopy and Dug from Pixar’s Up. By getting very close to your subject while they stare directly into the lens, the distortion will enlarge the canine’s snout and make for a humorous (and charming) caricature effect.

While a fisheye lens’s ultra-wide angle of view is its biggest draw, it also presents a challenge when shooting portraits – because it can be difficult to compose shots without distracting elements encroaching on the frame. Add to that the unpredictable nature of animals, and there’s plenty to consider before heading out with your camera…

How to photograph pets with a fisheye lens

1. Choose the widest lens you have

I used the Nikon AF-S Fisheye 8-15mm f/3.5-4.5E ED at its widest to maximize distortion. If you don’t have a dedicated fisheye, you can use the widest lens you have available. Remember to account for the crop factor if you’re shooting on an APS-C camera. For example, a 24mm lens will have a 35mm equivalent focal length of 36mm (or 38.4mm on Canon bodies). As such, it’s easier to get a super-wide fisheye effect on a full-frame camera.

2. Get really close to your subject

To emphasize the extreme barrel distortion, get close to your subject. Small subjects, like my puppy, may require you to get close to the lens’ 0.5ft minimum focus distance. On more than one occasion, the excitable pup licked the front element – so a lens cloth is essential!

3. Remove the lens hood

The 8-15mm f/3.5-4.5’s lens hood isn’t visible at 15mm, but when I was shooting at wider focal lengths it started to creep into the frame. At 8mm – as the picture above illustrates – it dramatically encroached on my shot. I therefore removed it altogether.

4. Find a clean, open space

Super-wide focal lengths cram in a huge portion of the surrounding area. To prevent unwanted details detracting from my subject, I shot in a wide-open space that was free from distractions – a field, park, or large garden are ideal locations. I further eliminated distractions by shooting down at my subject from a higher angle.

5. Make it fun for your pet

Animals can be difficult to work with; however, it’s important not to get frustrated with them. I spent a few minutes before the shoot playing with my pup. This meant she was less excitable, more relaxed and more pliable during the shoot, while also providing me an opportunity to introduce her to the camera gradually.

6. Focus on the eyes

As always, when shooting portraits, it’s best practice to focus on the eye that’s closest to the camera. I used single-point AF to pinpoint the correct eye and continuous-servo AF to help lock onto my bouncing subject. If you're using one of the best mirrorless cameras, there's a chance you can use an animal AF mode to make things even easier.

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Want more tutorials? Make sure you know the exposure triangle inside and out. My fisheye pet portrait isn't the only thing that looks like a cartoon character: this robot camera looks like a PIXAR character and is ready to photograph the moon. And for a change of pace, try my photography-themed crossword.

A new circular fisheye lens for full-frame cameras as been spotted in the wild by Camera Beta. The AstrHori 6mm f/2.8 is yet to appear on the manufacturer's own website, but several hands-on images have surfaced, showing a compact lens design with a typically bulbous front element.

The lens looks as though it'll be available for Sony E, Canon RF, Nikon Z, and L-mount cameras. As is typical for AstrHori lenses, it's a fully manual lens with no electronic contacts to enable lens-body communication. However, given the huge depth of field afforded by such a short focal length, manual focussing should be relatively easy.

The new lens will join AstrHori's recently released 6.5mm F2 circular fisheye lens for APS-C cameras. This boasts a 192-degree field of view, along with extra-low dispersion and high refraction lens elements, plus a 9-blade diaphragm. This lens is currently priced at $129, so we'd expect the full-frame 6mm f/2.8 to come it at a similarly accessible price point. There's currently no release date for the full-frame fisheye, but with it already being seemingly fully-functional, it's likely retail examples won't be far away.

Story credit: Sony Addict

I've been waiting for a new Canon fisheye lens for the RF mount ever since the RF mount was announced. Which means I've now been waiting seven years.

Canon launched the EOS R system in 2018. And I understand – there were a whole lot of lenses that were a bigger priority. We were never going to get a Canon fisheye lens for the RF mount before a nifty fifty, for example, or a 70-200mm trinity zoom.

But in the past seven years, Canon has pretty much filled out its entire range now. We've got no less than three RF nifty fifties and three of those trinities. And still no new Canon fisheye lens.

Heck, Canon's RF line is so mature at this point that it's had to invent a whole bunch of completely crazy leftfield lenses for the system. Like the RF 24-105mm f/2.8 and the RF 800mm f/11. And still no new Canon fisheye lens.

Okay, that's not strictly true. We do, in fact, have a pair of fisheye lenses – but they're virtual reality lenses, intended for 3D VR applications. Which really speaks to the point I just made; Canon is inventing all kinds of mad lenses, like the RF 5.2mm f/2.8 Dual Fisheye and RF-S 3.9mm f/3.5 Dual Fisheye, but it still isn't giving us an actual fisheye.

And I get it. For 90% of photographers, it probably isn't important. It's been discontinued, but there's still loads of stock of the Canon EF 8-15MM f/4L Fisheye DSLR lens – so anyone who needs one can just adapt that.

But I don't want a fisheye zoom. And besides, it came out in 2011 – that's an eternity ago in camera years. But for a prime Canon fisheye lens, you're looking even further back to the EF 15mm f/2.8 Fisheye from 1987. After all these years, it really is about time for a new one.

Why do I want a new Canon fisheye lens?

So, to cover the pedantry, yes – I could adapt the old EF lens. And yes, I could look at the third-party options from Laowa, TTArtisan and co. But I don't want lo-fi dumb lenses or old-school tech – I want Canon to show me all the crazy cool things it can do with the RF mount.

But why? Why is fisheye photography so important to me?

Well, actually, it isn't. I'm not really a fan of most fisheye photography – certainly not the circular image "porthole" shots that just remind me of my youth watching old skateboard videos filmed on Super 8.

No, the reason I want a new Canon fisheye lens is because, rather than using it for extreme or circular fisheye photography, I want to use it for travel, landscapes, selfies and "scope" shots. You know, when you're in a super panoramic scene like a mountain range? A fisheye is a great way to "get it all in", to convey the scope and scale of where you are.

Not because it's all wacky and distorted, but just because of the unique field of view. Ditto small spaces, like indoor venues, or even getting a moody shot of somebody in an elevator or a phone booth.

Years ago, I photographed India for a magazine feature and a good 60% of my shots were taken on a fisheye. It's an incredibly potent creative tool – and exactly the sort of thing I want for my R5.

So come on, folks – let's have a new Canon fisheye lens for the EOS R system. And no, I don't mean a third Dual Fisheye.

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Take a look at the best Canon RF lenses that the brand has released so far, and check out the best Canon lenses for DSLRs to pick up the EF glass that hasn't been updated yet. And if you want to feel jealous, here are the best fisheye lenses for other brands 😭.

AstrHori, makers of such optical oddities as the 18mm f/8 2x Periscope Probe Macro lens, has announced a new circular fisheye lens for APS-C cameras.

The AstrHori 6.5mm f/2 fisheye is a fully manual lens for APS-C Sony E, Fuji X, Nikon Z, Canon RF and Micro Four Thirds cameras. Its 6-element, 5-group optical stack incorporates an extra-low dispersion (ED) element, as well as a high refractive index element to reduce aberrations.

The 6.5mm focal length equates to 10mm in full-frame terms and enables a huge 192-degree field of view, albeit with a circular image projection, while the 0.2m minimum focussing distance makes it easy to capture distinctive fisheye close-ups. The lens itself is very compact, measuring only 64mm in diameter and 52mm long, with the E-mount version tipping the scales at 268g (although this will vary slightly for other mount variations).

Being a fully-manual lens, there are no electrical contacts to facilitate lens-body communication, but you do get an aperture ring and a printed depth of field scale. And with fewer frills comes lower pricing, as the AstrHori 6.5mm f/2 fisheye will retail for just $129, for all mount options.

Order the AstrHori 6.5mm f/2 fisheye from B&H

Viltrox will shortly launch an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign for a tiny new pancake lens for full-frame Sony E-mount cameras. Called the AF 28mm F4.5 FE, the lens could well become the smallest lens available for Sony shooters, and is nicknamed 'Chip' on account of its potato chip-/crisp-like slimness.

Measuring a mere 15mm long and 60mm in diameter, the lens is barely thicker than a camera body cap and weighs just 60g. It closely resembles the design of Olympus's Fisheye Body Cap 9mm f/8 lens, although the two lenses have a very different focal length.

Naturally, Viltrox had to make some compromises to create such a slim lens. The primary sacrifice being there's no diaphragm, so the aperture is fixed at f/4.5. Another unusual omission is that the lens lacks a manual focus ring, largely because it's so slim there isn't really room for one. Thankfully Viltrox has managed to find space inside the barrel for a VCM coil autofocus motor, so despite the tiny dimensions, focussing is a breeze. Another nice touch is the integrated lens shutter 'cap', which can be flicked open or shut using a small lever on the front of the lens.

You'd expect that a lens this small and simple would be inexpensive to buy, and you'd be right. The Viltrox AF 28mm F4.5 FE is priced at $99, with early campaign backers said to receive a 30% discount.

If you'd like to see how the lens performs before you pledge your backing, we've just published our full Viltrox AF 28mm F4.5 FE review - we found it really fun to use!

Innovative lens-maker 7Artisans has unveiled a 60mm f/2.8 macro lens that can capture images up to 2x life-size, enabling incredibly detailed close-ups at double the resolution of a standard macro lens. 

With a maximum 2x magnification ratio, it enlarges the tiniest details to reveal a staggering amount of detail that is impossible to see with the naked eye. And as a full-frame-compatible lens, it makes the most of the greater light-gathering capabilities of the latest mirrorless cameras, such as the Nikon Z6 III, Canon EOS R6 or Sony Alpha 7C II. 

The manual focus lens features markings on the lens barrel to show the depth of field through its f/2.8 to f/22 aperture range. It has been constructed from 14 elements in 12 groups, including two Extra-low Dispersion (ED) and two High-Refractive elements to effectively suppress chromatic aberration and deliver exceptional image quality while providing accurate color reproduction. This optical design also helps reduce edge distortion and other aberrations.

With a 0.17m minimum focus distance, as measured from the focal plane, the lens enables photographers to get incredibly close to subjects, but unlike some ultra-macro lenses, it is also capable of focusing all the way to infinity, where its 60mm focal length makes it ideal as an everyday standard prime. The bright f/2.8 aperture and full-frame compatibility, in combination with its nine aperture blades, enable backgrounds to be blown out to create beautiful bokeh, making it double as a fabulous choice as a portrait lens.

The lens barrel has an all-metal construction for enhanced durability, yet it's pretty lightweight at just 550g. A 67mm thread enables the attachment of filters. 

The 7Artisans 60mm f/2.8 Full-frame 2X Ultra-Macro joins such oddities as the incredibly fast 7Artisans 50mm f/1.05 nifty fifty or 7Artisans 10mm f/2.8 fisheye, which surely makes the company one of the most diverse and experimental lens makers out there.

The new lens is available in Canon RF, Nikon Z and Sony E mounts and has a recommended price of $335.

Check out our guide to the best macro lenses

The British Ecological Society has announced the winners of its annual photography competition, which for the first time was open to everyone.

The competition – Capturing Ecology – celebrates the brilliance and intricacies of the natural world with the selected winning and highly commended images capturing the diverse ecology of flora and fauna from across the globe.

Entries from ecologists, photographers, and students were submitted from 23 countries and six continents. The category-winning images represent captivating stories about 'a life-and-death arms race played out on the smallest scales, the damage alien species can inflict, and the plight of one of our closest relatives against the combined threats of poaching and habitat loss'.

The overall winner and recipient of the title British Ecological Society Photographer of the Year was awarded to Damien Esquerre, a biologist at the University of Wollongong, Australia. Esquerre won for his image titled The Dragon and the Sun, which depicts a bearded dragon basking in the midday sun.

Speaking on the win, Esquerre said, "It is a massive honour to win this important competition and I’m very happy to have my photo showcased to an international audience".

He continued, "I took the photos while doing a bushwalk in Canberra where I lived at the time. I always carry my camera with me and look for interesting photo opportunities. I saw this dragon basking on the tree, and thought I could use a fish-eye lens, which is an extreme wide angle, to and get close to have the dragon as the main subject but include the tree and the sun in the composition. By including the sun the photo was obviously backlit, so I used a flash to fill the strong shadows and bring some detail into the dragon."

The full list of winners can be found below:

Overall Winner: Damien Esquerre

Overall Runner-Up: Danni Thompson

Individuals and Populations (Animals): Filip Jarzynski

Individuals and Populations (Plants and Fungi): Jenn Rose

Networks in Nature: Roberto García-Roa

People and Nature: Roberto García-Roa

Ecologists in Action: Tim Jackson-Bué

Regenerative Agriculture: Lindsay Banin

Speaking on the incredible level of winning images in this year's competition, Professor Bridget Emmett, President of the British Ecological Society, said: "The British Ecological Society is a truly global community, so it brings me great joy to see ecosystems from across the world celebrated in this year’s Capturing Ecology. 2024’s winners showcase the breadth and beauty of biodiversity - spanning Sumatra to Switzerland, and from the Red Sea to The Skerries - all captured through the ever-questioning lens of the ecologist."

A full list of winners and runners-up and their images can be found on the official British Ecological Society website – congratulations to all of the winners!

You may also be interested in our guides to the best cameras for wildlife, the best cameras for landscapes, and the best fisheye lenses.

Canon has unveiled its latest addition to the Cinema EOS lineup – the EOS C80, a compact RF mount cinema camera designed for filmmakers and live production. Building on the success of previous models such as the EOS R5 C and EOS C70, the EOS C80 introduces a full-frame sensor in a form factor that balances portability with professional features.

At the heart of the EOS C80 is a full-frame stacked backside-illuminated (BSI) sensor. This sensor, first seen in the EOS C400, enables 6K recording with 16 stops of dynamic range, which Canon claims offers improved low-light sensitivity and minimal noise. The camera's triple base ISO settings (800, 3200, 12,800) provide flexibility for varying lighting conditions, and an auto-switching mode allows for smooth transitions between these ISO levels in changing environments.

Canon has equipped the EOS C80 with its Dual Pixel CMOS AF II system, which delivers some of the most advanced autofocus capabilities yet in a Canon cinema camera, with face, eye, and head tracking, as well as body and animal detection.

In terms of design, the EOS C80 maintains a compact form similar to the EOS C70, with ergonomic refinements for handheld shooting and gimbal use. A redesigned removable top handle and a brighter LCD panel improve usability in outdoor environments, while the new joystick design offers better control.

The camera also supports Canon's PL to RF mount adapter, expanding compatibility with industry-standard Arri PL mount cinema lenses. Connectivity features include built-in Wi-Fi and Ethernet for file transfer, remote control, and IP streaming, enhancing workflow efficiency. Additionally, real-time lens metadata capture and VR capabilities, in conjunction with Canon’s RF 5.2mm f/2.8L Dual Fisheye lens, open up new creative possibilities for virtual production.

The EOS C80 supports various recording formats, including 12-bit Cinema RAW Light and new MP4 formats such as XF-AVC S and XF-HEVC S, which provide high-quality 4K footage with manageable file sizes. These options aim to streamline the post-production process, making the camera suitable for a wide range of professional applications.

The Canon C80 will go on sale for $5,499/£5,339/AU$8,899, and should be available from the end of September in some major markets but in November in Australia. For anyone who can’t wait until then – Canon will showcase the EOS C80 at the IBC show in Amsterdam from September 13-16.

Photographers, like any other artists, are influenced by a range of different factors and creativity is an important aspect of photography just as it is in any other form of art. 

“Music has played an integral part in my work and within my social media presence; to heighten the emotional narrative and connection of my work,” Josh says. “Therefore, it seemed appropriate to capture an image ahead of the world-famous Glastonbury Festival.

“This frame captures the iconic Pyramid Stage against the backdrop of the Orion constellation, bringing together photography, astronomy and music. This self-portrait image mimics the stars that have been before – the likes of David Bowie, Dolly Parton and Sir Elton John.” In this narrative, Josh captures the king of the stars; Orion taking center stage.

The image has been featured on the BBC and various news channels ahead of this year’s Glastonbury festival. Josh dedicates the shot to two of his music idols, Kate Bush and Grace Jones.

Josh’s main gear

Sony A7s III 

Sony has set a high standard for low-light capabilities among mirrorless cameras, enabling the capture of real-time footage and improved signal-to-noise ratio capabilities. “This range of cameras, combined with fast-shooting, wide-angle lenses, is ideal for a power-house setup,” says Josh. “A greater aperture and low-light sensitivity make it possible to reduce the SNR within low-level environments, providing excellent clarity for landscape astrophotography.”

Sigma 15mm f/1.4 Diagonal Fisheye 

In his astrophotography, Josh is fortunate to be testing out the latest lenses on the market, including the Diagonal Fisheye lens from Sigma. “Sigma lenses are revolutionizing the astrophotography market,” he says. “They are the first lenses of their kind to capture wide-angle images with an impressive aperture capability of f/1.4.”

Canon EOS R5 and Canon 200-800mm f/6.3-9 IS USM

Canon’s latest cameras and telephoto lenses are changing the game for astrophotography, especially for solar and lunar targets, as they are perfect for alignment photography. “The R Series from Canon provides a greater megapixel count alongside greater focal lengths, making a superb combination for capturing celestial events,” Josh says. “This could include transits, eclipses and comets, among others.”

Benro Tortoise 24CLV P

Benro leads the market for versatile, affordable, yet durable tripod designs. “I’ve tested a number of different tripods but my preference is Benro’s Tortoise 24CLV,” Josh says. “It is constructed from carbon fiber, but not only is it immensely lightweight, it is durable and more suitable for use in colder environments.”

Last month, Astrhori teased a new macro lens on its social media while asking for product testers. It appears the tests have now been completed as the new Astrhori 120mm f/2.8 macro lens has just been announced.

Astrhori is one of many new Chinese third-party lens manufacturers, offering budget lenses for a wide range of cameras including the market's best mirrorless cameras. Its already extensive lineup includes fish-eye, tilt shift, and macro lenses with the new 120mm release its longest focal lengthed macro to date.

The Astrhori 120mm f/2.8 macro lens is a manual focus full-frame lens, currently available for Sony E, Canon RF, Nikon Z, and L Mounts. Despite its low price point of just $369, it's packed with premium features that wouldn't look out of place next to other offerings in our guide to the best macro lenses.

The lens is constructed of 14 elements in 9 groups which is key for its large f/2.8 max aperture. The 13 aperture blades produce a more rounded diaphragm, which Astrhori states provides "balanced sharpness and attractive bokeh". The quality of the out-of-focus areas of macro lenses is a key factor as the focus plane is often much smaller.

The lens' 2X magnification enables users to capture intricate details on a 'microscopic' level, and by looking at the sample images, the proof certainly is in the pudding. Insects, plants, and product shots enable captures that are not possible with the naked eye.

Macro photographers often shoot delicate subjects or subjects that can be easily affected by too much movement or sound. The Astrhori 120mm f/2.8 macro lens has added a considered de-click function to its lens.

The macro effect is enhanced further by the long 120mm focal length coupled with a minimum focusing distance of just 0.3M. This enables sufficient image compression and a closer look at those finer details.

Unlike Astrhori's macro probe lenses, the 120mm f/2.8 is more versatile and can be used to capture a wide range of scenes including portraiture. Macro lenses are often used for portraits when the photographer wants to create a dreamy feel, as the compression and bokeh are smooth and uniform.

The Astrhori 120mm f/2.8 macro lens is available to order now for $369 / £285 / AU $550 (UK and Australian prices are approximate conversions from the US price).

You may also be interested in our guides for the best macro lens, the best cheap lens, and the best lens for portraits.

Despite the fact that the Automat looks and sounds like something from the Communist-era Soviet Union, Lomography has replaced the camera’s Cold War aesthetic in favor of a dead painter from a hundred years ago. That means the Gustav Klimt special editions come wrapped in the visually attractive signature artwork of the Viennese Secession movement painter. This is the Gold Leaf version, complete with gold logos. Whether that makes it any more fun is for you to decide, but it certainly livens up what is a very square and boxy format. 

This is, of course, an instant camera, which means you slot Fujifilm Instax Mini cartridges in the back and tiny, self-developing prints emerge out the side, with an accompanying squeak and a rumble of the infernal internal mechanism. The box it comes in is attractively designed and has all the accessories you could ever want, from three lens attachments (close-up, wide angle, fish eye) to useful things like a remote control and a creative option with a rotating lens blocker for crazy multiple exposures. Even the manual comes in the form of handy and colorful tip cards. It’s an entire ecosystem in a box. 

Lomo’Instant Automat Gold Leaf: Specification

Lomo’Instant Automat Gold Leaf: Price

You can get Instax Mini cameras for $80 / £70 / AU$99, so for $200 / £179 / AU$270 this could be considered fairly pricey, but it does come with a range of lenses and extras.

Lomo’Instant Automat Gold Leaf: Build and handling

It’s built like an East German block of flats so it isn’t ergonomic by any means, but at least the fire button is well placed. Turning it on and off is a little bizarre though - you turn the focussing distance ring on the lens to your preferred setting of 0.6m, 1-2m or Infinite. To turn it off requires holding down a button on the other side of the lens and rotating it back to the off position again. Of course, actually judging focus distances when you come to take photos is pretty hit and miss anyway. 

Going back to the start though, loading the Instax Mini film is very straightforward, just open the back, slot it in, turn the camera on and take an initial photo to eject a dummy first frame. Then you’re ready to go. It works with automatic exposure, so there’s not too much brainpower required, but if the photos are overexposed, which happens with any kind of bright sky, then a trip to the controls on the back is required. These are tiny and crammed in, like the typical proletariat family in the aforementioned East German housing development. There’s a button to turn the flash on and off, one for the multiple exposure function, plus and minus 1 EV exposure compensation, and then a button that toggles between Auto exposure and Bulb (30 seconds).

It’s slightly surreal to find a screw thread for a tripod mount on the base, but consider this something for group selfies out in the open - in combination with the remote control shutter release.

The three additional lens attachments are fairly easy to screw on and off but the effect they have can really only be guessed at as the view through the viewfinder remains the same regardless. In a nod to modern sensibilities, the fire button itself is shiny chrome, making it useful for composing the shot for selfies.

Finally, each Instax Mini cartridge offers 10 prints so there is a series of small LEDs down the side corresponding to the number of shots still left. This is very handy so you don’t lose track of how many shots you have left.

Lomo’Instant Automat Gold Leaf: Performance

Once you get past the arcane method of turning the camera on, then judging the photo distance - anything past 2m is in the Infinite range, then it’s simple and fun to find something to photograph and shoot. With only 10 shots per film it’s easy to run out though, so it pays to be a little more prudent than shooting digitally. A twin pack of 10 prints cost around £15, which works out at 75p per developed print. They are small - the overall print is 54x85mm with an image area of 46x62mm, but this does mean you can build up collections of images in a compact book.

Now, the apertures the camera uses are f/8 and f/22, might have been a recipe for camera shake, but the Instax Mini film is rated at ISO 800 so that helps enormously. The narrower than expected apertures also mean that there’s more depth of field so once you get further than 2m away from the camera, there’s little chance of anything being out of focus. Closer than that, however, and it can be hit and miss, though the little icons on the lens of a single person (0.3m) and two people (1-2m) are handy prompts. The main issue with the prints is not camera shake, but over exposure. On a day with a bright, white sky the photos look like someone poured bleach over them. In those cases, definitely use the -1EV exposure compensation.

The default lens focal length of 60mm means it’s set up for portraits more than anything, so if you want to photograph scenery or a building then the wide angle converter is required, but it’s a case that it’s wider than the default lens than actually being a wide angle. The fish eye lens does give a round, fish eye view, but this crops into what is already a small print. Then there’s the close up lens, which makes things a bit closer, but don’t think it’s a macro lens because, obviously, it isn’t. 

Lomo’Instant Automat Gold Leaf: Verdict

If you have managed to get your shot in focus, not overexposed and the like, then the results are retro and quirky, which is really the market for this kind of thing. It’s fun to be able to see the prints pop out and develop fairly quickly, making them ideal for scrapbooking and the like. 

Alternatives

Want a different flavour of Lomography, then have a look at these Lomo cameras. Alternatively, check out this Instax Mini option. If, though, you just want some film-based nostalgia, see what our writer thought of the movie Kodachrome.

Lomography is renowned for its quirky colorways adding maximum fun to some of its best analog cameras. Lately, in addition to the bright pastels and acid trip colors, it has been harnessing classic art history with collaborations from some of the greats.

Two of the best Lomography cameras the Lomo'Instant Automat and the Lomoapparat 21mm Wide angle will be adorned by the classic artworks of Austrian artist Egon Schiele.

Egon Schiele was a leading figure in the Austrian expressionist movement and is considered one of the most influential artists of the 20th century. His artwork was bold, daring, and ahead of its time and the works on these cameras look as contemporary today as when first created.

Schiele worked very closely with Gustav Klimt and you can see influences in both artists' work. Lomography recently issued the Gustav Klimt Collection, much in the same way, and featured some of his most renowned work.

The Schiele Collection features two separate cameras, each offering something different as a camera but also in aesthetics.

Lomo'Instant Automat camera and lenses

One of Lomography's best instant cameras, it features Schiele's intricate sketches Seated Woman with Bent Knees (1917) and the striking Self-Portrait with Striped Shirt (1910), each detailed with gold.

The Automatic instant camera is designed for even the most novice of photographers to experiment creatively and have fun while doing so. Automatically adjusting the aperture, shutter speed, and flash output, each shot is accurately exposed for the given scene.

A great feature of the camera is that it comes with a selection of different lenses offering a more versatile instant camera experience. The camera comes in a box with fisheye, wide-angle, close-up, and splitzer lenses for further experimentation as well as a remote-control lens cap for self-portraits much like the emblazoned artwork.

Lomoapparat 21mm Wide angle

The exciting and bold red-colored camera is adorned and complimented by two of Schiele's most famous works, Self-portrait with Chinese Lantern Plant (1912) and the captivating Portrait of Wally Neuzil (1912), inspiring a playful approach to shooting.

The perfect camera for taking those sunny holiday snaps, the lightweight camera features a 21mm lens and fixed settings for 'perfect exposures every time'. Multiple exposure and bulb modes enhance the playful experience, along with the interchangeable lenses and colored filters.

Above: A gallery of sample images

The Lomography Schiele Collection is available to purchase now – the Lomo’Instant Automat & Lenses Schiele Edition for $199 / £179 / AU$219, and the LomoApparat 21 mm Wide-angle Camera Schiele Edition $99 / £99 / AU$109.

The works chosen to adorn the cameras are exquisite, and act as a reminder to experiment, push boundaries, and have fun while doing so!

You might also be interested in our guides to the best Lomography cameras, the best Lomography lenses, and the best instant cameras. 

At its WWDC event, Apple revealed that Canon has developed a new lens to create spatial video for Apple Vision Pro: the Canon RF-S 7.8mm f/4 STM Dual.

This new lens, which currently works exclusively with the APS-C Canon EOS R7, makes Canon the first camera manufacturer to jump aboard the Apple Vision Pro express and create a dedicated lens for the platform. 

The Canon RF-S 7.8mm f/4 STM Dual is the company's third Dual series optics, and another pillar of its EOS VR System – which records the 'feed' from both the left and right lens to a single image sensor on a single camera, rather than the user having to sync two cameras and manually stitch the feeds together. 

It sits alongside the just-announced Canon RF-S 3.9mm f/3.5 STM Dual Fisheye (another APS-C optic designed for the R7) and the full-frame Canon RF 5.2mm f/2.8L Dual Fisheye (which works with the EOS R5 and R6 Mark II). 

However, while those are Dual Fisheye lenses – with the bug-eyed, View-Master-style design – intended for stereoscopic VR applications, the new Dual lens is intended for stereoscopic 3D applications such as spatial video. 

"Spatial video can also be used by pro videographers to tell powerful brand, product, and creative stories," Apple explained at WWDC 2024. "To make creating and sharing spatial videos with commercial audiences easier, Canon will offer a brand-new spatial lens for their popular EOS R7 digital camera. 

"It can record gorgeous spatial video for Apple Vision Pro, even under the most challenging lighting conditions. Spatial videos can then be edited in Final Cut Pro for Mac and shared and viewed in the new Vimeo app for visionOS."

Canon itself offered a little more detail, explaining that the lens' field angle is similar to the human field of view – making it perfect for this kind of use. In addition, unlike the new RF-S 3.9mm Dual Fisheye, the new lens appears to feature a full servo autofocus system. 

First second look

I've actually seen the Canon RF-S 7.8mm f/4 STM Dual before – but it wasn't called that yet. I got up close and personal with a prototype of the lens at The Photography & Video Show 2024 in Birmingham, England, where the product name, focal length and filter thread had all been artfully removed.

As you can see in the side-by-side, the prototype that Canon showed me in Birmingham is virtually identical to the finished product. It's also interesting that Canon had also created a prototype VR headset, but told me that its focus is on the optics side – clearly, it's leaving headsets to the likes of Apple. 

"We're opening up VR to more people," David Parry, the imaging product marketing lead at Canon EMEA, told me. The decision to produce the RF-S 7.8mm Dual and RF-S 3.9mm Dual Fisheye as APS-C lenses "should lower the barrier to entry and make recording Virtual Reality [VR], mixed reality [XR] and augmented reality [AR] footage much more accessible".

The Canon RF-S 7.8mm f/4 STM Dual will be available in the fall, pricing to be confirmed. You can check out a quick overview of the RF-S 7.8mm Dual and RF-S 3.9mm Dual Fisheye lenses below.

If you're interested in the best Canon cameras, you might want to check out the best Canon RF lenses for mirrorless cameras and the best Canon lenses for DSLRs.

Canon has doubled down on its lenses for VR content creators with its second stereoscopic optic: the Canon RF-S 3.9mm f/3.5 STM Dual Fisheye lens.

I first saw a prototype of the lens at The Photography & Video Show earlier this year, where Canon explained that "we are heavily invested in virtual Reality and we want to get these products out as soon as possible." The company wasn't kidding, as the Canon RF-S 3.9mm f/3.5 STM Dual Fisheye has now come to fruition. 

It's the follow-up to the full-frame Canon RF 5.2mm f/2.8L Dual Fisheye lens released at the beginning of 2022. Unlike the existing model, the new 3.9mm version isn’t an L-series optic – and it's an RF-S lens, designed for Canon’s APS-C mirrorless cameras, which helps keep the price down. 

It carries an RRP of $1,099 / £1,349 / AU$1,999, which makes it around 35% less expensive than the existing full-frame model. 

In addition, the Canon EOS R7 body that it's been designed to work with at launch is also significantly cheaper than the EOS R5 that the RF 5.2mm was initially built to pair with (though today it is also compatible with the R6 Mark II). 

So, individually and as a combined package, it costs significantly less and will lower the barrier to entry for anyone interested in creating virtual reality content.

While the RF-S 3.9mm will only work with the EOS R7 when it launches this month, Canon said that it will be expanding lens compatibility to other models down the line. See the test footage below, taken with a beta lens sample on an R7 shot at 4K 25p.

Above: Straight-out-of-camera sample footage 

The twin fisheye lenses have an ultra-wide focal length of 3.9mm, which works out to be 6.24mm in full-frame terms once you’ve factored in the 1.6x APS-C sensor crop factor, but that’s still an astonishing 144º field of view. 

Canon added that "the lens uses a 60mm inter-pupillary distance which resembles human eyes to create a realistic 3D viewing experience."

Also on the spec sheet you’ll find an STM (Stepping Motor) in the left lens for fast and smooth autofocus, though this is One-Shot AF for quick and precise setup of your shots. There is no servo mode for continuous AF, so to adjust focus once filming you can use the Adjust switch on the side of the lens barrel. 

There's also a large Control ring on the barrel, which works best as a manual focusing ring but can be customized for other settings such as ISO.

The Canon RF-S 3.9mm f/3.5 STM Dual Fisheye is smaller and lighter than the RF 5.2mm f/2.8L Dual Fisheye, yet manages to pack in two ultra-low dispersion lenses to ensure high image quality and prevent aberrations. 

The lenses also benefit from Canon’s premium Air Sphere Coating – the first time this features on a non-L-series optic – to reduce ghosting and flare and deliver pristine image quality.

I was initially told that the Canon RF-S 3.9mm f/3.5 STM was slated for release in July, but Canon has since confirmed that it will go on sale in June at a price of $1,099 / £1,349 / AU $1,999. 

Take a look at the best Canon RF lenses for mirrorless cameras, and don't forget that EOS R bodies can easily adapt the best Canon lenses for DSLRs. 

An extremely rare, and huge, collectable lens has become available to purchase, the Nikon fisheye 14.3mm f4.

The lens is available to buy from the Leica Store Lisse, in the Netherlands.  

"We currently don't really have a price in mind yet, as we aren't officially putting it up for sale at this time. We are happy to have it in our collection ourselves! Although we never know what offers might come our way..." Martijn de Clercq from the Leica Store Lisse told DCW.

This museum-worthy, one-of-a-kind, lens is a piece of photography and optics history, and was originally made for Disney with plans to use it for futuristic film and theatre viewing with 360-degree screens. 

Made by Nikon, the lens could be fitted to IMAX film cameras shooting onto 70mm film.

With some professional engineering, this lens can be adapted to attach to multiple modern cameras, including the Leica S, and Hasselblad XCD. Its speed of f4, which translates to f2.8 on 35mm can be considered ultra-fast for a fish-eye lens.

In the photo below, the giant lens is sat next to the Leica Noctilux 50mm f1.2, which takes a moment to even notice in comparison!

Described by Leica Store Lisse as “the holy grail of (fish eye) lenses,” they add, “Considering this lens is one of a kind vs the dozens of copies of the 6mm, features 70mm coverage vs 35mm of the 6mm, has a similarly ultra-fast aperture scaled up to 70mm, you can begin to understand the significance of what we have on our table today!”

Fisheye lenses date back to 1906, when inventor and physicist Robert W. Wood developed a lens based on how a fish would view the world underwater.

The lenses were used in the 1920s when they were used to study cloud formations, when they were known as whole-sky lenses, but it wasn’t until the 1960s that the fisheye lens became more popular, and mass-produced.

Nikon released their first consumer fisheye lens in 1962 and the style of photography became synonymous with the swinging sixties. Many famous album covers were taken with fisheye lenses including Jimi Hendrix’s ‘Are You Experienced, and The Rolling Stones ‘Big Hits (High Tide and Green Grass).

Check out our guide to the best fisheye lenses on the market. We've also put together our guide to the best Nikon lenses. 

Panasonic Holdings Corporation will soon present a new camera calibration technology using artificial intelligence that estimates accurate and robust camera angles from a fisheye image. 

Self-driving cars, drones, and robots all require accurate travel estimation abilities to enable them to position themselves and navigate when moving.

To achieve this, most technologies use specific measurement systems, such as gyroscopes and LiDAR, additionally attached to the cameras. To reduce size, weight, and cost, the technology needs to be able to estimate travel directions using only image capture.

Panasonic Holdings commented:

“Panasonic Holdings aims to contribute to helping customers' lives and work through research and development of AI technology that accelerates social implementation and training of top AI researchers.”

Fisheye lenses are ultra wide-angle lenses that produce strong visual distortion to create a wide panoramic or hemispherical image with an extremely wide angle of view, far beyond any rectilinear lens.

You might not be able to afford one for your camera, but you probably know them from a reversing camera.

The wide-angle lenses use a special mapping or ‘distortion’ as opposed to producing images with straight lines of perspective, or rectilinear images.

Despite their wide-angle abilities, fisheye lenses can cause the viewer to struggle with angle estimation because of the distortion.

To address this problem, Panasonic Holdings has developed a method designed for functions including broad surveillance and obstacle detection, essentially harnessing the wide angle capabilities of a fisheye lens, but recalibrating the images to remove the distortion and make the images easier for humans to process.

Panasonic Holdings said:

“Specifically, this accurate and robust method based on pose estimation can address drastically distorted images under the so-called “Manhattan world assumption;” the assumption that buildings, roads, and other man-made objects typically are at right angles to each other. Since the method can be calibrated from a single general image of a city scene, it can extend applications to moving bodies, such as cars, drones, and robots.”

The proposed technology will be presented at the main conference of the IEEE/CVF Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR) 2024, as a research outcome of the REAL-AI program for developing top human resources in the Panasonic group. The conference will be held in Seattle, Washington from June 17 to 21, 2024.

Take a look at our guide to the best camera fisheye lenses. We've also put together a guide to the best dash cams, and the best budget dash cams.

One of the biggest names in conference cameras has just announced a significant new model in the form of the Meeting Owl 4+, which brings more resolution and more functionality to the popular 360-degree device.

The Meeting Owl camera uses a fish-eye lens in the top of a speaker and microphone (which looks more than a little Owl-like). This gives it a 360-degree view of the room so, if it's placed in the middle of a meeting table, it can see every participant. Built-in AI then crops and selects the speaker for the video feed – a popular approach among the best conference cameras, but the design has made the Owl an iconic brand.

The device is a serious-looking charcoal compared to the cheery white/grey of the Owl 3. The most significant change, though, is that the eyes are no longer the device's only means of communication – they're now optional. If you "prefer a more professional Owl" they can be turned off, and a standard LED will still indicate status.

The new Owl 4+ includes 8 microphones with a pickup radius of around 18ft (5.5m) according to Owl Labs, but the biggest feature bump is the arrival of a 4K Ultra HD feed from the 64-megapixel camera sensor. Powering this is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8250 rather than the 605.

Other changes from the previous edition are a built-in K-lock, Security-conscious IT departments will appreciate that the device can also be used with Ethernet using an adapter, rather than just Wi-Fi – and indeed the power can come this way too. PoE (Power over Ethernet) is an option (as well, of course, as outlet).

Conscious of the needs of enterprises, Owl also offer a 'The Nest' software tool for remote management of multiple Owl devices and accessories. The accessories include room cameras and speaker bars to enable the devices to be used as part of larger conference room setups, details of which are available on Owl Labs own site (including, I was impressed to see, cable run illustrations).

"Non-verbal communication is crucial in the workplace for collaboration and rapport, and studies have even shown that non-verbal communication is at least as important as verbal discussion, if not more,” said Frank Weishaupt, CEO of Owl Labs. 

The new Meeting Owl 4+ is available now for $1,999 and £1,999, while the Meeting Owl 3 will remain on sale.

Check our guide to the best 4K webcams and the best conference room webcams, and if 360 photography on the go seems interesting, we've got a guide to the best 360-degree cameras too!

In my years as a photographer I’ve bought my way through a few systems worth of cameras and lenses. Be it a medium format film system right through to my current Fujifilm setup as a former ambassador (the program ended, not my love of the system). My current lens setup runs from a 7.5mm fisheye up to 600mm (using a 300mm with a 2x teleconverter). Despite this, I still firmly believe that anyone could be happy with two lenses and shoot the most common subjects with them with ease.

I bet you think I’m going to say the 24-70mm f/2.8 and 70-200mm f/2.8. Sure it’s the classic professional set, but they’re big and bulky and not at all an agile set for the average photographer. The two biggest genres of photography are scenics and portraits. Both of these can be covered with the lenses I’m suggesting. Wide lenses suit landscapes, cityscapes and broad nature, while medium telephotos suit portraits.

In full-frame terms, the lenses I’m suggesting are the 16-35mm and the 85mm. On my Fujifilm X system, it’s the Fujinon XF 10-24mm f/4 and the XF 56mm f/1.2. Now, I’d prefer if there were an f/2.8 version of the 10-24mm for astrophotography, but f/4 is still fine for scenics, where you’d normally be shooting at f/11. The zoom gives you room to change your view and enhance the foreground. 

85mm (56mm on an APS-C crop-sensor camera) is a very flattering lens focal length for portraits. The compression allows the nose to balance well with the face and helps the ears look proportional. Wider lenses make the nose look larger and bloat the face.  I’ve even shot ¾ portraits using this by zooming with my feet. 

Being a prime, you also get beautiful bokeh with the shallow depth of field. While most are f/1.2, Canon’s RF 85mm f/2 is a gorgeous lens for the money and a worthy investment, especially as it also does macro. I love the new 56mm for Fuji, especially the weather sealing.

Best of all, the combined weight and size makes this set easy to bring everywhere. They’re well suited to a smaller messenger bag, or a day bag with your lunch and laptop. You no longer need to worry if you can bring a camera with you for light travel because you know these lenses will cover most of your needs. 

Checkout our complete guide to the best Fujifilm XF lenses

AstrHori's first full-frame autofocus lens has now been released for the Nikon Z mount – and at just $420 for an 85mm f/1.8, it might be the best value-for-money portrait lens released so far this year. 

AstrHori is a third-party lens manufacturer that makes some of the market's most affordable lenses, including tilt-shift, macro, and fisheye – and in recent times, the low price point does not mean low performance. 

Following the example of other third-party Chinese lens manufacturers that have historically only produced manual focus lenses, AstrHori has started to develop AF lenses. It recently released its first full-frame AF for Sony E mount, and now it has come to the Z mount. 

The AstrHori 85mm f/1.8 full-frame AF lens offers one of the most popular portrait focal lengths, enabling the user to isolate the subject and compress the background. The lens can also be mounted on APS-C cameras, providing an equivalent focal length of 127.5mm – not far from the Nikon Plena. 

The lens is constructed with 9 elements in 8 groups, and the wide f/1.8 aperture offers low light performance and creative potential. The shallow depth of field combined with the focal length produces extremely soft bokeh, which AstrHori states is "well-suited for a rich detail of a portrait".

The autofocus capabilities are what sets this lens apart from the rest of the ArtHori lineup, offering a fast and accurate AF system compatible with eye and face tracking. This is particularly useful in combination with the stepping motor, which drives quiet continuous autofocus, making the lens ideal for stills and video alike. 

Other notable features include electronic contacts for communicating and transferring EXIF data, a USB-C port for future firmware updates, and a multi-layer coating that has also been applied to suppress flare and ghosting. 

The AstrHori 85mm f/1.8 full-frame AF lens is available now for $423 direct from AstroHori. Although we have yet to get our hands on this lens and put it through DCW testing, for the price and the specs alone it strikes me as a great deal – and perhaps even the best bargain of the year.

You may also be interested in our guides to the best Nikon Z lenses, the best Nikon camera, and the best lenses for portraits. 

The Lomography Society International has been flying the flag for retro-style film photography since being founded in 1992 and actually re-introduced the 110-cartridge film format itself in 2012. That same year saw Lomography launch two 110 format cameras in the shape of the Fisheye Baby 100 and the Diana Baby 110. Since then, the popularity of film formats, especially the funky, retro styles offered by Lomography, has increased significantly. 

What Lomography is selling is not so much an outdated format, but a lifestyle where creativity, fun, and retro colors are more important than any technical quality. This brings us to the Lomomatic 110 Camera Metal, and its sister camera, the Lomomatic 110 Camera Golden Gate. As the names suggest, the Metal one, looked at here, comes in a high-quality metal body, while the Golden Gate has a cheaper build quality but has beige and orange, 1970s-style coloring.

Lomomatic 110 Camera: Specifications

Lomomatic 110 Camera: Price and availability

At $159 / £149, the Lomomatic 110 is expensive considering you can pick up vintage 110 film cameras for under $50. However, the Golden Gate version without the flash is a slightly more reasonable $99 / £89. 

Lomomatic 110 Camera: Build and handling

No complaints about the build quality of the Lomomatic 110 Metal, it has a rock-solid case and quality glass lens. It looks and feels good to hold but actually using it throws up a few issues. 

To start with, the method of turning the camera on and advancing the film isn’t infallible. You simply pull it open, side to side, and snap it shut again. However, on the return when closing, it often catches, requiring the process to be repeated. Sometimes it appears to have taken a photo but actually hasn’t, so the film doesn’t advance. 

The other main complaint is that the fire button is too recessed and close to the buttons that set Bulb exposure and the ISO rating. Consequently, it’s all too easy to press the wrong thing and stand there wondering why it didn’t click. This is especially the case when rotating the camera vertically and makes for truly ungainly handling. 

The obvious space limitations of such a compact body also mean that the other controls are not the most accessible, particularly the Day/Night aperture slider which is on the underside.

The optional flash fits on the side and feels like it should rotate, increasing the creative possibilities, but unfortunately, it doesn’t. The setting slider for fill-flash in the daytime and full flash for nighttime is also recessed far too much making it more difficult to use than it should be.

Lomomatic 110 Camera: Performance

For a camera that styles itself as fun and creative, it’s a lot more fiddly than you might expect. The film advancing issue is one thing, but if you’re less than 3m away there’s that mental calculation involved in estimating the distance and then setting the right distance on the focus slider. 

Obviously, being a bit out of focus is part of the charm but there are limits. The focal length of the lens is 23mm, but the film is much smaller than 35mm, so that translates into a viewing and shooting distance of around 50mm (in 35mm terms). 

It means that it’s far more suited for portraits than it is for landscape shots. If you want to photograph something like a building, church, monument, and so on, you’ll need to stand some way back to get it all in the shot.

Having an aperture slider to select between Day and Night, for which read f/5.6 and f/2.8 is handy, giving a bit more control over the depth of field but the metering is easily fooled by bright skies and backlit subjects. 

Fortunately, there’s a workaround here, in that the ISO setting can be changed at any time, so if the film is rated at ISO 200 and you switch the setting to 100, it lets in more light, which is useful for backlit subjects, although if the subject is a person then you’re better off using the flash - if you have it. Judging whether to change the ISO setting comes down to the experience of using the camera as, obviously, there’s no immediate feedback here.

The other area where experience comes into play is if the light is murky, but it isn’t night time. With the shutter being set automatically, there’s a reasonable chance of camera shake in gloomy conditions, more so if you are still on the Day aperture setting. Knowing how the camera performs under various lighting conditions will help deliver better results, but the initial set of prints is likely to have a few duds in there. 

The other, related issue is using the Bulb setting because there’s no screw thread for a tripod. Fortunately, the body has a flat base, so find a flat surface to shoot from and all will be well. If not, then the results will be blurry.

Lomomatic 110 Camera: Sample Images

Lomomatic 110 Camera: Verdict

Looks great with fantastic retro styling but is awkward to use, has fiddly settings and it isn’t the cheapest way to get on the vintage 110 bandwagon. Still, there is a decent range of funky film stocks, loading and unloading is easy and the glass lens helps give decent results under bright lighting conditions.

AstrHori's first full-frame autofocus lens has now been released for the Nikon Z mount – and at just $250 for an 85mm f/1.8, it might be the best value-for-money portrait lens released so far this year. 

AstrHori is a third-party lens manufacturer that makes some of the market's most affordable lenses, including tilt-shift, macro, and fisheye – and in recent times, the low price point does not mean low performance. 

Following the example of other third-party Chinese lens manufacturers that have historically only produced manual focus lenses, AstrHori has started to develop AF lenses. It recently released its first full-frame AF for Sony E mount, and now it has come to the Z mount. 

The AstrHori 85mm f/1.8 full-frame AF lens offers one of the most popular portrait focal lengths, enabling the user to isolate the subject and compress the background. The lens can also be mounted on APS-C cameras, providing an equivalent focal length of 127.5mm – not far from the Nikon Plena. 

The lens is constructed with 9 elements in 8 groups, and the wide f/1.8 aperture offers low light performance and creative potential. The shallow depth of field combined with the focal length produces extremely soft bokeh, which AstrHori states is "well-suited for a rich detail of a portrait".

The autofocus capabilities are what sets this lens apart from the rest of the ArtHori lineup, offering a fast and accurate AF system compatible with eye and face tracking. This is particularly useful in combination with the stepping motor, which drives quiet continuous autofocus, making the lens ideal for stills and video alike. 

Other notable features include electronic contacts for communicating and transferring EXIF data, a USB-C port for future firmware updates, and a multi-layer coating that has also been applied to suppress flare and ghosting. 

The AstrHori 85mm f/1.8 full-frame AF lens is available now for $250 / £222 from Amazon or direct from AstrHori. Although we have yet to get our hands on this lens and put it through DCW testing, for the price and the specs alone it strikes me as a great deal – and perhaps even the best bargain of the year.

You may also be interested in our guides to the best Nikon Z lenses, the best Nikon camera, and the best lenses for portraits. 

It's a sad day for me, and anyone who loves quirky Micro Four Thirds lenses that used to be calling card of the format: the Olympus Fisheye Body Cap 9mm f/8 Lens has been discontinued. 

This little $89 hunk of plastic has been arguably my favorite lens from the moment I bought it. Cheap and cheerful? You betcha. Punches well above its weight? Damned straight it does. 

At first glance, it's just a nasty little toy lens. Plastic element, fixed f/8 aperture, nothing more than the glorified body cap that its name suggests. But man, it is so much more. For starters, just look at how tiny this thing is, on an already tiny Olympus camera: 

It weighs absolutely nothing and is so small that it can always come in my camera bag for when I want an ultra-wide perspective of something. And how often does that happen? Actually, a lot. 

Lanscapes. Selfies. Group shots. Vlogging. Heck, the first time I travelled to India I ended up using this lens almost the entire time – including to photograph a magazine assignment. 

I don't have any better quality versions to hand, but here are a handful of shots I've taken using the lens that I've grabbed straight from my Instagram (@jamesartaius if you want to check out some of my other stuff). Even in crunchy low res, hopefully these illustrate just how versatile the 9mm Fisheye Body Cap is:

So the news that it has been discontinued, reported by Asobinet in Japan, brings me great sadness. The sister 15mm body cap, which unlike the 9mm has truly terrible image quality, was also discontinued recently. It's possible that it will be produced in future, with the OM System branding, but I don't think it's exactly going to be a top priority for the manufacturer.

There is a "proper" Olympus fisheye, of course, the M.Zuiko 8mm f/1.8 Pro lens, but that comes in at a shade under a thousand bucks rather than a shade under a hundred. And it's also huge, so not exactly something I can slip in my lapel pocket like I can with the 9mm Body Cap.

Anyway, I'll be snapping up a spare copy as a backup (you can see how well used mine is!). And if you've made it this far, check out a video I shot with it at a funfair in Mapusa, India, of a car and a motorcycle driving around the wall of death:

You might be interested in the best Olympus / OM System cameras, along with the best Olympus / OM System lenses like this one.

7Artisans is a company that was formed by a number of Chinese camera enthusiasts back in 2015. By the time its first lens went into production, seven people remained from the original group, hence the company name. 

7Artisans makes a number of lenses in a variety of mount options and I’ve been impressed in the past with its full-frame compatible 7Artisans 50mm f/1.05 and 7Artisans 10mm f/2.8 Fisheye, both of which I’ve tested in Nikon Z-mount editions. I actually liked the fisheye lens so much I bought one. I’ve also reviewed the recently released ultra-wide-angle but rectilinear 7Artisans 9mm F5.6 which is a good option among Sony E-mount lenses.

7Artisans AF 50mm F1.8: What's changed?

Most 7Artisans lenses including the 7Artisans 50mm f/1.05, 7Artisans 10mm f/2.8 Fisheye and 7Artisans 9mm F5.6 are fully manual lenses with no built-in electronics. You therefore need to focus manually as well as setting the aperture via the lens’s control ring, rather than from the camera body. 

This AF 50mm F1.8 for Sony E-mount cameras is the first 7Artisans lens to feature autofocus and, while it has an aperture control ring, it also includes all the necessary electronics for camera-driven aperture control, so you can shoot in the full range of PASM modes. 

Note: Since we reviewed this lens, it has now also become available in Nikon Z and L-Mount options.

7Artisans AF 50mm F1.8: Specifications

7Artisans AF 50mm F1.8: Price & Availability

The lens is available to buy from a variety of photographic retailers as well as from the 7Artisans online store, which operates in various world regions.

7Artisans AF 50mm F1.8: Design & Handling

Whereas the older (and faster) 7Artisans 50mm f/1.05 manual lens has a metal barrel but a plastic mounting plate, the new ‘AF’ lens has a fully metal construction, apart from the plastic petal-shaped lens hood that’s supplied with it. The mounting plate also features a USB-C port, for applying firmware updates if and when needed. The lens certainly looks and feels a lot more sophisticated than the own-brand Sony FE 50mm f/1.8, but it’s also a lot larger and more than twice the weight.

The optical design is based on 11 elements in 9 groups and includes two aspherical elements, and ED (Extra-low Dispersion) elements and two HRi (High Refractive index) elements. The overall aim is to ensure good sharpness, contrast and color accuracy with the minimum of unwanted aberrations like color fringing and distortion.

The aperture diaphragm is well-rounded, based on 11 curved blades rather than the more usual nine. The narrowest available aperture is f/16 and the aperture can be controlled from the host camera body or via the onboard control ring. I like that the aperture ring is de-clicked for shooting video, whereas I find camera-based control more appropriate for shooting stills. What I don’t like is that there’s no locking switch nor a firm click to disengage the aperture ring from its Auto position. I found it all too easy to nudge the ring from its Auto setting to a narrow aperture accidentally while handling the lens.

As with most current and recent lenses for mirrorless cameras, autofocus is driven by a linear stepping motor. Again, I think that’s a good choice as it delivers speedy performance for stills and smooth, virtually silent autofocus transitions when shooting video.

7Artisans AF 50mm F1.8: Photo Performance

Sharpness gets off to a very good start when shooting wide-open at f/1.8 and becomes excellent at apertures of between f/2.8 and f/8. It drops off at narrower apertures of f/11 to f/16, due to diffraction.

One of the plus points of a fairly fast prime lens is that you can gain a tight depth of field for isolating the main subject in a composition by blurring the background. The quality of bokeh at f/1.8 is nice and smooth and remains so when stepping down a little, thanks to the well-rounded 11-blade aperture diaphragm. However, defocused lights and bright points in scenes tend to have a clearly visible ‘onion ring’ effect in the resulting bokeh disks. Typical of many lenses, bokeh disks also take on an elliptical rather than circular shape, away from the central region of the image frame.

Lateral chromatic aberration can be clearly noticeable towards the edges and corners of the image frame, for example around high-contrast edges like dark tree branches against a bright sky. On the plus side, automatic in-camera correction can fix this aberration. Axial chromatic aberration or ‘bokeh fringing’ can also be noticeable at wide apertures, with red and green fringing around high-contrast edges in front of and behind the plane of focus. This isn’t fixed by automatic in-camera correction.

7Artisans AF 50mm F1.8: Sample Images

This gallery of sample images includes shots taken at Bristol Harbour in the UK, under direct sunlight and in shade, using a variety of aperture settings.

7Artisans AF 50mm F1.8: Lab Results

We run a range of lab tests under controlled conditions, using the Imatest Master testing suite. Photos of test charts are taken across the range of apertures and zooms (where available), then analyzed for sharpness, distortion and chromatic aberrations.

We use Imatest SFR (spatial frequency response) charts and analysis software to plot lens resolution at the center of the image frame, corners and mid-point distances, across the range of aperture settings and, with zoom lenses, at four different focal lengths. The tests also measure distortion and color fringing (chromatic aberration).

Sharpness:

Center-sharpness is very good when shooting wide-open at f/1.8, even better at f/2 and excellent at apertures between f/2.8 and f/8. Sharpness towards the edges and corners of the image frame holds up well at f/1.8 and, again, is excellent between f/2.8 and f/8. From f/11 to f/16, sharpness drops off due to diffraction.

Fringing:

Lateral chromatic aberration can be clearly noticeable towards the edges and corners of the image frame, getting worse as you stop down through the aperture range. In practical terms, it’s not a real problem as it can be taken care of by automatic in-camera correction. However, axial chromatic aberration or ‘bokeh fringing’ isn’t corrected and can be noticeable at wide apertures.

Distortion: 0.01

The 7Artisans AF 50mm F1.8 is essentially a zero-distortion lens, as indicated by its practically perfect lab-results for this facet of image quality.

7Artisans AF 50mm F1.8: Verdict

To me, the 7Artisans AF 50mm F1.8 is the company’s first ‘fully digital’ lens, as all previous lenses have lacked any electronics. I like the swift and practically silent autofocus and the way I can control the aperture from the camera or via the built-in control ring. I also like that the control ring is de-clicked for video shooting but I wish it had a firm ‘Auto’ position click or a locking switch, as it’s easy to nudge from its auto position accidentally. Overall performance and image quality are very good, as is the build quality. There’s a noticeable ‘onion ring’ effect in bokeh discs and a little axial chromatic aberration but it’s a very sharp lens. All in all, it’s a fine prime.

Alternatives

We've come a long way, baby. The first time I experienced virtual reality was using a first-generation Virtuality VR headset to play a videogame with a crude flying pterodactyl in 1992, then later to pilot a giant robot in a battle royal. And of course, there was the Lawnmower Man movie starring a pre-James Bond Pierce Brosnan. 

Since then, 3D and VR has come back into vogue with technologies like Oculus, Meta Quest and PlayStation VR, which have become increasingly affordable ways to consumer immersive content. However, the ability to create this content is not nearly so affordable – but Canon plans to change all that.  

At The Photography & Video Show I had the chance to chat to David Parry, the imaging product marketing lead at Canon EMEA, who explained that, "3D is super important for us. And we’re talking about 3D, 180°, real VR." 

The company already has a VR lens for its EOS R system, the Canon RF 5.2mm f/2.8L Dual Fisheye launched in 2021. However, this was initially a premium product that only worked with the full-frame Canon EOS R5 – though later compatibility was expanded to the Canon EOS R6 Mark II. 

Having proven the technology, Canon now plans to further democratize it by bringing it to RF-S cameras such as the Canon EOS R7. 

"We’ve got two cameras here with two lenses, this is a stereoscopic VR lens and then we’ve got a stereoscopic 3D lens here," explains Parry. "They’re designed to fit an APS-C sensor. And the beauty of that is, we’re opening up VR to more people."

ABOVE: Watch David's Canon VR presentation 

More affordable lenses to work with more affordable bodies certainly invites a wider audience of creators. However, Canon is going one step further by introducing an all-in-one system that does everything.

"What I’m really excited about it this little guy in the middle here," he continues, pointing to a small box about the size of a cigarette packet with two lenses, one of which swivels around to the rear.

"This is a two-in-one 360° and VR. It does 360°, with this lens flipped around behind, and then you flip that lens out, you’ve got 180°, 3D VR in one product. Shoots 8K, shoots 4K as well. Something else we’re looking is live streaming – live streaming VR. This is the future, this is what’s super, super exciting."

What's remarkable to me is that two years ago we had a 180°-only, 8K VR setup that cost four grand for the camera and two grand for the lens, and had to be full frame. Today, we're looking at a compact, all-in-one 360° VR device that can shoot 8K and live stream it – all for a fraction of the price.

None of these products are yet official, though Canon seems confident that they will be here sooner than later. And, personally, I can't wait. 

You might also be interested in the best Canon cameras, along with the best Canon RF lenses for mirrorless and the best Canon DSLR lenses. 

Sigma has revealed that it will be announcing a new product(s) next week, and without any further details, it has left us with the question: what is it? 

Before product announcements, Sigma likes to keep us in suspense by launching a live YouTube video that counts down to the announcement date, which in this instance, is March 26, 2024. Rather cryptically, there are no further details or hints at what kind of product we might see on the day, but we do know when and where the presentation will occur. 

Sigma state in its video description, "From 21:00 JST [12:00 GMT / 07:00 EST] on March 26th (Tuesday), we will be broadcasting SIGMA's new product presentation live. In addition to introducing new products, we are also planning a corner where we will answer comments and questions received via chat during the broadcast, so please turn on your notification settings and watch in real time!"

Sigma is a leading Japanese imaging specialist that makes some of the best third-party lenses for mirrorless cameras on the market. Its Art, Sport, and Contemporary lens lineups have offered photographers outstanding quality glass at a more affordable entry point than native lenses. In addition, Sigma has been creating some of the industry's favorite cine lenses, with the Sigma 65mm T1.5 FF chosen as the benchmark lens for the recent Camera Assessment Test undertaken by the Giant Screen Cinema Association due to its exceptional quality.

Earlier this year Sigma released the Sigma 500mm F5.6 DG DN OS Sports and the Sigma 15mm F1.4 DG DN Diagonal Fisheye Art, two lenses that wouldn't be further apart, meaning that correctly guessing what lens is coming next, is even more difficult. 

A lens for one of these lines could well be a valid guess for the upcoming announcement but we must not forget that Sigma also produces the Sigma fp and Sigma fp L, full-frame mirrorless cameras that offer hybrid shooting features. With the Sigma fp L released in 2021, it may be time for an update. Could we see a new Sigma fp camera?

Speculating on new product launches is fun, but it won't be until next week that we get any definitive answers. The market is amid vintage overload with film and retro cameras very much in Vogue with the younger consumer, could we see a new retro compact camera to compete with the Fujifilm X100VI? Sigma's last compact camera, the dp Quattro, was introduced 10 years ago in 2014. The possibilities are endless, so we will just have to wait in excited wonder until the announcement!

You may also be interested in our helpful guides on the best mirrorless cameras, the best hybrid cameras, and the best cine cameras, as Sigma makes compatible lenses for each. 

The Photography & Video Show kicked off today at the NEC in Birmingham, UK, and for the first time in Europe Canon has unveiled three new prototype Virtual Reality products. We caught up with Canon’s Imaging Product Marketing Lead, David Parry, to see what they're all about and dive deeper into why Canon is doubling down on VR products.

See Canon's VR prototypes for yourselves at The Photography & Video Show at the Canon stand (N400 and N500) which runs until Tuesday March 19.

The three new items on show are just prototypes at the moment, so are simply called the Concept Model 001 and Concept Model 002 lenses for Canon’s APS-C mirrorless RF-S bodies, and there's a 360º/180º 3D VR Concept Camera too.

Specifications for the new proof of concept models are sparse, with the Concept Model 001 simply stating ‘APS-C 3D Stereoscopic VR lens’ and the Concept Model 002 saying ‘APS-C 3D Stereoscopic lens’ on their respective spec sheets.

Both lenses have been designed to work with Canon’s APS-C mirrorless bodies, on display mounted to the Canon EOS R7, with David adding "We're unsure if the lenses could work on a full-frame body with a crop, but it's something that we're exploring at the moment".

As RF-S APS-C lenses, both should be small, light and also more budget-friendly, compared to Canon's RF 5.2mm f/2.8L Dual Fisheye lens that currently retails for $1,999 / £2,099 / AU$3,199, with David adding "the new lenses should lower the barrier to entry and make recording Virtual Reality [VR], mixed reality [XR] and augmented reality [AR] footage much more accessible".

As concept models there's currently no release date or pricing, though David said "the new lenses are pretty far along" and "we’re heavily invested in Virtual Reality and want to get these products out there as soon as possible".

David was only able to specify that one lens is a ‘true’ VR lens, while the other is only stereoscopic, though as the Concept Model 001 closely resembles the RF Dual Fisheye we would put our money on that being the ‘true’ VR version.

The Concept Model 002 bears a striking resemblance in size and appearance to  Canon’s RF 50mm f/1.8 'nifty' fifty, though as we weren’t allowed to physically touch the prototypes we're unable to comment on weight. 

It is, however, remarkably small for a VR lens – with both of its lenses on the barrel internals, instead of having two bulbous fisheye lenses on the outside that take up a lot more space and would make the lens more awkward to fit in a kit bag. 

The 360º/180º 3D VR Concept Camera looks a little bit like a larger version of the recent Canon PowerShot V10, though features an additional lens that can be spun around for either front-facing 180º 3D / VR or rear-facing 360º VR. The spec sheet for this concept model states that it is capable of 8K 30p or 4K 120p and will have live streaming functionality. 

Canon has also created a prototype VR headset, though David was keen to stress "we're more interested in creating the tools for users to create VR content" and went on to say "we’re sticking to what we’re best at and it's important for us to concentrate on making premium optics.

"Virtual reality is an important piece of technology for the future and how people will interact with images. It enables us to do things that we couldn’t dream of before. The two new lenses have been enabled by Canon’s large EOS RF mount, high-quality sensor and autofocus".

Canon’s reveal of new VR prototypes comes hot off the heels of the Apple Vision Pro headset that launched in February, and has opened up virtual and mixed reality to a brand-new and ever-growing audience.

David was also keen to share that Canon is currently working on the software side of things. In particular, it is looking to make it easier to live stream VR content – for example, from a live music concert straight to your home. This involves tricky equilateral conversions and a strong 5G Internet connection to stream the huge amounts of data without lag, which could cause motion sickness. 

He also went on to say that the 5G wireless connection will allow for a better bitrate, which will make VR videos look sharper with more detail in each frame.

When talking about real-world use cases for VR, David was excited about the advantages for medical and emergency services. "We’re working closely with Canon Medical and it will be possible to train somebody up in VR, working on specialist machines without the need to be next to them… studies have shown a 40% greater retention of information when learning with VR. It's really in its infancy and I don’t think we’ve seen half of what it’s capable of".

You might be interested in the best VR headsets for 360, along with the best 360 cameras. 

Lomography is no stranger to adding a pop of color to its cameras, and the new Fisheye No.2 camera is the latest camera to receive a makeover, with what might be the juiciest edition yet. 

Lomography is a camera, lens, and film manufacturer focused on experimental analog products that unleash new creative possibilities. The best Lomography cameras offer something unique, and the Lomography Fisheye No.2 is no exception. Direct flash fisheye snapshots are certainly not the norm, but despite the medium, they look modern and offer something different from traditional events or holiday snaps. 

First released in 2009, the Lomography Fisheye No.2 is a 35mm film camera with a fixed 10mm lens for a wild fish eye experience, ideal for capturing creative snapshots. The camera lens is fixed focus and captures a set aperture of f/8, and the built-in flash provides a further creative license. A removable viewfinder gives the user the option to shoot from the hip and live in the moment - a way of life suited to this camera. 

As if making quirky experimental analog cameras wasn't niche enough, Lomography often adds new color editions to inject even more wackiness. We recently saw an update to the Sprocket Rocket panoramic camera with fresh new colors, and the Fisheye No.2 is the next camera model to get a makeover.

Papaya Pop is the latest edition and it certainly provides an explosion of color! A bright orange exterior with yellow polka dots will certainly be a summer statement and is ideal for those heading to sunny climes.

Lomography's ethos is to create products that encourage creative fun and experimentation with the analog process, and they constantly succeed. The Fisheye No.2 was already a neat camera for taking unique analog snapshots, and the introduction of the new Papaya Pop edition has made it the perfect camera for your holidays!

The Lomography Fisheye No.2 Papaya Pop is available now for $79 | £69.

Analog photography is certainly making a resurgence, and you can find more information in our guides to the best film cameras, the best 35mm film stock, and the best film scanners. 

Sigma is among a select group Japanese photographic manufacturers who still make their lenses in Japan, instead of farming them out to other nations. I’ve always been impressed by the quality of Sigma lenses, over many decades, and things got even better when the ‘Global Vision’ range of Art, Contemporary and Sports lenses was launched back in 2012. I’ve generally found that Sigma lenses are every bit as good as ‘own-brand’ equivalents from other camera manufacturers, sometimes even better, and often at a fraction of the price. Recent development has mostly focused on designing competitors to the best Sony E-mount lenses and the line-up includes some of the best Leica L-mount lenses, the latter also being compatible with Sigma’s own recent camera bodies as well as Panasonic S-line full-frame cameras.

Sigma 15mm F1.4 DG DN Diagonal Fisheye Art: What's changed?

Both circular and diagonal fisheye lenses go back donkey’s years. Circular fisheyes produce a relatively small image circle, delivering circular pictures that only utilize the central area of the camera’s image sensor, but with a full 180-degree viewing angle in both horizontal and vertical axes. They were originally invented for weather-watching, as the lens can capture the entire sky in a single shot. This lens is a diagonal fisheye (confusingly also known as a full-frame fisheye), so you get a smaller viewing angle, equating to 180 degrees measured on the diagonal, but the whole of the camera’s image sensor is employed to enable full-sized, rectangular images. As with other fisheye lenses, the Sigma 15mm delivers that trademark extreme barrel distortion, typical of ‘curvilinear’ rather than ‘rectilinear’ wide-angle lenses. What’s new is that this is the world’s first fisheye with a super-fast f/1.4 aperture rating. As such, it’s more ideal than most for astrophotography and for shooting in very low-lit scenarios. 

Sigma 15mm F1.4 DG DN Diagonal Fisheye Art: Specifications

Sigma 15mm F1.4 DG DN Diagonal Fisheye Art: Price & Availability

As I’ve mentioned, Sigma lenses are often very competitively priced, compared with own-brand equivalents from most camera manufacturers. That’s not the case this time around. Launched in February 2024, the lens is available in Sony E and Leica L mount options, at a cost of around £1,859/$1,999 and it measures 104x158g, and weighs 1,360g. That’s a lot bigger, heavier and pricier than the full-frame compatible Sigma 15mm F/2.8 EX DG Diagonal Fisheye (74x65mm, 370g, £450/$830) and Sigma 8mm f/3.5 EX DG Circular Fisheye (74x69mm, 400g, £599/$899), which were launched back in 2005 and 2006 respectively. Those lenses were aimed mainly at Canon and Nikon DSLRs, and have now been discontinued. The main reasons behind the upsized, heavier build in the new lens and its more exotic price tag are the faster f/1.4 aperture rating and the more pro-grade construction. If you’d prefer a rectilinear ultra-wide-angle lens with the same fast f/1.4 aperture, look no further than the Sigma 14mm F1.4 DG DN Art (£1,399/$1,599), which is also available in Sony E and Leica L mount options.

Sigma 15mm F1.4 DG DN Diagonal Fisheye Art: Design & Handling

I’ve seen some seriously small fisheye lenses over the years. They tend to be very much more compact and lightweight than rectilinear ultra-wide-angle prime and zoom lenses. This one is a comparative heavyweight and comes complete with a tripod mounting ring that has an Arca-Swiss profile, enabling direct attachment to like-minded tripod heads. I like that that the ring is completely removable and the lens comes with a rubber band that you can slip over in its place, more ideal for handheld shooting. As with other Sigma Art and Sports line lenses, this one is supplied with a high-quality protective soft case and removable shoulder strap, instead of a flimsy pouch.

The optical design is based on 21 elements arranged in 15 groups, so it’s pretty complex for a fisheye lens. For a boost in performance, the optical path includes three SLD (Special Low Dispersion) elements and four top-grade FLD (‘Fluorite’ Low Dispersion) elements. The aim is to maximize sharpness and clarity while minimizing color fringing and other unwanted aberrations. As with other fisheye lenses and many ultra-wide-angle rectilinear lenses, the hood is fixed in place and can’t be removed. Not just to reduce ghosting and flare, it also gives physical protection to the protruding front element. This precludes the easy attachment of filters, but the lens does feature a gelatin filter slot in its mounting plate at the rear, for which a template is supplied for cutting out your own filters.

With so much emphasis on ‘hybrid’ shooting these days, I like that the lens has an aperture control ring, along with a click/de-click switch. My only complaint with aperture rings is that I find they’re often easy to accidentally nudge from their Auto position for camera-based control, and I suddenly find myself randomly shooting at a very narrow aperture. Hurrah, this lens features a locking switch to avoid any mishaps. The same goes for the focus ring. Given the lens’s suitability for astrophotography, I like that I can switch from autofocus to manual focus, set the focus distance precisely, then use the locking switch to avoid any further unintentional adjustment. There’s also a customizable function button, nominally for autofocus-hold. Another nice touch for astrophotography is that there’s a lens heater retainer lip at the front, to keep heat strips in place for avoiding any build-up of condensation. Bringing up the rear, so to speak, the lens has Sigma’s usual plated brass mounting plate, complete with a weather-seal ring. 

Sigma 15mm F1.4 DG DN Diagonal Fisheye Art: Photo Performance

I tested the L-mount version of the lens with a 61-megapixel Sigma fp L camera body. An image sensor with such a high resolution represents a big challenge for a fisheye lens but I was really impressed at the sharpness of the images, not just in the central region of the frame but right out to the extreme edges and corners, even at very wide aperture settings. A bonus for astrophotography is that the optics are designed to minimize sagittal coma flare, so stars and other pinpricks of light are rendered accurately rather than taking on irregular shapes like ‘batwing coma’.

Sigma says this is its first lens to be ‘designed using state-of-the-art simulation technology’, and that one of the benefits is that suppression of ghosting and flare is particularly good. I found that to be true when shooting into the light, and with light entering the lens at oblique angles. Color fringing is very minimal, although, as I’d fully hope for in a fisheye lens, barrel distortion is off the scale, giving that highly distinctive, creative look to images.

Sigma 15mm F1.4 DG DN Diagonal Fisheye Art: Sample Images

This set of example shots was taken under low lighting levels in a cathedral, handheld at f/2.8. You'll notice that, as a fisheye lens, the Sigma gives a huge depth of field even at this wide aperture setting.

Sigma 15mm F1.4 DG DN Diagonal Fisheye Art: Verdict

I’m something of a fisheye fan. I love the way they give a mighty wall-to-wall viewing angle and a really distinctive look to images for creative effect. It’s literally like taking the blinkers off your photography. The Sigma 15mm F1.4 DG DN Diagonal Fisheye Art adds extra potential to the genre, thanks to its relatively fast f/1.4 aperture rating. This not only makes it more suitable for astrophotography, but also for nighttime cityscapes and indoor photography, where you want to maintain fast shutter speeds to freeze motion. Sure, it’s big, heavy and expensive for a fisheye lens but, taking the build quality, image quality, overall performance and handling into the equation, you get what you pay for and more besides. It’s a fabulous fisheye lens and simply an epic lens, period.

Alternatives

Sigma claims this is the world’s first f/1.4 diagonal fisheye, the unique feature here being its f/1.4 maximum aperture. This alone would make it a very interesting option for astrophotography, where extreme angles of view and extreme lens apertures are highly desired, but Sigma has built in a number of other features to tempt stargazers too.

The Sigma 15mm F1.4 DG DN is a so-called ‘diagonal fisheye’, which means that while there is strong curvature towards the edges of the frame, the image does still fill the frame – as opposed to a ‘circular fisheye’, where you just get a circular image with black borders.

Sigma says the 15mm F1.4 DG DN can be used for landscapes, portraits, architecture and more, though it’s astrophotography where its advantages are most likely to be felt, especially with the attention Sigma has paid to its optical and physical design. Indeed, it looks set to become one of the best lenses for astrophotography for Sony and L-mount users, if not one of the best fisheye lenses – albeit a pretty expensive one.

It uses a highly sophisticated design consisting of 21 glass elements in 15 groups, including four FLD and three SLD low dispersion elements to reduce sagittal coma flare and other aberrations. According to Sigma, its new lens can precisely reproduce bright points of light across the whole frame, even when shooting wide open at F1.4.

All this glass contributes to a formidable all-in weight of 1360g, and to make this easier to mount on a tripod, Sigma is including a removable tripod mounting collar. Other features include a built in rear filter holder – and filters can be stored in a special locking lens cap – and a Lens Heat Retainer for serious astro shooters who use heating pads to keep the lens warm in cold conditions.

Controls include a manual focus lock with disables the focus ring – perfect when you’ve focused on the stars and don’t want to accidentally shaft the focus – a customisable AF-L button, a de-clickable aperture ring and a dust and splash resistant design that also includes a water and oil repellent front coating.

Sigma 15mm F1.4 DG DN Diagonal Fisheye specifications

Optical construction: 21 elements in 15 groups
Angle of view: 180° 
Diaphragm: 11 aperture blades (rounded diaphragm)
Min aperture: f/16
Min focus distance: 0.385m
Max magnification: 1:16
Dimensions: 104.0 × 157.9mm
Weight: 1360g

Sigma 15mm F1.4 DG DN Diagonal Fisheye price and availability

The new lens joins a group wide-angle F1.4 DG DN Art lenses including the Sigma 14mm F1.4 DG DN | Art, 20mm F1.4 DG DN | Art and 24mm F1.4 DG DN | Art. Although it has a longer focal length than the Sigma 14mm lens, the unique properties of fisheye lenses mean that normal focal length/angle of view comparisons don’t apply, and the 15mm fisheye actually has a much wider angle of view of 180 degrees, versus the 114.2 degrees of the 14mm rectilinear lens.

The Sigma 15mm F1.4 DG DN Diagonal Fisheye will be available in L-Mount and Sony E-Mount versions and will be on sale from March 14 at a price of $1,999 / £1,869 (about AU$3,045).

Canon has been looking into the future and sees that VR has a part to play in its portfolio. The company already has the RF 5.2mm F2.8 L Dual Fisheye lens as part of its full-frame lineup. In fact, some new VR lenses were on display while in development concept guise, for APS-C based cameras and a standalone device for capturing VR while working in run-and-gun mode.

All of these were interesting devices; some might have competition in our guide to the best 360 cameras, but clearly Canon are preparing for a new wave of content creation for devices like the Apple Vision Pro, Meta, and Sony goggles.

As an integral component of the EOS VR System, the RF 5.2mm F2.8 L Dual Fisheye lens is designed to be paired seamlessly with the EOS R5 C, EOS R5 (firmware 1.5.0+), or EOS R6 Mark II (firmware 1.2.0), in conjunction with one of Canon's VR software solutions. Together, they enable the creation of immersive 3D content that can be enjoyed on compatible head-mounted displays, such as the Oculus Quest 2 and others.

I tried the content created from the lens / platform as I visited the Canon stand today at CES 2024 in Las Vegas, and wore a VR headset while watching a band play. The experience was fully immersive and enjoyable. While not in full 360, the same video is displayed when looking behind you.

Nice to see a camera company start experimenting with new ideas and content creation methods. I hope to try and see if I can get some content from my next trips to Alaska captured in VR. We shall see!

Kandao's pre-show spoiler seen in the flesh

On the subject of 360, Kandao had already given us forewarning of the new Qoocam 3 Ultra 360 8K dual-sensor camera for CES this year and think it could be a bit of a hit. The company also makes some great 360 hardware for conferencing as well as “action” cam style 360 cameras and this one is the newest of the range and out later this year. We now know that pricing will be less than $1000 when it arrives in the US this year. 

Watch the video: What is focal length?

Take two 50mm lenses: an f/1.8 and an f/1.2. Even though they both have the same 50mm focal length, they're not the same physical length – and neither of them is 50mm in length, either. So what exactly is focal length, then? 

Well, the focal length of a given lens is an optical measurement, not a physical one. It describes the distance between the sensor (or film) inside your camera and the point at which the rays of light converge once they’ve entered the lens.  

This focal length determines two things: the angle of view (which is how much of a scene will be recorded) as well as the magnification. This obviously makes a big difference depending on what you're shooting, such as trying top capture a sweeping vista or trying to isolate a single player on a football field. 

So, focal length dramatically affects the perspective of your photographs. Try shooting a portrait with a 17mm lens, which distorts the model but captures all of the surrounding environment, and then with a 200mm lens, which magnifies the scene and makes even distant objects appear to be next to the subject, while narrowing the field of view.

Knowing and choosing your focal length is the first decision you need to make when you take a photograph. Focal lengths can broadly be broken down into five separate categories of lens:

What is focal length? Some common examples:

1) Ultra wide-angle and fisheye lenses (8-14mm)

Ultra-wide angle and fisheye lenses can have focal lengths as short as 8mm. As the name suggests, they possess an ultra-wide field of view, creating an almost panoramic effect, making them useful for extreme landscapes, events and creative photography. Their distortion makes them less than ideal for portraiture. 

• Take a look at the best fisheye lenses

2) Wide-angle lenses (14-35mm)

Wide-angle lenses range from 14 to 35mm, and are the go-to optics for shooting landscape photography, as well as taking group shots, photojournalism and documentary work. 

• Check out the best landscape lenses and the best lenses for street photography

3) Standard lenses (50-60mm)

Standard lenses provide a very natural field of view, similar to the perspective of the human eye. This makes the “nifty fifty” a great all-purpose tool for everyday photography, and even portraiture, as it restricts distortion and starts to produce subject separation. 

• These are the best 50mm lenses

4) Telephoto and portrait lenses (85-200mm) 

Telephoto and portrait lenses are what we call “long” lenses. They have more reach and greater magnification, meaning that you can stand further away from a subject and still fill the frame. This makes them ideal for nature and wildlife. 

Portrait lenses can be anywhere from 85 to 135mm, and as we’ve seen they have the effect of compressing perspective – in crude terms, it makes noses shorter, making it flattering for people pictures. However, that compression makes them less than ideal for landscapes.

• Check out the best 85mm lenses

5) Super telephoto lenses (300mm +)

Once we get to 300mm and beyond, we’re firmly in super telephoto lens territory. This is the domain of wildlife and sports photography, as the telescopic reach can capture the action from ridiculous distances.

Focal lengths can make or break your images. So it’s worth going to great lengths to choose the right one!

Read our A-Z Dictionary of photography jargon, and find answers to other photographic questions such as what is a prime lens and what is exposure in photography.

It’s summer and, while Sigma isn’t heading to the Bonneville Salt Flats, the company is nevertheless celebrating a world speed record. The new Sigma 14mm F1.4 DG DN Art becomes the fastest ever 14mm ultra-wide-angle prime lens, available for shooters with Sony E or Leica L mount cameras. Heck, this lens might even make it worth buying one.

More good news in June for Sony photographers was that the acclaimed Irix 15mm F2.4 Dragonfly and Irix 150mm F1.8 Macro Dragonfly were to be relaunched in Sony E-mount editions. They’re both manual-focus lenses but with a lovely look and feel, catering to wide-angle and macro photography respectively.

The only other lens-based news in a hot June month was the rumor that Canon might be developing an RF-mount fisheye zoom, some 13 years after the EF 8-15mm. We’d expect to offer the same dual benefit of being a circular fisheye at the short end of its zoom range, and a diagonal fisheye at the long end, effectively being two fisheye lenses in one.

Our June review schedule kicked off with the Nikon Z DX 12-28mm f/3.5-5.6 PZ VR. We paired the lens with a Nikon Z 30 and found the combination perfect for vlogging, as advertised.

Going from the little DX lens to large and larger, we also reviewed the brand new Sigma 14mm F1.4 DG DN Art and found it to be every bit as good as the press release claimed it would be. For ‘larger’, we also reviewed the new mirrorless edition of the Sigma 60-600mm F4.5-6.3 DG DN OS Sports for Sony E and L-mount cameras. It’s a bit of a beast at almost 2.5kg but combines impressive performance with a 10x zoom range, stretching from standard to super-telephoto lengths.

We also took pleasure in reviewing the new Sony E-mount edition of the Irix 150mm Macro 1:1 F2.8 Dragonfly, as reported earlier in June, in our news piece. It has a useful telephoto focal length for shooting macro images of bugs and is a joy to use. On a shoestring budget, we also found that the Pergear 35mm F1.4 had something to offer, especially for street photography.

• 12 lenses of Christmas: April 2023
• 12 lenses of Christmas: March 2023
• 12 lenses of Christmas: February 2023
• 12 lenses of Christmas: January 2023

About time too! That was our reaction to Nikon finally launching a prime Z DX lens. Naturally, you can use any FX (full-frame) Z-system lens on a DX (APS-C) format body like the Z 30, Z 50 and Z fc. The Z DX 24mm f/1.7 came as good news, however, as it’s comparatively compact and lightweight, and competitively priced.

Choice of wide-angle lenses for Fujifilm X-system cameras was extended in May. Fujifilm launched its widest prime lens to date, in the diminutive shape of the Fujinon XF 8mm f/3.5 R WR. Prefer the versatility of a zoom lens? There was also the launch of the Tamron 11-20mm f/2.8 Di III-A RXD, previously available in Sony E-mount but reborn in X-mount for Fujifilm cameras. 

With an eye on cost-cutting, we brought news of a 7artisans 24mm f/1.4 prime for crop-sensor Canon, Sony, Fujifilm, Nikon and MFT mirrorless cameras. Stepping up to full-frame, there was also a new Viltrox AF 16mm F1.8 FE, company’s sixth autofocus lens for Sony cameras and the first with an LCD info display. And if info screens on lenses doesn’t strike you as strange, try the frankly bizarre AstrHori 18mm f/8 macro probe lens with built-in LED lighting array, for APS-C cameras.

The first lens through our test lab in May was the Canon RF-S 55-210mm F5-7.1 IS STM, which is also the first Canon telephoto lens in RF-S mount for APS-C format EOS R-system cameras. Indeed, it was still only the third RF-S lens, period. We followed that up with an AstrHori 12mm f/2.8 Fisheye lens, somewhat going to the opposite extreme to the company’s macro probe lens that we reported in our news, as well as testing the Canon RF 28mm f/2.8 STM pancake prime.

A sample of the new Fujinon XF 8mm f/3.5 R WR was quick to arrive, so we ran a full review of Fujifilm’s latest wide-angle prime. And finally for May, we tested the new Sigma 17mm F4 DG DN | C, Sigma 23mm F1.4 DC DN | C and Sigma 50mm F2 DG DN | C ‘Contemporary’ primes, being particularly impressed with the two 17mm and 50mm full-frame compatible lenses.

• 12 lenses of Christmas: April 2023
• 12 lenses of Christmas: March 2023
• 12 lenses of Christmas: February 2023
• 12 lenses of Christmas: January 2023

Chinese manufacturer Yongnuo had been hitting headlines with its high-performance yet reasonably priced prime lenses for full-frame cameras. The Yongnuo YN12-35mm F/2.8-4 MFT AutoFocus landed on our news desk in March, packing aspherical, low dispersion, and high refractive index glass elements along with Nano Surface Coatings into a conveniently compact and lightweight package, at a very competitive price point.

And speaking of standard zooms, Canon hinted that it might be serving up yet another option for EOS R system users, in a world-first RF 24-105mm F2.8 lens. There were also rumours of two new Tilt & Shift lenses, namely the Canon TS-R 14mm f/4L and the Canon TS-R 24mm f/3.5L.

In the wide-angle camp, we brought news of two Venus Optics Laowa announcements. First up was the Laowa 28mm F1.2 for full-frame cameras, followed by an additional Leica M-mount version of the Laowa 15mm F2 Zero-D.

March was a busy month in our lab, as we tested and reviewed a veritable barrage of lenses. The latest offerings included the dinky little Nikon Z 26mm f/2.8 – a true pancake lens that’s less than an inch thick, and a hands-on review of the much larger Canon RF 135mm F1.8L IS USM, a practically perfect portrait lens.

We were less impressed by the trio of Tokina SZ 300mmPRO Reflex F7.1 MF CF, Tokina SZ 600mmPRO Reflex F8 MF CF and Tokina SZ 900mmPRO Reflex F11 MF CF Reflex (or mirror) lenses. Sure they pack big telephoto reach into relatively small builds but image quality proved to be unsatisfying.

For a bit of nostalgia, we ran a review of the veteran Fujifilm Fujinon XF14mm F2.8 R and Fujifilm Fujinon XF55-200mm f/3.5-4.8 R LM OIS lenses. Over in the Pentax camp, we tested the HD Pentax-DA Fisheye 10-17mm F3.5-4.5 ED, Pentax DA★ 55mm F1.4 SDM and HD Pentax-DA 70mm F2.4 Limited lenses.

In a money-no-object moment, we reviewed the Leica 50mm Summicron-M f/2 and found it to be a real gem. We also tested the more reasonably priced Lensbaby Double Glass II Optic, as reported in our previous month’s news.

• 12 lenses of Christmas: April 2023
• 12 lenses of Christmas: February 2023
• 12 lenses of Christmas: January 2023

I've been reviewing the Kandao QooCam 3 for a few weeks and it's an excellent 360-degree camera, but before I've even finished we've learned the camera is to get a more powerful bigger brother with the addendum 'Ultra' to its name.

That makes a lot of sense given that Kandao have a wealth of high-spec 360-degree camera experience, which we've seen not only in consumer cameras but in their numerous contenders for best conferencing cameras like the Kandao Meeting Pro. It also makes sense in the context of the competition; if the QooCam 3 has broadly the same specs as the Insta 360 X3 – perhaps the best-known consumer 360-degree camera – then this is a swipe at that company's prosumer option.

The QooCam 3 Ultra will be revealed at CES 2024, the massive consumer electronics show which runs January 9-14 in Las Vegas. Styled like a taller version of the square QooCam 3, it has dual 1/1.7 sensors and fish-eye lenses, four built-in microphones, and a six-axis gyroscope. In-camera live-streaming and even live stitching will be supported, suggesting Kandao are aiming to dominate a future in which streamers don't even need to point their cameras, and viewers might be using goggles.

The maximum video capture will be 8K at 30fps, while 5.7K can be recorded at 60fps. The Ultra will also support 10-bit HLG video recording, while the camera can capture stills at 96-megapixels. A DNG8 Raw+ algorithm will allow, say Kandao, "capturing enhanced panoramic photos that preserve rich image details and deliver exceptional quality."

Admittedly we'll need to reserve final judgement on the QooCam 3 Ultra until the pricing is announced. One of the big advantages of the QooCam 3 is that it is relatively affordable, which I imagine will serve to further ignite interest in the 360-camera field (personally I first got hooked before the QooCam 3 came out with the aforementioned Insta360 X3, and am still enjoying experimenting with this new way of thinking about imaging). 

For many thinking of taking the leap, a bit more resolution will make a difference (remember that the 8K is across both lenses, so once you start editing you tend to crop out detail). Will Kandao make the price as appealing as the package?

Check our guide to the best 360 cameras or if you would rather choose direction, check out the best action cameras.

The 7Artisans 9mm F5.6 is a full-frame compatible lens that comes in Canon RF, Leica L, Nikon Z and Sony E mount options. It has an astonishingly wide field of view for a rectilinear lens, pretty much as wide as it gets without going curvilinear, or ‘fisheye’. Speaking of which, 7Artisans also offers a highly capable 10mm F2.8 Fisheye and some other very desirable lenses including the super-fast 50mm F1.05. Like those two, the 9mm F5.6 is a fully manual lens with no built-in electronics, but that’s not really a setback, as we’ll come to later.

Specifications

Mount: Canon RF, Leica L, Nikon Z, Sony FE
Full-frame: Yes
Autofocus: No
Stablization: No
Lens construction: 16 elements in 11 groups
Angle of view: 132 degrees
Diaphragm blades: 5
Minimum aperture: f/22
Minimum focusing distance: 0.2m
Autofocus type: Manual only
Filter size: N/A
Dimensions: 70x86mm
Weight: 463g

Key features

There are 132 degrees of key feature packed into this diminutive lens. Put your eye to the camera’s viewfinder and it gives an instant wow-factor. We’ve genuinely tried this with people and they’ve literally said ‘WOW’! It’s simply amazing how much you can squeeze into the image frame, making the lens ideal for sweeping vistas in landscape photography and cityscapes. It also plays into your hands when you’re shooting architectural interiors and simply can’t get enough into the frame even when your back’s up against the wall. The lens could potentially be great for starry night photography, although the modest f/5.6 aperture is a bit on the slow side for full-on astrophotography.

As a rectilinear lens, the 9mm aims to keep distortion to a minimum and give a natural view, unlike the notoriously extreme barrel distortion of the 7Artisans 10mm fisheye lens. Considering the small size of the lens, it’s surprising that 16 optical elements are packed into it, arranged in 11 groups. High-end glass includes two aspherical elements, two ED (Extra-low Dispersion) elements and three HRI (High Refractive Index) elements. The overall aim is to maximize sharpness, contrast and clarity, while keeping unwanted aberrations to a minimum. Coatings are also applied to reduce ghosting and flare.

Aperture control is based on a 5-blade diaphragm, which produces strong 10-point sun-stars when shooting into the light. As we mentioned earlier, the lens is fully manual and features no built-in electronics. There’s therefore no data communication between the lens and host camera body. As such, you not only have to focus manually, but you also need to set the aperture via the lens’s control ring, and no lens based EXIF information is stored in image files.

Build and handling

Considering the very competitive asking price, the lens feels very well made. It has a durable metal construction that extends to the barrel, mounting plate, hood and even the slip-over hood. That’s a lot of metal. As usual with ultra-wide-angle lenses, the hood is integral and can’t be removed, as it gives physical protection to the bulbous front element, which protrudes from the barrel. The only real downside is that there’s no filter attachment thread.

Compact and lightweight construction counts as a handling bonus. The lens measures just 70x86mm and weighing 463g. It certainly gives a bit of light relief if you’re used to big, hefty ultra-wide-angle zoom lenses for full-frame cameras.

The aperture control ring has full f/stop click steps, ranging from f/5.6 to f/22, with the addition of a half-stop click between f/5.6 and f/8. As a focusing aid, depth of field markers are printed alongside the focus distance scale for every full f/stop. The lens itself focuses down to a minimum distance of 0.2m, or 8 inches.

You might be put off by the lack of autofocus, but don’t be. When it comes down to it, the depth of field is so enormous that manual focusing needs little precision. In practice, we found that even at the widest aperture of f/5.6, we could set the focus distance to 3m and everything looked sharp from 1m away to infinity. The focus ring itself operates with a smooth feel and tactile feedback, while the forward position of the aperture ring helps to avoid unintended adjustments.

Another handling upside is that, as the lens is designed for mirrorless cameras with a live preview of exposure, there’s no darkening of the viewfinder when you stop down to narrow apertures. That can be a proper pain when using manual lenses on DSLRs. A final point on build quality is that the construction doesn’t include any weather-seals but that’s not surprising, considering the very affordable asking price.

Performance

When you’re cramming such an epic viewing angle into such a small lens, something has to give. But it’s surprisingly little in this case. The 7Artisans 9mm might not be the sharpest tool in the box, but it’s able to resolve a lot of fine detail in its huge field of view. It can’t do ultimate justice to a 45 megapixel image sensor but we certainly got acceptable results with our 45MP Sony A7R III. As you’d expect, sharpness in the central region of the frame is more impressive than at the edges and corners, but it still holds up pretty well at the extremities.

Being a fully manual lens with no electronic communication, it’s on its own in various other areas of performance, without automatic in-camera corrections being available. Bearing that in mind, distortion is remarkably minimal for such an ultra-wide-angle lens and color fringing is well controlled. A kind of distortion that you certainly can get is that the incredibly wide viewing angle lets you really exaggerate perspective and stretch the distance between foreground and background areas within a scene. Again, automatic correction for vignetting is off the menu, and the drop-off in peripheral illumination can be noticeable at f/5.6.

The very short focal length enables you to use fairly slow shutter speeds in handheld shooting without suffering the effects of camera-shake. A further bonus is that, despite the lack of electronics, you can dial in the focal length and/or aperture of the lens manually with many full-frame mirrorless camera bodies, making in-body image stabilization available.

All in all, performance, build quality and handling are very convincing for such an ultra-wide-angle lens, especially at such a competitive selling price.

Sample images

Lab results

We run a range of lab tests under controlled conditions, using the Imatest Master testing suite. Photos of test charts are taken across the range of apertures and zooms (where available), then analyzed for sharpness, distortion and chromatic aberrations.

We use Imatest SFR (spatial frequency response) charts and analysis software to plot lens resolution at the center of the image frame, corners and mid-point distances, across the range of aperture settings and, with zoom lenses, at four different focal lengths. The tests also measure distortion and color fringing (chromatic aberration).

Sharpness:

In our lab tests, sharpness looks very impressive at the center of the frame but pretty dire towards the edges. Bear in mind though that the extremely wide viewing angle of the lens requires shots of test charts to be taken from a very close distance, which makes edge-sharpness look worse than it really is in ‘real-world’ shooting.

Fringing:

Color fringing can be noticeable towards the edges and corners of the frame under laboratory conditions. This is due to how close the lens has to be positioned to our test chart in order to maintain correct framing, which in turn creates an extreme angle between the lens and the corners of the chart. However, as with edge-sharpness, we didn’t find fringing to be a major problem in our real-world tests.

Distortion: -3.65

The closer you get, the more noticeable distortion becomes so, again, ultra-close-range results for our lab tests look unflattering. In more typical shooting conditions, barrel distortion certainly isn’t obvious and, either way, the 7Artisans produces much less distortion than we’ve seen in many other lenses designed for mirrorless cameras, which rely heavily on automatic correction.

Verdict

This conveniently compact and lightweight lens nevertheless bears some heavyweight credentials. It’s a rectilinear rather than curvilinear (or fisheye) lens, shoehorning an epic 132-degree viewing angle into its small build, and with a solid metal construction that stretches to the integral hood and slip-on metal cap. It’s a fully manual lens but focusing is quick and easy, thanks to the enormous depth of field, even at the lens’s widest aperture of f/5.6. At the price, it’s a nicely crafted and very useful kit bag addition for capturing sweeping vistas in landscape photography, architectural interiors when space is tight, vlogging when you want to set yourself in an expansive scene, and a lot more besides. We’re really rather keen on it!

Read more:

• Best camera lenses to get
• Best Canon lenses
• Best Nikon lenses
• Best Sony lenses

Lomography has jazzed up its 35mm film fisheye camera, Fisheye No.2, by introducing a new colorway – Grape Jam. 

Subtle is not a word that can be used to describe Lomography's cameras, and that is certainly the case with its newly updated purple-and-lime green colorway on the Fisheye No.2. The best Lomography cameras have character in abundance, and this is no exception!

The Fisheye No.2 is a camera that has been out a little while, and one that offers a unique experience to film shooters by providing a fixed focus fisheye lens on a 35mm camera body. The camera is exceptionally lightweight and portable, and rocks "a vibrant PU leather purple coat with a sassy pop of green on the viewfinder", designed to turn heads and grab attention.

The lens has a focal length of 10mm and an ultra-wide 170° angle of view, with a pair of shutter speeds (Bulb and 1/100) along with an f/8 aperture. The detachable viewfinder enables users to shoot from the hip or traditionally, by attaching it to the camera's hot shoe.

The camera is capable of shooting multiple exposures, an increasingly popular trend among new film shooters. Another feature is the built-in flash, which is a neat creative tool enabling you to capture unique party shots.

"This funky gadget offers fun for everyone, beginner or advanced, with exciting features that allow creativity to soar," says Lomography.

The new Grape Jam colorway is out now, along with the existing models, Acapulco La Quebrada and the original (black and silver) – check out the official Lomography website. 

So, what is Lomography? 

If you read this far and wonder what the hell I've been talking about, you won't be alone. The Lomographic Society International was established in Vienna in 1992, and it's an organization dedicated to experimental film photography. It prides itself in not just recreating traditional film cameras and lenses, but experimenting and pushing the boundaries of film photography – as is evident with the Lomography Sprocket Rocket, Fisheye Baby, and the Lomography Konstruktor F.

Lomography doesn't just make cameras, it also makes some of the best film for 35mm and medium format cameras, the best Lomography Lenses, and it makes some of the most unusual festive photography gifts. 

I must admit, given a choice, most photographers would probably not choose to shoot landscapes with a rangefinder camera. At this point, I will admit that I am talking about a Leica – the superb 60MP Leica M11, to be precise.

First things first, the Leica M series is thought by most to be a little quirky and a bit of a throwback to the pre-single lens reflex era. It is also considered to be, by many, more of a street photographer’s camera. Well, here’s a funny thing, Oscar Barnack, inventor of the Leica, developed it as a small, compact camera that could be carried easily and discreetly on hikes and holidays. The fact that it became a favorite of the photojournalist is another story.

I must admit, I pondered long and hard about shooting landscapes with the Leica rangefinder. After all, framing accuracy is not going to be absolute using illuminated guidelines in the viewfinder, although it is a good starting point. At least there is also a bright and sharp screen on the rear of the camera for fine-tuning. I did buy the optional electronic viewfinder that slides into the accessory shoe for my original M10, but found I hardly used it.

The lenses are all manual focus (do you really need autofocus for shooting a landscape?) but the image on the rear screen will jump to 100% when the focus ring is rotated, which can be helpful, and of course, there is focus peaking, which I often use. However, I still am a huge fan of the split screen focusing patch in the viewfinder – again, quirky on a modern camera but also very effective.

One of the main worries with switching to the Leica rangefinder system is perhaps the lens choice – or, more accurately, the lack of choice. When I was a Nikon user, I was able to call on lenses such as the 14-24mm, 24-70mm, and 70-200mm, all in one camera bag, with an assortment of other lenses (often left at home) such as tilt shift, fisheye, and super telephoto. 

Leica sells prime lenses from 21mm through to 135mm for its M-series rangefinder cameras, along with a couple of close-up macro lenses. The choice is not huge, but do you really need every single millimeter of every single zoom lens? I don’t. I looked at what I was shooting and what focal lengths I used the most, and found I was looking at the world roughly through a 35mm or 50mm viewpoint. I now have a 21mm, 35mm, 50mm, and a 90mm, and guess what – 75% of my work is with the 35mm and 50mm lenses.

Another big quirk shooting landscapes with the rangefinder is that, when you use graduated filters – or any filters or polarizers – you cannot see them through the viewfinder. You must use the rear screen or optional electronic viewfinder. In fact, the optical viewfinder gets substantially blocked by the filter holder I use – a bit frustrating at times, but it’s not an insurmountable problem.

I love shooting landscapes with the M11. Quirky, yes, perhaps an acquired taste or just plain incomprehensible to most, but the results speak for themselves and I love using it, quirks and all.

if you're thinking of taking the leap, we keep a guide of the best Leica cameras and the best Leica M lenses… along with the best Leica alternatives.

How good is your photographic knowledge? Do you know your f-stop from your stop bath? Our new weekly quiz will test you out with 10 fun multiple-choice questions. How well will you do?

Want to know what you scored? Find out on the answers page…

• Now try last week's photo quiz

The answers to the Photo Quiz #3

Answers

1. b

2.  d 

3. a

4. d

5. c

6. b

7. c

8. c

9. d

10. b

How did you do?

10 points - You're a photo mastermind

8-9 points - Fantastic, your a photo brainiac

6-7 points - Really good score

4-5 points - Respectable, but no cigar

2-3 points - We'll keep your score secret

0-1 points - Epic fail

• Now try last week's photo quiz

How good is your photographic knowledge? Do you know your f-stop from your stop bath? Our new weekly quiz will test you out with 10 fun multiple-choice questions. How well will you do?

Want to know what you scored? Find out on the answers page…

The answers to the Photo Quiz

1 b   Wetzlar

2 a   Robert Capa

3 c   Kiss

4 c   Magic wand

5 b   Filter diameter

6 c    George Harrison

7 b   Fine art print fron an inkjet printer

8 c   Curves

9 a   2.5x

10 c  Model release form  

How did you do?

10 points - You're a photo mastermind

8-9 points - Fantastic, your a photo brainiac

6-7 points - Really good score

4-5 points - Respectable, but no cigar

2-3 points - We'll keep your score secret

0-1 points - Epic fail

Every heard of Google Trusted Photography? Well, it's a thing – an important thing. And almost anyone can be part of it.

Google Street View is an innovation that has revolutionized how we experience and interact with the world around us. Whenever I’m going somewhere new, I use it to check what the outside of the building and its surroundings look like, just to be sure I am definitely in the right place! Almost everyone who uses Google Maps would’ve seen or heard about the Google Street View car, but Google’s Trusted Photographers also play a massive role. 

• Check out the best 360 cameras - perfect for capturing panoramas, 360 video, selfies, action and so much more

Since Street View launched in 2007, over 220 billion images and more than 10 million miles of streets have been captured. What started as a farfetched idea to build a 360° map of the world has been a remarkable success, enabling people to explore cities, towns and landscapes from anywhere on the planet. For both businesses and travelers, it is an incredibly useful tool that helps increase visibility and can keep you safe (from ending up somewhere you don’t want to be). 

While a large proportion of the world has been photographed on a sophisticated 360° camera mounted on a vehicle, trekkers and even underwater vessels, lots of images have been uploaded by the general public who have a passion for panoramic shots. 

Google’s Trusted Photographers are made up of people who have shared more than 50 high-quality, seamlessly stitched-together panoramas to the Google Street View app. While technically anyone can upload, there are some strict criteria that need to be met – and phone snaps just won’t cut it. 

How do you become a Google Trusted Photographer?

1. You should already have a background in photography and access to the necessary equipment, including a DSLR or mirrorless camera and a fisheye lens. 

2. Have a look at Google’s online training resources; they will help you understand the best practices for capturing 360° images and cover essential topics such as camera setup and post-processing techniques. 

3. When you’re ready, apply to become a Google Trusted Photographer through the Google website. Then it’s just a waiting game while Google reviews your portfolio to ensure you meet its criteria.

4. If your application is approved, you’ll need to complete a certification process whereby you upload a high-quality, 360° image that shows off your skills and technique. 

5. Only once you have your certificate will you gain access to the Google Street View app and associate tools, which enable you to capture photos and upload them directly to Google Maps for everyone to see!

Before you get any crazy ideas to quit your job and become a Google Trusted Photographer full time, it’s worth pointing out that the role is in fact unpaid. Boo. There is potential to earn a steady income if you reach Trusted Pro status, but only if you manage to sell your services to local businesses looking to invest in virtual walkarounds. 

The role of Google Trusted Photographers remains integral to how we experience and engage with our surroundings, and we have a lot to thank them for. So, the next time you embark on a virtual journey using Google Street View, remember the skilled individuals behind those captivating images who make it all possible.

Stay safe in your car with the best dash cams, along with the best front and rear dash cams and the best backup cameras. 

A new super-wide-angle 9mm lens to be released by 7Artisans for full-frame mirrorless cameras. 

Full-frame mirrorless cameras are to receive yet another new 9mm super-wide angle lens, this time from 7Artisans. The manual focus 9mm f/5.6 lens will be available for Sony E, Canon RF, Nikon Z, and L mounts. It shares a list of features with the new best wide-angle lenses and looks to be an exciting option for super-wide shooters. 

The 7Artisan 9mm f/5.6 is a fully manual lens, designed for full-frame cameras. Its ultra-wide angle gives a huge view of 132 degrees, ideal for landscape photography and astrophotography. An angle of view this wide can enable the user to capture more of the scene and provide a creative perspective. Despite the focal length, the angle of view does not fall into the fish-eye territory and instead, thanks to two aspherical lenses, provides quality image edges and controlled distortion.

This lens has a smooth all-metal design that makes it more durable but does not stop it from being conveniently lightweight and compact. Weighing in at 463g and with a lens length of 78mm, this lens can be used by photographers on the move, who require a lighter kit.

Another increasingly desired feature, that up until recently I had not been aware of, is the sunstar ability. This lens creates 10-point sun stars by way of its 5 aperture blades, allowing for a pleasing symmetrical light flare. The aperture itself can be used from its minimum of f/5.6 through to its max of f/22.

Other notable features include a 20cm minimum focusing distance, 70mm lens diameter, 2 ED lens elements to suppress chromatic aberration, and a de-clicked aperture ring. The de-click option for the aperture ring has been increasing in popularity, especially with manual focus lenses. It allows a smoother aperture switch when videoing reducing camera shake.

The 7Artisans 9mm f/5.6 Full-frame Wide-angle lens will be officially released on October 13, 2023, at the price of $479 | £459 | AU $749.

Canon looks to be very much in step with the rollout of major headsets like the Meta Quest 3 and Apple Vision Pro. It has just revealed a consumer-friendly hybrid camera, built to produce content in both 360° and 180° VR modes. 

Moreover, at IBC 2023, Canon not only showed off a prototype (in a glass box) but showed off some specs: it will capture 8K 30fps, 4K 120fps, and offer live streaming.

• Some of the best Canon cameras already embrace 180° 3D VR

The prototype's design bears a resemblance to the Canon PowerShot V10 but possesses a hinge, enabling one of the lenses to be rotated from back-to-back mode (which would capture full 360°) to a side-by-side position like human eyes, reminiscent of the Insta360 Evo. Presumably this mode would work like other 360 cameras, while the 180 would be stereoscopic like Canon's own Dual Fisheye lens.

The Canon RF 5.2mm f/2.8L Dual Fisheye is a tool already well-established in the 3D VR creation market, but it requires a Canon EOS R5 (for 8K) or Canon EOS R6 Mark II to work – a not inconsiderable cost. What might at first seem somewhat like a Heath-Robinson approach is, in fact, its chief virtue for creators, though; by using a single camera (a single sensor at that) there is no chance of synchronicity issues.

Personally, I tend to think of 360° cameras as offering the chance to recompose video after the fact. But VR180 live streaming is a growing trend, supported by TikTok, so creators can share their view as go. There is already a 6K device in this space, the Calf camera, for $1,499 / £1,250, but nothing from a name as big as Canon yet. Despite the heft of its brand, however, Canon seems to be planning to charge less.

According to an interview with Alex Baker from DIYPhotography, Canon is looking at under $1,000 (about £820 / AU$1,590) – though couched with the words "probably" and "maybe." Under the price of the Canon EOS R8, anyway. Another way of looking at it is the most obvious competitor, at least in 360 terms, which is the Insta360 One RS, which has 1-inch sensors (but can't do the 180VR mode). That goes for a little below that price.

The only remaining piece of the puzzle for Canon – should you decide to keep your money in your pocket until we know more – is what the company will offer to compete with Insta360 or GoPro in terms of editing software, if anything. 

Check our guides to the best 360-degree cameras or the best or – if viewing is the issue – take a look at our guide to the best VR headset or – fun fact – did you know you can use some of the best FPV goggles to view 3D images?

Canon has released new firmware updates for five full frame EOS cameras, continuing to provide key updates for products long after release.

The Canon EOS R3, Canon EOS R5, Canon EOS R6 II, Canon EOS R8, and the Canon EOS-1D X Mark III have all received new firmware updates, featuring minor new features as well as bug fixes. The latest firmware updates come in addition to the major updates released earlier in the year. 

One of the key updates is the addition of Canon RF 5.2mm f/2.8 L Dual Fisheye compatibility with the R6 Mark II (previously, the VR lens was only compatible with the R5 and R5C). 

The full list of firmware updates is as follows: 

Canon EOS R3

 EOS R3 Ver 1.5.1

• Camera remote application It is now possible to register the focus position in the CR-A100's preset function. When used with the robotic camera system CR-S700R, it becomes easier for the photographer to focus on the intended subject distance.

• It is now possible to delete only the voice memo attached to an image. It is also now possible to add or add voice memos to protected images.

• We have strengthened the security when sending captured images using FTPS transfer.

• You can now check the time in the viewfinder by pressing the exposure compensation/aperture setting button while looking through the viewfinder.

• Fixed an issue where, in rare cases, camera operations would become ineffective after touch operations, and [BUSY] would be displayed even when the camera was operated.

• Corrected an issue where, in rare cases, the viewfinder and monitor screen would become blank and you would not be able to shoot, depending on the timing of the button operation and the viewfinder on the sensor.

• Fixed minor bugs.

Canon EOS R5

EOS R5 Ver 1.9.0

• It is now possible to delete only the voice memo attached to an image. It is also now possible to add or add voice memos to protected images.

• We have strengthened the security when sending captured images using FTPS transfer.

• Added support for the software development support kit (EDSDK/CCAPI) for digital cameras.

• Fixed an issue where, in rare cases, camera operations would become ineffective after touch operations, and [BUSY] would be displayed even when the camera was operated.

• Fixed minor bugs.

Canon EOS R6 Mark II

EOS R6 Mark II Ver 1.2.0 

• Now compatible with RF 5.2mm f/2.8 L Dual Fisheye.

• We have strengthened the security when sending captured images using FTPS transfer.

• Added support for the software development support kit (EDSDK/CCAPI) for digital cameras.

Canon EOS R8

EOS R8 Ver 1.1.0

• Added support for the software development support kit (EDSDK/CCAPI) for digital cameras.

• Fixed minor bugs.

Canon EOS-1D X Mark III

EOS-1D X Mark III Ver 1.8.0

• Camera remote application It is now possible to register the focus position in the CR-A100's preset function. When used with the robotic camera system CR-S700R, it becomes easier for the photographer to focus on the intended subject distance.

• It is now possible to delete only the voice memo attached to an image. It is also now possible to add or add voice memos to protected images.

• We have strengthened the security when sending captured images using FTPS transfer.

• Fixed minor bugs."

Canon continues to future-proof its existing camera models by giving regular firmware updates, including major performance boosts such as the update earlier in the year. If you are an EOS photographer and have yet to update the firmware this year, I urge you to check out the newest features. 

Canon compares updating its camera systems to photo software updates. They can provide fixes to existing issues but also provide the camera with new and exciting features, making it feel brand new!

As I have recently written in the Fujifilm firmware update article, firmware updates are a great indicator of how the camera manufacturer listens and responds to its users. Canon seems to go above and beyond in this aspect, taking requests from both professionals and enthusiasts. It speaks volumes as Canon continues to give major updates to existing models, instead of saving them for later models. 

Check out our how-to guide on updating your Canon firmware.

These are the best Canon cameras on the market right now, including some of the best beginner cameras and best professional cameras. 

The Micro Four Thirds (MFT) mount has one of the most fully fleshed out lens lineups of in the business, with Panasonic, Olympus, Leica, and third-party lens manufacturers churning out glass for a wide range of users from professionals to camera beginners, and everything from fisheye to super telephoto.  

Today, Panasonic is launching two newly redesigned Micro Four Thirds lenses – alongside the Panasonic Lumix G9 II – to take advantage of the latest improvements in sensor, autofocus, and image stabilization.

At the time of writing, Panasonic has a lineup of 32 MFT lenses – of which 15 are Leica DG lenses. This is a specific line of lenses designed for MFT cameras, made under Leica's strict conditions for high-quality optics, precision engineering and build quality to earn its approval. 

They are a part of a wider collaborative effort between Panasonic and Leica, and attest to the companies' close partnership throughout their other product lines (including the L-Mount Alliance). 

Leica DG Vario-Elmarit 35-100mm f/2.8 Power OIS

Not strictly a mark two version of the lens, the Leica DG Vario-Elmarit 35-100mm f/2.8 Power OIS lens has been redesigned from the original Panasonic-branded version, this time featuring Leica’s input to meet the latter's rigorous standards. The lens aims to provide photographers with improved performance and mobility, and is designed to be compact and portable for handheld photography and video with Dual IS to keep things steady.

The lens features a zoom range of 35-100mm, making this the Micro Four Thirds equivalent to the popular 70-200mm lens on a full-frame camera (which is the standard workhorse telephoto for many professional photographers) when the 2x crop factor is applied. The new lens maintains a bright f/2.8 aperture throughout its entire zoom range, improving low-light performance and enabling more depth of field and subject separation.

The lens structure includes two ED (Extra-low Dispersion) elements and one UED (Ultra Extra-Low Dispersion) element, and also features Panasonic's Nano Surface Coating technology – all of which are incorporated to minimize ghosting and flare while preserving color quality.

The Leica DG Vario-Elmarit 35-100mm f/2.8 Power OIS is set to be available in November 2023, with a retail price of $1,149 / £1,099 (Australian pricing TBC).

Leica DG Vario-Elmar 100-400mm f/4.0-6.3 II Asph. Power OIS

The Leica DG Vario-Elmar 100-400mm f/4.0-6.3 II Asph. Power OIS lens is an update on the previous Leica lens, aiming to provide a versatile solution for photographers interested in both macro and ultra-telephoto photography. 

The lens features a significant focal length range, spanning from 100-400mm, which is equivalent to 200mm to 800mm on a 35mm camera. And when paired with the Panasonic DMW-TC20A 2.0x teleconverter this jumps to a massive 400-1600mm in range. This makes it suitable for capturing subjects such as wildlife and sports events, even from far, far away.

Additionally, when paired with the same 2.0x teleconverter, it enables a 1600mm full life-size macro shooting capability, which can capture fine details in subjects like flowers and animals. Always worth noting, though, it that the use of this teleconverter does reduce the maximum aperture by two stops.

This lens incorporates a structure comprising one aspherical lens, two ED (Extra-low Dispersion) lenses, and one UED (Ultra Extra-Low Dispersion) lens.

The Leica DG Vario-Elmar 100-400mm f/4.0-6.3 II Asph. Power OIS lens is expected to be available in late November 2023, with a launch price of $1,599 / £1,499 (again, Australian pricing TBC).

Find out more about the best Micro Four Thirds cameras, which features some of the best Panasonic cameras.

Canon has released an immersive 180° VR meditation featuring cute rescue kittens playing among soft pastel-colored blankets and toys. Aptly named Meow-Ditation, the six-and-a-half-minute experience invites you to focus on breathing, relax your body and guide you through a meditation focused on creature comforts. 

Shot using a Canon EOS R5C and the Canon RF 5.2mm Dual Fisheye f/2.8 L lens, the interactive YouTube video enables you to move around the screen using a headset or mouse / cursor to explore the environment while listening to a calming voice. It directs you to listen to your body,  provokes a sense of calmness, and enjoys the playfulness and free-spirited nature of kittens. 

• Check out the best Canon cameras perfect for vlogging, photography or professional filmmaking

This is one of Canon's strangest and most unusual uses of VR but, one that demonstrates the endless possibilities when it comes to virtual reality technology. Made in collaboration with renowned cat photographer, Andrew Marttila, (@iamthecatphotographer) and VR experts Keeley Turner and Hugh Hou, the relaxing voice combined with a soothing voice is the “purrfect way to de-stress”. 

Obviously you get the full immersive experience if you watch using a VR headset. When viewing on a desktop or laptop you can move your cursor to move around the scene, and when viewing on a camera phone or tablet you can tilt the device to change the view. 

Canon’s RF 5.2mm Dual Fisheye Lens was made specifically for professional VR production with a stereoscopic VR lens that captures two high-resolution images on a single full-frame sensor – and was designed with the Canon EOS R5 and R5C in mind. 

Footage can be seamlessly aligned, synchronized and stitched with Canon’s VR utility, which supports 8K RAW footage. You can also import and covert Canon’s VR footage into Adobe Premier Pro using Canon's EOS VR plugin.

Previous applications of the Dual Fisheye lens include recording dance videos and breathtaking high-resolution nature experiences, but this is by far the most creative and calming use of the Canon’s most unusual-looking lens. It gives a whole new definition to meditation and whether or not you're a cat lover, it’s hard not to feel less stressed after watching the video. 

You can purchase the Canon VR Content Creator Kit, containing an EOS R5C and the Dual Fisheye Lens, directly from Canon. 

See the differences between the two bodies in our Canon EOS R5 vs R5C head to head. And check out the best VR headsets for the 180° or 360° experience. 

Moment started making lenses a decade ago, with the mission to turn your phone into a better camera. The T-Series is the next progression, bringing mobile photography and filmmaking ever closer to what you can capture on a traditional camera.

Designed for the latest generation of the best camera phones, the T-Series also sees Moment back to supporting Android with lenses that support bigger camera sensors and wider apertures. Adding another layer of glass and re-inventing the patented bayonet interface.

• These are the best lenses for iPhone and Android phones

The new T-Series captures the magic of what Moment first created with the company's original Wide 18mm lens: optics that are crisp, easy to use, and ready for any adventure. Sharp edge-to-edge, these new lenses bring a new perspective to your phone.

These new T-Series lenses will feature fan-favorite focal lengths of a 14mm fisheye, 18mm wide-angle, 58mm telephoto, Macro 10x, and finally the company's anamorphic lenses that come in either a 1.33x or 1.55x squeeze – with options of blue or gold flare.

What makes these new T-Series optics better than the previous generations are that Moment has redesigned them from the ground up, adding more glass to the lenses, lenses resulting in increased resolution and improved MTF scores (to match the up to 108MP sensors in today’s smartphones). 

High-quality, low-dispersion fluorite optical glass also reduces chromatic aberration and purple fringing, with additional elements aiding in less distortion and improved edge resolving power. These improvements result in materials equal to those that Sony reserves for its high-end GM professional lenses, according to Moment.

The manufacturer has also improved the bayonet mount for the new T-Series lenses, increasing the size by 20% to support new, wider main cameras and the addition of sensor-shift stabilization. This increased space enables more light to reach the sensor on your phone, and reduces the chance of vignetting while taking images or recording video.

What Happens to M-Series Lenses?

Nothing! Moment plans to keep them available to customers for years to come, especially for anyone rocking a phone made before 2022. The company still has plenty of phone cases for Pixel, Galaxy, and iPhones – even as far back as the iPhone 8 or Pixel 1!

If you own M-series lenses, here is what you need to know… 

1. Future iPhone compatibility
Moment intends to continue making M-Series, drop-in lens mounts for future iPhones. It can’t guarantee they will work with the same level of sharpness or without vignetted corners, but will functionally make sure you can mount your M-Series lenses on future iPhones.

2. Future Android compatibility
We're at the end of the line for M-Series kit working with new Android phones, since most have moved to lens interfaces that are too large for the bottom of the lenses. Moment will continue to support older models with Android cases, but all the new Android cases will be T-Series only.

3. Trade-In Program
Moment is offering a 120-day trade-in program for existing customers. Send in your M-series lenses, the company will check their quality, and send you a store credit to pick up any of the T-Series gear.

Check out the best iPhones for photography and the best Android phones – including the best Samsung phones, the best budget camera phones and the best burner phones.