Canon EF 8-15mm f/4L Fisheye USM review

The Canon EF 8-15mm f/4L USM is both a circular and diagonal fisheye in one lens

Canon EF 8-15mm f/4L Fisheye USM
(Image: © Matthew Richards)

Digital Camera World Verdict

On a full-frame Canon camera, the EF 8-15mm Fisheye is a wonderfully versatile lens that enables you to switch between circular and diagonal fisheye effects with a twist of the zoom ring. Image quality is very good in terms of sharpness, contrast and resistance to ghosting and flare, although color fringing can be quite noticeable when using older Canon cameras that don’t offer automatic correction.

Pros

  • +

    Circular and diagonal fisheye

  • +

    Very good image quality

  • +

    Typically strong L-series build

Cons

  • -

    Color fringing can be noticeable

  • -

    Expensive for a fisheye

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The Canon EF 8-15mm f/4L Fisheye USM broke the mold when it was first launched, although Nikon later followed suit with a similar lens. Previously, you had to choose between two types of fisheye lens. A circular fisheye produces a circular image that only covers the central portion of the sensor, the remainder of the frame being black. The other option is a diagonal fisheye, which produces a larger image that covers the whole sensor, resulting in a more typical, full-sized rectangular picture. The neat thing about the Canon 8-15mm fisheye zoom is that it produces a circular fisheye image at 8mm, stretching to a diagonal fisheye image at 15mm. Essentially, you get two lenses in one.

Specifications

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Matthew Richards

Matthew Richards is a photographer and journalist who has spent years using and reviewing all manner of photo gear. He is Digital Camera World's principal lens reviewer – and has tested more primes and zooms than most people have had hot dinners! 

His expertise with equipment doesn’t end there, though. He is also an encyclopedia  when it comes to all manner of cameras, camera holsters and bags, flashguns, tripods and heads, printers, papers and inks, and just about anything imaging-related. 

In an earlier life he was a broadcast engineer at the BBC, as well as a former editor of PC Guide.