Sigma 8mm f/3.5 Fisheye

A complete 180 degree field of view circular fisheye lens on a full frame camera such as the 5DMkII or 1DsMkIII. A lesser fisheye on a crop frame camera like the 50D or T1i. It gives interesting (bizarre, some say) effects and is sometimes used for scientific applications because it provides a consistent angle throughout its 180 degree field of view. OK, well it could be used for scientific purposes but mostly it’s used to give weird ’cow’s eye view’ scenics: think about it – you take a picture, turn around and take another picture, and now you’ve got a 360 degree panorama.

For Sale: We have one Sigma 8mm fisheye lens rotating out of stock. It is in good (8/10) condition (our grading scale is HERE ): perfect mechanicals, electrical system and the usual hairline coating scratches in the front element that all the fisheye’s get. They do not affect image quality at all. There are a few very minor paint scratches and scuffs on the plastic hood or lens caps. These sell for $699 with a 3 day inspection period during which you can return it for refund if not completely happy.

Roger’s take: Full disclosure here: I’m not a fan of the fisheye look, especially the full circle fisheye look (if you don’t understand what a full-circle fisheye is, it gives you a circular image in the center of your rectangular picture, with black edges all around it). But I will say this is a sharp lens with a huge depth of field. And the images are incredibly panoramic when ‘defished’ in software, which is what I do with them mostly. The depth of field makes autofocusing almost unnecessary, and the image is very sharp in the center (not so much on the edges, especially after software defishing if that’s what you choose to do). There’s some chromatic aberration and edge vignetting to deal with in software also.

I guess you can tell I’m not overly enthusiastic. To me, circular fisheye lenses are the Asparagus of photography. Some people have acquired the taste. I’d rather go hungry.

One point I’ll warn everyone about: the dark coating used on all of the 4.5 and 8mm Sigma fisheyes tends to flake off. It has absolutely no effect on image quality but it’s apparent cosmetically and has occurred on every copy we have.

Try and Buy Program: Lensrentals is pleased that our friends at SuperdigitalCity have made a special offer for our customers renting this item and considering purchase. Simply email your Lensrentals Invoice number to SuperdigitalCity and they will email you back a coupon code good for $26 (one half of a week’s rental) off of the purchase of the Sigma 8mm f/3.5 Fisheye lens.

Please note: Screw on filters will not fit on this lens due to the curvature of the glass.

Includes
NO Hood