List of all Current and all Affordable Photography Fisheye Lenses

find this and more tables in Downloads at ChristianSchnalzger.de, © 2025

This list grew out of an evaluation which fisheye to buy and is thus aimed at the practical photographer. Luca Vascon's more academic gallery of virtually every fisheye lens ever made can be found at thefisheyelist.com

For older, generally available, photographic system fisheye lenses not listed here, see lens-db.com/?s=fish

For all common Nikon fisheyes, see photosynthesis.co.nz/nikon/lenses.html

For the most outstanding fisheye lens designs, see my list of fastest lenses (ChristianSchnalzger.de -> Downloads)

pink: manufacturer claim, but see comment!

Diagonal

Horizontal

Vertical

° 43+: no specs quoted, only sample pictures on full frame cameras available. Typically, a fisheye fully covering full frame will have between 43 and 47 mm image diameter, i.e. not enough to cover GFX fully.

° FF=35 mm full frame 36x24mm; APS=1.5x crop; evil=mirrorless

° "Fishiness" (distortion) least to most: Rectilinear < Stereographic < Equidistant < Equisolid < Orthographic < Genetically mutate into an actual fish. Note that just as no lens is perfectly rectilinear, no fisheye lens perfectly follows the geometry of these projection types.

Universal CS mount (adapts to any evil) for 1/2.3" imagers like Pentax Q series, 2.42 mm flange distance; 175 g; this is the only 28o° lens

World record! Sadly only for very small cameras, and towards the edges fairly strong CA and softness

A silly vertical design philosophy for a silly price, not suitable for photography

universal CS mount (adapts to any evil), rated for better than 4K, 2.3 mm flange distance, 79 g, 55kJPY new

Towards the edges fairly strong CA and softness

18/12, 1.6 kg, m43, the company has many flickr galeries: flickr.com/photos/134236788@N08/albums

Towards the edges fairly strong CA and softness

Fixed aperture, 1.6 kg, m43, Sony E, and C mount

Towards the edges fairly strong CA and softness

Fixed aperture, 1.6 kg, m43, Sony E, and C mount

Towards the edges fairly strong CA and softness

Towards the edges fairly strong CA and softness

native f/5.6 with fixed aperture, but interchangeable aperture disks can be purchased, including one for f/4; 2 kg, Sony FE or Canon EF mount, but usable only on evil due to protruding rear element; for an illumination chart by sensor format and lens version, see products.entaniya.co.jp/en/products/hal-250-rear-lens/; 1.2mY

Towards the edges fairly strong CA and softness

Actioncam

universal CS mount (adapts to any evil), 2.3 mm flange distance, 32kY

Towards the edges fairly strong CA and softness

users put the AOV closer to 185°!

APS cine

T2.9 6.14-8.o3 mm zoom intended for cinema cameras; 22.6-29.8 mm image diameter at 22o° or 19-25 mm at 18o°, changing with zooming, so that the angle of view stays the same on any camera; Arri PL mount; 1.15mJPY

Zoom function irrelevant to the photographer since it only adjusts coverage to the millions of cine formats, but a 22o° diagonal fisheye is quite a nice proposition

T2.9 9.1-12.6 mm zoom intended for cinema cameras, 33.1-46.3 mm image diameter changing with zooming, so that the angle of view stays the same on any camera. Thus fully covers FF for a diagonal fisheye look. 17/12, PL mount, 2.6 kg, see products.entaniya.co.jp/en/products/fisheye-lens-hal-220-lf/

Zoom function irrelevant to the photographer since it only adjusts coverage to the millions of cine formats, but a 22o° diagonal fisheye is quite a nice proposition

Initially made for m43, thus fully circular on m43; APS versions are fully circular on APS, but do not use the entire image height

The cheapest way to 2oo+ degrees

Fully circular on m43; m43, Sony E, C mount; 34okJPY

m43 sample: products.entaniya.co.jp/en/products/fisheye-lens-hal-hal-200-3-6mm/

Fully circular on FF 16:9; fully diagonal on m43; modified version with 5 mm focal length and 16.6 mm image diameter, but same AOV, available, which can be turned back into 6 mm; m43, Sony E, Canon EF (for adaptation only: does not mount on SLRs due to protruding rear part); 378kJPY

Samples see products.entaniya.co.jp/en/products/fisheye-lens-hal-200-6-0mm/

Fully circular on APS; m43, Sony E, C mount; 468kJPY

Actually 1o mm! Although the barrel looks similar to the Samyang 8/3.5, the optical design is different

Expert rates image sharpness as inacceptable, see pt4pano.com/blog/2017/neue-fisheyes-fuer-panoramafotografie

stereographic

Two image circles on a 35 mm FF frame; actually 5.57 mm and 18o°, see photonstophotos.net//GeneralTopics/Lenses/OpticalBench/OpticalBench.htm#Data/JP1988-017421_Example03P.txt,figureOpacity=0.25,AxisO,OffAxis,Distortion

Fully circular on APS; cropped circle on m43

75€; two, maybe even three versions; all versions need mechanical sunshade removal through lens disassembly! "There are two mechanically different versions of [version 1, i.e. before 2o21, of] this lens, and by following the disassembly guide for v1 I've destroyed my v2"!

Sample see ephotozine.com/article/lensbaby-5-8mm-f-3-5-circular-fisheye-lens-review-27560

circular to diagonal

circular to circle crop

Fully circular on APS at 6 mm; details: photorumors.com/2018/09/30/new-meike-6-11mm-f-3-5-fisheye-manual-lens-for-nikon-and-canon-aps-c-cameras-announced/

does for APS what the 8-15s do for FF

Sunshade needs mechanical, destructive removing!

FD is FF SLR; three versions, 5oo€ for any version

The price makes this a collector's item like most fisheyes of the era, i.e. performance decent but not worth the premium

true f/1.8, actually 197° AOV: photonstophotos.net//GeneralTopics/Lenses/OpticalBench/OpticalBench.htm#Data/JP1988-017421_Example03P.txt,figureOpacity=0.25,AxisO,OffAxis,Distortion

stereographic

Sunshade needs mechanical, destructive removing! Actually over 19o° AOV if used on FF with sunshade removed, see pt4pano.com/blog/2014/rasiertes-fisheyes-evils

See pt4pano.com/blog/2014/8mm-f28-umc-fisheye-ii

Soviet-era design, still made today with minor changes in what now is Belarus; "~18o°" says web.archive.org/web/20050128213649/http://www.coastalopt.com/pdfs/FisheyeComparison_SPIE.pdf

Built like an AK47; image circle slightly too large for a perfect circle on full frame!; slightly sharper centre than the Sigma 8/3.5, but slightly softer edges; see also panograf.at/objektiv-vergleich-peleng-sigma-8mm-fisheye.html

stereographic

Actually 1o mm; T3.8; two versions: 1st fixed, 2nd unscrewable hood, identical optics; also sold as Opteka 6.5mm (!); possibly production tolerances, since experienced user claims V2 to be better optically, which can only be illusion or tolerance-related

equisolid according to photonstophotos.net//GeneralTopics/Lenses/OpticalBench/OpticalBench.htm#Data/JP1988-017421_Example03P.txt,figureOpacity=0.25,AxisO,OffAxis,Distortion

Centre weaker, edges sharper than the Peleng, see comparison panograf.at/objektiv-vergleich-peleng-sigma-8mm-fisheye.html

see m43photo.blogspot.com/2012/02/fisheye-lenses-different-projections.html; actually f/2.95, see photonstophotos.net//GeneralTopics/Lenses/OpticalBench/OpticalBench.htm#Data/JP1988-017421_Example03P.txt,figureOpacity=0.25,AxisO,OffAxis,Distortion

Four Thirds

predecessor of their f/3.5; note that several older Sigma 8/4s are around with very different optical formulae: 1o/6 since 1999, 12/8 before, according to web.archive.org/web/20050128213649/http://www.coastalopt.com/pdfs/FisheyeComparison_SPIE.pdf

circular to diagonal

circular to diagonal

FF AOV 18o°* at all focal lengths diagonally; horizontal and vertical AOV start at 18o° and then tighten with zooming in; *actually 175°, see photonstophotos.net//GeneralTopics/Lenses/OpticalBench/OpticalBench.htm#Data/JP1988-017421_Example03P.txt,figureOpacity=0.25,AxisO,OffAxis,Distortion

See pixelrama.de/panorama/tips/0815/index.html

circular to diagonal

circular to diagonal

FF AOV 18o°-175° diagonally; horizontal and vertical AOV start at 18o° and then tighten with zooming in

APS AOV 18o° at 1o mm, 1oo° at 17 mm; only version two has a removable sunshade, and has different coatings, but same optics

Sunshade needs mechanical, destructive removing!

Luca Vascon from thefisheyelist.com: "supersharp, but borders go weird and you cannot really control CA ALL OVER the lens. Not really equisolid, or at least not over 160 degrees, then it goes weird."

FF evil + rangefinder

Leica M rangefinder mount (that said, ANY fisheye for SLRs will adapt to rangefinder cameras, and due to the short focal length, zone focus is easy) and evil mounts; actually 15 mm focal length, at best 176° and below the Samyang, and equisolid: pt4pano.com/blog/2020/ttartisan-11mm-fullframe-fisheye

AOV much narrower than 12/2.8 Samyang, and much more distortion (confirming the equisolid estimation), see bottom of sonyalpha.blog/2021/07/21/7-artisans-10mm-f2-8-fisheye/; users lament strong lens flares in sunlight; sharpness including edge sharpness rated both above and below the 12mm Samyang depending on reviewer; Luca Vascon: "M versoin seems to have more flare, or they corrected the subsequent ones"; see also pt4pano.com/blog/2020/ttartisan-11mm-fullframe-fisheye

near-stereographic

nearly covers GFX, see samples (scroll down) dpreview.com/forums/thread/4557385#forum-post-64893765

"between stereographic (k=3) and equiangular (k=2), like other Samyangs: projection R=k∙f∙tan(α/k) with f=12,2mm and k=2,7" pt4pano.com/blog/2015/samyang-f2812mm-fullframe; to compare its look with the Canon 8-15, see pixelrama.de/panorama/tips/samyang/index.html

EF is FF SLR; 3oo€; make sure manual-only focus works in case you are not using it on a Canon EF SLR!

Questionably useful if you don't use it on a Canon EF camera, since neither aperture nor focus can be set manually, and the price is unattractive. Luca Vascon from thefisheyelist.com: "VERY relevant, works like a charm with adapters on Sony mirrorless (Sigma MC11) and L mount cameras (Sigma MC21), and it's an insanely good lens. CA to be corrected in ACR."

Actually 15.5 mm and 178°, see photonstophotos.net; FD is FF SLR; two versions, 45o€ today for any version; not for GFX: getdpi.com/forum/index.php?threads/canon-8-15mm-on-fuji-gfx.68890/

The price makes this a collector's item like most fisheyes of the era, i.e. performance decent but not worth the premium

Luca Vascon from thefisheyelist.com: "Very good lens if the right sample is in your hands. 2 versions! the latest having straight cut sunshade. Good detail and sun flare resistance."

KMZ Zenit MC Zenitar/Зенитар

Soviet-era design, still made today with minor changes at KMZ in Russia; KMZ stands for Krasnogorskiy Mekhanicheskiy Zavod, which, as the name suggests, is not "somewhere in russia" (Ken Rockwell, a stupid American), but in Krasnogorsk; 45.5 mm flange distance

No detail sharpness unless you stop down (depending on the quality of your sample: to f/5.6 if you're lucky, otherwise to f/11, which on modern cameras will run into diffraction) - that makes the lens nearly unusable for low light/astro photography

Minolta AF design from 1986 (Minolta's very first 16 mm fisheye from 1969 at least has the same specs, unclear if completely identical), continued with minor cosmetic changes when Sony annected Minolta

Luca Vascon from thefisheyelist.com: "incredibly sharp, deep, with outstanding IQ despite small CA and flare issues that change from model to model depending on the coating"

1993, the last model before the 8-15 zoom

Good, small, light, but this thread calls it overpriced and suggests the sigma 15/2.8: photo.net/discuss/threads/nikkor-16mm-f-2-8-fisheye-or-the-sigma-15mm-f-2-8-ex-dg-diagonal-fisheye.509291/

FF AOV 18o° at 17 mm, 9o° at 28 mm, fisheye effect mostly gone by then

More of a general effect lens than a purebred fisheye, interesting as such, but of moderate resolution (Luca Vascon from thefisheyelist.com: "all the samples I tested were not so sharp on a modern 45-6o MP sensor")

stereographic

Sharpness moderate; optical vignette surprisingly high, albeit tasty; AOV narrower than 12/2.8 Samyang; the latter is larger but also the better lens; comparison see sonyalpha.blog/2021/07/21/7-artisans-10mm-f2-8-fisheye/