The Canon 15mm Fisheye Lens is a full-frame 180-degree diagonal fisheye lens designed for Canon’s full-frame sensor cameras such as the 1Ds Mark III and 5d Mark II and all models full-frame previews. The Canon 15mm is a prime AF lens with a maximum aperture of f/2.8. Unfortunately this lens has been discontinued and replaced with a newer model.

Should I still buy the Canon 15mm?

Until very recently, the Canon 15mm was the only Canon fisheye lens you could get, leaving Canon owners using the 1.6x and 1.3x cropped cameras out in the cold. Canon has now replaced the 15mm with the 8-15mm f/4L fisheye zoom lens. As I write this it is not yet available for sale but the Canon 15mm is still available as new and I suspect that once the 8-15mm zoom is released to the public you will see more and more 15mm fisheyes mm available in used. lens market

As a Canon 5d Mark II shooter, I was more than a little disappointed that Canon didn’t update the existing 15mm fisheye. I understand the need for the new 8-15mm fisheye zoom and can appreciate why mid-range Canon users are excited about the new fisheye zoom. But for full-frame photographers, the new lens doesn’t offer much unless you want to create circular fisheye images. According to Canon, the new 8-15mm fisheye zoom is supposed to allow full-frame users to go from diagonal (15mm) to circular (8mm) with a simple twist of the zoom ring. Awesome, if you like circular images! If it doesn’t, and I fall into that category, then the new zoom doesn’t really have anything to offer, as the maximum aperture on the new fisheye zoom is only f/4.

I currently own a Canon 15mm and I don’t think I’ll be getting rid of it anytime soon, even when Canon’s new fisheye zoom finally comes out. I will of course give it a try when the time comes and wish such a lens existed when I was still shooting with a Canon Rebel. No doubt the new 8-15mm fisheye will be a good lens; but will it satisfy the full frame Canon shooter? Let’s take a look at Canon’s 15mm fisheye lens.

Canon 15mm Fisheye Lens Image Quality

The Canon 15mm Fisheye is the sharpest lens I have ever seen on a fisheye. If there is a sharper fisheye lens, I’d like to see it. Most of my photography buddies shoot Nikon and none of them will argue with the fact that my Canon 15mm is sharp compared to any of the Nikon made fisheyes. Even wide open at f/2.8, this lens is sharp as a tack. With a close focusing distance of 8 inches, you can get really close with this Canon fisheye lens for stunning and dramatic shots.

Autofocus is very fast on this lens even though it has the old style AF motor. There is no ultrasonic motor in this lens as it was originally designed in 1987. Canon has made virtually no changes to this lens since then.

Chromatic aberration could be better; and here the Nikons are clearly the winners, but nothing that can’t be easily fixed if you shoot RAW so you can digitally remove it. I often have the sun in my fisheye shots and rarely have to deal with serious ghosting and flare issues. Color saturation and contrast are as good as it gets with this lens. Canon’s 15mm fisheye translates to great images and you can really appreciate this lens when you’re making big prints with it like I do.

Like other high-quality fisheye lenses, the Canon 15mm has a jelly filter holder at the rear. At 11.6 ounces, it doesn’t weigh much and you can easily carry it in a vest or jacket pocket without being too noticeable.

So even though the Canon 15mm is not an “L” series lens, it is a prime lens and can withstand a zoom even if it is an “L” series lens.

is the 15mm Canyon Fisheye for you?

If you’re a full-frame Canon shooter and like a fast prime lens that creates beautiful images, I highly recommend the Canon 15mm f/2.8 Fisheye lens, even if you have to buy it used. If you like the idea of ​​being able to capture both diagonal and circular fisheye images with a single lens and don’t mind a slow f/4 maximum aperture, then you might go for the 8-15mm f fisheye zoom. /4L . Whenever it comes out it is!

As for me, I don’t know if I can ever forgive Canon for discontinuing the 15mm Canon Fisheye. But I sure will try.