Canon Announces 8-15 f/4L Fisheye Zoom

[Flake]

None of the lenses announced today look like being high volume sellers, the fisheye zoom, while I'm sure it's a technological Tour De Force still remains a niche market gimmick, something to use for the odd shot, but not to pay £1000 for.

 

[Grendel]

It's a Fisheye - the only fisheye filters ever are rear gelatins...
I didn't see anything about this accepting that...

Click: "Rear Gel Holder (accepts up to 3 pre-cut gel filters)"

 

[PoetryInLight]

I've keep on thinking of buying a fish eye and have looked at Canon and others, but haven't bought. This lens looks particularly interesting. I'm saving my pennies.

Here are two things I wonder about, even looking at the Canon website:

(1) "When paired with Canon’s full-frame[..,] photographers can choose to capture circular or full-frame fisheye images...." If you look at the image CR provided, which is the same as Canon's website, there appears to be another slider switch on top, almost opposite the AF/MF button. Could this allow rectangular or fisheye images at 15mm or (gasp) 8mm? Is that optically possible?

(2) From usa.canon: "Filter size: Rear Gel Holder (accepts up to 3 pre-cut gel filters)". What the heck is that? An extender? I can't find it on the web site. A slot in the lens to drop in the gels? Can't find the pre-cut gel filters on the site, either. I'm guessing these might be ND grads. Any ideas?

 

[Flake]

Pre cut filters are normally pre cut by the user from a sheet of Gel I don't think anyone produces a gel sheet of ND grad, and with the fisheye effect I'm not convinced that a filter with a straight grad would give acceptable results. I think you'd have to find a filter which followed the fish eye effect, not easy on a zoom!

The 'switch' may be the carrier for the filter, after all you do need to be able to get hold of something to pull it out mount the filter & put it in again.

 

[Grendel]

The switch is to limit the zoom range. As for gel filters, this is pretty handy. And cheap

 

[muteteh]

I wonder if this will replace the EF 15/2.8 fisheye. It's of an old design, but the optics are excellent and the 2.8 makes it better suited for low-light photography (e.g. aurorae). The non-USM focus motor is loud, but AF is not much of an issue on a fisheye (in fact almost unnecessary - MF works very well).

Based on this page on Canon's site, it appears the black EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 is discontinued, but the EF 15mm f/2.8 fisheye will be continued.

 

[Canon 14-24]

It almost seems as if the release of this fisheye is targeted towards both crop and FF camera bodies, which seems like a winner in my book, compared to producing separate fisheye lens for crop and FF bodies like other competitors are doing. While the $1400 price seems kinda high for this fisheye (given also that it's a non 2.8 or IS lens), I'd say a more reasonable price range is around $999-1299 comparing it to the older 15mm and other niche performance lenses Canon offers.

Edit: http://www.usa.canon.com/dlc/controller?act=GetArticleAct&articleID=3507

As mentioned there "The ability for one lens to handle multiple fisheye tasks, which previously required two specialized and expensive lenses, has remarkable potential. A magazine or commercial shooter who works with full-frame cameras now has at his or her fingertips a single lens that can handle both full-frame fisheye and true circular fisheye tasks. Likewise, a photographer who may own multiple EOS camera bodies — for example, an EOS 5D Mark II and an EOS 7D — can now achieve the full-frame fisheye effect with both cameras. A photographer no longer has to choose between, say, the speed of an EOS-1D Mark IV and the full-frame sensor of an EOS-1Ds when a full-frame fisheye image is needed, because the new EF 8–15mm f/2.8L USM gives that option on either camera."

I am going to assume based off the page's explanation for FF users, the options of use would either be a 15mm rectangular fisheye or an 8mm circuluar fisheye?

 

[Mark D5 TEAM II]

Looks interesting, might spring for one when the price settles down within 1 year. 8)

 

[Isurus]

mmm... I wonder if this baby is weather-sealed? It'd be a great choice for landscape photos, but hate to run into problem when it rains...

Gut feeling says it's going to be one of those lenses that refuses to take filters and hoods....

Based on the released documentation, it looks like it is sealed. I'm actually really interested in this lens. I've been wanting to get a fisheye for a while, but the current 15mm is quite out-of-date.

 

[J-Man]

I'm waiting for image samples.

 

[c.d.embrey]

The ONLY thing that Canon announced today that I'd be even half-way interested in. What advantages will it have over my EF-S 10-22 f3.5-4.5? Cn I use it at 8mm without vignetting on an AS-C camera - why wasn't a simple question answered in the press release?

I think Canon's intended customers are FF body owners, who would now have a circular fisheye & diagonal fisheye in one.

Per my understanding of the press release, you would have vignetting on APS-C at 8mm, and that there are markings on the lens indicating at which focal lengthes would APS-C & APS-H sensors get the equivalent of a diagonal fisheye.

That's what I got from the press release as well. Why could they not have said vignettes at 10mm on APS-H and 12mm on APS-C instead of the vague "... there are markings on the lens indicating at which focal lengthes would APS-C & APS-H sensors get the equivalent of a diagonal fisheye.

I'll talk to several of the local rental houses about renting it when they are available.

 

[PoetryInLight]

@Canon 14-24

Good catch on the URL. Having read that, I do want this lens. I may end up being a once-or-twice-a-year lens, but I think once could make very interesting pictures with it.