Canon's Unique 8-15mm Fisheye Zoom Lens

Last night Canon announced four new lenses and a new digital SLR, the EOS 60D. Of the new lenses, the most exciting and unique is the new Canon EF 8-15mm f/4L Fisheye USM lens, “the world’s widest fisheye zoom lens.” It’s Canon’s first L-class fisheye lens and it replaces the venerable 15mm f/2.8 Fisheye. The new fisheye zoom works with all three Canon DSLR sensor formats – full frame, APS-C (T2i, EOS 7D, EOS 60D) and APS-H (EOS 1D Mk IV) to deliver, “180º diagonal angle of view images for all EOS SLR cameras … and … 180º circular fisheye images for full-frame EOS models.”

Since it’s a member of Canon’s premiere L lens line, the new 8-15mm f/4L Fisheye has proper weather sealing, the best glass and the best coatings Canon has to offer. It’s important to keep in mind that fisheye lenses are all about goofy, bulbous distortion. Photographers who want straight lines in their photos should be looking at the rectilinear Canon 14mm f/2.8L II or the Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM zoom lens (APS-C cameras only), both of which provide corrected wide-angle photos with minimal distortion. But if you want some fun, crazy distortion in your photos and you wanna go as wide as possible, then you should definitely put the new Canon EF 8-15mm f/4L Fisheye USM lens on your wish list.

Canon EF 8-15mm f/4L Fisheye Zoom Lens

List price for the Canon EF 8-15mm f/4L Fisheye USM lens is $1400 and it should be available in January of 2011.

Official Canon 8-15mm f/4L Fisheye Press Release >>

kelly says:

August 30, 2010 at 2:13 pm

are there image samples anywhere?

Photo-John says:

August 30, 2010 at 2:55 pm

Ahhh – good question, Kelly. I went to the Canon USA Web site and the product page for the lens has a couple of small samples. They’re no good for image quality but they show the fisheye effect well: http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer/products/cameras/ef_lens_lineup/ef_8_15mm_f_4l_fisheye_usm