Canon EF 8-15mm f/4L Fisheye USM

Manufacturer: Canon Type: lens Year introduced: 2010 (announced August 2010, shipped January 2011)

Overview

The Canon EF 8-15mm f/4L Fisheye USM was Canon’s first fisheye zoom lens and an important addition to the underwater wide-angle lens arsenal. Announced in August 2010 with an MSRP of $1,500 and expected to ship in January 2011, it was compatible with all Canon EOS DSLRs regardless of sensor size, with differing functionality depending on the crop factor (^[1]).

The lens’s versatility across sensor sizes made it particularly attractive:

• Full frame (1.0x): At 8mm, delivers a 180-degree circular fisheye image. At 15mm, provides a 180-degree diagonal “full frame” fisheye with no vignetting.
• APS-H (1.3x): At 12mm, the first full-frame 180-degree diagonal fisheye for this sensor size. Zooms to 15mm for a 137-degree field of view.
• APS-C (1.6x): At 10mm, provides a 180-degree diagonal fisheye. At 15mm, offers a 110-degree field of view useful for skittish subjects or close-focus wide-angle work.

The lens included an optional lock for APS-H and APS-C sensors to prevent vignetting (^[2]). It featured an outstanding maximum reproduction ratio of 1:2.56, making it well-suited for close-focus wide-angle photography with small domes (^[3]).

Zen Underwater tested the lens extensively in their DP-230, DP-200, and DP-100 dome ports, finding “excellent performance for underwater photographic applications in all three ports.” Ryan Canon of Reef Photo and Video also conducted a side-by-side comparison against the Tokina 10-17mm, concluding that the Canon 8-15mm “makes a lot of sense for someone who is after the best fisheye image quality possible, or a Canon user with multiple sensor sizes in their arsenal,” while the Tokina remained “a great value for someone getting started in underwater photography, or only using the EF-S sensor size” (^[4]).

Zen Underwater released compatibility charts for the lens with housings from Aquatica, Hugyfot, Nauticam, Sea & Sea (NX and RDX), and Subal (Gen. 3 and Gen. 4), with dome port options at the DP-100 ($899), DP-200 ($1,399), and DP-230 ($1,899) price points.

Reviews & Discussion

• ^[5] — Drew Wong’s announcement coverage of Canon’s first fisheye zoom lens along with new teleconverters and telephoto primes. Article (editorial source).
• ^[6] — Zen Underwater’s test results and compatibility charts for the lens across DP-100, DP-200, and DP-230 dome ports with multiple housing manufacturers. Includes side-by-side comparison with the Tokina 10-17mm by Ryan Canon of Reef Photo and Video. Article (editorial source).

References

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