The Nikon AF-S Fisheye 8-15mm f/3.5-4.5E ED is fisheye zoom lens that gives an extraordinary wide perspective. It’s definitely a niche product that’s not useful in all situations, but the zoom makes this lens unusual (most fisheye lenses are prime lenses).
- Widest NIKKOR fisheye Lens yet and the first with zoom capability
- Capture EPIC 180 Degree circular images and traditional frame-filling fisheye images
Demonstrating the zoom range of this lens isn’t with your typical closer-and-further-away views. Below are some practical examples.
Zoomed out to 15mm, the image fills the full frame. Like this:
But because of the extraordinarily wide 8mm focal length, it doesn’t cover the whole frame. In fact, it actually only covers a circle in the middle. And not only does it look further away—it also dials up the optical distortion. This is not the lens you want if you need straight lines. Here’s an example:
Here are some more examples:
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More Sample Images
I’ve posted some more sample images from the Nikon AF-S 8-15mm fisheye lens separately.
Things Worth Knowing
Lens Hood. The lens comes with a lens hood, and it comes into play when zooming. That’s because when you zoom out, the lens hood comes into view through the frame with some drastic vignetting. Like this (you can even see the ridges of the inside of the hood at the bottom and sides):
So you’ll want to remove the lens hood to get that circle-shaped fisheye view.
Full Frame / APS Sensor. I shot all of the examples on this page with a Nikon D850. The lens will work on an APS-C cropped sensor camera, but the effective focal lengths will be 1.5x what you see here–in other words, a tighter crop.
Accessories for the Nikon Fisheye 8-15mm Lens
Lens Hood. This lens comes with its own, dedicated lens hood. The model number is HB-80.
- Minimise stray light
- Reduce lens flare
Lens Cap. The lens cap is, again, a dedicated model for this lens. It attaches with a combination of slipping over the front and snapping into place.
Its model number is LC-K102.
- Protect the protruding glass of the front lens element
- Connects directly to Nikon’s HB-80 bayonet lens hood
Filters. This lens isn’t compatible with most traditional filters on the market. Because of the curved front element, there’s no way to attach glass filters to the front of the lens. That’s a pretty standard limitation with most fisheye lenses.
Where to Buy
This is a niche product that many smaller camera stores might not carry in stock. But you can find them at B&H Photo, Adorama, and Amazon.
- Widest NIKKOR fisheye Lens yet and the first with zoom capability
- Capture EPIC 180 Degree circular images and traditional frame-filling fisheye images
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