Canon Patent For 8-15mm Fisheye Lens For APS-C Mirrorless

Canon Patent

Canon patent application US20190094490 describes the optical formula for an 8-15mm fisheye lens. Given the back focus distance this is most likely a lens for the EOS M system.

From the patent literature:

In order for a zoom lens to have a wide angle of view and achieve high optical performance across the entire zoom range and the entire object distance range, it is important to appropriately set the elements constituting the zoom lens. For example, it is important to appropriately set the zoom type (the number of lens units and the refractive power of each lens unit), the lens configuration, and the lens unit selected for focusing, and so on. 

If these configurations are not appropriate, achieving a wide angle of view will increase the size of the whole system and also increase the variations of various aberrations caused by zooming and focusing. It will therefore be difficult to achieve high optical performance across the entire zoom range and the entire object distance range. 

For example, for a fisheye zoom lens having an imaging half angle of view of 85 degrees or more, a meniscus lens having an extremely strong negative refractive power needs to be disposed closest to the object side within the first lens unit in order to take light rays into the zoom lens from such a wide angle of view. Generally, lenses in a first lens unit not only have strong refractive powers but also have large effective diameters. Thus, when it comes to a fisheye zoom lens, its first lens unit is heavy and large as well. Then, if the entirety or part of the first lens unit (the closest lens unit to the object side) is used as a focus lens unit, quick focusing will be difficult. 

This Prototype Fisheye Lens Can See Behind Itself

Fisheye

Roger Cicala of Lens Rentals is best known for the teardown of lenses and cameras. But Roger Cicala isn’t good just in dismantling lenses, he’s good also in building them.

Together with friends he made a prototype 4.9mm f/3.5 “hyperfisheye” lens.

[the] prototype C-4 Optics 4.9mm f/3.5 circular fisheye [is] a massive lens giving a 270-degree field of view, meant for immersive video and specialty shots. To give you an idea of what 270 degrees means, the lens sees behind itself. An ultra-wide 15mm fisheye lens gives a 180-degree field of view while an 11mm rectilinear lens is less than 120 degrees.

The picture below exemplifies what is said above.

Head over to Lens Rentals to see all steps of the assembly, along with a large set of images. Or just watch the video below.

Deal of the Day: Samyang 8mm f/3.5 HD Fisheye Lens – $145 (reg. $279)

Fisheye

Samyang 8mm f/3.5 HD Fisheye at a glance:

  • Ultra Wide-Angle 8mm Fisheye Lens
  • 167° Angle of View
  • High Definition, Aspherical Optics
  • For Use with APS-C and Full-Frame DSLR’s
  • Multi-Layer Coating to Reduce Flare
  • Minimum Focusing Distance of 12″
  • Removable Petal-Type Lens Hood

Adorama has the manual focusing Samyang 8mm f/3.5 HD Fisheye lens on sale at $145. Compare at $279. Free shipping.


More selected and exclusive deals…

 

Save $100 on Rokinon 8mm f/3.5 HD Fisheye & 35mm T1.5 Cine Lenses

rokinon
Rokinon 35mm T1.5 Cine Lens

Adorama has $100 instant discounts on two Rokinon lenses. Both ship free and include 2% Adorama Rewards – Expires 05/21.

Rokinon 8mm f/3.5 HD Fisheye, Manual Focus Lens – on sale at $199.95

Rokinon 35mm T1.5 Cine Lens for Canon EF – on sale at $399.95

Today’s Gold Box and one day only deals at Amazon USAmazon DEAmazon UKB&H Photo, eBay and Adorama

rokinon
Rokinon 8mm f/3.5 HD Fisheye

Samyang/Rokinon 12mm f/2.8 fisheye lens review

Rokinon 12mm F/2.8

Samyang/Rokinon 12mm f/2.8 ED AS IF NCS UMC Fisheye B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA
Rokinon 12mm f/2.8 at a glance:

  • EF Mount/Full-Frame Format
  • Aperture Range: f/2.8 to f/22
  • Three Extra Low Dispersion Elements
  • Two Aspherical Elements
  • Nano Crystal and UMC Lens Coating
  • Manual Focus & Manual Aperture Lens
  • 180º Angle of View
  • Minimum Focus Distance: 7.9″
  • Included Petal-Shaped Lens Hood

Nortlight Images posted an interesting review about the Samyang/Rokinon 12mm f/2.8 ED AS IF NCS UMC Fisheye Lens for Canon, a pretty interesting manual focus lens at an affordable price.

In the conclusion the reviewer writes:

From an image quality point of view I’ve very little to quibble about. The lens is robustly constructed and the addition of the padded bag for it most welcome.

The f/2.8 lens gives a nice bright image in my viewfinder, although manually stopping the lens down and not having any aperture information (Canon EF) may cause some difficulties if you are not used to manual lenses.

Going to f/5.6 was enough to sharpen up the edges of the frame a bit, and gives me so much depth of field that the only reason to check the focus settings was to make sure I’d not nudged the focus when changing aperture or vice versa. Read the review…

The review comes with a huge set of sample pictures.

The Samyang/Rokinon 12mm f/2.8 ED AS IF NCS UMC Fisheye Lens for Canon is on sale at $399.95: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA.

Rokinon 8mm Ultra Wide Angle f/3.5 Fisheye Lens In Stock For $229

Rokinon 8mm Ultra Wide Angle f/3.5 Fisheye Lens

B&H has the Rokinon 8mm Ultra Wide Angle f/3.5 Fisheye Lens for Canon EF in stock and ready to ship for $229 (click here), compared to $299. Product description:

The 8mm Ultra Wide Angle f/3.5 Fisheye Lens for Canon EF from Rokinon gives you a 180° view with dramatic, exaggerated perspective when used with an APS-C camera, or a powerful circular image floating in the frame when used with a full frame digital camera or 35mm film camera. With hybrid aspherical lenses and multi-layer coating, you will produce sharply defined images with a minimum of flare and ghosting. The 8mm lens focuses as close as 1′ (30.48 cm) from the lens, and has a built-in petal lens hood.

Note! Produces a vignetted image on full-frame sensors or 35mm film

Ultra wide-angle 8mm fisheye lens with exaggerated perspective and approximately 180° angle of view, for dramatic effects

Ultra-wide 180° diagonal field-of-view for APS-C size image formats–will produce a rounded image that doesn’t cover the entire frame when used with compatible full frame digital cameras

Lens is constructed with hybrid aspherical lenses for outstanding, sharply defined images

Lens features super multi-layer coating to reduce flare and ghost images

Lens has a minimum focusing distance of 12″ (30.48 cm) for enhanced close-up shots

Lens includes a built-in petal-type lens hood

[via The Digital Picture]