my new toy

I had a buddy of mine come over this weekend. He's a freelance stock photographer in Toledo and he brought some of his new gear with him.....of course we went shooting :-)

It's funny, we think a like and he had two new lenses with him that have been on my "short list" of lenses to try out and possibly buy. One was the disappointing 17-55mm F/2.8 (see review) and the other was the 10.5mm F/2.8 fisheye. Unlike the digital zoom...I LOVED this lens..

now before we go too far I need to stress that I never owned or used a 16mm Nikon Fisheye ( the 10.5mm is meant to be the digital equivalent of this lens). I have used fisheye attachments and two types of 35mm fisheyes from Kiev camera...both with Nikon mounts, one a full frame and one a circular.

-----------------------------
Specs from the Nikon website....

Focal Length: 10.5mm

Maximum Aperture: f/2.8

Picture Angle (D SLR): 180 degrees

Lens Construction: 10 elements in 7 groups

Extra Low Dispersion (ED) Lens: 1 ED Element

Minimum Shooting Distance: Approx. 5.5 inches

Max. Reproduction Ratio: 1:5

Minimum F stop: 22

Aperture Blade: 7 elements (Rounded)

Lens Hood: Built-In Flower Type

Filter Size: Rear of lens, Gel filter holder built-in

Case: CL-08715 Soft Case

Diameter x Length: Approx. 2.5x 2.5 inches

Weight: Approx. 10.8 oz.

Included Accessories: CL-0715 Soft Case, lens cover, rear cap

--------------------------------------------------

What the numbers mean:

10.5mm: this lens has a 180 degree field of view. You can see your own feet if you point it slightly down. It also has such a wide field of view that it’s easy to get uncomfortably close to a subject since things seem further away than they really are.

DX: can only be used on Nikon mount DSLR's with APS-C sensors. All Nikon DSRLS past and present qualify. Kodak DSLR's with Nikon mounts need full frame lenses. Fuji DSLR's with Nikon mounts also work well with this lens. FM10 and F6 film cameras can not use this lens.

G: can only be used on camera bodies that have electronic aperture control. All current Nikon bodies EXCEPT the FM10 use this system. All Nikon DSLR's past and present use this system.

Construction is about what you expect from a DX lens. Its largely polycarbonate and is reasonably well built. The focus ring is fairly large and well placed. It does have a slightly soft feel when focusing, not really slop, just not quite what I’m used to with prime lenses. I expect a better "feedback" from the focus ring. The lens has an integrated scalloped hood and this gives it a distinctive look. The lens is surprisingly small even for a prime lens. It’s not much larger than a 50mm prime.. perhaps a tad larger. I’m used to fisheye's being imposing lenses with huge front elements. This is a fisheye that doesn't really look like a fisheye. I can't stress enough how compact this lens is. It weighs very little and it is very small.

Performance...Like I said, I have never used the 16mm F/2.8 fisheye that this lens is meant to replace so I cannot directly compare it, but here are my general feelings...

I thought the lens was a blast to use. Up until I got my hands on this lens I had been playing around with a 12-24mm intentionally trying to maximize the distortion using crazy angles and close shooting. I loved the results but wanted more. This lens delivers. Watching me use this lens must be a real laugh riot because I can imagine myself doing this drunken walk trying to find the most extreme crazy angle I can find to maximize the distortion.

This is not the kind of lens you attach when you want to go shooting your vacation or your kid's birthday party. This lens is designed for radical creativity. When shot normally it can be used to bring attention to the central subject..., which SHOULD be in the center of the frame ( contrary to normal compositional theory). The curved edges and sharper center maximize the "spotlight" of attention on the central figure. This lens requires that you think differently when you shoot it. All the "correct" ways to compose go out the window. It’s a lens for having fun and really letting your hair down.

This lens rocks when shot close-in.... its just about the most fun I've ever had with my camera. I ordered one online within only a few hours of having borrowed it. I liked it that much

Now I didn't notice any really negative optical characteristics that I didn't expect from my past experience with off-brand fisheyes. The huge angle of view and large front element and the small lens shade mean that flaring is an issue....but flaring can also be a lot of fun creatively. In addition the center of the image is much sharper than the edges. This is to be expected and is consistent with my previous fisheye use. I did not notice any color problems in the 2 days I used the lens...but I did not get a chance to use it in all lighting situations.

overall... I loved it to death, I bought one right away and I think it’s a lens that's going to get a lot of use. If I have any negative feeling about the lens its that the 16mm F/2.8 fisheye costs about the same and has all metal construction. I do wish this lens had similar attention to detail.

Now the 10.5mm lens does use quirky gelatin filters while the 16mm fisheye used 39mm bayonet filters. I do wish that Nikon had come up with a more practical filter system...BUT the system they do use allows the use of VERY cheap gelatin sheets trimmed to size. Perhaps this is a good thing? Forget using a polarizer since the filters are rear mounted ( there are no filter rings on the front of the lens)....but then again, would you?