Customer Reviews

Olympus 8mm f/3.5 Zuiko Fisheye Lens for Olympus Digital SLR Cameras

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(0)
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I had already upgraded all of my Olympus Zuiko lenses to the second-tier (above the ones that the camera came with, and below the ones that cost gazillions), but I hadn't gotten around to buying a fish-eye.

I upgraded the others because of their brightness and clarity, but I didn't see a lot of value in a fisheye just yet.

I WISH I HAD DONE THIS SOONER. This lens is bright, clear, and opens up another perspective in my photo opportunities! I recently returned from Big Bend National Park, and this lens came in very handy, capturing the grandness of the Santa Elena Canyon like none of my other lenses could!

Very high quality build. Sharp images. It doesn't get any wider than this. If you like wide angle you will love this lens.

This lens is good if you are close-up, in the middle of a croud, and you want as much as possible of a wide angle to catch the whole scene. Obviously there will be distortions of straight lines into curved lines, since the camera sensor is flat, and not spheric like the human eye. That kind of distortion is a matter of taste. If you keep at least the horizon straight by keeping it in the middle, the other distortions can be quite artistic. I used this lens in the Philippines for 5500 photos, and published the best in a few books. Technically, the lens delivers in-focus sharpness from very closeup to infinity at f11. I usually use the 11-22mm Zuiko, but for this travel photography in crouded places, this lens was the best!

Jeepneys: Public Transportation - The Philippine Way!

Baguio Market: A photographic walk through a busy place.

Manila Market: Photographs Transformed

Tricycles: Philippine Multipurpose Vehicles

This is a 'must have' lens for anyone who likes the fisheye effect. It is sharp from corner to corner, and exhibits great color and contrast characteristics.

Before investing this much cash into this lens, I highly suggest you pick up a cheap $30-80 fisheye adapter that can work with one of your existing lenses. If you have a blast with it after many, many shots, but wish the pictures were sharper, then it's time to buy this Olympus Fisheye.

It's just amazing how sharp this thing is, but for the price it better be. I initially picked this up for use on my E-P1 with adapter, but now I mostly use it on my E-620. It works great on both, I just like the balance of it better on the E-620.

It's great for taking pics of large crowds, interiors, landscapes, whatever you want really. I can't wait to take this thing on my next vacation.

The construction quality is extremely good and focus is zippy.

I recently purchased this lens. Some people like Fisheye some people don't so it is not going to be your main lens. But in terms of a great lens for vacation and really unique pictures you can't go past it. The build quality is amazing and justifies the price.

I use it currently on a 410 it does feel like it is going to break the mount as it is quite heavy compared to the body. But I don't think this will happen.

1. I've used various lens and cameras over the years (Contax / Zeiss, Nikon, OM series, Hasselblad, Sony...); within the past several years I've been using the Olympus line to overall satisfaction (EP-1 with various micro 4/3 lens as well as the E-5 and 12-60mm, 11-22mm, 50-200mm, 50mm etc...).
2. With the above being said, obviously a fisheye is a once in a while niche lens, but when needed, it really does come in handy (I mainly use it in selected panoramic shoots). Essentially after moderate use thus far, I have absolutely no qualms with this lens. The construction is very good, the optics are excellent, the size is fairly compact (at least compared to the zooms) and image output is great. I know that we know live in the digital age, where the standard lens are zooms.. and Olympus does make some excellent zooms. But when one uses their few prime lens (ex: fisheye, the 50mm macro etc...), it really really makes you wish that they made more prime lens... oh well, I can at least dream.
3. Bottomline, if you have the Olympus system (and there is a lot to commend one to their system, even in 2011 despite all the naysayers out there), this is a lens to definitely get, if your shooting requires it once in a while.

This lens is more versatile and useful than a lot of people would think. The fisheye effect is certainly there and a lot of fun for the right pictures. But at the same time, it's both manageable and correctable if you want to use it for general photography. I've used it a lot for scenics, large groups of people in small spaces, and similar work where many assume a fisheye wouldn't be good. With a little practice you learn where to put the center of the lens to minimize the curve if that's what you want to do. Crop in post, and you have a photo that's only a tiny bit unusual. For fun photography it's really useful. The close focusing lets you get really tight on the main subject while blowing out the background. Focus is fast.