Customer Reviews

Opteka High Definition 0.20x AF Fisheye Lens for Select Canon Digital Cameras

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(26)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Just received this conversion lens. Like other reviews have said, you get what you pay for. But in this case, this isn't such a bad thing. If you want to have some fun experimenting with a wide angle, fisheye lens before purchasing a 600 to 900 dollar professional option, it's definitely worth it. Fisheye pictures are a bit of a novelty, and the whole fun factor might wear out over time. All the more reason to go with an inexpensive option.

1. I'm not entirely sure why this would matter but the lens is in fact made in China, not Japan.(Edit: I notified Amazon, and they have removed this detail from the product description. But take it from me, it's made in China.)With that being said, I received a solid, well made lens and the glass is crystal clear. I was impressed with the construction. The rubber grips work nicely, and the threads allow the lens to effortlessly and smoothly screw into your lens. It also comes with two adapter rings which allow it to fit anthing from 52 to 58mm. It fits my Canon 18 - 55mm kit lens with the largest of the two adapters. Without either of the two adapters, it fits nicely into my Canon prime f/1.8 50mm lens. It also comes with a mostly worthless cleaning cloth and a small, felt-like pouch to store the lens in when not in use. The pouch was a nice touch.

2. The lens is fairly heavy. While this might feel good when you hold it, I kind of wonder if the weight might affect the "gears" inside my kit lens while the camera is auto-focusing. I can't help but feel like it might add significant strain. Doesn't seem to be an issue so far, but may be worth mentioning. The weight does seem to slow down the auto-focus on my 18-55mm kit lens just slightly... though not enough to really be concerned. I suppose I'll have to see any effects from long term use, but I imagine my Canon lenses are built well enough to handle the extra weight.

3. Nowhere on the lens or box does it say Canon, or for Canon, or XS, XT, XSi, 30D, etc...
With that being said, this lens should fit any camera as long as the lens is between 50mm to 58mm. It should also fit video cameras. It's just a general SLR conversion lens that should fit most lenses with the help of the adapter rings.

4. I don't really understand all of the fuss about the HD aspect of it. If you hold the lens to your eye and look through it like a looking glass, it is remarkably bright and clear and indeed "HD". Otherwise, on the camera it looks just fine. Nothing to rave about.

5. As previous reviews mentioned, when zoomed all the way out you get the full "round" fisheye look. You can see the edge of the lens, but it's a nice effect and fun to use. Zoom in a bit and you get a nice wide angle shot. The edges do appear to fuzz a bit, but I don't see this as a huge issue since it is an inexpensive lens, after all.

All in all, I really look forward to using it more. No regrets with the purchase. Photography is an expensive hobby, and I'm happy there are inexpensive options out there for people who are just looking to try out some different shots.

I shivered when I saw the prices of fisheye lenses for my Canon XSi until I came across a few of these kind of lenses which instead of integrating into the camera itself, they screw onto the end of the existing lens. This affordable lens takes fantastic wide-angle photos, however there is a pretty extreme barreling effect which I expected after using a 35mm Fisheye by Lomo. I am amazed at the clarity of the photos I have obtained. I was expecting more distortion, chromatic aberration, etc. but this does not seem to be the case with this lens.
Does this compare to a $600 180 degree lens? Probably not. But for someone who isn't using such a lens professionally, this is the perfect starter to get you a taste of what the wide angle can produce.

My ONLY complaint is that the lens cap that came with does not fit with the adapter ring, and so the ring must be removed each time I put the lens away in it's little bag. Nothing serious.

Final thoughts: It's fun, it's cheap, and it produces high quality photos! What more can you ask for?

I wanted a fish eye wide angle lens but didn't want the high price.
This lense fit the bill. Pictures very sharp and I get the fish eye effect I was looking for. It is attached to an 18-55mm lense. At the 18mm it does create a round view that shows the lens barrel but it is an interesting effect.
Great lens for the price.

The Opteka fisheye adaptor is not a stand-alone lens that attaches directly to your camera; it is a converter lens that must be screwed onto the front of an existing lens.

Although the product page states this is for certain Canon cameras, the box only says it is "custom threaded for your camera" without mentioning any brands or models. The brand/model of your camera is unimportant. What is important is to note the diameter of your lens and to ensure that the front of your lens has a screw thread. The fisheye itself is 52mm in diameter and comes with 52-55 and 52-58 adaptors. This means that the fisheye can attach directly to a lens with a 52mm diameter while the adaptors allow you to attach the fisheye to lenses with 55mm or 58mm diameters. Note: I know that stores sell adaptors of other sizes (called step-up or step-down rings) but having never used them myself, I can't tell you if they would work with this fisheye.

I tested the lens outside in sunny conditions. I used a camera with a 1.6x crop factor (a Canon 400D). The center of the image seems decently sharp; the edges are expectedly blurry. On my 24mm lens, I can see the lens barrel at two sides of the photo. My 50mm lens does not show the lens barrel in the photo. Please see the two photos I uploaded to the product page for more information.

A short lesson on crop factor: If you use a 50mm lens with this 0.20x fisheye, you are converting the lens to a 10mm (50mm*0.20). However, if you aren't using a full frame camera, you must multiply by your camera's crop factor to calculate the focal length that the fisheye is converting your lens to. In this case, the 50mm lens is converted into a 16mm (10mm*1.6).

Bottom line: This converter is a cheap alternative to a real (and very expensive) fisheye. Unless you have money burning a hole in your pocket or are a professional photographer, this is most likely the lens for you.

Using the Opteka fisheye on my Canon 10D with a prime 50mm F1.8 lens gives more of a slightly distorted wide-angle effect versus a true fisheye lens. The vignetted images from the company site are not what you'll get using a 50mm prime lens with APS-C size sensors. It's rather disappointing given the fact that 50mm x 1.6 cropping factor x 0.20 = 16mm which would seem in line with traditional fisheye lenses. Nonetheless, it's a cheap wide angle lens that's kinda fun to use for now.

So i knew when i bought this item it was not going to be the best quality so my expectations were very low. I received it and when i opeaned it was very surprised with the craftsmenship of the item. It is very solidly built and comes with all the lens adapters as stated in the description. I threw it onto my existing lens and took a couple shots before i could find a subject. From the first shot's i was very surprised on how well they came out. I found a subject and started shooting for real and let's just say the pictures blew my expectations. I give this item a five star rating because it blew my low expectations out of the water. I would and will recomend this item to others. Though it does not rank with higher priced items like it, i believe it holds it's own. Great quality, craftsmenship, and it produces a good product.

I just got this for christmas and it is fun to play around with but I was disappointed with how much it affected the quality of the images. It's a cool toy and definitely cheaper than buying a real fish-eye - but you get what pay for and in this case you don't get a sharp image. I would recommend it to someone who just wants to take some shots for fun and isn't worried about having prints made.

I bought this lens for my daughter. She originally wanted a very expensive lens. She is new to the photography world. I encouraged her to work with this lens and then we would determine later if she should have the more expensive lens. She loves it. Her friends thinks the shots are kool. Good value for the investment.

This is a wonderful lens for someone who wants to try out with shooting fisheye but doesn't want to spend a lot of money on it. The fisheye goes from very extreme with a full distorted circle to a nice wide angle. Great lens for the money!

Considering a real fisheye lens costs as much as my DSLR this is a mildly amusing toy. The area of focus is 30% of the image, the outer area is 3 martini blurry. But, what do you want for $50??