Opteka .35x HD² Super Wide Angle Panoramic Macro Fisheye Lens for Canon EOS / EF

by Opteka

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• ASIN: B000TLVMIO
• Item model number: OPT-35X-EOS
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (54 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: July 13, 2007

Product Description

The new Opteka High Definition² .35x Ultra Wide Angle Fisheye Converter Lens increases the versatility of your existing lens to provide breathtaking ultra wide angle views. And it's so easy to use! Additionally the built-in detachable macro lens allows you to take extreme high resolution close-up shots! Nothing changes the way you see the world like High Definition² and no company does High Definition² like Opteka. Opteka's glass optics define High Definition. Change the way you view the world. Enjoy outstanding detail, enjoy enhanced clarity, enjoy Opteka!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

56 of 58 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cheap, Handy Conversion Lens... I Like it a Lot., January 22, 2009

By 

Neal R Boyd (Hammond, LA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Opteka .35x HD² Super Wide Angle Panoramic Macro Fisheye Lens for Canon EOS / EF (Electronics)

As mentioned before, this is not a lens, it's a conversion lens.
I purchased this to use on the kit 18-55mm lens on my Canon Rebel XT. The kit lens on the camera is pretty decent, but not worth buying a ridiculously priced conversion lens... not to mention, buying a nice Canon fisheye is way out of my budget at the moment.
With all that said, I bought the Opteka because I wanted the semi fisheye effect for some experimental & skateboard photography, and because I'm too broke from the holidays to purchase a high end, dedicated fisheye lens.
The conversion lens impressed me quite a bit. Using the aforementioned kit lens, I attached the supplied conversion ring (metal, which is good) as the conversion lens' threads are too small to fit the 58mm threading of the Rebel XT's stock lens. No big deal, really... screw on the ring, then screw the conversion lens into the ring and you're all set.
If you zoom back all the way, you can get a significantly distorted image, appearing like an orb surrounded by dark vignetting (like looking through a door's peephole).
If you zoom past the vignetting, you can achieve some pretty decent wide angle shots, with some expected distortion on the far left, far right, and very center of the image... then again, that's what fisheye's are all about.
The conversion lens comes with a little hood scoop, but it really doesn't need it, and if you pull your focus back all the way with the scoop out, you'll wind up with two metallic crescents increasing your vignetting.
The conversion lens comes in a pretty rigid leather (or fake leather, I really don't know) case lined with a suede-like material. If you're buying this for your Rebel's 18-55 kit lens, expect to see a metal ring in the box.
The conversion lens unscrews toward the bottom, and when the bottom section is attached to your camera you wind up with a macro lens. I've played with it just enough to say that "it works," but 99% of my usage is based around the fisheye functionality.
If you're looking to blow around $30 and you want to have fun experimenting with your DSLR (or video camera if it fits or you have a ring adapter for it), you can expect to get your money's worth out of this thing.
Shooting with a fish/semi fish requires a different type of mentality than shooting normal photos. While fisheye photography can be overdone, they make for really good up-close action shots, nature shots, and even landscapes & experimental work. This conversion kit *will* distort your image, it's supposed to. It's all about using the curvature to enhance your subject.
Last note: on some tests from 2 up to 10 feet away, the auto focus functionality seems to work fine with this extension. If you pull the lense back all the way, the vignetting will be a black blurry halo, as the multipoint auto focus will concentrate on whatever you're pointing at (rather than the conversion lens' inner lining).
For best results, prepare your shot and focus manually. Very fun conversion kit, by no means professional grade, but pretty darn good. Great to have in the camera bag.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Worth it for the fun factor., January 14, 2009

By 

Paul Blackburn "p." (Albuquerque, NM and Santiago, Chile) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Opteka .35x HD² Super Wide Angle Panoramic Macro Fisheye Lens for Canon EOS / EF (Electronics)

I bought this converter for my Canon Rebel XSi.

For the price, I am perfectly happy with the quality of construction, the included 52/58 mm adapter ring and the overall capabilities of this item. That is what my score of 5 stars is based on. I am not comparing this item to lenses that cost twenty or thirty times as much.

Concerning the optical properties of this fisheye, you should be aware that it exhibits pretty noticeable chromatic aberration, however, this can be easily removed with software (I use Photoshop, but apparently a plugin exists for The Gimp, if you are looking for a free alternative). As a result, images will probably have to be processed, but it takes about 20 seconds to adjust and apply the correction.

On my camera (with the stock 18-55 mm Canon lens), depending on the focal length you select, the image will be anything from a full circle in the center of the frame to a full-frame image with no vignetting. It's up to you to chose how you want to compose the image. I suggest you search for images taken with this converter on Flickr or some other photo site to see if it is what you want.

I have only used the macro adapter once or twice, so I won't review it.

In summary, for the price, this converter is good quality, a lot of fun and worth having if you want to obtain fisheye shots.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars At that price, how can you afford NOT to buy it?, August 27, 2009

By 

J. Chilton (United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Opteka .35x HD² Super Wide Angle Panoramic Macro Fisheye Lens for Canon EOS / EF (Electronics)

The image quality with this lens attachment isn't stunning, but what do you expect for such a low price? There's lots of blur and chromatic aberration around the periphery of the image--much more so than in a more expensive lens. Some of that can be corrected in an photo manipulation program (Photoshop, or GIMP for those of us who like free software). I get the best results with manual focus and the image stabilization turned off (I've tested it so far with a Canon 18-55mm EFS lens). It's a fun lens for the occasional creative shot--I'd never use a "real" fisheye lens enough to justify the cost. Good build quality, although the downside is that to attach it to the 58-mm threads on my lens, I need to screw the included adapter onto it. You can't store the lens with adapter on it, because the included cap won't fit on it, so it's slightly more cumbersome to take on and off than if they'd just made it 58 mm.

As a side note, you can unscrew the 0.35x macro lens from the back, add it to your camera's lens and get a serviceable, if not great, macro lens. Not terribly impressive, but it's an easy enough way to dip your toe into macro waters if you haven't before.

As a final note, I'm horrified by the reviews here of people disappointed because they thought this was a standalone lens they were going to attach to their camera, rather than a lens attachment that screws on to the filter threads of your lens. How do you guys function in the real world? Do you buy a car and then gripe that act all mystified and upset when you learn you have to also buy fuel to put in it? Seriously, you didn't notice any of the usual specs for a lens stating what sort of mounts you could use? Sheesh!