Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

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.

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.

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!

This is a great product. The wide angle option is exactly what was needed for my landscape shots. The fisheye feature allows you to take some really cool shots but the best part is the macro lens. Finally, I have a good macro lens and the whole thing cost under $40.00. This is a must have!!!

At the current sale price of $29.95 I would definitely add this as a fun cheap addition to give you some versatility in your photography.

It's a lens adapter and not a lens itself, but the fact that you get an adapter ring, the fisheye, and a macro attachment for $30 is definitely a steal.

This set is made in Japan and the glass element seems pretty crisp and sharp. Paired with a sharp lens the results are more than decent.

You can't really complain at this price, it's not a $400 fisheye lens. It's $30! Got $30 to throw away? Just get it!

I ordered this lens not expecting much for the price, and was pleasantly surprised. This lens is awesome, it works great with the 18-55 kit lens. I highly recommend it.

Works good. This is a good way to get a nice fisheye effect without spending tons of money on an expensive lens. This was good for me, because I only use it once in blue moon when I want take different "artistic" photos. It just wouldnt have practical for me to spend $400-$500 on lens. Bottom line: It works great and a great price.

I had been wanting a fisheye lens/adapter for my Canon Rebel T1i for awhile now. The only problem was that I had no idea how to begin to find a decent yet cheap one. My experience with photography was very minimal, and I was afraid of buying something that didn't work. Honestly, I was just looking for something that could spit out some cool effects. Let me just say that this was the perfect thing for the job. It comes in a very nicely packaged box and the lens itself is in a small leather-like bag. I was immediately impressed. Everything from the adapter rings to the lens is very solidly built (does not feel like cheap quality). At first, I was nervous because there were no instructions for attaching the fisheye to the actual lens. However, it is very easy to figure out and I was able to put mine together within minutes. I've taken a few test shots and so far so good. When the lens is zoomed all the way out, there is a dark circle (vignetting) around the image. Also, the outer edge of the photo circle is somewhat blurry. However, in my opinion, it adds to a very cool effect. All in all, I think this is a great product especially for the price you pay. If you simply want something that can produce a nice fisheye, this is the product for you!

I thought it would be fun to try a fish-eye lens (or a semi-fisheye). This sort of works OK, but the optics and image quality is very poor - quite fuzzy and unfocused. It's ok for small scaled (resized) down images.

Here is an example:

Note that, on my Canon 40D, the image is not fully round; part of it gets clipped at the bottom. This lens comes with an adapter for the standard 52mm lens; it will not work with the Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 Zoom Lens (72mm) that comes with the Canon 40D, for example.

This fisheye lens is amazing,great quality in pics,comes with a macro lens also!
and fits my Canon Rebel xt/xti's perfect!!
good price!