Customer Reviews

Sony VCLECF1 Fisheye Conversion Lens (Black)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This has become one of my favorite lenses of all time. It is a full frame fisheye lens Conversion Attachment with excellent sharpness and little light falloff. I can't say enough good things about it. I have a similar Nikon lens that is not better than this and cost me over $600. As mentioned, it must be attached to the wide angle lens to work properly. I also posted an image taken with the zoom lens that looks like a "Lensbaby" image just to show how it works. It works perfectly using the vertical Panorama mode and covers huge areas with great resolution.

This is a beautiful piece of glass just to look at and hold. The images are outstanding. It is a true gem to own and use. There are not many available, so buy it if you can find one.

I've been waiting for this converter availability in the US and finally received it Dec 21 2010.
I'm more than happy with it, i don't photograph brick walls and on a notoriously soft (?) 16mm i'm completely satisfied with the converter even at 2.8. The converter locks positively on the 16mm with a bayonet system but there is some play once in place. It's light to carry, the 16mm+FE is about the size of the kit zoom and very convenient to use. Works for me, better than say a Zenitar 16mm or the excellent Samyang-Rokinon-Opteka etc 8mm, both of which are more expensive, bigger and heavier and without AF. Well, AF on a FE has limited use but still you don't have to worry about pre focus and guesstimate with the Sony combo. This goes with the carefree spirit of the NEX. I would recommend the Samyang if you want to use it on the NEX AND another camera (you can get the appropriate adapter for the NEX E mount) but you cannot go wrong with this converter if the NEX is your main fare.
Comes with a cute case and looks good on your 16mm!

Pros:
Works very well with the 16mm f2.8
Product fits really well
Cheap to convert the 16mm lens to fish eye lens
Comes with protective case
Permanent hood fitted
Tried this lens with sweeping panorama to get some unique effects
Sharp
Cons:
Can't think of any major cons as such so probably will list down some challenges of using fisheye
Can be tricky to get a good composition with fisheye
No option to use a filter. I like polarizing filters for landscape. It's not possible to attach polarizing filter as the lens protudes outwards
Definitely not flattering for humans in landscape. But it can be a fun way to render people

Apparently, the 16mm/f2.8 pancake was planned from the beginning to be used with this fisheye converter - the mechanical fit is perfect and the resulting picture quality is excellent. You get full autofocus, and the camera seems to recognize the converter automatically, because in S and P mode (with AUTO ISO) it puts the Aperture to f4.0 - which is rather perfect for this fisheye lens.
The angle of view is about 130 degrees, which is considerably less then those (mechanical) dedicated fisheyes from Rokinon, Bower, etc. with their 180 degree angle.
That results in the distortion at the edges not being as pronounced - hold the lens at the right angle and you will actually get an almost distortion free picture. I would probably not call it a fisheye so much than an ultra-wide angle with some fisheye characteristics.
But I absolutely don't mind - this mixture of classical wide angle and moderate fisheye (It really depends on the angle you hold it!) is nowhere else to be found and thus gives you the possibility to compose some very novel shots.
Quality of the resulting pictures with my NEX-5N is stunning. I almost would suggest that the quality is even better than with the 16 mm alone, which really brings me to the conclusion that this combination was planned as a unit from the beginning.
It is absolutely fun to shoot with this "fisheye" and at this price, it is a steal.

AS described and does a good job at taking wide fish eye views...
Use it for Video and it's great... I have the NEX-5 with pancake lense
and fit's perfectly...

Absolutely best combo with NEX-5 and 16mm lens.
I can walk around with a fisheye and 24mm f2.8 in a very small package.
Photo quality is very good.
Little chromatic problem with strong backlight; but can photoshop it away.

I'm not a professional photographer, and I'm not even a very good amateur but I'll offer what I can on this.

The fisheye adaptor has a solid feel to it and snaps onto the 16mm lens solidly, no wiggle left on the lens. While it does add some weight and length to the camera, it isn't so much that it makes the camera awkward. The length is about the same as with the 18-55mm lens. Definitely manageable.

The fisheye effect is awesome. Again, I'm pretty new to all this and was hesitant to get a lens adapter that seemed to be limited in it's application but it's awesome. For any other people like me who got a NEX as a step up from a point and shoot and aren't sure what a fisheye does, it provides you with a wide angle lens adapter without correcting the distortion that occurs on the edges. The result is curving any straight lines on the sides (not the top and bottom so much) and magnifying close-ups of anything that is right next to the lens (like my dogs nose). It's not extreme (there's probably a technical term for the amount of distortion on the adapter...I don't know it) but it is enough to make it interesting.

Overall I'd say if you're debating on whether or not to get this lens and you've got the money, do it. Having it has made me look for more opportunities to use it and added a new aspect to the pictures I take.

Only downside? My case isn't big enough to carry another lens. Guess I should look for a new case.

This is a very good product my only concern and why I didn't give 5 stars is that the lens hood is not detachable, and sometimes it throws a shadow on the picture. Still, this is a very good addition to a fabulous camera.

I've been playing with this for a week or so and am loving it! However my daughter doesn't at all, to each his own! I think if she played with it more she would change her mind. It really expands your level of creativity for the price you pay... and yes it is a beautiful piece of glass! So much so my granddaughter can't help but to reach out and touch it! My only complaint, not able to put a filter on to protect it! Looking forward to taking it on a road trip next month. For sure money well spent! Nice little case to keep it safely stored as well.