Lens Reviews - Sigma 15mm f2.8 EX DG DIAGONAL FISHEYE

User Lens Reviews

Average user rating from: 10 user(s)


Overall rating (weighted)		3.9
Sharpness		3.7
Build Quality		3.9
AF Speed		3.6
Value for Money		4.2

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

Exceeded my expectations, Monday, 26 April 2010


Overall rating (weighted)		4.3
Sharpness		4.0
Build Quality		4.0
AF Speed		4.0
Value for Money		5.0

I have had this lens for about 5 months now and am delighted by its field performance. The body is plastic, but all elements fit together very well and the lens feels very solid. There is no way to mount a filter on the front of a fisheye, so this is a lens you have to treat with kid gloves anyway. There is provision for adding a filter on the camera side of the lens if you are ambitious enough to play with that.
I am using this lens with a Nikon D-700.
There are limited uses for a fisheye, but when you hit the right shot for it, this one works great. Chromatic aberration is very low and lower than I have seen in other lenses like this one. The autofocus works well, but with a fisheye, focus is rarely an issue anyway. With the f2.8 speed and ultra wide angle I usually have this lens stopped down and then the DOF is something like 18" to infinity.
I had originally made it my policy to stick to OEM lenses since I had bad experience with after-market models. I will add Sigma to my hunt for any lens purchases in the future. This lens is fully as good as the OEM, and in this lens model may exceed the OEM lens. This lens is a newer design than the aging Nikon model.
I highly recommend this lens.

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

Great lens - zero Vignetting, Wednesday, 09 September 2009


Overall rating (weighted)		4.8
Sharpness		5.0
Build Quality		5.0
AF Speed		4.0
Value for Money		5.0

Have been using the Sigma 15mm Fisheye for some weeks on a 5Dii and have taken about 1.000 shots with it. The short story: its a great lens that has lots to offer for anyone who like wide angle shots. Colors and flare resistence is tops. Centre sharpness is very good even wide open, while corners tend to be soft and suffer CA unless it is stopped down.

Fisheye lenses have a mixed reputation, which is a shame as they are some of the most versitile lenses around. Some of the bad reputation comes from the fact that some people think all fisheyes are "round". However, the Sigma 15mm is diagonal fisheye, and fills the picture across the entire sensor.

But why a fisheye at all? Three main reasons;
1) its wider than a standard lens (so 15mm fisheye is much wider than a 14mm standard lens)
2) by not correcting the light (as much as a traditional lens), the fisheye should have less flare and
2) better - even spectacular - colors.

And when it comes to flare resistance the Sigma 15mm shines. Colors are also great, but fisheye lenses can be very tricky for the camera's light meter. So with my 5Dii I often shoot @ f/-2/3 to f/-1½ to compensate for overexposure at bright daylight.

Some people complain that the Sigma may hunt at low light, but I do not find it more difficult to use than most other lenses - actually I find it quite good. It has worked fine from early morning, over heavy rain to dark night.

Versatile? You bet! The important aspect of shooting a fisheye is to use the focal plane very actively in your shots. There is a dramatic shift in the look and feel of a shot depending on the tilt to the horizon and where in the picture plane your objects are.

Also, as long as you shoot "rounded" objects such as people, a fisheye often works better than a traditional wide lens like the Canon 14L. On the other hand its not very good at buildings unless you use software to correct.

Finally, the ability to use software to straighten out the curved lines makes fisheye lenses more versitile than ever.

For me the Sigma has been a hit. My impression from reading reviews etc. on the net is that there is no significant difference between the Sigma and the Canon, so get whichever is the cheapest where you live (that's what I did).

[Please disregard the previous review about vignetting. This lens has almost none even on a full frame. The user just forgot to take of the entire lens cap before shooting...]

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1 of 3 people found the following review helpful

Lens is OKAY, Sunday, 02 November 2008


Overall rating (weighted)		3.0
Sharpness		3.0
Build Quality		3.0
AF Speed		2.0
Value for Money		4.0

I rented this lens for a wedding and enjoyed it... but not enough to purchase it. The images it produces are nice but it was incredibly loud and had a hard time focusing (which extended the noise until it focused). For the same price, I think I'd stick with the Canon 15mm.

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1 of 3 people found the following review helpful

read reviews and know your camera, Sunday, 06 July 2008


Overall rating (weighted)		5.0
Sharpness		5.0
Build Quality		5.0
AF Speed		5.0
Value for Money		5.0

I have two full frame cameras that this lens does exactly what it is suppose to do at with excellent sharpness and color Contrast. Don't use it much, but when it is needed there are no other lens that will match it for it's speed f2.8 and price. On an AP-C camera, e.g. 1.6 sensor, it is the equivalent of a 24 mm on my full frame. One should read before one buys.

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

A GREAT Lens......PERIOD!, Sunday, 06 April 2008


Overall rating (weighted)		4.5
Sharpness		5.0
Build Quality		4.0
AF Speed		4.0
Value for Money		5.0

I bought this lens on a lark, and have enjoyed every second of my time owning it. I use it on my Canon 5D and on my Canon 40D, if I set my shots correctly, I have some of the most unusual, attractive and impressive shots in my Shot Library.

The key to success with this lens is to set the shot correctly. I have found it takes more planning, a steadier hand (or Tripod/Monopod), than even my 100-400MM F/4-5.6L. With a telephoto lens, your area of focus is less a challenge than the 180 Degree worth of study when dealing with this lens.

Don't get me wrong, this lens is FUN!! I've never enjoyed landscapes, portraits, artistic shots more than I have when I am using my 15MM Fish. For the Casual user, high end amateur, or for the seasoned professional, this lens is an inexpensive TOOL each of us should have to round out our lens bag. BUY IT!!

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0 of 3 people found the following review helpful

Just rented this lens this week, Monday, 24 March 2008


Overall rating (weighted)		2.3
Sharpness		2.0
Build Quality		3.0
AF Speed		1.0
Value for Money		3.0

and it is definitely not on my favorites list. The vignetting is horrible on a full frame camera (5D). When I put it on my 30D the vignetting was still pretty bad (see image gallery, I added some.) Sharpness and color wise it's fine. The distortion is not as strong as I'd thought it would be. I got a similar look with the 24 1.4 canon L lens which is a much better lens. For a true fisheye, I'd probably go wider, like 10 mm. No more "off" brands for me either.

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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful

Great lens!, Sunday, 10 February 2008


Overall rating (weighted)		5.0
Sharpness		5.0
Build Quality		5.0
AF Speed		5.0
Value for Money		5.0

I love this lens, its wonderful and there's absolutely nothing wrong with it. If you want the distortion to be seen in "full force", you should use a camera with a 1.0x crop factor (full frame or 35mm film). You wont go wrong with this one. I like it better than the Canon one. It's tack sharp, great colors and contrast.

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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful

Use your brain and the right camera, Wednesday, 04 July 2007


Overall rating (weighted)		4.3
Sharpness		3.0
Build Quality		4.0
AF Speed		5.0
Value for Money		5.0

This is an excellent lens that does exactly what it's supposed to do. Optically, it's also excellent. You need to think seriously about whether you know what you're doing or anything about photography if you buy this for a Canon digital camera that's less than full frame.

You should probably stick to point and shoots until you understand lens conversion factors. If you don't understand digital crop factors and can't read basic specs, you either need to hold your money or find a dealer that you can trust to explain it to you. But the manufacturer shouldn't be accused of making a bad product because you don't understand the specs.

A previous user gives a poor rating because he either didn't read or understand the lens specifications. The rating was retain while most of the review was deleted because it simply didn't make sense. If you tried to use a 8x10 wide angle lens on a digital slr camera, you'd end up with a super telephoto because you're only using a portion of the Image circle. Someone who calls this lens worthless because he bought first and thought later is blaming Sigma for his lack of attention to the laws of optics and of physics.

When you buy lenses for digital cameras, you have to take your brains out of your boots. This is a fisheye lens that's excellent on digital cameras, You get the full fisheye effect on a full frame digital camera --- OR at full 35 mm. You don't get the same effect on most DSLRS. When Panasonic Lumix claims 28mm lens width in its new line, it's not serious, but is referring to the apparent focal length when compared to 35mm film.

The lens can be used on cameras like the 20D or 30D which have a 1.6x crop factor. The news high speed top End EOS 1D Mark III will also have a crop factor of 1.3 while the 1ds and 5D are both full frame and will take full advantage of the 180 degree (on the diagonal) that this lens and other fisheyes offer. This lens is very good close to the optical quality of the Canon fisheye -- I've used both. But the game here is the intentional distortion on full frame. A standard wide-angle of this focal length does not cover 180, but something around 112 degrees -- on full frame.

If you want an equivalent of the 16-35 used a 5D on your 30d, you need to buy the 10-22. Both are rectilinear, corrected for distortion. Even the high end 1D doesn't get flll benefit of the fisheye due to crop factor. There are optical gimmicks if you want the effect, but that's not appropriate here.

The build quality of this lens is very good, not quite up to the level of the top drawer (and expensive) L lenses, but it is equal to Canon lenses for about the same price. It's difficult to use filters on this lens-- it isn't designed for them and filters would be makeshift -- and that big front element is vulnerable as with all of the real fisheyes. There are a couple of quirks that take a little getting used to in the controls for a regular Canon user.But I find it a little tricky going back to Leicas after too much time away -- and their controls vary with product. The images are high quality and a reasonably skilled photographer can produce excellent work with this lens without relyin entirely on fisheye cliches.

Users of digital cameras with crop factors should consider the shortest focal length fisheye lenses, approx 8 millimenters which also producs a 180 degree image, but in a circle. While I don't get the circular image on the 20D that I do the 5D it does give a lot of the distortion and on the diagonal approaches 180 with the rectagular image. I haven't measure it and don't have a reason.

The Sigma in a custom mount might produce interesting circular images on medium format film or digital sensors, but that would involve a careful matching of the mount to focal plane location. It is usually a waste of money to buy high end full frame lenses in shorter focal lengths for smaller digital sensors. You're paying for a lot of glass designed to cover a larger frame.

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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful

It's actually a very good lens!, Sunday, 06 May 2007


Overall rating (weighted)		3.8
Sharpness		3.0
Build Quality		4.0
AF Speed		4.0
Value for Money		4.0

Hi, I just wanted to give this lens a fair review. As the other reviewer mentioned, if you use it with an APS-C sensor digital slr, you won't see a whole lot of distortion. It's no different from the Canon brand fisheye on a camera like that. But, if you use it with film, or with a larger sensor size camera, full-frame if possible, it's really quite a beautiful, sharp, and very fish-eyed lens. On a Canon 5D it performed really well for me. I just wanted to say that on the right camera, it's really quite a lens.

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