Anyone tried the Canon 8-15 yet?

Airedrifter

I'm trying to decide on a 16-35 or the 8-15 as a compliment to my 24-70 on my 5DII.

I have the 10-22 and the 17-55 on the 7D.

Sawyer

DeVerm

I recently played around with the old Canon 15mm fisheye (see http://www.sv-jedi.org/sv_jedi/2012/02/a-fisheye-lens-aboard-a-boat.html) and it made me decide to buy the 8-15mm L and I'm about to order it. That said, I already have the 17-40L on full frame and the Tokina 12-24mm on crop sensor as regular wide angle zooms.

You can use lens correction algorithms like in LR or PS to straighten images from a fisheye but the results are not very good, so you will need a regular wide zoom too. The 10-22mm on the 7D is better than the 12-24mm I have there, but you really really want a wide zoom for the full frame sensor too. It is where it shines like the 7D does for reach with telephoto.

ziggy53

Have you read the reviews?:

http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-EF-8-15mm-f-4-L-USM-Fisheye-Lens-Review.aspx

http://www.bobatkins.com/photography/reviews/canon_8-15_fisheye_review.html

http://michel.thoby.free.fr/Canon_8-15mm/8-15mm_review.html

I suspect for most people it would be best to rent this lens when you need it. In your case you might also consider renting a FF body, as that gives the lens maximum versatility.

Andy

Love this lens.

dlplumer

I have the 8-15. Although I have used it for wide angle landscape shots, it certainly does not replace a good WA like the 17-40 or the 16-35. It's great for architecture in small quarters and novelty shots.

Airedrifter

Ziggy, I just got a 5DII and went with the 24-70 as my "normal" lens.

Yeah, I'm thinking the 16-35...

With the 10-22 on the 7D, I rarely used it as anything but the 10mm (16). So I was thinking that with the 8-15 I'd use it mainly as a 15 and then artsy farsty at 8. A 12-28 would be what I would design for a FF.

We're climbing Rainer in July and I want a wide...

Decisions decisions...

DeVerm

Airedrifter, I looked at your photo's and think an 8-15L will get a lot of use with all those close & wide shots

I also think the 16-35L is a better choice for you than the 17-40L

ziggy53

Airedrifter wrote: »

Ziggy, I just got a 5DII and went with the 24-70 as my "normal" lens. ...

D'oh. Sorry, I missed reading that in your first post.

Airedrifter wrote: »

... Yeah, I'm thinking the 16-35...

With the 10-22 on the 7D, I rarely used it as anything but the 10mm (16). So I was thinking that with the 8-15 I'd use it mainly as a 15 and then artsy farsty at 8. A 12-28 would be what I would design for a FF.

We're climbing Rainer in July and I want a wide...

Decisions decisions...

Fisheye is an effect that seems best as a "spice" rather than a "main course" for most photography, except that it can be striking for some mountaineering photography. Review Andy's link for how many times he used it in his African adventure, for instance. Then review some of Galen Rowell's mountain galleries.

Mountain climbing is tough enough without a lot of photographic equipment. I am tempted to recommend an EF 17-40mm, f4L USM for the 5D MKII, partly to save weight, and then multiple photographs stitched together for the extremely expansive views. You can alternately apply the fisheye distortion to the stitched images in post-processing, if you desire the effect.

Nikolai

I have both FE 8-15 and EF 16-35MkII (on FF body). Both are very good but they are not easily interchangeable, as in you can't use one instead of the other, unless you always shoot in a vicinity of 15..16mm in which case you may as well save the $$$ and just get a 15mm prime. And even in that case they are very different.

8-15 is a great "effect" lens. I love to use it for the twilight sky:



However, it is a fish eye, so in many cases a rectilinear glass may be preferred:


HTH