"Fish eye" Lens for a Canon 450D ?

[Jake.]

Hi chaps,
Please bear with me because I know almost nothing about photography or cameras.
My 14y/o daughter has a Canon 450D, well it's a Rebel XSi actually but I believe it's the same thing as a 450D, and she wants a Fish Eye lens for her birthday.
Due to my ignorance in this field I'm hoping for some suggestions from the PH experts.
I don't know want to look for or what to avoid. Is genuine Canon stuff suggested?

I was thinking something around £200 would be OK. Is that a realistic budget?


Thanks.

[Scott330ci]

Jake. said:

Hi chaps,
Please bear with me because I know almost nothing about photography or cameras.
My 14y/o daughter has a Canon 450D, well it's a Rebel XSi actually but I believe it's the same thing as a 450D, and she wants a Fish Eye lens for her birthday.
Due to my ignorance in this field I'm hoping for some suggestions from the PH experts.
I don't know want to look for or what to avoid. Is genuine Canon stuff suggested?

I was thinking something around £200 would be OK. Is that a realistic budget?


Thanks.

Hi Jake

Maybe you could try making one rather than spending £200 straight away

http://www.wonderhowto.com/how-to-make-wide-angle-...

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-a-fish...

Edited by Scott330ci on Monday 6th September 17:41

[Jake.]

Thanks Scott. Although very interesting and ingenious, it's not much of a birthday present.

[NewNameNeeded]

I'm a Nikon shooter so can't speak for specific Canon lenses but looking at WWW.camerapricebuster.co.uk and a Canon fisheye looks to blow your budget. For a bit of a gimmick lens they sure aren't cheap. That website lists a Canon 15mm f2.8 at nearly 600 quid. Even a non Canon lens such as the Sigma 10mm is more than double your budget.

There are cheaper ones available from much lesser known brands (forget the name now) but judging from the quality i saw of the picture they took they aren't worth it.

Perhaps a different lens for her? (what lenses does she currently have?) and then as the above poster suggests have father-daughter time making a fish eye?

[dogbucket]

I dont think Canon make an APS-C compatible fisheye anyway.

[Simpo Two]

Have a look for fisheye adapters. They screw into the filter thread of the lens and reduce focal length by a fixed amount. Not as good image quality as a real fisheye but much cheaper. eg http://www.allcam.biz/catalog/product_info.php?pro...

[Magic919]

Does she actually want a fisheye lens? And if she does, is it full-frame fisheye or not?

Many people say that and actually just want a wide angle lens. Wide angle lens will be more versatile.

[SamHH]

What they said.

Dedicated fisheye lenses are pretty specialist and tend to be quite expensive. The 15mm Canon lens mentioned above is designed for 35mm film or so-called 'full frame' digital cameras and would lose some of its 'fisheyeness' on your daughter's camera. Sigma and Tokina both make fisheye lenses for your daughter's type of camera but they both about £500 ( Sigma; Tokina).

As suggested already, how about trying a cheap screw-on fisheye adaptor lens and spending the rest on another lens or piece of photography kit? The fisheye effect can get a bit tiring after a while so in the long run maybe your daughter will appreciate something more versatile anyway.

Edited by SamHH on Monday 6th September 19:03

[SamHH]

Magic919 said:

Does she actually want a fisheye lens? And if she does, is it full-frame fisheye or not?

Many people say that and actually just want a wide angle lens. Wide angle lens will be more versatile.

That's a good point. To clarify what we're talking about, this is what you get from a circular (a.k.a. spherical) fisheye lens:



This is what you get from a diagonal (a.k.a. full frame) fisheye lens:



And this is what you get from a very wide-angle but not fisheye (rectilinear, so straight lines stay straight) lens:

[heyho]

Jake. said:

I was thinking something around £200 would be OK. Is that a realistic budget?

For one of these, yes.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/STOCK-Samyang-8mm-f-3-5-Fish...

Never used one personally, but they do seem to be well liked. They are fully manual - focus and aperture, so no point-and-shoot with these lenses, but it would be good for learning with.

[Jake.]

Thanks guys. From what you've said I think the wide angle type would be a better bet. The fish eye looks of fairly limited use.


Any recommendations on that front?


(I'm off out now but will get back to this tomorrow)
Cheers for all the help.

[DiscoColin]

dogbucket said:

I dont think Canon make an APS-C compatible fisheye anyway.

Coming soon http://dpreview.com/news/1008/10082616canon8mm15mm... but it is an L and the price is off the scale (pre-order prices which will certainly be way above eventual street price are in the £1500 range at the moment) so not of any interest to the OP. Sigma make a viable option for APS-C (4.5mm circular fisheye), but it is still about 575 quid and I can't say that I know anyone who has tried one. They also do a diagonal 10mm one, but that is still about £500.

If a wide angle is required, the usual go-to is the Canon 10-22 (again on its way to 600 notes) with Sigma options weighing in from ~£450 upwards. If your guideline is a budget I am afraid it is time to hit eBay as lightly used is the only way that you are even going to get close

Edited by DiscoColin on Monday 6th September 20:23

[Swervin_Mervin]

I haven't checked ebay but can Sigma 10-20mm lenses not be picked up for about the £200 mark?

[Simpo Two]

Swervin_Mervin said:

I haven't checked ebay but can Sigma 10-20mm lenses not be picked up for about the £200 mark?

Very much doubt it: http://shop.ebay.co.uk/?_from=R40&_trksid=p398...

About £400 new and over £300 s/h.

Edited by Simpo Two on Monday 6th September 23:29

[Jake.]

Blimey, this photography lark isn't a cheap hobby, is it!
I don't really want to spend a £500+ on a gift for a teenage girl. Jeez, the camera didn't cost that much (not far off mind).

I think I'll see if I can talk her into something else, like a tattoo or something


Thanks though, really appreciate your help.

[Simpo Two]

Seriously, try the strap-on fish-eye adapter I mentioned. I had one as a student; kept me happy for a while

This is the Young Simpo pulling 4G in a glider; you can see the mad instructor in the reflection!

[Swervin_Mervin]

Simpo Two said:

Swervin_Mervin said:

I haven't checked ebay but can Sigma 10-20mm lenses not be picked up for about the £200 mark?

Very much doubt it: http://shop.ebay.co.uk/?_from=R40&_trksid=p398...

About £400 new and over £300 s/h.

Edited by Simpo Two on Monday 6th September 23:29

Jesus H! I'm sure they were about the £260 mark last year, new!