The Samyang 8mm fisheye lens is perhaps the most popular third-party fisheye lens on the market today. Samyang is a full-frame diagonal fisheye lens that is best suited for digital cameras with APS-C sized sensors. Samyang also makes fisheye lenses for four-thirds (2x crop) mount cameras. Generally, mounts are available for Canon, Nikon, Sony, Pentax, Panasonic, and Olympus.
The Samyang 8mm Fisheye lens is actually sold under several brand names such as Vivitar, Pro-Optic, Bower, Falcon, and Rokinon to name a few of the best ones. They are all the same lens. Samyang simply allows licensees to market their lenses under their own brand names. From what I’ve seen Vivitar seems to be the only brand that looks different from the others; But make no mistake about it, the optics are the same.
Samyang 8mm fisheye image quality
I was pleasantly surprised by the image quality of this lens. Quite frankly, my first impressions were not entirely positive due to the low cost. Usually, you won’t get a good quality lens for less than $300.00. The caveat: “You get what you pay for” is usually true when it comes to optics. Samyang 8mm is one of those rare exceptions.
Samyang 8mm creates great pictures. Color saturation and contrast exceeded my expectations. Image sharpness rivals that of any high-quality lens except the Canon 15mm. The more expensive fisheye may have a slight edge when it comes to image quality but no one can say any of the fisheye lenses are two or three times better than the Samyang; And that’s the price a high-end fisheye lens will cost.
Chromatic aberration could be better, but when you consider the cost, it’s easy to overlook and easy to fix if you have Photoshop and are shooting in RAW.
Samyang 8mm features
The Samyang 8mm fisheye lens is a rigid structure lens. It weighs anywhere from 14-16 ounces depending on the mount you are using. It has a close focus distance of 12 inches, which is more than what you’ll find in a higher-end fisheye lens but still more than enough to move close to your subject. It has a maximum aperture of f/3.5 which isn’t quite as fast as most high-end fisheyes.
Minor things that can easily be overlooked when considering the optical quality of a lens. If the Samyang is such a great lens, why is it so cheap?
Is there a catch, or is Samyang too good to be true?
Cons of the Samyang 8mm fisheye lens
Of course there is a problem. The Samyang 8mm is a no-frills lens. It does not integrate with your cameras system. There is no auto focus for this lens and the aperture must be set manually. Going back to the stone age of photography before the advent of AF, this is how it was done. Actually not that bad. Focus is not that important with a fisheye because of the maximum depth of field you get with any ultra wide angle lens. This lens will be in focus most of the time.
There is also no provision for filters in the back of the lens as there are on the Champagne models.
If going back to basics doesn’t bother you and you don’t care about using filters, the Samyang 8mm Fisheye Lens is a great deal and you’ll be able to create some eye-popping photos with it. The best part: You can usually pick up this lens for under $300.00
This lens probably won’t appeal to the professional photographer who needs a fisheye lens for their work, but it’s a good choice for the professional or serious amateur who can’t justify spending a lot of money on a lens they won’t use often.
Just be careful which brand you go with in terms of warranty etc.