Fisheye lenses used to be the domain of professional photographers with deep pockets. The single reason is fisheye lenses used to be expensive.
Not anymore. With several Chinese and Korean lens manufacturers coming into the fray and producing inexpensive lenses, fisheye glass has become more affordable.
With their unique cylindrical perspective, Fisheye lenses offer a point of view that’s impossible to achieve using any other glass.
The strong visual distortion and wide panoramic image are great for various kinds of photography, including events, sports, landscapes, and even street photography.
Though I must say that fisheye lenses are an acquired taste, and not too many people use them, it’s still a potent tool in the right hands.
Today, we will look at the top ten best Canon fisheye lenses. We’ll look at a short review of each of these lenses, including their build quality and some pros and cons.
I have listed both EF/EF-S lens mount lenses so make sure to choose the one that is best for your Canon camera body type. You’ll also notice that I’ve listed 3rd party lenses but they are Canon compatible.
In a hurry? Here’s a quick rundown:
- ⭐ Best Overall Canon Fisheye Lens
- 🌄 Best Canon Fisheye Lenses for Landscape Shots
- 🏢 Best Canon Fisheye Lenses for Architecture Shots
- 🌹 Best Canon Fisheye Lenses for Macro Shots
- 💸 Best Budget Canon Fisheye Lens
How to Choose the Best Canon Fisheye Lens?
Focal length: A fisheye lens typically has a very wide focal length, usually between 8-15mm. This allows for a very wide angle of view and a distinctive, distorted perspective.
Aperture: A lens with a wider aperture (such as f/2.8) will perform better in low-light situations and allow for more creative control of depth of field.
Build quality: Consider the lens construction and whether it is weather-sealed to ensure it can withstand a variety of shooting conditions.
Image stabilization: Some fisheye lenses feature image stabilization, which can be helpful when shooting in low light or when hand-holding the camera.
Autofocus: Some fisheye lenses may not have autofocus, which can be limiting for certain types of photography.
Table of Contents
10 Best Canon Fisheye Lenses
1. Canon EF 8-15mm f/4L Fisheye USM
Lens Features:
- Lens type: Zoom lens
- Max Format size: 35mm FF
- Focal length: 8–15 mm
- Image stabilization: No
- Lens mount: Canon EF
- Maximum aperture: F4
- Minimum aperture: F22
- Weight: 540 g (1.19 lb)
- Diameter: 79 mm (3.11″)
- Length: 83 mm (3.27″)
- Sealing: Yes
The only Canon fisheye lens on this list and the one that Canon sells right now. At 8mm focal length, you can take full advantage of the 180-degree angle of view. This is a rare lens with which you can shoot circular and rectangular fisheye effects.
The lens’s construction constitutes two Ultra-low Dispersion (ULD) elements for suppressing chromatic aberrations. Apart from that, the lens construction also includes sub-wavelength and fluorine coating. Fluorine coating prevents the lens from getting smudges, fingerprints, dirt, and dust.
The full-frame fisheye effect is achieved within the focal range of 14-15mm. At 8mm, the lens will offer a full-frame AoV, a circular fisheye.
My Pros With This Lens:
- The angle of view of 180º – 175º 30′
My Cons With This Lens:
- At more than 1200 dollars, this is the most expensive of all Canon EF mount fisheye lenses.
2. Rokinon 8mm f/3.5 Fisheye
Lens Features:
- Lens type: Prime lens
- Max Format size: APS-C / DX
- Focal length: 8 mm
- Image stabilization: No
- Lens mount: Canon EF-S, Four Thirds, Nikon F (DX), Pentax KAF, Samsung NX, Sony/Minolta Alpha
- Maximum aperture: F3.5
- Minimum aperture: F22
- Weight: 443 g (0.98 lb)
- Diameter: 75 mm (2.95″)
- Length: 77 mm (3.04″)
- Sealing: No
This is a fixed focal length fisheye lens with a maximum aperture of f/3.5 designed for APS-C sensor-sized DSLR camera systems. At less than 200 dollars, this happens to be one of the cheapest deals you can get for a genuine fisheye lens, especially if you’re shooting with a Canon APS-C camera. This lens only gives you a 167-degree angle of view when mounted on an APS-C camera.
If you decide to mount this lens on a full-frame camera, the lens will offer a circular angle of view in the middle of the frame.
Remember that this is a manual lens with no electronic connections between the camera and the lens. You will have to focus the lens and meter the scene manually.
My Pros With This Lens:
- Dedicated aperture ring for precise aperture control.
My Cons With This Lens:
- Slightly soft, wide open at f/3.5
- Manual lens
3. Opteka 6.5mm f/3.5 Fisheye
The Opteka 6.5mm f/3.5 fish-eye is designed for the smaller APS-C sensor-powered Canon EF system cameras. The equivalent focal length of the camera is 10.4mm, and it offers a true fisheye perspective with the 180-degree Angle of View.
The minimum focusing distance is 11.8 inches which offers a circular fisheye perspective.
The lens’s construction consists of one aspherical element that suppresses spherical aberrations. Apart from that, the lens features a multi-layer coating to prevent lens flare and ghosting from ruining the images.
The lens barrel consists of a physical aperture ring that makes it easier to switch apertures on demand.
Mind you; this is a manual focusing lens. So, you won’t have access to autofocusing with this lens.
My Pros With This Lens:
- Lightweight and well made
My Cons With This Lens:
- No weather sealing.
4. Rokinon 12mm f/2.8 ED AS IF NCS UMC Fisheye
Lens Features:
- Lens type: Prime lens
- Max Format size: 35mm FF
- Focal length: 12 mm
- Image stabilization: No
- Lens mount: Canon EF, Nikon F (FX), Pentax KAF2, Sony/Minolta Alpha, Sony E
- Maximum aperture: F2.8
- Minimum aperture: F22
- Weight: 515 g (1.14 lb)
- Diameter: 77 mm (3.04″)
- Length: 73 mm (2.86″)
- Sealing: No
The Rokinon 12mm f/2.8 ED AS IF NCS UMC is designed for the full-frame Canon DSLR camera. This lens’s construction consists of 12 lens elements arranged in 8 groups, including three extra-low dispersion elements (ED) and two aspherical elements. These elements ensure that the lens is free of chromatic and spherical aberrations.
The lens is also treated with high-quality nanocrystal anti-reflection coating and UMC coatings, ensuring that the lens is free of ghosting and flares when working in difficult lighting conditions.
The maximum aperture of the lens is a wide f/2.8. At this aperture. The lens offers a 180-degree field of view when mounted on full-frame DSLR cameras.
Please note this is a manual focusing lens. So, autofocusing functions will not work. You will have to eyeball the focus and the depth of field. For your assistance, a manual aperture ring has been provided along with a depth of field indicator printed on the lens barrel.
My Pros With This Lens:
- Nanocrystal and UMC coating for better contrast and color saturation in tricky lighting
- Manual focusing lens
- Depth of field indicator on the lens barrel
My Cons With This Lens:
5. Rokinon 8mm f/3.5 HD Fisheye
The Rokinon 8mm f/3.5 HD is designed for Canon full-frame DSLR systems. The lens offers a field of view of 167 degrees when used with APS-C camera systems. Just a little shorter than the true fisheye perspective of 180 degrees. The image offered on full-frame camera cameras is a circular fisheye perspective floating in the middle of the frame.
The lens’s minimum focusing distance is just 12 inches, and even from that close shooting angle, it creates magic with its beautiful circular perspectives.
The lens’ construction includes aspherical elements that will control spherical aberrations and a multi-layer coating that ensures flares and ghosting is suppressed. This is a problem using ultra-wide-angle lenses, especially when the sun is lower on the horizon.
Just like the Rokinon 12mm listed above, this lens is a manual focusing lens with no connections between the camera and the lens body. There is, however, an aperture control ring on the lens for easy control of the aperture, plus a depth of field indicator printed, which allows you to adjust the focus to achieve maximum DoF when required.
My Pros With This Lens:
- 8mm minimum focusing distance
- f/3.8 maximum aperture
- inexpensive lens
My Cons With This Lens:
- No weather sealing.
6. Samyang 12mm f/2.8 ED AS NCS Fisheye
Lens Features:
- Lens type: Prime lens
- Max Format size: 35mm FF
- Focal length: 12 mm
- Image stabilization: No
- Lens mount: Canon EF, Nikon F (FX), Pentax KAF2, Sony/Minolta Alpha, Sony E
- Maximum aperture: F2.8
- Minimum aperture: F22
- Weight: 515 g (1.14 lb)
- Diameter: 77 mm (3.04″)
- Length: 73 mm (2.86″)
- Sealing: No
The Samyang 12mm f/2.8 ED AS NCS is a fisheye lens designed for the Canon EF full-frame camera systems. The lens offers a field of view of 180 degrees when mounted on full-frame DSLR cameras.
The construction of the lens includes 12 elements in total arranged in 8 groups. These include three low-dispersion ED glass elements and two aspherical lens elements that eliminate the distortions and aberrations.
Overall, the build quality is good. Though plastics have been used mainly, these are suitable quality plastics. The overall weight of the lens is just about 500 grams.
Again just like the previous two lenses, this is a manual focusing lens. There are no connections between the lens and the camera except for the mechanical mount. That said, the lens has focusing distances marked on them, which comes in handy when trying to get the maximum depth of field (DoF).
Even when using the lens at its maximum wide aperture, sharpness is good, especially at the center of the frame. The corners are less sharp. If you stop the lens down to about one stop (f/4), you will notice that corner sharpness has improved. And so does center sharpness.
My Pros With This Lens:
- Lens weighs 500 grams which is reasonable.
- We have a dedicated manual focusing ring.
- Aperture ring with a depth of field chart on the lens.
My Cons With This Lens:
- No hard infinity stop in the focusing ring.
7. Tokina 10-17mm f/3.5-4.5 AT-X 107 AF DX Fisheye
The Tokina 10-17mm lens is designed for the smaller sensor size of Canon’s EF-S cameras using the APS-C sensor size. The angle of view at 10mm focal length is 180-degree, and that at 17mm is 100 degrees.
This lens features Tokina’s autofocusing mechanism, so you don’t have to eyeball focus or rely on magnifying the image on the back LCD screen.
The construction of the lens consists of 10 elements arranged in 8 groups. This includes one Super-Low Dispersion (SD) element. This helps suppresses chromatic aberration and negates the need for additional lens elements that could make the overall design heavy.
In addition, the lens’s front element integrates a Water Resistant (WR) coating that prevents the formation of water sports, smudges, and other prints. It also ensures that you can clean the front element easily.
My Pros With This Lens:
- Designed for Canon’s APS-C sensor cameras
- Autofocusing lens
My Cons With This Lens:
- No built-in aperture ring or depth of field scale.
8. Meike MK-8mm f/3.5 Fisheye
Meike is a Chinese optical brand that manufactures low-cost visual tools, including photographic lenses. The Meike MK-8mm f/3.5 Fisheye is designed for the Canon full-frame camera system.
On full-frame camera systems, the lens will offer a circular fisheye perspective; on smaller APS-C cameras, it will cover the entire frame and give a strong curved effect.
The construction of the type lens includes 11 elements arranged in 8 groups; apart from that, the lens features a multi-layer nano-coating to prevent flares and ghosting from affecting the quality of images.
Please note this is a manual focusing lens, and you will have to eyeball the focus with some help from the distance assistance provided on the lens. The lens also comes with a manual aperture adjustment ring.
Performance-wise the lens is surprisingly sharp, especially at the center when shot at a wide-open aperture. Stoped-down sharpness improves both at the center and the corner of the lens. The sweetest apertures are f/5.6 and f/8, where the lens seems superbly sharp.
My Pros With This Lens:
- Built-in multi-layer nano-coating.
- The maximum aperture is f/3.5.
My Cons With This Lens:
- Manual focusing lens.
- No built-in image stabilization.
9. Samyang 8mm f/3.5 HD Fisheye
The Samyang 8mm f/3.5 HD is designed for full-frame Canon EF system DSLR cameras. However, there are other mounts available too. The angle of view offered by the lens is 167 degrees from a minimum focusing distance of 12 inches.
The lens’s construction includes ten elements arranged in 7 groups, including high-definition aspherical optics to suppress spherical aberrations. Apart from that, the lens also has a multi-layer coating to ensure that the lens’s performance isn’t affected by lens flares and ghosting.
Speaking of optics and design, the sizeable petal-shaped hood at the front of the lens does obstruct the image, especially when the lens is mounted on full-frame camera systems. Some photographers have experimented by removing the petal-shaped lens hood and creating a more circular image. However, doing so comes at a price, and the lens cap will no longer fit on the front of the camera. And that means there is no way that you can safeguard the front element of the lens from bumps and knocks.
Performance-wise this manual focusing lens is a bit soft when shooting wide open at f/3.5. However, much like any other lens stopping it by one or two stops improves the overall sharpness of the lens. Center sharpness is better than corner sharpness from f/3.5 to f/5.6. Corner sharpness improves considerably afterward as you stop down the lens.
My Pros With This Lens:
- Dedicated aperture ring
- Depth of field indicator printed on the lens barrel.
- Lightweight at 428 grams.
My Cons With This Lens:
- Manual focusing
- No image stabilization
10. Meike MK-6-11mm f/3.5 Fisheye
The Meike MK-6-11mm f/3.5 is a fisheye lens designed for the APS-C Canon camera systems. The angle of view offered by the lens is 180 degrees from a minimum working distance of 15cm.
The construction of the lens includes 11 elements arranged in 8 groups. It includes aspherical elements that ensure the lens can better suppress spherical aberrations. In addition, the multi-layer coating is also provided to ensure that the lens can counter lens flare and ghosting when working in difficult lighting conditions.
Still, on construction, the lens is made of metal and feels solid in the hands. The weight of the lens is about 540 grams.
The constant f/3.5 aperture across almost 2x optical zoom ensures that the lens can gather enough light in all kinds of lighting situations.
My Pros With This Lens:
- Constant f/3.5 aperture across the lens’ focal length.
- All metal construction is very tough
My Cons With This Lens:
- Manual focusing lens.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Fisheye Lenses Worth It?
Fisheye lenses can be a valuable addition to a photographer’s lens collection, as they offer a unique perspective and the ability to capture wide distorted images. They can be particularly useful in landscape and architectural photography.
Does Canon Make Good Fisheye Lenses?
Canon is a reputable brand that produces a variety of high-quality lenses, including fisheye lenses. Some popular Canon fisheye lenses include the Canon EF 8-15mm f/4L Fisheye USM.
Conclusion
For many photographers, the idea of owning a fisheye lens can be very exciting. These lenses are designed to provide you with the ability to capture a huge field of view. However, there are many different fisheye lenses on the market, so it can be difficult to decide which one is the best for your needs.
We have created this list of the ten best Canon fisheye lenses to help you learn more about these unique lenses so that you can find the perfect one for your needs.
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Nate Torres is a portrait photographer based in Southern California. Outside of photography, Nate specializes in SEO, content marketing, and entrepreneurship. He is also the founder of Imaginated.com, a platform for creator education.
