When seeking a lens that delivers nontraditional photographs and fits your Canon DSLR camera, a Canon fisheye lens is a great tool. This type of lens distorts the edges of the photographic scene. It creates a round photo rather than a traditional rectangular photo when using the most extreme types of fisheye lenses.
Canon offers many different fisheye lenses, as well as lenses that have extreme wide-angle capabilities. The Canon EF-S 10-22 Millimeter DSLR Lens offers versatility and a strong autofocus system.
When shopping for the best Canon lens with fisheye capabilities, you should pay attention to the minimum focal length of the lens. Any lens with a focal length setting of 18 mm or less can deliver fisheye capabilities.
Lenses with focal length settings of less than 35 mm are wide-angle lenses that also deliver some distortion at the photo's edges. Some people consider a wide-angle lens to be a fisheye lens, although the level of distortion is significantly less than with the fisheye lens.
When you purchase a Canon-branded fisheye lens, it will only fit a compatible Canon camera. The lens is a separate piece of hardware that connects to the camera.
Some Canon cameras can accept non-Canon branded lenses. If you purchase a third-party fisheye lens, make sure it explicitly lists compatibility with your Canon camera model.
Fisheye lenses made to fit Canon DSLR cameras will not fit Canon mirrorless cameras (and vice versa) without a special adapter.
The Canon fisheye lens fits onto the lens housing of the Canon camera. The lens has threads that match the threads on the lens housing. You'll line up the marker on the lens with the marker on the camera, slide the lens into the housing, and twist the lens half a turn to lock it in place.
To achieve the round photograph that photographers most commonly associate with a fisheye lens, you need a focal length of 10 mm or less. This end of this type of lens often has a rounded bubble design in the glass versus the flat lens glass for a standard lens.
A lens with a focal length between 11 mm and 18 mm generates a fisheye image, but the image likely will not be fully round.
A zoom lens can achieve multiple focal lengths, while a fixed lens can only achieve one focal length. Commonly, zoom lenses with fisheye capabilities also can shoot wide-angle photos.
The downside to picking a fisheye lens with zoom capabilities is that the fisheye images may not be quite as sharp as with a fixed fisheye lens.
Because of the significant distortion in a fisheye photograph, your lens needs to be able to focus sharply. The good news is the majority of Canon lenses have a high-quality design that yields extremely sharp images with accurate focus.
As with any lens, Canon fisheye lenses have an extremely wide price range. They can cost anywhere from $100-$2,000 or more.
A. Fisheye lenses from Canon cannot record standard photographs clearly, as they highly distort the edges of the image. A true fisheye lens delivers a round image because of this distortion, which is nice for specialty photos.
A. No, fisheye lenses are not common. Most photographs that you will shoot require a standard lens. Purchasing a fisheye lens from Canon means you are interested in shooting specialty photos, so this lens is not as commonly available as standard lenses.
What you need to know: With zoom capabilities in this lens, photographers can receive various focal lengths for shooting with a fisheye or wide-angle distortion.
What you'll love: With a 10 mm focal length setting at the low end of this fisheye zoom lens, you can receive significant distortive capabilities. This lens delivers a strong autofocus system, which is essential when using a fisheye lens.
What you should consider: This is an expensive piece of hardware, carrying a higher price than an entry-level Canon DSLR camera body.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
What you need to know: It's challenging to find a zoom fisheye lens for a lower price than this model, especially a lens that carries the highly trustworthy Canon brand name.
What you'll love: This lens includes stabilization, helping you shoot sharper photos without having a tripod available. It delivers excellent autofocus and manual focus capabilities.
What you should consider: It doesn't quite have the same zoom range for shooting wide-angle photos as the number one pick on our list.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
What you need to know: When you want one of the most extreme focal lengths available, this zoom lens has an extremely low focal length setting at 8 mm, creating outstanding fisheye effects.
What you'll love: This is an extreme fisheye lens, allowing you to create impressive photos that other lenses cannot duplicate. With its zoom capabilities, it offers some versatility.
What you should consider: This is an expensive lens, especially for one that cannot create images other than fisheye photos.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
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Kyle Schurman writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
