Sigma 15mm F2.8 EX Diagonal Fisheye Lens for Nikon SLR Camera Review

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(More customer reviews)Everyone knows sigma's value-oriented lenses can be hit or miss. I tried the 18-50 and 55-200 dc lenses on my nikon d80 and found them only decent in optical quality--noticeable with the d80's 10.2 mp sensor--and lacking in build quality. but when you step up to the ex line, all of a sudden sigma gets good. the 15mm fisheye is a perfect example of value meeting function. i ordered it for $300 thru amazon, and it took its time getting here. boo!
but when it showed up, it was impressive out of the box. the build quality issues with non-ex lenses were nonexistent. this little dude is pretty solidly constructed, with a metal mount, and the metal lens hood just reinforces that notion. the metal hood is needed because the lens itself has a built-in petal that's not only jagged but perilously exposes the lens. the metal hood actually has another function: you can choose between circular and square edges by pulling it off and on your camera. sigma includes a 3-yr warranty with the us version, so avoid the grey market.
the 15mm focal length--22.5mm on a d80-- isn't as wide as some of the other options out there, but still wider than the kit lens and much wider than a 28-80 film equivalent. if you used it on a film camera it would be even wider. for dslr users, tokina has a 10-17 fisheye as well as the 12-24 (which i own), and then there's the $$$expensive nikon 10.5 fisheye, as well as the nikon 12-24 (2x the cost of the tokina for basically the same glass). sigma also has a 14mm wide prime, an 8mm f/4, and a 10-20, while tamron has a 11-18. all cost more than the sigma 15, some several hundreds more, which is a factor when getting a specialized lens.
still, with a prime literally in the middle of the wide range, you're where you need to be most of the time. the fisheye effect makes this little sigma great for close-ups of people, or groups of people, while the 12-24 tokina is better for landscapes. but with the 2.8, you can take fast pictures in low light -- at f/4, the tokina doesn't excel in this regard, and i wouldn't expect the other f/4s to do so either.
for indoor concert shots at close range, the sigma is a winner, a fun lens to have on for capturing that shredding solo or wailing vocal, or getting shots of the performer and the audience at the same time. the fisheye isn't as pronounced as you might expect--held vertically, it all but disappears--making it less of a one-trick lens and more of something you'll want tucked into your kit, just in case, for when you want to go wide. you could probably just stack this with a long telephoto and maybe a mid-prime and cut down on weight for traveling.
pros:
-at f/2.8, it's much speedier than the 18-70 nikon kit lens, which really needs a flash to focus fast indoors, and almost as sharp as the 50mm 1.8 prime.
-being a fisheye, it'll take some time and practice to really master, but for $300, it's more versatile than i thought it would be. while shooting a recent concert indoors from the front row, it stayed on the camera the whole time.
-basically it makes the idea of a wide-angle close-up possible.
-compact yet rugged package w/ excellent build quality -- it's substantial, not plastic, but still lightweight.
-decent warranty.
-comes with a nicely padded, zippered case, metal hood, and front and rear lens caps.
cons:
-not a dedicated wide-angle; fisheye distorts corners and can be a bit tricky to get used to.
-not as fishy an eye as some other diagonal fisheye lenses.
-in the middle of the wide range -- if you really want to get wide with a dslr, or have a more pronounced fisheye effect, check the 8mm, 10-17, 12-24, and 10.5mm alternatives (all of which are more costly and/or slower).
-no zoom (which isn't that big of an issue when shooting live from a photo pit or front row, especially because few zooms are as sharp as a prime).
-no macro (get the sigma 50mm 2.8 ex or a nikon prime if you'd rather shoot geraniums than mick jagger).
why would you want one?:
-it's fun to play with.
-dslrs have wide-angle issues.
-speedy 2.8 aperture, sharp glass.
-not cost-prohibitive for sub-professionals; delivers high-performance at an affordable price.
overall, an excellent combination of value and quality that should appeal to those who see life with rounded edges. rock on, lil' dude!

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With Sigma's 15mm f2.8 EX diagonal fisheye lens, you can fill an entire 35mm negative with a full 180-degree diagonal field of view. This feature lets you create unusual and unique compositions out of ordinary subject matter or landscapes. Add color or deepen the contrast of your photographs by adding any number of gelatin filters to the slide-in holder near the rear of the lens.
The unusually large maximum aperture of f2.8 gives you high-definition close-ups and more detailed nighttime shots. The optical materials used in this new lens are constructed of lead-free and arsenic-free ecological glass. This model is dedicated to Nikon AF SLR cameras.

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