Canon created quite a stir yesterday on the internet when they announced their new 8-15mm F4L USM Fish Eye Lens as part of six new professional ‘L’ series lenses. There was nary a hint this revolutionary new lens was coming on any of the usual Canon rumour websites – this time Canon did a great job of keeping it under wraps. From Canons Digital Learning Centre Website:
It’s not every day that a lens comes along that can be called a new concept for the professional shooter, but Canon has done it again: the new EF 8–15mm f/4L USM fisheye lens is a remarkable design that rewrites what’s possible with a fisheye lens. Whether you’re an underwater photographer, a wedding shooter looking for that exciting way to get a “different” picture, a commercial shooter, an HD videographer or an advanced enthusiast, this is a lens with potential you need to examine.
In one move, Canon has suddenly changed the entire dynamic of what’s possible with a fisheye lens. Long regarded as a super-specialized lens for only occasional use, the EF 8–15mm f/4L USM’s stunning versatility makes it a powerful and compelling option for a broad variety of photographers. Its zoom range gives it not just composition flexibility, but literally transforms it into different lenses for different digital SLR camera bodies. Combined with a great AF system and excellent optics, it’s a lens that should find its way into the camera bags of many different shooters, pro and advanced amateur alike. Its relatively modest size, weight and a price that’s within range of many serious shooters only underline its appeal.
There is a good explanation of this lens (including diagrams on framing implications), how it operates and what its capabilities are on the Digital Learning website. This is a very exciting lens for landscape photographers and I am looking forward to getting my hands on one for testing.
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