Nikon AF DX Fisheye -Nikkor 10.5mm F/2.8G G ED (774.95) is a lens that you just love to use. The DX Nikon DX prime is a compact, lightweight lens that captures all the action with its fish-eye view. The lens can focus extremely close and produces sharp images. It also has the same build quality as a Nikon lens.
It does have its limitations, including the high price and inability to autofocus on entry-level SLRs such as the D5500. You can also find cheaper alternatives, such as the Samyang 8mm F/3.5 Fisheye (279) or the Lensbaby Circular Fisheye (279), though the former has a narrower field of vision that doesn't fill the entire frame.
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Design
It is small at just 2.5x2.5 inches (HD), and weighs in at 10.8 ounces. A slip-on cap and integrated hood protect the front and bulbous hood. Screw-in filters are not allowed due to the nature of this lens. There's no stabilization system, but that's typical for a lens of this type—only a few ultra-wide zooms, like the AF-S Nikkor 16-35mm f/4G ED VR ($485.99 at Amazon), feature optical stabilization.
Manual focus rings are the only controls. This lens doesn't include an internal motor. Instead, it uses your camera's screw drive focus mechanism to focus. Nikon's entry-level Nikon SLRs (D3300 at Amazon, $2220.00) don't have this mechanism. The lens can only be used with manual focus once mounted. To have automatic focus, you will need to upgrade to the D7200. The toggle switch located on the body of the camera allows you to change between automatic and manual focus.
This lens can be used with APS-C DX SLRs. You can mount it to an FX (full-frame) SLR. The FX can automatically crop the active area of the camera to correspond to the DX sensor. You can also set the FX not to crop in camera, which results in an image that has a thick black border. One brave photographer used tools to remove the hood, and transform the lens into an entire-frame circular fisheye.
Minimum focus distance (inches) is approximately 5.5 inches (14"), as measured by the sensor. This means that you can focus up to one inch away from the front element. Ultra-wide lenses are known for their ability to focus close, but fish-eyes can be used to create distortions.
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Image quality
Imatestand an SFRPlus chart are used to test lenses. It is impossible to assess the image quality of a fisheye from one edge to the other due to the severe distortion it produces. However, I was able get an indication of how sharp the middle and center thirds of the frame. Although barrel distortion can be quite severe (around 27%), it is to be expected.
The lens's f/2.8 score is 2,662 lines per photo height in the test area, when it is paired with the D500 (20.9-megapixel at Amazon). This score is better than the 1,800 lines that we prefer to see in photos. The score increases as the aperture is reduced, reaching 2,908 lines at F/5.6. It remains strong at f/8 (2.831 lines), 1.11 (2.672 lines) and 16.242 (2.402 lines). It can be stopped down to f/22 but it drops to 1,899 line there.
The 7-blade diaphragm opens at narrow apertures and turns bright spots of light into stars. It can create a striking effect when you frame the sun in daylight shots. You can also achieve the same effect by using streetlights or other bright light sources in night shots.
There was some color fringing that I noticed in the images. This is especially noticeable in high-contrast areas like where the sky and the foreground are dark, particularly near the edges. It's not a problem, as Lightroom ($9.99/Month Adobe). However, if you're not a fan of spending a lot time on editing your photos, this can easily be fixed.
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Conclusions
It's not often that I think of a lens as especially fun to use—photography is an enjoyable hobby, but it's more about the experience than the tool used to get a shot. The Nikon AF DX Fisheye -Nikkor 10.5mm f/2.8G ED would be a great exception. It was creatively liberating. I felt more comfortable shooting blindly at odd angles and trusting that the autofocus would lock onto a subject.
I also found it easier to photograph subjects closer than I normally do from greater distances. Although you may loose some freedom when it is paired with an infrared camera, the focus throw of the autofocus lens is short enough that it's possible to reduce the aperture, adjust the focus point to zero, and then fire off the shots with ease.
Of course, you can also do that with a less expensive model, like the Samyang 8mm f/3.5 Fisheye—a lens we've yet to review, but will deliver a similar field of view on a DX Nikon SLR. The Lensbaby Circular Fisheye is another option.
However, its wider field of vision certainly sets it apart from the Nikkor. The 10.5mm fish-eye lens is worth considering if you are looking for one. Although it is a bit more expensive than other fish-eye lenses, it performs well and it will be worth the extra cost if you have a screw drive focus system.