The new Nikon 8-15mm fisheye zoom lens was released only days before our departure to the Digital Shootout. We were able to MacGyver a makeshift zoom gear with a few items around the shop that worked quite well! Nikon,8-15mm,Circular,Fisheye,Lens,Underwater,Photography,Review

Nikon 8-15mm Circular Fisheye Lens Underwater Photography Review

By Jim Decker The new Nikon 8-15mm fisheye zoom lens was released only days before our departure to the Digital Shootout. We were able to MacGyver a makeshift zoom gear with a few items around the shop that worked quite well! The Nikon 8-15mm lens is a fisheye zoom lens that is a full frame diagonal fisheye lens at the 15mm side of the zoom, and a circular fisheye at the 8mm side. A diagonal fisheye has 180 degrees of coverage across the diagonal corners of the frame. A circular fisheye is one that has 180 degree coverage in every direction. It's great to have the versatility of being able to shoot a circular fisheye, without having to dedicate your whole dive to it. While Canon has had the Canon 8-15mm lens for years, this is the first time a lens like this is available from Nikon. All images in this review (see images below) were shot with the full frame Nikon D810 camera. We were super impressed with the image quality of this lens along with the versatility, and will now recommend this lens as the primary lens for wide angle use with full frame Nikon cameras. While this is designed for full frame, it can be used on DX crop sensors as well. However, it will not do a full circular fisheye on DX cameras. It will go to about 10mm before vignetting. For DX cameras we still recommend the highly popular Tokina 10-17 mm fisheye lens. This also helps out wide angle video shooters that will now have a viable way to shoot wide angle video with the crop factor that Nikon imposes on 4K video. Since the novelty of this lens is the circular fisheye side, I spent a bit more time shooting circular images than I normally do. And had a blast doing it! Why buy direct from Backscatter?Free lifetime tech support with every purchase. We will beat any advertised price. Free shipping to USA and Canada and low cost international shipping. Nikon 8-15mm Fisheye LensBUY NOW


Related Posts

Backscatter Hybrid Flash Underwater Strobe & Video Light Review

With the introduction of the Backscatter Hybrid Flash HF-1, underwater photographers can now capture stunning stills and video with a single versatile tool. The Hybrid is the most powerful strobe and ...

Read More

Sony 8-14mm Fisheye Lens — First Look Underwater

For years, Sony full-frame underwater shooters have had a glaring hole in their gear bags: the lack of a native fisheye lens. To get that classic ultra-wide perspective, our only real option was to sh...

Read More

Nauticam MFO-1, MFO-3, & SMC-3 Underwater Macro Lens Review

What if you could transform your camera’s macro lens into three radically different tools? That’s exactly what Nauticam’s MFO-1, Nauticam SMC-3, and Nauticam MFO-3II make possible. While they may look...

Read More

Sony a7R VI Underwater Camera Review

The Sony a7R VI is the latest generation of Sony's high-resolution full-frame mirrorless camera, and on paper, it looks like a relatively modest update to the already excellent Sony a7R V. The re...

Read More

Sony 100mm Macro Lens Underwater Review

The Sony 100mm is the most exciting new macro lens for underwater imaging we have seen in years. Featuring high-quality, razor-sharp G Master series glass, enhanced autofocus performance, a native 1.4...

Read More

The Best Underwater Strobes Tested 2026

It may or may not be a surprise, but there are no industry standards or governing bodies conforming the methods, or the specifications, on how underwater strobes are tested. Most strobe manufacturers ...

Read More