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| Nikon 10.5mm f/2.8G ED DX Fisheye |
For a such a compact lens, the Nikon 10.5mm fisheye feels quite weighty, although it could never be classed as heavy. Much of the lens barrel is constructed from tough plastics, with a permanent hood in place to protect the front element. At only 460g, it balances perfectly on the Nikon D300 used for testing.
Focusing is not performed internally and the front element can be seen to move back and forth by around two millimetres. Due to the extreme wide angle of the lens, filters cannot be attached to the front. A filter gel holder is provided on the rear, which very few owners of this lens will actually use. Manual focusing is aided by the smooth action of the focusing ring and a useful hyperfocal scale, which makes taking advantage of the expansive depth of field a fisheye provides, a straightforward affair.
The minimum focus distance of 14cm makes this lens suitable for shooting in claustrophobic environments, with distances becoming more distorted as you get closer to your subject.
Nikon 10.5mm f/2.8G ED DX Fisheye Nikkor Performance
Sharpness at f/2.8 is excellent across the frame, with peak quality being achieved at f/4. Diffraction reduces sharpness as the lens is stopped down further, but clarity is still good across the frame down to f/11.
Nikon 10.5mm f/2.8G ED DX Fisheye Nikkor Verdict
Even though this lens was one of the first diagonal fisheye lenses made available for DSLRs with a sensor smaller than 35mm film, it still holds up well against the competition, despite being more expensive. The sharpness across the frame is excellent from maximum aperture, making this lens suitable for low light shooting, as well as for landscapes and interiors, where the extra-wide field of view may come in handy, so long as the wild fisheye distortions can be lived with. Build quality is great too.
It is a shame that this lens doesn't include a silent-wave motor, although with Nikon slowly re-vamping their lens line-up at the moment, I wouldn't be too surprised to see an updated version. Owners of entry-level Nikon cameras may still get plenty of use out of this lens, as the extensive depth of field provided by a fisheye lens makes manual focusing pretty straightforward.
Nikon 10.5mm f/2.8G ED DX Fisheye Nikkor Pros
- Excellent sharpness from maximum aperture
- Very good build quality
- Hyperfocal scale
- Smooth manual focusing action
- Compact and reasonably lightweight
Nikon 10.5mm f/2.8G ED DX Fisheye Nikkor Cons
- Chromatic aberrations towards the edges of the frame
- Falloff of illumination towards the edges at maximum aperture
- No silent wave motor means no AF on entry-level bodies
Source : http://www.photodo.com
