I really, really miss the fisheye lens look.
In the past decade, lens and camera manufacturers have been engineering the fun out of cameras and lenses. They’ve found ways to shoot themselves in the foot. People adore the look and character of specific lenses. They don’t need to put it in the post-production process. And while people have asked for that look, the engineers have done the complete opposite. Instead, they’re striving for their own type of perfection with sterility. Take Sony, for example. When was the last time that you really, truly heard someone complain about onion bokeh? Or when was the last time you wish you couldn’t have lens flare in a beautiful portrait? That’s why I love reaching for Zeiss and Leica lenses. The character in those lenses is jaw-dropping. More importantly, we’ve gotten rid of distortion. The fisheye look was fun. But now, every manufacturer is trying to create a perfectly rectilinear wide-angle lens instead of embracing the flaws. It’s making photos dull.
Don’t get me wrong here. I believe there is a substantial market for distortion-free, wide-angle images. It’s much needed in the photography world. More importantly, it’s one of the best ways that cameras can stand apart from smartphones. But the same goes for the fisheye look. The fisheye look is amusing. You’re not supposed to take it seriously. And most people using cameras these days are passionate photographers that make it their hobby. It’s a serious hobby, but they can experiment and play around as much as they want. And fisheye lenses do entertaining things.
The fisheye is a slap to the face of today’s world embracing a sterile and clean look. It reminds us that there’s a ton of distortion in photography. But the distorted way of looking at the world is also super fun. The problem is that people are so serious about how they’re supposed to look on the camera. But if you put a wide-angle lens right up in their face, they don’t look unsightly: they look funny. No one will ever take it seriously. Instead, they’ll all understand the creative effects behind it. That’s why they’re also so fun with sports, portraits, etc. Fisheye lenses can still bring so much more into a frame than a great wide-angle lens.
The last excellent fisheye lens that I saw come out for full-frame cameras is the Canon 8-15mm f4 lens. This fisheye zoom gave photographers lots of opportunity and versatility. But nothing like it has ever been created since. With the shift to mirrorless cameras, manufacturers have focused on perfection as much as possible. But the problem is still that it’s incredibly sterile. Phones are, in some ways doing the same thing.
“I’m not one to often use fisheye lenses or really want to, but the look and versatility that the Canon 8-15mm F4 L gives me on full frame or APS-C sensors is amazing. I haven’t had this much fun with a lens since testing Olympus’s 12mm f2. The Canon 8-15mm f4 L isn’t just sharp, but it focuses quickly and accurately. Additionally, it’s small and super portable plus renders some wonderful colors. Indeed it is worth every penny.” – A quote from our Canon 8-15mm f4 L review.