new pro-optic 8mm fish eye

[kevin_b.2]

<p>Is this the same lens as the vivitar / bower / samyang fish eye? It has similar specs so I am cautious. Although it is cheaper.</p>

[bobatkins]

<p>That lens is sold under a whole bunch of names (Falcon/Polar/Vivitar/Bower/Rokinon/Samyang/Pro-Optic to name just a few) and I believe they are even available with no name printed on them! Some are sold as 8mm, some (Vivitar?) as 7mm and I think at least one 6.5mm, but they are all the same lens!</p>

<p>The Peleng 8mm fisheye is different and made in the Ukraine. I'd assume these other lenses are made in China or the far east somewhere.</p>

<p>The confusion over focal length may based on some uncertainty over the exact mapping algorithm the lens uses - see http://www.bobatkins.com/photography/technical/field_of_view.html - or it may just be creative (or ignorant) marketing. Actually focal length doesn't really matter, what matters is the angle of view (which for a given focal length depends on the mapping that the lens uses). They all seem to have a 180 degree diagonal field of view on an APS-C sensor (though it may be slightly smaller on the Canon 1.6x sensor than on the Nikon/Pentax/Sony 1.5x sensors)</p>

<p>I suspect that if you wanted one with "Kevin B" printed on it along with a 6mm focal length, some importer out there would be glad to do it for you, though you might have to order 1000 of them!</p>

[tom_harvey3]

<p>Lordie-mama Bob, that was an intense read that put Mr. Peabody in the wayback machine set to about 1968!<br>

Are you actually Professor Atkins in normal street-clothes disguise?</p>