Fisheyes under $450

[trevendous03]

Hello everyone:

I just bought myself a 28mm Sigma prime as most of you know for my Nikon D60, but I'm going to start getting into band portraits and hopefully outdoor strobist extreme sports photography, so as you all may know, fisheye lenses are a must. Right now, I'm looking for a fisheye that will autofocus with my D60 but I'm also considering other options in case that extreme sports thing never takes off with me.

Here are my options, and I'm hoping for some opinions (all under or around $450):

1. Tokina 12-24mm (non-motorized) $390
2. Sigma 10-20mm (motorized) $450
3. Peleng 8mm fisheye (totally manual) $340

Any other options in my price range are welcome. I know the first one is more of a wide-angle lens, not a real fisheye lens, but it might suit my needs, especially at 12mm.

Sample pictures from each:

Tokina 12-24mm

Sigma 10-20mm

Peleng 8mm taken with a D60

Thanks!

 

[inspired1]

Well, with the Peling, you have to be very careful with what copy you get. Sometimes the coating on that particular lens is very uneven leaving to funky coloring effects.

 

[hiddengamer7]

The Toki is an incredible lens, I would definitely spring for one if I didnt go with the Canon 10-22

 

[ryan s]

well...do you want a fish eye or ultra wide rectilinear...cause the 10-20 and 12-24 are not fish eye lenses...

you probably dont need AF...you most likely wont even need to focus at all. my zenitar 16/2.8 focus ring goes from .3m to infinity. at f/22 and set to hyperfocal...everything from from 1ft (its minimum focus distance, regardless of focusing) to infinity is in focus. using a flash and such...i cant see you going below f/5.6...and also since fish eye lenses are softer when not stopped down...

 

[trevendous03]

I guess I should have retitled this to ultra wide lenses. I also was wrong about the pricing of the Tokina... the Tokina with the AF motor is in the $600 range and without is the price I listed above. If you're right about the need to not need an AF lens, then I was actually going to consider the Peleng or the Zenitar you speak of, but I heard those require you to close the diaphragm after each shot, which is like foreign to me.

So in this case, is it worth it for me to buy the Sigma instead of the Tokina just to have the AF motor? Or would I be better off buying the Tokina with no motor? Or would I be even better off just buying something else on my list, a ABR800 ringflash, and ask for the Tokina 11-16mm for my bday in June from my family?

 

[ryan s]

errggh...you have a d60

i know the meter doesnt work when a non-electronic lens is fitted. so that means...in order to use a manual lens, you would have to guess the exposure, take a shot, then adjust from there. not a big deal in constant lighting...i do it all the time.

to use a manual lens, you would have to:
1. compose and focus
2. move the aperture ring to the setting you want
3. take a pic
4. optional: adjust your settings and take another

its not so bad on my camera, cause the camera keeps the lens open...so i just adjust the aperture, point and push a button to meter, take the pic.

so at this point...its kind of time vs money. a cheaper manual lens would offer you more money in your pocket and less time on the shooting end. buying an AF lens would be the opposite.

 

[trevendous03]

Yeah, AF lenses are limited with my camera, although more and more are coming out, but their price is $100-$300 more per lens for the motor.

My camera is cool in the fact it can use DX lenses as well as old-fashioned Nikon-mount lenses, but everything is manual then. Right now I have four AF lenses, but only two are AF-S, but I don't mind doing manual focus, just manual bracketing and metering would be a pain. I guess this takes the Peleng off my list, cause I don't want a long shooting time. I'd want a shorter shooting time, especially for action shots, so my final option is becoming more and more appealing, forgo the lens for now and get a ringflash then ask my family to split the cost of a Tokina 11-16 for my birthday. (I hear that's the best fisheye/ultra-wide on the market <$1,000)