February 11, 2010
This Nikon manual focus Fisheye-Nikkor 16mm f/2.8 AI dates back to 1979. It was the first of Nikon's full frame fisheye lenses with a f/2.8 aperture. The 16mm Fisheye Nikkor is a full frame fisheye, giving you a diagonal view of 180° on a FX sized Dslr or on a film camera.
On a DX sized Dslr the equivalent focal length is 24mm(16mm x1.5) The lens projects a much wider angle than a normal 24mm(84°) lens would though . If you are serious about snow/skate photography a fisheye lens is a must to have. For filters the lens features a rear bayonet filter system.
Specifications
| Lens Construction: |
8 elements in 5 groups |
| Picture Angle: |
180° (35mm/FX) |
| Minimum focus distance: |
0.3 / 1ft |
| Filter Size: |
n/a rear filter |
| Lens Hood: |
built inn |
| Included accessories: |
Front lens cap
Rear lens cap LF-1
Rear filters: skylight (L1BC), orange (056), light amber (A2) and light blue (B2) |
| Size: Approx. |
63.5 × 55.5 mm |
| weight: |
310g |
| Diaphragm: |
7 straight blades |
| Price from: |
Discontinued in 1982 |
Positives
- Build Quality. Truly impressive craftsmanship, built to last.
- DOF / IR markings, as usually with older lenses both the Depth Of Field markings and the Infrared compensation marking is present.
- Front cap, I prefer the metal cap provided with this version over the plastic cap on the AF version.
Drawbacks
- IR starts hot spotting at f/11, not a big problem until f/22 though.
- CA, shows quite a bit more CA then the AF version.
- Corners are way soft, much! softer then the AF version.
Verdict
The Nikon manual focus Fisheye-Nikkor does not stand the test compared to the more modern Nikon 16mm AF Fisheye-Nikkor. The AF version is quite a bit better than this old dinosaur. To sum it up, the manual focus version is softer, has more CA, less contrast wide open, slightly less vignetting, and last but not least corner performance is not close to the AF version. The manual focus Fisheye Nikkor has a quite ugly softening in the corners. All in all skip this one and get the Nikon 16mm AF Fisheye-Nikkor instead.
   Features
Performance
IR Performance
Build
Value
Alternatives
Purchasing items through these links helps me adding more content to this website. The links takes you to B&H's website, which is my recommended store to get equipment from. I've used B&H personally since 2005, and I get all my equipment from them these days(including the lenses used for these reviews). Thanks for your support, Fredrik.
Sigma AF 15mm fisheye f/2.8 EX DG Price: $609.00 USD
Nikon AF Fisheye Nikkor 16mm f/2.8D Price From: $889.95 USD
Sigma Circular Fisheye 8mm f/3.5 EX DG Price: $899.00 USD
DX alternatives:
Bower 8mm f/3.5 Fisheye Price: $349.00 USD
Vivitar 7mm f/3.5 Series 1 Fisheye Price: $359.95 USD
Tokina Fisheye 10-17mm f/3.5-4.5 AT-X 107 DX. From: $579.95 USD
Nikon 10.5mm f/2.8G ED AF DX Fisheye. From: $659.95 USD
Sigma Circular Fisheye 4.5mm f/2.8 EX DC HSM Price: $999.00 USD
*Prices and rebates are subject to change. Listed price is from February 11, 2010
Sample Pictures
Images have been imported to photoshop CS4 through Capture NX 2 thus leaving the original image settings as shot, I. E white balance, sharpening, etc .etc. Full resolution sample images are in RGB color mode. Check out my copyright page for information about usage of these images. |
