Ever since I tried out the Olympus M.Zuiko 8mm f/1.8 Fisheye PRO lens a few years back, I’ve been hooked. Not only have I used it for some unique architecture and landscape views, I’ve also found a way to integrate it into what I do for work.

While some people are a bit cool on fisheye lenses, the 8mm f/1.8 Fisheye PRO is one of my favorite lenses to have on hand. Sure, they give you that super distorted fishbowl-type look … but that’s the fun in it!

Pros

  • Autofocus is fast, and one of the only fisheyes to have autofocus
  • Fisheye Compensation on Olympus/OM SYSTEM cameras lets you get rid of the distortion when it’s not needed … without changing lenses
  • f/1.8 aperture is great for all lighting situations
  • Small and compact

Cons

  • Can’t work with filters due to its built-in lens hood

Olympus M.Zuiko 8mm f/1.8 Fisheye PRO — Technical specifications

All technical specifications for the Olympus M.Zuiko 8mm f/1.8 Fisheye PRO have been taken from B&H Photo:

  • Focal length: 8mm (35mm equivalent focal length 16mm)
  • Lens construction: 17 Elements in 15 Groups
  • Weather sealing: Yes
  • Angle of view: 180°
  • Closest focusing distance: 4.72″ / 12 cm
  • Max image magnification: 0.2x
  • Number of blades: 7 (circular aperture)
  • Max aperture: f/1.8
  • Min aperture: f/22
  • Dimensions: 2.44 x 3.15″ / 62 x 80 mm
  • Weight: 11.11 oz / 315 g

Olympus M.Zuiko 8mm f/1.8 Fisheye PRO — Ergonomics and build quality

The 8mm f/1.8 Fisheye is very compact, coming in at only 3.15 inches long. It has a built-in lens hood, like most fisheye lenses, meaning you can’t use traditional filters on it. Compared to a full-frame fisheye, the Olympus comes in as drastically smaller, lighter … and it has autofocus!

It’s well-balanced on most Olympus bodies, though it does feel (and look) a bit awkward on the E-M1X.

Olympus M.Zuiko 8mm f/1.8 Fisheye PRO — In the field

It takes some getting used to when you first pick up a fisheye lens. The distortion is obvious, meaning you need to look at how you’re framing your images even more than you typically would with a “normal” lens. But the Olympus 8mm f/1.8 Fisheye delights no matter what the situation, and does so in a way that lets your images stand apart from the rest.

The 8mm focal length gives a 16mm full-frame equivalent view. While the lens doesn’t have image stabilization, smaller lenses of this type really don’t require it. Plus, Olympus’ in-body stabilization is some of the best in the business, so you should have no trouble hand-holding this lens, even for extended periods of time. It does feature weather sealing, so don’t fret when you take this out in the rain or snow!

Olympus M.Zuiko 8mm f/1.8 Fisheye PRO — Autofocus performance

One of the selling points of the Olympus M.Zuiko 8mm f/1.8 Fisheye PRO is the fact that it’s one of the only autofocus fisheye lenses on the market. While autofocus isn’t usually necessary due to the wide plane, it’s a nice thing to have, especially when you’re dealing with tough shooting conditions.

The 8mm Fisheye doesn’t disappoint, offering fast autofocus that will lock on to your subjects with ease. I used the lens at a variety of events, and it never skipped a beat.

Olympus M.Zuiko 8mm f/1.8 Fisheye PRO — Image quality

The image quality on the 8mm f/1.8 Fisheye PRO is absolutely superb. If you’ve ever used any of Olympus’ other PRO lenses, this will certainly match what you’ve come to know. Images are sharp, colors are pleasing and there’s hardly any vignetting present.

Distortion control and vignetting

So, obviously distortion is going to be present in a lens like this. And that’s a huge positive! Plus, the fact that you can use Fisheye Compensation to get rid of this distortion — without changing lenses — is a huge plus when you want to stay compact in terms of the gear you pack.

There’s a little bit of vignetting present, but nothing that would cause any concern.

Ghosting, flaring and chromatic aberrations

I’ve been able to use the 8mm Fisheye several times to get a nice light flare in my images. This can lead to some minor ghosting and lens flare, but chromatic aberrations are near existent with this lens.

Sharpness

Like all of Olympus’ PRO series lenses, the 8mm Fisheye gives you a tack-sharp view throughout the frame of your image. There can be a little falloff in the corners in terms of sharpness, but that’s to be expected with a fisheye.

Color rendition

Olympus’ PRO series lenses offer absolutely superb colors, and the 8mm Fisheye is no different. You’ll get pleasing skin tones and realistic saturation levels no matter what you’re shooting.