Bower SLY358S Ultra Wide-Angle 8mm f/3.5 Fisheye Lens for Sony

This is a shockingly good lens. I just got it for my D90, and I am blown away by it. This is probably the smartest buy for Nikon DX camera owners. I was skeptical because of the price but gave it go because of a very good review on KenRockwell.com. It is quite sharp all the way to the edges and has much less distortion than the few other fisheyes I have had a chance to use. The "bubble effect" is much smaller than on other lenses. For comparison shots and the like I suggest heading over to Ken Rockwell's site. Here are my own observations:Pros:* Amazing performance for the price.* Solid build quality--it feels a lot like my Nikkor Prime lenses.* Smooth focus and aperture controls (which is important since this is manual only)Things to consider:* It is fully manual. There is no autofocus. The aperture must be manually set. I don't find this as much of a negative. With regards to the autofocus, fisheyes go to infinity so fast that you only ever need to focus when there is something right in front of the camera. When your subject is up close, the focus ring is smooth and it is easy to use. Exposure and aperture are both pretty quick to dial in manually. A couple of quick trial shots and a glance at the LCD and you'll probably be there. I read that on some of the nicer DSLRs you can manually program in the metering. I have the D90 and you cannot do so on it--'tis a pitty.* This is for a DX camera. If you own a full-frame camera and mount this lens you will have a big black edge ringing your pictures--though if you own a full frame camera you are almost certainly aware of this.* No filters. You cannot mount filters on this lens. This also means that you will need to be careful when shooting objects close up--which is a lot of what you do with a fisheye. The depth of field on wide angle lenses makes things appear much farther away than they actually are. Without a protective filter, it is easy to nick the glass.Cons:* The Lens cap. It is really cheap, and the latching mechanism does not inspire a lot of confidence. If I find a better cap that I can put on this lens I will update this review with the name/link.* The supplied lens bag. Again, cheap beyond measure. While I appreciate what an absolute steal this lens is, I wish they had added 7 dollars to the price tag and supplied a nicer lens bag and a decent lens cap.All in all, this is a very nice lens and well worth the money--I would be happy if I bought a used lens for this price with this image quality. I also find the lack of automatic controls and metering little more than a minor nuisance. Wide lenses simply don't need as soft a touch as most others.

Let me begin by saying that this lens is manufactured in Korea, not China, and is made by Samyang under their name as well as Bower and Pro-Optic.I first encountered this lens on Ken Rockwell's web site, where he gives it a glowing recommendation. On further review, I found equally glowing reports of the Pro-Optic on Amazon and Adorama web sites.This is a manual lens, so you have to do a little work when using it. Loss of auto focus is no big deal with a lens this wide, since its hyperfocal range is so great - just set it at 10 feet, and you should have all distances covered. Depending on your camera, you may or may not lose auto exposure. I shoot this with a Nikon D200, and can auto expose with aperture priority - not all Nikons can do this, however, only the more advanced - it will not auto expose with the D40 or other entry-level cameras, so it pays to research this lens with your camera if lack of auto exposure is a deal breaker.The images this lens produces are SHARP. It's hard to believe that such an inexpensive lens can be so good. Keep in mind this is a fish eye lens, and it produces a great deal of distortion, especially on the edges. This being said, it's certainly not the lens to keep on your camera as a "walk around" - its suited for special effects and impact, so I wouldn't recommend it as your primary lens.To sum up, if you're looking for a fish-eye lens, it's hard to go wrong with this bargain - its popularity seems to be growing, and I wouldn't be surprised to see the price go up, as happened to the Tokina 11-16mm 2.8, which originally sold for about $100 under its current price (when it's available).

Got this to use with Nikon D5200, as expected, it fits & works fine with this camera.All in all, this is the budget lens, and it's mostly adequate. I looked at this lens for several months, and the price was a steady $250. When i saw it discounted to $220, I decided to jump on it.So far, i pretty much love this lens. I'm able to get some really interesting shots with it, especially when playing around with my camera's internal filter and scene settings. Images are fairly clear, with the exception of the typical distortion around the edges. But that's just the nature of the beast when playing with fisheye lenses.The one and only thing this lens doesn't offer is any level of zoom function. The description states 12" minimum focal distance, however I've noticed I'm practically brushing the lens against my subject in many photos.I'm not sure who I'd consider recommending this lens to, mostly because it is just so bloody obscene. Images are generally clear and decent, especially considering the price. But there are very few shots that require, or even look good with this amount of image distortion. I purchased it to try and learn some new tricks, give myself yet another reason to avoid adobe, and just for the fun of it. I see little value in this lens for professional purposes, aside from possibly rapid fire extreme action photography (one area it truly excels - can easily get several photos/second on moving targets!).