The Nikon 10.5mm Fisheye lens, which was announced back in 2003, is Nikon’s first ever fisheye lens for DX (cropped sensor) format. You can get this lens from Amazon (Best Price + FREE Shipping)
The primary reason why Nikon released this lens was probably because the old 15mm fisheye lens is not wide enough when used on a Nikon DX camera. It won’t give the full 180 degrees field of view.
With the Nikon 10.5mm Fisheye though, the full, 180 degrees field of view will be achieved.
If you are new to photography, a fisheye lens is simply a lens with extreme barrel distortion. This is not an optical defect, but rather a deliberate move for special purpose photography.
That includes aerial, underwater and indoor photography. It can also be used outside those areas if you feel like expanding your creativity. I personally love to use this lens to photograph kids because they always have good laugh when looking at their pictures 
In terms of optical performance, this lens is very sharp. Build quality is superb. I would consider this a professional grade lens.
The downsides on this lens is the chromatic aberration control, which is typical for any fisheye lens and the fairly expensive price.
If you are just starting out in photography, I would not recommend you to go for this lens.
However, if you are bored with “normal” photography, then you should get this lens and go wild with your creativity.
Read on my Nikon 10.5mm Fisheye if you want to find out further about this lens.
Specs • Performance • Sample Image • Conclusion • Where to Buy
Nikon 10.5mm Fisheye Specs
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Official Name:
Nikon AF DX Fisheye-NIKKOR 10.5mm f/2.8G ED
Focal Length Markings:
35mm
Features:
AF – Autofocus only compatible with non-entry level Nikon DSLR camera. It is not compatible with Nikon D40, D40x, D60, D5000, D5100, D3000 and D3100.
DX – Only compatible with Nikon cropped sensor DSLR camera. Not compatible with full frame DSLR or film SLR camera.
Fisheye – Special lens with extreme barrel distortion for creative photography purpose.
G – The lens has no aperture ring. Aperture selection is controlled via the electronic mechanism inside the DSLR camera.
ED – Extra Low Dispersion Glass – Nikon’s technology to make the image sharper by correcting the light wavelength that travels through the lens.
Full Technical Specs (from Nikon’s website):
| Technical Specifications | |
| Groups / Elements | 7 / 10 |
| Angle of View | 180 |
| Number of Blade Diaphragm | 7 |
| Minimum Aperture | f/22 |
| Minimum Focusing Distance | 0.46ft. (0.14m) |
| Filter Thread | N/A |
| Weight | 10.8oz. (305g) |
| Dimension (Diameter x Length) | 2.5 x 2.5in. (63 x 62.5mm) |
| Macro Magnification Ratio | 0.20X |
| Available at | Amazon, B&H Photo, Adorama |
Optical Performance
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Nikon 10.5mm Fisheye Sharpness
The Nikon 10.5mm Fisheye lens is very sharp at any aperture. Both on the center and on the borders.
The maximum sharpness is at f/5.6.
See my sharpness test result below.
Sharpness Scale (from Best to Worst):
(5) Excellent
(4) Great
(3) Good
(2) Fair
(1) Poor
Nikon AF DX Fisheye-NIKKOR 10.5mm f/2.8G ED Center Sharpness
| Focal Length / Aperture | f/2.8 | f/4 | f/5.6 | f/8 |
| 10.5mm | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent |
Nikon AF DX Fisheye-NIKKOR 10.5mm f/2.8G ED Border Sharpness
| Focal Length / Aperture | f/2.8 | f/4 | f/5.6 | f/8 |
| 10.5mm | Great | Great | Great | Great |
Distortion
Being a fisheye lens, this is a lens with extreme distortion.
You can’t really say distortion is a lens defect on this one because they deliberately put massive amount of it for creative purpose.
See the distortion chart below to see how cool the distortion is on this lens
Nikon 10.5mm Fisheye Distortion
Vignetting
Being a fisheye lens, it is impossible to test vignetting on this lens.
Chromatic Aberration
Vignetting is considered high at any aperture. Surely, this is not one of the strong point of this Nikon 10.5mm Fisheye lens.
That being said, most fisheye lens usually suffer from high degree of vignetting due to their unusual optical design.
See my chromatic aberration test result below.
Chromatic Aberration Scale (from Best to Worst):
(5) Negligible
(4) Very Low
(3) Low
(2) High
(1) Very High
Nikon AF DX Fisheye-NIKKOR 10.5mm f/2.8G ED Chromatic Aberration
| Focal Length / Aperture | f/2.8 | f/4 | f/5.6 | f/8 |
| 10.5mm | High | High | High | High |
Build Quality
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Materials
Superb metal build. Made in Japan.
Focusing
Focus ring is very smooth. The autofocus speed is fast and accurate, although it’s not necessary for such lens.
During focusing, the inner tube extends just slightly. This is why you don’t see the IF (Internal Focusing) naming because this lens still change physical dimension during focusing.
This lens will only autofocus with non-entry level Nikon DSLR camera. Nikon D40, D40x, D60, D5000, D5100, D3000 and D3100 will not autofocus with this lens.
This lens does not have an AF-S motor. So, the focusing will be a bit noisy because it will rely on the screw motor on the camera body.
Using a filter on this lens is not possible (there is no filter thread) because of the heavy vignetting that it will cause.
Image Stabilization
There is no VR or Vibration Reduction on this lens, which is unnecessary for such wide and fast lens.
Compatibility
Being an DX lens, this lens is only compatible with cropped sensor Nikon DSLR camera. It is not compatible with Nikon full frame or film SLR camera.
Sample Image
Back to: Menu • Introduction
Below are some sample images that I took with this Nikon 10.5mm Fisheye lens. Click on any thumbnail to enlarge the images.
Get the best price online from these sites: Amazon
Conclusion
Back to: Menu • Introduction
The Nikon 10.5mm Fisheye lens is one of the more interesting lenses on the DX lens lineup.
If you are new to photography, then know that this is not a lens for everyone.
This lens is a fisheye lens which means it has extreme barrel distortion. To make it simple and clear, you’ll get BIG nose if you shoot a person’s head with this lens
In terms of optical performance, this lens is very sharp both on the center and on the borders. In addition, this is probably the fastest fisheye lens at the time of this writing for Nikon DSLR camera.
Distortion is well… EXCESSIVE. As it should be.
Build quality is simply superb on this lens. It is very tough and will be able to stand extreme condition.
The weak point on this lens is the chromatic aberration, which is typical for any fisheye lens and the price.
All in all, if you are into aerial photography, underwater photography and indoor fun photography, or simply want to bring your creativity to the next level, then this is the lens to get.
Below are my conclusions for this lens.
Drawbacks
- Chromatic aberration is high at any aperture (typical for any fisheye lens)
- Fairly expensive
Positives
- Very sharp both on the center and borders at any aperture
- Superb build quality
- Autofocus performance is fast and accurate
Good For
- Aerial photography
- Underwater photography
- Indoor fun photography
- Bringing your creativity to the next level
Not So Good For
- Anything other than the above
What Others Are Saying…
by “J. Best”
A fantastic lens! I was hesitant to move into the digital realm, because any lens wide enough to still be wide on the DX sensor can be priced in the area of thousands of dollars. As an advanced amatuer, willing to spend money…
Click here to see the full review
by “Ali Pourmand”
I doubt it if anyone would want to use this lens for family photos (unless you want to get a good laugh out of grandma’s smile!) or weddings (pros know better) or even your average wide angle landscape…
Click here to see the full review
Where to Buy
Support this site, buy the Nikon 10.5mm Fisheye lens from these sites (best price online):
Amazon (Best Price + FREE Shipping)
Also see the following lens review below to see more Nikon lens options.
Hope you like my Nikon 10.5mm Fisheye review and I will catch you in the next one!
| Lens Score | |
|---|---|
| Optical Quality | |
| Build Quality | |
| Value for Money | |
| Overall | |
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