Panasonic has added an 8mm fisheye lens to their Micro Four Thirds system lens lineup. Offering a full 180-degree angle-of-view, the new LUMIX G Fisheye 8mm f/3.5 lens has a focal length equivalent to a 16mm lens in the 35mm (full frame) format. The Lumix G 8mm fisheye lens should work with any Panasonic Lumix G or Olympus Pen digital camera and offers the widest focal length yet for Micro Four Thirds format digital cameras.
It’s exciting to see the Micro Four Thirds format and other compact, mirrorless system cameras taking hold. These cameras offer much of the performance of digital SLRs in a package the size of a high-end compact camera. The number of dedicated lens options has been one of the weak links for the Micro Four Thirds format. The 8mm fisheye lens is the seventh Micro Four Thirds mount lens from Panasonic. With three available Olympus Micro Four Thirds lenses and one more on the way there will be at least eleven dedicated Micro Four Thirds lenses by late this year. Thanks to the forward thinking and commitment of Panasonic and Olympus the Micro Four Thirds format is really starting to become a viable system. And it’s nice to see a new lens that’s designed for more specialized use than the variable aperture zooms that make up most of the current Micro Four Thirds lens options. I would definitely want the new 8mm fisheye lens in my Micro Four Thirds camera bag for travel stories or event coverage.
I think this announcement warrants a little aside to detail what, “fisheye,” really means. The word “fisheye” is commonly used to describe any super-wide lens. However, a fisheye lens is actually a very specific type of wide-angle lens. A fisheye lens traditionally offers a full 180-degree angle-of-view (as does the new 8mm Panasonic lens) and has a lot of distortion, making straight lines into dramatic curves and giving subjects that trademark bulbous look. If you don’t want a lot of distortion, a fisheye lens probably isn’t for you. The opposite of a fisheye is a “rectilinear” lens. Rectilinear lenses are totally corrected so that straight lines remain straight. Rectilinear lenses are mandatory for architectural and product photographers who need their photos to be as natural and accurate as possible. They also cost a lot more than fisheyes because they’re more difficult to make. Fisheye lenses like the new Panasonic 8mm are best used for dramatic effect. They’re especially fun for goofy portraits, event photography, sports and any subject or situation where you want to inject some extra drama.
Pricing and a shipping date for the Panasonic Lumix G Fisheye 8mm f/3.5 lens have not been announced yet. We’ll post that information as soon as Panasonic makes it available.
Panasonic Lumix G Fisheye 8mm/F3.5 Lens Press Release >>
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