Nikon 16mm fisheye comparison with Sigma 15mm fisheye?


AYC Nee

Member
Sep 26, 2006
265
0
16
Jurong
Hi CS members

Need your advice here. I am thinking of acquiring a Nikon AF 16mm f2.8 fisheye (FX) for the D700, but heard that the Sigma 15mm f2.8 EX DG fisheye has comparable performance but much cheaper. Since it is a lens with rather limited usage, I do not wish to invest in brand name and spend big bucks.

Any sharing of experience much appreciated. If this has been posted before, would also appreciate pointing to the original posting.
 

The Nikon 16mm and Sigma 15mm fisheye both are AFD it is not SWM or HSM, that is why I dont want to buy. Instead I bought the 10mm Sigma fisheye which is HSM, it is much sharper than Nikon 10.5mm fisheye. I still waiting for the Nikon 16mm fisheye upgrade to SWM version. I wish Nikon can come out a 8-16mm zoom SWM fisheye.
 

Why do you need swm for fisheye? Most of the time it will be focusing infinity or near infinity, right?
Are you willing to part your $$ when nikon come out with swm fisheye(even m4/3 fisheye cost $1k and not much people are willing to pay $1k for AF-D nikon 16mm fisheye)? See the of all the recent lens came out with swm.
 

Last edited:
The Nikon 16mm and Sigma 15mm fisheye both are AFD it is not SWM or HSM, that is why I dont want to buy. Instead I bought the 10mm Sigma fisheye which is HSM, it is much sharper than Nikon 10.5mm fisheye. I still waiting for the Nikon 16mm fisheye upgrade to SWM version. I wish Nikon can come out a 8-16mm zoom SWM fisheye.
First of all, the Sigma 10mm is for APS-C DSLRs and not for full-frame DSLRs. The Sigma 15mm is meant for full-frame and is more suitable for the D700.

I have the Sigma 10mm for my Sony A55 and the Sigma 15mm for my Nikon D700. Though it is for a DSLR with a smaller sensor, the Sigma 10mm is larger and bulkier than the Sigma 15mm and much more expensive. I find that my set does not seems to be optically as good as the 15mm.... the edges are not so sharp and have more chromatic aberrations. In fact, I have made an appointment with Sigma Singapore to have it calibrated properly to my A55 just in case that's the problem.

Another thing, though the 10mm has HSM, you would not notice any difference in the speed of focussing between it and the 15mm in real life.

For the Nikon D700, the Sigma 15mm is a very good alternative to the much more expensive Nikon 16mm Fisheye. Many reviewers have commented that it si as sharp if not sharper than the Nikon 16mm Fisheye.
 

Hi Tom

Many thanks for the reply. I think I shall go for the Sigma 15mm fisheye. Any idea what will be a reasonable price? I received a quote of $1040 from a well known camera shop, but thought this is costly.
 

Hi Tom

Many thanks for the reply. I think I shall go for the Sigma 15mm fisheye. Any idea what will be a reasonable price? I received a quote of $1040 from a well known camera shop, but thought this is costly.

Sounds more like the price for the Sigma 10mm. Even then I got my Sigma 10mm for less than $1k after discount just a month or so back.
The 15mm Fisheye should be a lot less. I got mine for <$800. The recent price revision is actually downwards and not upwards according to my dealer. I think you should still be able to get the 15mm for about the same price as before.
 

The cheapest Nikon 16mm fisheye I think is from dd electronics at $1060, plus a further 2% less if pay by cash. Shop warranty.

I had the sigma 15mm on d700 before, not really sharp in the corners. Another cheaper alternative is the 16mm zenitar fisheye which I'm currently using.
 

Zenitar is Russian made? I heard there is also a Ssamyong lens as well?
 

Yes, the Zenitar 16mm fisheye is Russian made. It's a cheaper alternative.

The Samyang 8mm fisheye is Korean made and is meant for the APS-C format.
 

YY, many thanks for your reply.

I did some web search and notice that there are two versions of the Sigma 15mm fisheye apparently, the DG version, and the older non-DG version. After Sigma changed to DG version, there was a USD200 increase in price. Hence what Tom said it was under $800, it could be the non-DG version. The $1040 quote is the DG version. However, there is discussion that the difference between DG and non-DG is not much.
 

YY, many thanks for your reply.

I did some web search and notice that there are two versions of the Sigma 15mm fisheye apparently, the DG version, and the older non-DG version. After Sigma changed to DG version, there was a USD200 increase in price. Hence what Tom said it was under $800, it could be the non-DG version. The $1040 quote is the DG version. However, there is discussion that the difference between DG and non-DG is not much.
Mine is the DG version. ;)
 

I got mine here too (tin cheong) but mine are Nikon AF 16mm f2.8. I got it there in HK 2months ago for HK$5200 so is about $880. Cathay Photo quoted me for $1250. I save about $370. Can email them for a quote if someone is going over to HongKong. With international warrt. Good buy :)
Hope it help :)
 

Last edited:
Hi Lighthouse and DH.... Many thanks for the advice. HK is indeed quite a bit cheaper, even plus the 7% GST, there is still quite a bit of saving compared to here. Shall sound out Tin Cheung. If buy several larger items, maybe can even plough back the passage and hotel!
 

Have the 15mm sigma and loved it. Tried the nikon 16mm. For me the sigma can focus to couple of inches while nikon can't. That settled the issue for me. Close focusing gave lots of cute and 'exaggerated' shots of kids with big noses
 

Key difference between Nikkor and Sigma fish eye.

Nikkor 14mm AF2.8D
Construction: 14/12
Opt technology: 1 ED element and 2 Aspherical profile.
Min focus: 0.2m
Angle of view 114 degrees.
Weight: 670g
Peak cycle per pixel at F8: around 0.32

Remark: Straight lines, well preserved and there is no chromatic aberration unless inspected at high magnification. Pay more for the lens construction, ED lens etc....

Sigma 15mm F2.8 EX/DG
Construction: 7/6
Opt technology: curvilinear technology.
Min focus: 0.15m
Angle of view 180 degrees.
Weight: 370g
Peak cycle per pixel at F8: around 0.28
Remarks: Extreme edge distortion, with minor chromatic aberration and some slight signs of softness in far corners.
Lighter and better budget.

Address to your main concerns and objectives. It shall show you a better light to decide.
 

Hi Jacky

Many thanks for the comparison, but the Nikon lens you cited is 14 mm, not the 16 mm fisheye. The 14 mm lens is not comparable to the 15 mm Sigma fisheye I believe.
 

sorry to dig this dig this out as I am comtemplating between this 2 as well
just to cfm sigma not 180deg horizontal as it is diagonal fisheye, meaning 180 degrees angle of view is from the top LH corner to the lower RH corner ?
 

Just dug out this old thread.

First of for vaxvms - all fisheye lens covering the entire picture frame (what used to be called full-frame, but not to be confused with FX) are 180 degreed diagonal, top LH to bottom RH corner. The other style of fisheye is circular - not covering the full-frame, but a circle in the middle, with lots of black around the frame - like the 8mm Sigma circular fisheye.

OK, my query.

I was using my Tokina 10-17mm f/3.5-4.5 DX Fisheye on my DX bodies, then when moved to FX (D800 and Df), pushed it into FX service and without making critical comparisons, found it acceptable. That is, until some things at the edge was required to be sharp, at f/5.6. Just too fuzzy for me.

After a few months of hunting, including a trip to HK where the AFD 16mm f/2.8 Nikkor lens could be had for $900 at Wing Shing, I finally found a used copy. Shot it and found it better than the Tokina pushed to do FX.

But something is still bugging me, about the 15mm Sigma, as it does focus closer than the Nikkor (as did the Tokina), and CFWA (close focus wide angle) is a favoured technique in my style of photography. Also there is a conventional "internet" wisdom that the Sigma is better. Honestly it is the former that is bugging me, as I think the Nikkor is sharp enough for my purpose.

Maybe some photos to show the Sigma would help, or if we could meet something for a short time to swap lenses and test with a bit of Singapore River shots, close focus, etc, for the heck of it?