I tried Sony's first-ever fisheye lens — and the 8-14mm F3.5 G makes a compelling case for the distorted, ultra-wide perspective

Sony unveils the FE 8-14mm F3.5 G lens It's the company's first fisheye lens, covering a 180-degree field of view It costs €1,700 (UK, US and Australia pricing TBC) Sony has unveiled its first-ever fisheye lens, the FE 8-14mm F3.5 G, which becomes the widest-angle lens in the company's burgeoning le

<![CDATA[ <article> <ul><li><strong>Sony unveils the FE 8-14mm F3.5 G lens</strong></li><li><strong>It's the company's first fisheye lens, covering a 180-degree field of view</strong></li><li><strong>It costs €1,700 (UK, US and Australia pricing TBC) </strong></li></ul><p>Sony has unveiled its first-ever fisheye lens, the FE 8-14mm F3.5 G, which becomes the widest-angle lens in the company's burgeoning lens range — and I've had my hands on it ahead of the announcement.</p><p>I'll admit, it caught me off guard to realize that Sony didn't have a fisheye lens for its mirrorless cameras until now — after all, there are a huge number of Sony lenses already available — but the 8-14mm will no doubt appeal to fans of the distorted, ultra-wide perspective.</p><p>Popular for astrophotography, urban landscapes, sports such as skateboarding, and hiphop music videos, fisheye lenses are the widest-angle lenses available, and now there's finally one available with the Sony name on it.</p><div data-widget-type="review" data-model-name="Sony FE 8-14mm f/3.5 Fisheye G"></div><figure class="van-image-figure inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:2000px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.25%;"><img id="KqvC9UECJjVPvvg4bFGUTn" name="Sony FE 8-14mm F3.5 G fisheye" alt="Sony FE 8-14mm F3.5 G fisheye lens on a wooden table" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/KqvC9UECJjVPvvg4bFGUTn.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="2000" height="1125" attribution="" endorsement="" class="inline"></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">The original FX3 </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: Future / Tim Coleman)</span></figcaption></figure><p>The compact optic is designed for full-frame cameras, and has a maximum f/3.5 aperture across its 8-14mm zoom range. It certainly feels the part; it's dust and moisture resistant, includes a zoom lock, clicked / de-clicked aperture ring, focus switch, and a rear filter holder (which is handy, as the lens doesn't accepted threaded filters because of the bulbous front lens element). </p><p>Zoom and focusing are internal, which usefully means that the lens barrel doesn't extend when zooming, while close focusing is just 0.15m, with a 0.22x maximum magnification — you'll often want to make the most of the minimum focus distance to emphasize subjects in the frame.</p><p>At its widest 8mm focal length the lens covers a full 180-degree field of view, meaning that much of the built-in lens hood is in the frame — these files need processing to remove the pronounced vignetting. Zoom in to 14mm, however, and the hood is out of the shot completely.</p><figure role="gallery"><figure><img src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/9qdZAbN2W5MMQxsP2L5C3o.jpg" alt="Sony FE 8-14mm F3.5 G fisheye lens attached to a Sony A7R V camera, on a wooden table" /><figcaption><small role="credit">Future / Tim Coleman</small></figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/VzxgjW8f3wTS4SHDkfpoLn.jpg" alt="Sony FE 8-14mm F3.5 G fisheye lens attached to a Sony A7R V camera, on a wooden table, side profile" /><figcaption><small role="credit">Future / Tim Coleman</small></figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/6WAmsAdox5vuH73N5ngiRn.jpg" alt="Sony FE 8-14mm F3.5 G fisheye lens attached to a Sony A7R V camera, close up of the bulbous front element" /><figcaption><small role="credit">Future / Tim Coleman</small></figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Zphje6MVWPtzX9F8jtJJxn.jpg" alt="Close up of the Sony FE 8-14mm F3.5 G fisheye lens's controls " /><figcaption><small role="credit">Future / Tim Coleman</small></figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/rVnvMBggnxHGyyfwCSHzvn.jpg" alt="Close up of the Sony FE 8-14mm F3.5 G fisheye lens's controls " /><figcaption><small role="credit">Future / Tim Coleman</small></figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/gZMaqNUegurWHgvfUhUVrn.jpg" alt="Close up of the Sony FE 8-14mm F3.5 G fisheye lens's controls " /><figcaption><small role="credit">Future / Tim Coleman</small></figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/RVkNZ2N86CpaAQ4TmAtCkn.jpg" alt="Sony FE 8-14mm F3.5 G fisheye lens attached to a Sony A7R V camera, on a wooden table, side profile" /><figcaption><small role="credit">Future / Tim Coleman</small></figcaption></figure></figure><p>I've never really got on with fisheye lenses — the ultra-wide and distorted perspective isn't one I particularly like or feel that I can utilize — whereas I prefer ultra-wide rectilinear lenses (which correct that distortion for straight lines). </p><p>However, I'm challenging myself and giving Sony's first fisheye lens a proper go. It's early days in my testing of the the FE 8-14mm F3.5 G lens, and I look forward to sharing my review soon. </p><p>The lens is part of Sony's 'G' range of enthusiast-level lenses, and is priced at €1,700 in Europe, with UK, US and Australia pricing and availability TBC.</p><figure class="van-image-figure inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:2000px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.25%;"><img id="EUMwmxKZPdQr3WGgXiop4n" name="Sony FE 8-14mm F3.5 G fisheye" alt="Sony FE 8-14mm F3.5 G fisheye lens in user's hand" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/EUMwmxKZPdQr3WGgXiop4n.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="2000" height="1125" attribution="" endorsement="" class="inline"></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: Future / Tim Coleman)</span></figcaption></figure> </article> ]]>