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Abbreviations

Model history (2)

Specification

Sources of data

• Canon FD interchangeable lenses booklet (PUB. IE01-075) (May 1979).
• Lens Wonderland. Canon FD lens guide book (PUB. C-IE-097AZ) (May 1987).
• Specifications of Canon New FD lenses (PUB. C-II-099B) (July 1981).
• Canon FD interchangeable lenses booklet (PUB. C-IE-075AF) (May 1981).
• Lens Work. The Canon guide to interchangeable lenses and Single Lens Reflex photography.
• Quick reference guide.
• Canon AE-1 Program booklet (PUB. C-CE-124) (December 1980).
• Canon AL-1 Quick focus booklet (PUB. C-CE-135A) (January 1982).
• The New F-1 World booklet.
• Canon A-1 booklet (PUB. C-CE-0990) (September 1980).
• Canon AE-1 booklet (PUB. C-CE-1056AB) (September 1980).
• Canon FD lenses sales guide.
• Canon Reflex 1981/1982 booklet.
• Canon interchangeable lenses FD booklet (PUB. C-IE-075AQ) (March 1982).
• Canon Reflex booklet (1985).
• Canon FD lenses instructions (PUB. II01-061I) (July 1979).
• Canon FD interchangeable lenses booklet (PUB. C-IE-075AL) (December 1981).
• Canon AE-1 booklet (PUB. C-CE-1056Y) (February 1980).
• Canon Products Guide (PUB. C-CE-114BI) (February 1983).
• Canon Products Guide (PUB. CE01-114B) (July 1979).
• Canon FD lenses (October 1982).

Manufacturer description #1

Full-frame fish-eye which covers its 180-degree angle of view on the diagonal of the frame. Its characteristic distortion increases outwards from the center line of the image; composition plays an especially important role in the shot. A very compact fish-eye with an exceptional speed which makes it very suitable for available-light shooting. With four built-in filters (SKY, Y3, O1, B11), all the advantages of the FD signals, a newly lighter build and a new minimum aperture of f/22. A rewarding and challenging lens for the creative photographer.

Manufacturer description #2

A full-frame fisheye lens with a 180 degrees angle of view on the diagonal of the frame and a fast f/2.8 maximum aperture. Aberrations, including chromatic aberration, are properly corrected to produce optimum results. With due consideration given to composition, this fisheye lens' characteristic distortion provides unusual and creative special effects.

Like the Fisheye 7.5mm lens, its back focal distance is long, being 2.8 times its focal length. For this reason the entire field of view can be seen inside the finder, as in the case of ordinary lenses, without locking the camera's mirror up.

Its great depth of field and extremely close minimum focusing distance of 0.2 meter offer considerable potential for close-up shooting.

The lens barrel extends in front of the lens to form a flower-shaped integral hood. The purpose of this hood is to shield the lens against stray light and to protect the lens' surface.

The front element is strongly curved hence its filters are of the built-in type which can be easily switched by rotating the filter ring on the lens barrel. There are four filters, Sky, Y3, O1 and R1.

Manufacturer description #3

Known as the full-frame fisheye, the performance of the FD 15mm f/2.8 is different than that of the 7.5mm fisheye or a conventional wide-angle lens. The 15mm fisheye records a full-frame image on 35mm film as opposed to the circular image of the 7.5mm fisheye. While the circular fisheye has a 180 degrees angle of view in all directions, the 15mm fisheye has a 180 degrees angle of view only on the diagonal of the 35mm frame's image area of 24mm x 36mm. The projected image circle of the 15mm fullframe fisheye lens is large enough to allow full coverage of the 35mm frame. This permits greater latitude in printmaking than does the circular format of the 7.5mm fisheye. The 15mm full-frame fisheye also focuses from 0.2 meter (8 in.) to infinity.

The fisheye differs from an ordinary super wide-angle lens in at least one respect. While both lens types take in an enormous image area, super wide-angle lenses have been optically corrected to render straight lines as straight lines. With the fisheye, this tendency to bow straight lines, causing distortion, has been purposely accentuated to create special effects. However, as with the 7.5mm fisheye, this distortion is least evident at the center of the image area.

Manufacturer description #4

There is no finer lens than the FD 15mm f2.8 for the photographer wishing to have the impact of a fish eye with a full-frame image. Its remarkable speed makes it ideal for color photography under poor lighting conditions.

The New Canon Fish Eye FD 15mm f2.8 carries on the optical excellence of its predecessor, with the addition of the new style Canon mounting system, incorporating the advantages of the Breech Lock with the speed of a "bayonet" mount.

Typical characteristics of fisheye lenses

• Extreme angle of view (at least 180° diagonally);
• Circular types (the image circle of the lens is inscribed in the image frame) or diagonal types (cover the entire image frame);
• Usually of equidistant projection type, with the distance from the picture center to any given point always proportional to the angle from the optical axis to that point;
• Huge barrel distortion;
• Short closest focusing distance (0.20 - 0.30m with 35mm full-frame prime lenses);
• Very large depth of field, eliminating the need for autofocus or precise manual focusing;
• Due to the extreme angle of view and convex front element, front filters cannot be used;
• Often equipped with a filter turret with swivel-mounted filters;
• Often come with a small, built-in petal-shaped lens hood.

Other fisheye lenses in the Canon FD system

Lenses with similar focal length