Product Description

The new Opteka High Definition² .35x Ultra Wide Angle Fisheye Converter Lens increases the versatility of your existing lens to provide breathtaking ultra wide angle views. And it's so easy to use! Additionally the built-in detachable macro lens allows you to take extreme high resolution close-up shots! Nothing changes the way you see the world like High Definition² and no company does High Definition² like Opteka. Opteka's glass optics define High Definition. Change the way you view the world. Enjoy outstanding detail, enjoy enhanced clarity, enjoy Opteka!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1532 in Camera & Photo
• Brand: Opteka
• Model: OPT-35X-EOS

Features

• Opteka .35x HD² Super Wide Angle Macro Fisheye Lens
• High Definition² - 2 times the resolution of standard high definition lenses
• Professional High Speed Auto Focus, Full Panoramic Capability, High Quality Crystal Optics, & AF Infrared Compatible
• Lens front Thread 67mm, 8 Element Lens, 180° Degree Capability
• Made in Japan & Includes 10 Year Worldwide Warranty

Customer Reviews

Cheap, Handy Conversion Lens... I Like it a Lot.
As mentioned before, this is not a lens, it's a conversion lens.
I purchased this to use on the kit 18-55mm lens on my Canon Rebel XT. The kit lens on the camera is pretty decent, but not worth buying a ridiculously priced conversion lens... not to mention, buying a nice Canon fisheye is way out of my budget at the moment.
With all that said, I bought the Opteka because I wanted the semi fisheye effect for some experimental & skateboard photography, and because I'm too broke from the holidays to purchase a high end, dedicated fisheye lens.
The conversion lens impressed me quite a bit. Using the aforementioned kit lens, I attached the supplied conversion ring (metal, which is good) as the conversion lens' threads are too small to fit the 58mm threading of the Rebel XT's stock lens. No big deal, really... screw on the ring, then screw the conversion lens into the ring and you're all set.
If you zoom back all the way, you can get a significantly distorted image, appearing like an orb surrounded by dark vignetting (like looking through a door's peephole).
If you zoom past the vignetting, you can achieve some pretty decent wide angle shots, with some expected distortion on the far left, far right, and very center of the image... then again, that's what fisheye's are all about.
The conversion lens comes with a little hood scoop, but it really doesn't need it, and if you pull your focus back all the way with the scoop out, you'll wind up with two metallic crescents increasing your vignetting.
The conversion lens comes in a pretty rigid leather (or fake leather, I really don't know) case lined with a suede-like material. If you're buying this for your Rebel's 18-55 kit lens, expect to see a metal ring in the box.
The conversion lens unscrews toward the bottom, and when the bottom section is attached to your camera you wind up with a macro lens. I've played with it just enough to say that "it works," but 99% of my usage is based around the fisheye functionality.
If you're looking to blow around $30 and you want to have fun experimenting with your DSLR (or video camera if it fits or you have a ring adapter for it), you can expect to get your money's worth out of this thing.
Shooting with a fish/semi fish requires a different type of mentality than shooting normal photos. While fisheye photography can be overdone, they make for really good up-close action shots, nature shots, and even landscapes & experimental work. This conversion kit *will* distort your image, it's supposed to. It's all about using the curvature to enhance your subject.
Last note: on some tests from 2 up to 10 feet away, the auto focus functionality seems to work fine with this extension. If you pull the lense back all the way, the vignetting will be a black blurry halo, as the multipoint auto focus will concentrate on whatever you're pointing at (rather than the conversion lens' inner lining).
For best results, prepare your shot and focus manually. Very fun conversion kit, by no means professional grade, but pretty darn good. Great to have in the camera bag.

Not quite worth its cheap price
I thought it would be fun to try a fish-eye lens (or a semi-fisheye). This sort of works OK, but the optics and image quality is very poor - quite fuzzy and unfocused. It's ok for small scaled (resized) down images.

Here is an example:

Note that, on my Canon 40D, the image is not fully round; part of it gets clipped at the bottom. This lens comes with an adapter for the standard 52mm lens; it will not work with the Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 Zoom Lens (72mm) that comes with the Canon 40D, for example.

Worth it for the fun factor.
I bought this converter for my Canon Rebel XSi.

For the price, I am perfectly happy with the quality of construction, the included 52/58 mm adapter ring and the overall capabilities of this item. That is what my score of 5 stars is based on. I am not comparing this item to lenses that cost twenty or thirty times as much.

Concerning the optical properties of this fisheye, you should be aware that it exhibits pretty noticeable chromatic aberration, however, this can be easily removed with software (I use Photoshop, but apparently a plugin exists for The Gimp, if you are looking for a free alternative). As a result, images will probably have to be processed, but it takes about 20 seconds to adjust and apply the correction.

On my camera (with the stock 18-55 mm Canon lens), depending on the focal length you select, the image will be anything from a full circle in the center of the frame to a full-frame image with no vignetting. It's up to you to chose how you want to compose the image. I suggest you search for images taken with this converter on Flickr or some other photo site to see if it is what you want.

I have only used the macro adapter once or twice, so I won't review it.

In summary, for the price, this converter is good quality, a lot of fun and worth having if you want to obtain fisheye shots.