Want a Canon fisheye lens for your EOS R camera? Currently, you're out of luck. Ditto, come to think of it, for a tilt-shift lens.
You can, of course, adapt an old DSLR lens like the Canon EF 8-15MM f/4L Fisheye USM. However, if you want an RF mount Canon fisheye lens, you'll stumble across one of the remaining gaps in the EOS R system.
Why is this important? Well, for 90% of photographers, it isn't important – which is kind of the problem. Extreme photography with this kind of optic, whether full frame or circular image, is pretty much the niche of the niche (again, ditto tilt-shift lenses) – which means Canon fisheye lenses aren't really a priority for the manufacturer.
In fairness, the same goes for Nikon and other nascent mirrorless formats. But, as a Canon shooter, that's the particular soapbox on which I'll be standing today.
While I wouldn't at all say that I shoot extreme "fisheye photography", I am certainly a big fan of fisheye lenses. In fact, when I'm using my Olympus kit, I carry one with me every single time I go out (in the form of the teeny tiny Olympus M.Zuiko 9mm f/8 Fisheye Body Cap).
Although I don't use it to shoot crazy perspectives, I do use it for travel photography, landscapes, selfies, events and "scope" shots – you know when you're in a crazy, panoramic scene like a mountain range? A fisheye is a great way to "get it all in", to convey the scope and scale of where you are.
Not because it's all wacky and distorted, but just because of the unique field of view. Ditto small spaces, like indoor venues, or even getting a moody shot of somebody in an elevator or a phone booth.
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The current fisheye lens, the aforementioned EF 8-15MM f/4L, was launched in 2011. That's approaching a decade and a half ago. I'd really like a modern one that's designed for my R5, rather than adapting a 13-year-old one meant for DSLRs. (Yes, I know the Canon RF 5.2mm f/2.8L Dual Fisheye technically counts, but it's not quite what I'm talking about here.)
An updated Canon fisheye for the RF mount has been rumored for a while, and will very likely feature a similar focal range and aperture to the EF version. There may not be many of us but, those of us who have been waiting would love it if we didn't have to wait too much longer.
Take a look at the best Canon RF lenses that the brand has released so far, and check out the best Canon lenses for DSLRs to pick up the EF glass that hasn't been updated yet.
