I keep an eye out for new lenses I might want to try. And there are two types of lenses I’ve been wanted to try forliteralever: Fisheye and macro.
What’s a fisheye lens?
Fisheye lenses are famous for creating an interesting “bubble” perspective. They’re ultra-wide-angle lenses, good for when you’re trying to get as much of a scene in one photo as possible. The more zoomed-out your fisheye lens is, the more warp you’ll get. But I, like a lot of people, don’t mind that. It’s gives photos a very unique look.
TIP: A 0.5x fisheye would be considered a wide angle lens while a 0.18x fisheye lens would be considered a super fisheye. The Altura fisheye and macro combo lens is 0.35x – so it’s in the middle.
What’s a macro lens?
Macro lenses let you get close – like, really close. You wanna see the eyelashes on a bee? This is the kind of lens you want. How you go about getting close enough to see eyelashes on a bee is a whole different thing.
Where your average camera lens will get confused once you get too close to a subject – it won’t be able to focus anymore – the macro lens is made to be right up on your subject.
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See some very up-close photos I took in the forest here!
The problem with both fisheye and macro lenses
There’s one reason I haven’t tried either of these lenses yet – PRICE. These specialty lenses can be pricey, so if you don’t have hundreds or thousands to drop on a cool specialty lens for fun, then it can seem like you’re out of luck.
Not true, my shutterbug friend.
In fact, as it turns out, you can find both a macro lens AND a fisheye lens – in one, for a price virtually all of us can afford.
I was able to find this one for LESS THAN $30.
Technically it’s an attachment, because it screws on to the end of your standard lens. NOTE: When buying it, check to make sure you’re getting the right diameter lens. To check, what size filters fit on your current lens? You’ll need to get this lens in the same size. Mine is 58mm for a standard lens on the Canon 70D camera.
You might laugh at me, but I actually didn’t realize the macro portion was part of it until I got it and reviewed it in this video:
All around, I was pretty excited.
Altura 0.35x Fisheye/Macro Lens Specs
- 58mm or 52mm
- Wide-angle fisheye and super-macro
- Lightweight but sturdy with metal components
- Detachable fisheye section for macro use
The good and the bad
Let’s get the bad out of the way. Some things I didn’t like:
When you detach the fisheye lens to use the macro, there’s no cap to put on the bottom of the fisheye to make sure it stays clean. You have to improvise. You can’t use the fisheye without the macro part attached, so this problem doesn’t come up for the macro portion.
The macro depth of field is shallow AF. This is both good and bad.
On one hand, can you say “BOKEH OMG.” On the other, it means you NEED a tripod for the most part. You’ll also notice some edges blurring when you blow the photos up, even with the areas that are in focus.
But, that’s because this is 2 LENSES UNDER $30. You just can’t expect the same level of crispness as an expensive lens.
That being said, I’m very glad I tried this lens.
I really like the lens as someone who wants to just mess around with fisheye and macro, having never used it before. For one, you don’t have to worry about carrying around 2 extra lenses, because this one is 2-in-1. I think that’s fantastic.
It takes good photos. The quality won’t match a lens that’s hundreds or thousands of dollars, but the quality is perfectly good for taking pictures for fun and learning.
I took both photos and video and it impressed me with both.
Here’s some examples of the macro and fisheye photos:
Ever tried shooting macro or fisheye lenses? What did you like/dislike?
