Introduction
Fisheye lenses offer the widest field of view among all lenses. A non-circular fisheye provides a 180° diagonal field of view, something no rectilinear lens can remotely achieve (a 14mm lens gives you 114°, a 10mm lens 130°, and a 9mm 135°). Fisheye lenses are especially useful when you want to capture as much as possible in tight, confined spaces or wide, open areas. They also offer a unique and exciting perspective that can be creatively exploited without restrictions.
If used skillfully, fisheye lenses can produce images that look relatively normal in many scenarios, though not all. The TTArtisan 7.5mm is a non-circular fisheye lens designed for APS-C cameras, but it can also be mounted on full-frame cameras, where it produces circular fisheye images (180° both diagonally, horizontally, and vertically). Let’s take a closer look!
I tested the lenses on a 46 Mp Nikon Z7ii (Sample images were taken with a Nikon Zf , Nikon Z6, and Sony A7 III)
You can see this review as a YouTube video here.
Sample images in high resolution here.
Sample Images
Most of the sample images in this review and many more can be found in higher resolution here.
| Buy: Amazon (Anywhere) $139 (Affiliate link) |
Specifications
| Focal Length | 7.5mm |
| Angle of View | 180° |
| # of Aperture Blades | 7 pcs |
| Max Aperture | F/2 |
| Min Aperture | F/11 |
| Min Focus Distance | 0.125 m |
| Filter Size | N/A |
| Lens Mount | E / X / Z / RF / L / M43-mount |
| Weight | 370 g |
| Size (D x L) | 73 x 65 mm (Fuji X version) |
| Elements/Group | 11 / 8 |
| Buy: Amazon (Anywhere) $139 (Affiliate link) |
Disclosure
TTArtisan kindly provided this lens for review and test purposes.
Handling
The TTArtisan 7.5mm f/2 Pro is a fully manual lens constructed entirely of metal, giving it a durable and robust feel. It lacks autofocus, automatic aperture control, and built-in image stabilisation. Additionally, the lens does not include electronic pins for EXIF data or aperture control via the camera body. While the build quality feels solid and precise, the lens markings are printed rather than engraved, which may affect long-term durability.
The focusing ring offers a satisfying level of resistance and includes a focus distance scale in both meters and feet, complemented by a depth-of-field scale. The aperture ring features a variable, clickable scale. Aperture stops are clicked in half-stop increments from f/2 to f/5.6, while stops between f/5.6 and f/11 are clicked at full-stop intervals. Notably, there is no f/16 setting.
Included with the lens is a metal lens hood. Uniquely, the centre section of the hood can be unscrewed, transforming it into a mask. This mask allows the lens to create a circular fisheye effect when used on APS-C cameras, adding a creative option for photographers.
This mask can be used on the lens to fake a circular fisheye effect on APS-C cameras.
This lens can be used on full-frame cameras. While the circular fisheye effect on APS-C cameras is only a faux effect, on a full-frame camera it produces a true circular fisheye effect.
As I did not have any X-to-Z adapter I just held the lens in front of my fullframe Nikon Zf camera to show the effect, therefore no sharpness, the misalignment, and a lot of of light leak, but you can see the true 180° in all directions as you can see the petals of the fixed lens hood in the image.
Optical Features
Sharpness (Infinity)
For the infinity sharpness test, we look at three areas of the image, centre, mid-frame, and corner, see highlighted areas in the image below!
Wide open the centre sharpness is good to very good and mid-frame is good, while the corner is just OK, but completely usable. Stopping down improves sharpness gradually and by f/5.6 the centre and mid-frame are very good, but the corner, while better, is still struggling. By F/8, we get a sudden boost everywhere, centre and mid-frame are excellent and all of sudden the corner is very good. F/11 does not change the sharpness much in the centre and mid-frame but improves the corner even more.
Sharpness (Close-up)
The close-up sharpness is good wide open. Unfortunately it does not improve much by stopping down though.
Lens Distortion
Naturally, significant barrel distortion is expected with a fisheye lens. However, this typically isn’t a major issue unless you’re photographing architecture or other subjects with prominent straight lines, as in the image below. Nonetheless, it’s worth noting that you can correct this distortion if you’re willing to sacrifice some peripheral details in the frame and accept a slight quality loss in the corners. The easiest method is to use Lightroom’s profile correction feature. In this case, I used the Samyang 7.5mm fisheye profile, as there wasn’t one available for the TTArtisan lens.
Vignetting
Measuring light falloff for fisheye lenses can be somewhat challenging. However, to provide an indication of the vignetting, I have measured the following approximate values, which, contrary to expectations, are quite good.
- f/2.0: 1.5 EV
- f/2.8: 1.0 EV
- f/4.0: 0.9 EV
- f/5.6: 0.7 EV
Focus Shift & Aberrations
There is some negligible longitudinal aberrations wide open at f/2. It is not bad but it’s there. It will mostly go away by stopping down one stop to f/2.8.
There is a tiny amount of Lateral chromatic aberrations in the form of purple and green fringing in the corners. You can either ignore it, as it might not be disturbing or fix it in post with one click.
Flare Resistance
The flare resistance of this lens is a mixed bag, but it leans more toward the positive. Generally, veiling flare is absent, and the lens maintains high contrast regardless of the sun’s position in the frame—a highly appreciated characteristic. Additionally, the lens makes it relatively easy to include the sun in the frame, which is almost inevitable with this lens about 75% of the time when shooting on a sunny day.
On the downside, when stopped down, ghosting flares can appear in more than 50% of cases. However, the positive aspect of this drawback is that the ghosting tends to be neither overly large nor dominant, allowing it to be used creatively in compositions.
So, while not perfect, I would rate it as good in this category.
Coma
There is a slight amount coma wide open at f/2. The small coma disappears though by closing the aperture half a stop.
Note that the coma is not disturbing and if the lens is used for astro-photography it is of less importance as city lights are more challenging to get right in the corners of the frame when there is some coma present.
Sunstars
This TTArtisan can produce sunstars from f/5.6, they get distinct rays from f/8 though. For nicest sunstars it is recommended to use it at f/11.
Focus Breathing
There is also a small amount of focus breathing. Again, not much, especially when you are working at normal distances but if you change focus from extremely close (near minimum focusing distance) to infinity, you notice the focus breathing clearly. Here the distance is changed from around 20 cm to infinity and back.
Bokeh
Ultra-wide-angle lenses, especially fisheye lenses, are not typically known for producing pronounced bokeh. However, it is possible to achieve some background blur if you focus at or near the lens’s minimum focusing distance—typically just 5–10 cm from the front lens element—while using an aperture of f/2. Below are a couple of examples demonstrating this effect.
Conclusion
| I LIKE | AVERAGE | I DON’T LIKE |
| Price Size Sharpness (normal distances) from f8 Vignetting Chromatic aberration Coma Sunstars Build quality |
Close-up sharpness Focus breathing |
Printed markings No electronic contacts |
The TTArtisan 7.5mm f/2 Pro offers excellent optical performance, especially for its price. It provides great value in a compact package that is both fun to use and highly practical in confined spaces. As mentioned, no rectilinear lens can match its field of view, but this comes at a cost: fisheye distortion. You can either embrace the distortion creatively, minimise it through careful composition, or correct it in post-production. If you need an ultra-wide lens and can manage its unique characteristics, this compact and budget-friendly option is an excellent alternative. This is especially true given that none of the major brands have released a fisheye lens for their mirrorless systems, leaving you to adapt older lenses—often at several times the cost.
Writing articles like this one is both time-consuming and costs us a lot of money. If you found this article helpful and decided to buy one of these lenses, please consider using one of the affiliate links.
If you are not interested in buying any of the lenses, but you still found this article useful, interesting, or it saved you a lot of money, treat us to a coffee!
| Buy: Amazon (Anywhere) $139 (Affiliate link) |
Alternatives
Nikon AF DX Nikkor 10.5mm f/2.8G ED
A fantastic lens with sharpness over the frame, very good flare resistance, and a quite short min focus distance at 0.14 m. It is an F mount lens but can be adapted to almost any mirrorless camera in the world.
Buy new: Amazon for $860 (Affiliate links)
Buy used: eBay from ~$165 (Affiliate links)
7Artisans 7.5mm F2.8 Fisheye
Canon EF-M, Fujifilm X, Micro Four Thirds, Sony E
Buy new: Amazon for $139 (Affiliate links)
Buy used: eBay.com from ~$90 (Affiliate links)
Sigma 10mm f2.8 EX DC HSM
Buy new: Amazon for $- (Affiliate links)
Buy used: eBay from ~$149 (Affiliate links)
Samyang 8mm F2.8 UMC Fisheye II
Canon EF-M, Fujifilm X, Samsung NX, Sony E
Buy new: Amazon for $- (Affiliate links)
Buy used: eBay from ~$279 (Affiliate links)
Samyang 8mm F3.5 Aspherical IF MC
Canon EF-S, Four Thirds, Nikon F (DX), Pentax KAF, Samsung NX, Sony/Minolta Alpha
Buy new: Amazon for $234 (Affiliate links)
Buy used: eBay from ~$155 (Affiliate links)
Tokina AT-X 10-17mm F3.5-4.5 DC (NH) Fisheye
A zoom fisheye lens with very good optical qualities. While it is an APS-C lens, the NH version of the lens can be used on Fullframe cameras, where it is a circular fisheye at 10mm but becomes a diagonal fisheye at about 15-17mm. It has relatively short minimum focus distance at 0.14 m, which combined with its zoom range makes it ideal for dramatic close ups with the world around it.
Canon EF, Canon EF-S, Nikon F (DX), Nikon F (FX)
Buy new: Amazon for $499 (Affiliate links)
Buy used: eBay for ~$135 (Affiliate links)
More Sample Images
Most of the sample images in this review and many more can be found in higher resolution here.
Further Reading
What camera gear and accessories do I use most frequently?
Support Us
Did you find this article useful or did you just like reading it? Treat us to a coffee to show your appreciation!
(Donations via Paypal or bank card)
This site contains affiliate links for which I may receive a small commission if you make a purchase via the links at no additional cost to you. This helps support the creation of future content.
Martin
Latest posts by Martin (see all)
- TTArtisan 7.5mm f/2 Pro Fisheye – Ultra Wide for Dramatic Views and Ultra Confined Places - January 29, 2025
- Comparison: Which 85mm f1.8? Nikon Z or Sony FE? Or Maybe Viltrox, or TTArtisan? - January 26, 2025
- REVIEW/COMPARISON: Laowa FF II TS 55mm & 100mm f/2.8 Macro 1X - December 20, 2024
Well reviewed. I had a several fisheye lens for a few years which I used extensively.
I fell out of love with fisheye images and sold the lenses years ago. In my opinion there are very very few compositions where the curved-fisheye-look works well.
Nowadays if I want an extreme ultra-wide view (and the composition works), then I reach for my Laowa 9mm F5.6
I agree, these days where we have wider and capable rectilinear lenses, there are less reasons to pick fisheye lenses over them.
Their advantages are still a generally lower price and faster maximum aperture, which for some applications may still make them more desirable.
I’d own a FF fisheye if I could find a decent one that’s slower and smaller, but they’re all pretty chunky so if I’m gonna carry something extremely wide in addition to a 16mm, 20/21mm, or 16-xx then I’ll reach for my Laowa 11/4.5. I had a lot of fun with my Samyang fisheye on M4/3 though, in certain nature scenes it was easy to mask the distortion but leaning into it as Martin suggested was equally fun.
Depending on which system you are using, Nikon has a fantastic 16mm fisheye, which is very small but it is an F lens. It can be adapted to both Nikon Z and almost all the other digital FF cameras but then, together with the adapter, it is not very small anymore.
Fisheye lenses are often cheaper, faster, and smaller than extreme UWA lenses. Apart from that there are still cases that I prefer a fisheye lens over an extreme UWA lens, especially if people are off dead centre of the frame.
You nailed it with the sample images, especially those in the introduction. Nice job!
Thanks.