7Artisans 10mm f/2.8 II Full Frame Fisheye now available – and it’s a bargain!

We reported a few weeks ago that lens maker 7Artisans was rumored to be working on a brand new 10mm f/2.8 ultra-wide angle fisheye lens. Well, that’s no longer a rumor, as 7Artisans has not only confirmed that the lens is coming, it’s also available now – at least for pre-order, and is expected to ship in a few days.

The 7Artisan’s 10mm f/2.8 II is available with Canon R, Leica L, Nikon Z and Sony E mounts and is reportedly priced at a very attractive and affordable $278 / £269 / AU$419, with in Other areas record a similarly low price tag. The lens is an update to its existing 10mm F/2.8 full-frame fisheye lens, redesigned to deliver sharper images on today’s high-resolution 40MP Plus sensors.

It has a larger field of view than the previous version, with a viewing angle of 185° compared to 178° for the replaced lens. This gives the lens an exaggerated barrel distortion that adds a touch of creativity to photos of architecture and portraits.

Perhaps the most outstanding feature of this lens is that its markings are now fluorescent, glowing an eerie green in low light. But this isn’t just to make it look cool; It’s extremely practical when it comes to night photography and should join the ranks of the best lenses for astrophotography, especially given its ultra-wide 10mm angle of view and fast f/2.8 maximum aperture, both desirable features are an astro lens.

As you might expect at this price, this is a fully manual lens with no built-in autofocus. However, there is a large manual focus ring, while focusing is entirely internal. A de-clicked aperture ring allows you to set apertures between f/2.8 and f/16, while depth of field markings engraved into the all-metal lens barrel indicate the level of focus.

The lens consists of 11 elements arranged in eight groups, including aspherical and ultra-low dispersion elements, to minimize spherical and chromatic aberrations for precise color reproduction and improved image quality.

The aperture consists of eight rounded aperture blades and provides attractive bokeh when capturing wide-angle shots or breathtaking star explosions when the aperture is closed. The minimum focusing distance is just 0.15m, for sharp close-up shots.

The lens weighs around 600 grams and has dimensions of 75 x 95 mm depending on the lens mount, making it quite light and compact for such a wide and fast lens.