Zenit Zenitar 16mm F2.8 MC Fisheye A-mount lens review by somethingtohide

somethingtohide#3885 date: Jul-25-2008
sharpness: 4.5 color: 4 build: 3 distortion: 5 flare control: 3 overall: 3.9	tested on: film camera: APS-C: 6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP; 16MP; 20MP; 24MP full frame: 12MP; 24MP; 36MP; 42MP; 61MP
ownership:	I own this lens
compared to:	missing
price paid:	169 USD New
positive:	Sharp Cheap
negative:	Slight flare Not electronic
comment:	Wide open is terrible. Not a good idea. But one stop down and it is amazingly sharp, and another and the corners are sharp. I almost crapped myself when I looked at the test photos I took outside and I could count the grain indents on the fence. Not that much of a fisheye on the Sony A100 since it isn't a full frame, but it's unmistakably a fisheye. Be prepared for full manual. Aperture and focus. Have to focus wide open and then stop down accordingly. I have my exposure on my camera all the way to the left (-2EV) and it gives perfect exposures. However every now and then (I'm guessing under certain circumstances) I have to bring it up around -.3EV because it's too dark. I think that has to do with the aperture mainly because the last time I had it on F11 I had to do that, but I mainly shoot constantly around F8. Sharp and decent shutter speed for me. MUCH sharper if you're coming from just the kit lens. Focusing for me is hard, seems focused in the viewfinder but zooming in on the picture it's kinda OOF. I think I need to get used to the metric system =/