Olympus 8mm f/1.8 Fisheye PRO lens revealed for MFTs

Olympus has finally announced the M.Zuiko Digital ED 8mm f/1.8 Fisheye PRO-series lens for mirrorless cameras with Micro Four Thirds sensors.

The high-performance lens series designed by Olympus for Micro Four Thirds cameras goes by the name of PRO. The Japan-based company has already confirmed at CP+ Show 2015 the development of a fisheye lens with a bright aperture. However, an official product launch event has not taken place until today.

The Olympus 8mm f/1.8 Fisheye PRO lens has just been announced alongside its release date and price details. There are no surprises here and the world’s first fisheye lens with a maximum aperture of f/1.8 will become available this summer for a price under $1,000.

Olympus 8mm f/1.8 Fisheye PRO lens will offer a 35mm focal length equivalent of 16mm when mounted on Micro Four Thirds cameras.

World’s first fisheye lens with f/1.8 aperture announced by Olympus

Olympus says that the M.Zuiko Digital ED 8mm f/1.8 Fisheye PRO optic is the first f/1.8 fisheye model with a diagonal angle-of-view of 180 degrees. The manufacturer says that the record used to stand at f/2.8, which means that the new unit will offer 1.3 stops of more light.

The press release says that the lens will be a perfect match of OM-D camera bodies with built-in image stabilization technology. Using this combination, users will be able to capture low-light photos, such as starscapes or nightscapes.

Since it is a PRO optic, it means that it is based on a rugged design. The Olympus 8mm f/1.8 Fisheye PRO lens is dustproof, splashproof, and freezeproof down to temperatures of -10 degrees Celsius / 14 degrees Fahrenheit. Additionally, the optic features a fixed hood which does not lead to vignetting.

Olympus 8mm f/1.8 Fisheye PRO lens coming in late June for under $1,000

The internal configuration of the M.Zuiko Digital ED 8mm f/1.8 Fisheye PRO optic consists of 17 elements in 15 groups. Special elements are being used to decrease chromatic aberration, ghosting, flare, and other defects.

According to Olympus, the list of special elements includes three Super ED elements, two ED elements, one Super HR element, two HR elements, and one aspherical element. Finally, the optic is coated in a ZERO Coating (Zuiko Extra-Low Reflection Optical), which improves shooting in backlit environments.

The minimum focusing distance of the optic is 12 centimeters / 4.72 inches. This optic supports autofocus and it comes with an internal focusing mechanism that does not rotate the front lens element when focusing.

It weighs about 314 grams / 0.69 lbs, while measuring 62mm in diameter and 90mm in length. It will be released in late June for a price of $999.99 and it is available for pre-order at Amazon.