Sigma 15mm & Tokina 10-17mm fisheye for full-frame

The Tokina 10-17mm fisheye lens is by far the most popular lens choice for underwater photographers who own a cropped-sensor dSLR and want to do wide-angle underwater photography.

For full-frame shootings using a camera like a Nikon D800 or a Canon 5D Mark II or Mark III, the Sigma 15mm fisheye is often chosen over the Nikon 16mm or the Canon 15mm fisheye lenses, because of its great close-focusing ability.

However, many full-frame users are unaware that the Tokina 10-17mm fisheye lens is a very viable option for a full-frame camera, and may be preferable to the Sigma 15mm fisheye lens.

Sigma 15mm fisheye lens, pool photo, 180 degree diagonal angle of view

Tokina 10-17mm fisheye lens at 15mm, on a full-frame Nikon D800 camera. 180 degree angle of view, same as the Sigma 15mm, and no vignetting.

Sigma & Tokina Fisheye lens on a full-frame camera

As you can see, the Tokina 10-17mm fisheye and Sigma 15mm fisheye lens produce identical images on a full-frame camera like the Nikon D800, when the Tokina is set to 15mm. There is no vignetting, and you do not need to go into a special "DX" mode.

So does this mean that the Tokina 10-17mm lens is a full-frame lens at 15mm? I would say so, even though it is marketed as a DX lens. The Tokina does vignette from 10mm - 13mm, but it does not at 14mm to 17mm. So in some respects, you have more flexibility with the Tokina that with the Sigma, although the field of view from 14mm to 17mm does not change dramatically.

Image Tests

A wine bottle in the pool made a great test subject. We took images at different apertures with the wine bottle at the center of the image, and at the corner of the images, in a 6-inch dome. You can view the images below, or skip to the bottom of this article for our conclusions.

Corner image sharpness

Sigma 15mm fisheye lens tests

Sigma 15mm fisheye lens, corner sharpness, 100% crop at F4

Sigma 15mm fisheye lens, corner sharpness, 100% crop at F5.6

Sigma 15mm fisheye lens, corner sharpness, 100% crop at F8

Sigma 15mm fisheye lens, corner sharpness, 100% crop at F11

Sigma 15mm fisheye lens, corner sharpness, 100% crop at F14

Corner image sharpness, Tokina 10-17mm fisheye lens

Tokina 10-17mmm fisheye lens, corner sharpness, 100% crop at F4

Tokina 10-17mm fisheye lens, corner sharpness, 100% crop at F5.6

Tokina 10-17mm fisheye lens, corner sharpness, 100% crop at F8

Tokina 10-17mm fisheye lens, corner sharpness, 100% crop at F11

Tokina 10-17mm fisheye lens, corner sharpness, 100% crop at F14

Sigma 15mm fisheye lens, center sharpness, 100% crop at F4

Sigma 15mm fisheye lens, center sharpness, 100% crop at F5.6

Sigma 15mm fisheye lens, center sharpness, 100% crop at F8

Sigma 15mm fisheye lens, center sharpness, 100% crop at F11

Sigma 15mm fisheye lens, corner sharpness, 100% crop at F14

Center image sharpness, Tokina 10-17mm fisheye lens

Tokina 10-17mmm fisheye lens, center sharpness, 100% crop at F4

Tokina 10-17mm fisheye lens, center sharpness, 100% crop at F5.6

Tokina 10-17mm fisheye lens, center sharpness, 100% crop at F8

Tokina 10-17mm fisheye lens, center sharpness, 100% crop at F11

Tokina 10-17mm fisheye lens, center sharpness, 100% crop at F14

Using the Tokina fisheye with the Canon 5D

You can see some amazing underwater photos with the Tokina and the Canon 5D Mark III here

Sigma and Tokina fisheye lens on a full-frame camera - conclusions

• Center sharpness for both lenses was very good at F4 and F5.6, excellent at F8 and higher. 

• Corner sharpness for both lenses was poor at F4 and F5.6, ok at F8, and good at F11 and F14. I would expect corner sharpness to improve slightly in an 8-inch dome, and degrade in a 4-inch dome.

• If you are moving into a full-frame camera, and already own the Tokina 10-17mm lens, then I see no reason not to keep using it. If you don't own a fisheye lens, then it appears that you can get good results with either lens.   I also tested both lenses on a D800 while diving at Catalina island earlier this year, and at that time I also found the results to be similar

• If you don't own either lens, then you have a choice. Both lenses are similarly priced. If you want to own a 4-inch glass zen dome, you'll need to shave the hood of the Sigma fisheye, which is a disadvantage. Ikelite users will also experience vignetting. However, users of 6 or 8 inch dome ports on non-Ikelite housings may be able to avoid purchasing an extension ring by going with the Sigma. 

Further Reading

• Fisheye vs. wide angle

• Nikon D800 First Impressions

• Canon 5D-Mark III Mini-Review

• Tokina 10-17mm Fisheye Lens Review