Canon 8-15mm – A New Perspective. So I have had a 8-15 in my box for a bit here’s what I thought about it.
Canon 8-15mm has been one of the lenses I have been considering for a while. I can already cover everything from 24mm all the way up to 600mm. I know I need something wider than 24mm but which one?
I had thought the 16-32 f2.8 was a good option. Mainly for the low light capabilities. But then again that is only a measly 8mm extra and loads of over lap. So that left the Canon 8-15mm L but was kit too wide. A kind of joke lens you would use a couple of times a year? So the only option was to test drive one.
The good folks at Lenses For Hire had one and at a reasonable price. So I made sure that I had enough variation of Press assignments to give it a true test. I thought the Chelsea Flower Show and the first time the FIA World Rallycross Championship came to England would be a fair test.
So here are a few frames from the Media Day at Chelsea Flower Show.
Canon 8-15mm – A New Perspective. RHS Chelsea Flower Show. Press Day 19th May 2014, Chelsea London.
RHS Chelsea Flower Show. Press Day 19th May 2014, Chelsea London.
I quickly started to really enjoy using the lens and the new angles it allowed for. One thing that is a bit daunting is how close to your subject you can get. The following picture I was so close I very nearly knocked the guy over!.
RHS Chelsea Flower Show. Press Day 19th May 2014, Chelsea London.
And so onto the FIA World Rallycross at Lydden Hill. Now motorsport isn’t normally associated with ultra wide angle glass but I wanted see what it would do in the paddock as well as trackside.
The Focus of Ollie O’DONOVAN (IRL) (2). Day 1 of the Autosport World RX of Great Britain. Round 2 of the new FIA World Rallycross Championship. Lydden Hill Race Circuit, Canterbury.
Supercar Driver Derek Tohill ready to head out on track. Day 2 of the Autosport World RX of Great Britain. Round 2 of the new FIA World Rallycross Championship. Lydden Hill Race Circuit, Canterbury.
Its ideal to simply ‘get everything in’ in alot of environments. There seems to be a growing trend on landscape type action shots and its damn perfect for that kind of thing.
As I got more used to it its great to use it to get get otherwise unachievable scene setting images. But you have to be careful on the framing
Day 2 of the Autosport World RX of Great Britain. Round 2 of the new FIA World Rallycross Championship. Lydden Hill Race Circuit, Canterbury.
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In conclusion
Its great lens which I will be adding to my arsenal soon. Its not for everyone as some of the frames you get are a little ‘freaky’ but it adds a new look that will compliment the way I work. On a Full Frame sensors results will be interesting for sure and at 8mm you’ll be cropping shots with your toes in!. Its also not cheap so out of reach for most. Performancewise I was worried by the low light capabilities as its only F4. I didn’t need to as it handled every situation I used it in with no problem. So for me it ticks all the boxes.