Sigma Corporation announces the addition of the new 8mm F3.5 EX DG Circular Fisheye lens to their line-up. This new circular fisheye lens produces circular images with an angle of view of 180° when attached to a full-frame digital or 35mm film SLR camera. It has a maximum aperture of F3.5, a minimum focusing distance of 13.5cm (5.3 inches) and a maximum magnification of 1:4.6.

A unique special fisheye design helps allow for maximum creative expression. Sigma’s super multi-layer lens coating reduces flare and ghosting, a common problem with digital cameras. It is constructed of 11 elements in 6 groups and Special Low Dispersion glass is said to offer effective compensation of color aberration.

This lens can be used for the scientific applications such as the solid angle measurements of cloud distribution over the sky, the vegetation distribution of the rain forest canopy, etc., due to the quantifiable angle/area relationship it produces. It also has a gelatin filter holder at the rear, allowing the use of gelatin filters.

The new 8mm F3.5 EX DG Circular Fisheye lens, said to provide excellent image quality for both digital and film SLRs, will fit Sigma, Nikon, Canon, Sony and Pentax AF mounts. Pricing and availability are were set at this time.