Review ARTRALAB OCULILUMEN-E (X, Z, MFT) 1:2.8/7.5 FISH-EYE

According provided by lens ARTRALAB OCULILUMEN-E 1: 2.8/7.5 FISH-EYE many thanks ARTRALAB company.

Navigation

1. In short
2. Appearance
3. Main Specifications
4. Assembly
5. Focusing
6. Image quality
7. Sample Photos
8. My experience
9. Video review
10. Results
11. User Comments
12. Add your review or question on the lens

Please note that the ARTRALAB OCULILUMEN-E 1:2.8/7.5 FISH-EYE lens is available in different mounts. This review shows the ARTRALAB OCULILUMEN-E 1:2.8/7.5 FISH-EYE version for mirrorless cameras Sony E with APS-C sensor (for cropped cameras Sony E). At the same time, ARTRALAB OCULILUMEN-E 1:2.8/7.5 FISH-EYE is also available with mounts Fujifilm x, Nikon Z, Canon EF-M и Micro 4 / 3. In the lens name, the letter responsible for the mount will change, for example, the version for Sony E called 'OCULILUMEN'-E', and for Nikon Z called 'OCULILUMEN-Z' etc.

In this review, I will abbreviate the ARTRALAB OCULILUMEN-E 1:2.8/7.5 FISH-EYE lens ARTRA 7.5/2.8 Fish-Eye. From Latin the name 'OCULI LUMEN' translates as 'light for the eyes'.

In short

ARTRA 7.5/2.8 Fish-Eye is a modern manual fisheye (i.e. fish eye) for cropped mirrorless cameras with an APS-C sensor or smaller.

The lens is optically good.

ARTRA 7.5/2.8 Fish-Eye is interesting due to its low price, compact size, all-metal body and sharp image across the entire frame already at F/2.8.

The main disadvantage can be considered glare in backlight (example).

It's important: You can see a list of all ARTRA lenses here.

Appearance

The ARTRALAB OCULILUMEN-E 1:2.8/7.5 FISH-EYE came to review completely new.

Main technical characteristics of ARTRALAB OCULILUMEN-E 1:2.8/7.5 FISH-EYE

Review Instance Name	Near the front lens: ARTRALAB OCULILUMEN-E 1:2.8/7.5 006 Body: 7.5mm F1:2.8 FISH-EYE On lids: ARTRA + NEX Mount side: E:Mount
Basic properties	FISH-EYE - fisheye lens with uncorrected distortion and wide viewing angle The lens uses a Sony E mount and is suitable for Sony mirrorless cameras with an APS-C sensor Manual focus only Metal mount, metal body Built-in metal hood OCULI LUMEN translates as 'light for the eyes'.
Front Filter Diameter	do not support
Focal length	7.5 mm EGF for cameras Nikon Z, Sony E, Fujifilm x with APS-C sensor is 11.25 mm EGF for cameras Canon EF-M with APS-C sensor is 12 mm EGF for system cameras Micro 4 / 3 is 15 mm
Zoom ratio	1 X (this is a fixed lens, it does not have a zoom)
Designed by	Option from the review for cropped mirrorless cameras Sony E. This lens exists with mounts: Sony E Canon EF-M Fujifilm x Nikon Z Micro 4 / 3
Number of aperture blades	10 rounded petals
Tags	bayonet mount mark focusing distance scale in meters and feet. There are values ​​for 0.12, 0.15, 0.2, 0.3, 0.5, 1 meter (m) + infinity mark. And also 0.4, 0.5, 1, 2, 3 feet (ft) aperture scale
Diaphragm	from F/2.8 to F/22, controlled using the aperture control ring. There are marks for F/2.8, 4, 5.6, 8, 11 22. The ring rotates without clicking
MDF	0.12 meters (10 cm indicated on the official website), maximum magnification factor approximately 1:11
The weight	303 grams (measured, only the lens itself, mount under Sony E) 295 grams (listed on the official website)
Optical design	11 elements in 9 groups, circuit diagram not found. Can be a complete analogue of the optical circuit from 7Artisans 7.5mm F/2.8 Fish-Eye II.
Lens hood	metal, built-in, petal
Manufacturer country	Made in China (no indication on the lens itself)
Period	The ARTRA 7.5/2.8 Fish-Eye lens was introduced in the summer of 2023
Price	All autofocus lenses for Sony E Sony NEX (original and from third-party manufacturers) All lenses ARTRALAB

Most likely ARTRA 7.5/2.8 Fish-Eye is a complete copy PERGEAR Fish-Eye 7.5/2.8. True, the lenses have different optical designs, but their drawings are not shown. It is possible that the optics are used from 7Artisans 7.5mm F/2.8 Fish-Eye II. There are no exact data. In any case, the optical design of the ARTRA 7.5/2.8 Fish-Eye is very successful.

Assembly

In general, the lens assembled very well. ARTRA 7.5/2.8 Fish-Eye uses bayonet mount metal and the lens case itself is completely made of metal.

The weight of ARTRA 7.5/2.8 Fish-Eye is just over 300 grams (without covers). The lens feels nice and chunky in your hands.

ARTRA 7.5/2.8 Fish-Eye – quite compact, well suited for small cameras Sony with APS-C sensor.

The front cover is metal, without latches. The lid is just tightly attached on the lens body. On the inside, the lid has fabric seal. Lid slides off on its own it can be easily lost.

The diaphragm consists of ten blades and forms a round hole at any value. The diaphragm can only be controlled manually using a special ring. Aperture ring rotates no clicks fixed values. The aperture control ring has unusual ridges, is located very close to the mount and is not very convenient to use.

Important: the lens does not support classic filters, which are screwed into the thread near the front lens.

The ARTRA 7.5/2.8 Fish-Eye has a fixed, rigidly-fitted metal lens hood. The lens hood interferes with obtaining 'circular' images on full-car cameras.

Focusing

The focusing ring is quite wide, metal, with small notched ribs. The ring spins on 90 degrees (about 1/4 of a full turn). Focusing is smooth, pleasant, and has an 'oily' action.

During focusing, the front lens together with the body frame moves forward about 5 millimeters. During focusing, the entire lens block moves.

There is a scale on the ring with focusing distance in meters and feet.

The closest focusing distance is only 12 centimeters and the maximum zoom ratio is approximately 1: 11.

ARTRA 7.5/2.8 Fish-Eye has a small 'Focus Breathing' effect (changing the viewing angle while focusing). When focusing towards the MDF, the viewing angle decreases.

Focus Shift (shift focus, changing the focus distance due to iris) is missing.

Hard stop (hard infinity mechanical stop) for fast and accurate aiming at infinity under any temperature operating conditions. The review sample has a tiny infinity jump in the extreme position of the focus ring. At apertures F/16-F/22, the overshoot is practically not felt and you don’t have to worry about precise focusing.

Important: focus peaking with ARTRA 7.5/2.8 Fish-Eye on a Sony NEX F3 camera and Sony a3500 works good.

Image quality

Optically ARTRA 7.5/2.8 Fish-Eye is good.

Sharpness/Resolution

1. at F/2.8 in the center of the frame, the lens easily copes with a 20 MP APS-C EXMOR HD CMOS sensor Sony a3500, the resolution can be called high
2. there is a slight drop in sharpness in the far corners of the frame, but even at f / 2.8 there are no problems in the corners and edges of the image
3. at closed aperture values ​​the lens shows impeccable resolution across the entire frame field
4. Lens operation is optimized for long focusing distances. At close focusing distances, the strong field curvature does not allow obtaining a sharp image across the entire field of the frame

Distortion

1. this is a fisheye, uncorrected strong barrel distortion is the main feature of the lens here

Vignetting

1. vignetting has been corrected quite well, but its effect is still noticeable at F/2.8
2. vignetting is significantly reduced when the aperture is closed down to f / 4-5.6
3. vignetting decreases during focusing towards MDF

Aberration

1. low chromatic aberration
2. the strongest chromatic aberration visible around the periphery of the frame
3. chromatic aberration in the corners of the frame are slightly reduced when apertured

Rest

1. from bright light sources in some situations, you can get a large amount of glare in the backlight
   
2. the effect of a 10-beam star is quite simple to get
3. the image has high contrast

Important: At the time of writing this review, there was no ARTRA 7.5/2.8 Fish-Eye profile for popular RAW converters. You can create a profile yourself or wait for its release.

Sample Photos

Camera used Sony a3500 (20 MP Sony Exmor APS-C HD CMOS sensor). All photos in this review are shown without processing, according to the principles ZEROJPEG.

Original photos from Sony a3500 in JPEG format you can view / download this link (50+ files, Google Drive gallery).

My experience

ARTRA 7.5/2.8 Fish-Eye is simply excellent. Optically very similar MEIKE 7.5mm F1:2.8 FISH-EYE.

There are a lot of alternatives for ARTRA 7.5/2.8 Fish-Eye. Such lenses sell very well and many manufacturers want to have such a fisheye on their track record:

• MEIKE 7.5mm 1:2.8 FISH-EYE
• Viltrox 7.5mm 1: 2.8
• Brighin Star 7.5mm 1: 2.8
• ANDOER 7.5mm 1: 2.8
• PERGEAR 7.5mm 1: 2.8
• RISESPRAY 7.5mm 1: 2.8
• Newyi 7.5mm 1: 2.8
• Lightdow 7.5mm 1: 2.8
• 7Artisans 7.5mm 1: 2.8
• 7Artisans 7.5mm 1: 2.8 II
• TTArtisan 7.5mm 1: 2.0

Video review

Results

ARTRA 7.5/2.8 Fish-Eye is a modern fish eye for mirrorless cropped cameras of various systems. Good value for money. Optically the lens is good/very good. One of the best similar lenses in its class.

10 main advantages

1. low price tag (only about 160 dollars)
2. lens body is completely made of metal
3. compact sizes
4. smooth focus ring
5. easy to get a 10-point star effect (important for wide angle lenses)
6. lens available for most popular cropped mirrorless systems
7. two body colors to choose from – black and silver
8. unusual design (primarily the appearance of the aperture control ring)
9. good resolution over the entire field of the frame already at the maximum open aperture F/2.8
10. low chromatic aberration

10 main disadvantages

1. no CPU pins to form the correct EXIF
2. the front cap is easy to lose and slides off the lens barrel easily
3. non-removable hood (very useful for use on full-frame cameras as a circular fisheye)
4. small step at the focus ring
5. the aperture control ring is narrow enough and close to the camera mount
6. there is no lens profile for popular RAW converters, the lens is not 'hardwired' into modern cameras
7. noticeable glare in the backlight is possible
8. most likely this is a complete copy of an older one PERGEAR 7.5mm 1: 2.8 and / or 7Artisans 7.5mm 1: 2.8 II
9. 'no-name' back cover without logo or brand name (does not inspire confidence in the ARTRA brand)
10. only F/2.8 (for about the same price you can find a similar fisheye with F/2.0 - TTArtisan Fisheye 7.5 / 2.0 DJ-OPTICAL)

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Material prepared Arkady Shapoval. Training/Consultations | Youtube | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Telegram