Elite Brands Inc FE8M-NEX 8mm f/3.5

The Elite Brands Inc FE8M-NEX is an 8mm f/3.5 manual focus fisheye lens with best-in-class wide angle coverage and a removable hood for full 180 degree views. It's affordable at MXN 4,027 to MXN 5,063, but it's slow, has no autofocus or stabilization, and is useless for anything that needs reach. Buy it for fisheye photography on Pentax full frame, not as a general purpose lens.

Let's talk about what this lens does well first, because the wide angle performance is genuinely impressive. At 99th percentile, the FE8M-NEX is the absolute best right now for extreme wide angle coverage. The removable hood is the star here. Pop it off and you get a full 180 degree view on full frame cameras, which is the kind of thing that makes architecture shots and astrophotography look absolutely bonkers in the best way. The HD optics do seem to help with sharpness compared to the older Rokinon 8mm fisheye, especially in the center of the frame.

But the rest of the performance picture is rough. The aperture sits at the 27th percentile, which means f/3.5 is pretty slow for a prime lens. You'll struggle in low light without cranking ISO or using a tripod. Bokeh is at the 2nd percentile, so don't expect any creamy background blur. This is a lens that renders everything in focus, all the time, which is kind of the point of a fisheye but still worth knowing. Reach is dead last at the 1st percentile, which makes sense for an 8mm lens but means you're not shooting wildlife or sports with this thing. The wildlife and sports score is 11.5 out of 100, which is a real letdown if you were hoping for any kind of telephoto flexibility.

Comparing the FE8M-NEX to the Canon RF 24-105mm f/2.8 L IS USM Z or the Sony G Master FE 50-150mm f/2 GM is almost unfair. Those lenses cost several times more and do completely different jobs. The Canon and Sony are professional zooms with autofocus, stabilization, and weather sealing. The FE8M-NEX is a manual focus prime with none of that. But if you're comparing wide angle coverage, the FE8M-NEX absolutely destroys them. The Canon starts at 24mm, the Sony at 50mm. Neither gets anywhere near the 180 degree field of view this fisheye offers.

The Viltrox LAB AF 35mm f/1.2 and Sigma Art 24-70mm f/2.8 DG DN II are also in a different league for general use. They're faster, sharper, and far more versatile. The Viltrox has a massive f/1.2 aperture for low light and bokeh, while the Sigma is a workhorse zoom. The Nikon NIKKOR Z 70-200mm f/2.8 VR S is a telephoto zoom, so it's the exact opposite of this lens in every way. If you need reach, the Nikon is the obvious choice. If you need extreme wide angle on a budget, the FE8M-NEX is the only one of these that even plays in that space.

At MXN 4,027 to MXN 5,063, the FE8M-NEX is one of the more affordable ways to get into full-frame fisheye photography. The affordability score sits at the 82nd percentile, which is well above average for this category. But here's the thing: you're paying for a very specific look. If you want a fisheye lens and you shoot Pentax full frame, this is actually a solid deal. The price spread between the two listings is MXN 1,036, so it's worth shopping around. The cheaper listing at MXN 4,027 is the better deal if you can find it. Just don't expect this lens to do double duty as a general purpose wide angle. It's a one trick pony, and the trick is very wide and very distorted.

The Elite Brands Inc FE8M-NEX is an 8mm f/3.5 manual focus fisheye lens, and it's a bit of an odd duck in our database. It's a full-frame lens with a removable hood that lets you capture a full 180 degree view, which is a pretty wild party trick if you're into that kind of thing. The price in Mexico runs from MXN 4,027 to MXN 5,063 across a couple of listings, so it's not going to break the bank, but it's also not exactly cheap for what is essentially a specialty lens.

People searching for an 8mm fisheye lens are usually after one thing: extreme wide angle distortion and a huge field of view. This lens delivers that in spades. The wide angle performance sits in the 99th percentile of all products we've tested, which means it's basically the absolute best right now for capturing those crazy curved horizons and cramped interior shots. But that's where the party ends for most practical uses.

The lens uses 10 elements in 7 groups with one aspherical element, and Rokinon (who actually makes this lens under their own branding) touts the HD optics as a step up from their original 8mm fisheye. Minimum focus distance is 1 foot, and the aperture range runs from f/3.5 to f/22. It's manual focus only, no stabilization, no weather sealing, and it weighs 443g. So yeah, it's a niche tool, not a daily driver.

Skip this lens if you need autofocus, image stabilization, or weather sealing. Skip it if you shoot wildlife, sports, or anything that requires reach, since the 8mm focal length is the opposite of what you need. Skip it if you want shallow depth of field or creamy bokeh, because at f/3.5 and 8mm, everything is in focus all the time. Skip it if you shoot video, since the manual focus and lack of stabilization make it a frustrating experience. Instead, look at something like the Viltrox LAB AF 35mm f/1.2 for low light and bokeh, or the Sigma Art 24-70mm f/2.8 DG DN II for a versatile general purpose zoom. If you need telephoto reach, the Nikon NIKKOR Z 70-200mm f/2.8 VR S or Sony G Master FE 50-150mm f/2 GM are far better choices.

Should you buy the Elite Brands Inc FE8M-NEX? If you shoot Pentax full frame and you specifically want a fisheye lens, yes, this is a solid budget option. The wide angle performance is genuinely best-in-class, and the removable hood is a killer feature for anyone who wants that full 180 degree look. The manual focus is actually a plus here, since fisheye lenses have such deep depth of field that you can zone focus and forget about it.

But if you're looking for a general purpose wide angle lens, or you want autofocus, or you shoot in low light, this isn't the lens for you. The slow aperture, lack of stabilization, and mediocre build quality mean it's a specialty tool that will spend most of its life in your bag unless you're specifically shooting fisheye work. For the price, it's hard to complain too much, but know what you're getting into.