The Minolta 16mm fisheye is considered a “diagonal” fisheye, meaning it has 180Deg coverage on the diagonal – on a full frame camera. On the 1.5 crop cameras it becomes something less wide than this, but the focal length equivalent is something wider than 24mm (16mm x 1.5) due to its fisheye nature.

The 16mm fisheye view is greatly appreciated by many and unique to all. However some find it disappointing on a 1.5 crop camera since much of the full fisheye curves and distortion at the edges of the view are cropped off, leaving a heavily distorted but not a true fisheye image.

The 16mm lens is respected for its image quality, Prices run from $300-600 (Sep 2007).

Check the links below links to reviews and current eBay auctions for this lens.

Dyxum Review