Hi all,  
 
I am currently planning to upgrade my fisheye lens from a Nikon FC-E9 to either a Nikon 10.5mm AF f/2.8G ED DX or a Sigma 8mm F3.5 EX DG.
 
I was wondering if there is anyone out there who has compared the two and which would be the better choice.
 
Shooting a lot of 360 QTVT's for clients that want people in shot but the FC-E9 just does not have the sharpness and details.
 
Anyone got any suggestions?
 
Cheers
 

Hi wrightgeorge,
 
(was it me who sold you the FC-E9 in the first instance?...)
 
I've got both lenses (of course, I sell 'em!). I can take a test shot of the same scene for you using both lenses if you'd like. I can do this with either a Nikon D70 or a Nikon D200 - which would you prefer?
 
As for the lenses themselves, I'd say the Sigma 8mm f3.5 is the best if you need quickness of production, as you can create a full spherical from 4 x images. The Nikon 10.5 is the ultimate choice if high resolution is your mantra.

Hi George,
 
I've got both, and only use the Nikon 10.5. On my Nikon D80, the output from the Sigma 8mm 3.5 is downright fuzzy, gives a "Hamiltonian" look to panos. I've returned it to Sigma who sent it back saying it was "fine"...
 
I do use a Sigma for highest end work though, and that's the 10-20mm EX Zoom they have. It's more work to shoot a full 360 though (the only kind I do): 16 pictures (4 + 8 + 4) vs the Nikon's 7 (6 slightly tilded downward to minimize the Nadir hole, plus zenith).