Nikon 10.5mm f/2.8G ED DX Fisheye

Manufacturer: Nikon
Type: Lens (diagonal fisheye)
Year introduced: 2003
Mount: Nikon F (AF-S, with built-in focus motor)
Format: DX (APS-C crop sensor)
Field of view: 180 degrees diagonal (on DX sensor)
Minimum focus distance: ~14cm (5.5 inches) from the front element
Filter: Rear gel holder

Overview

The Nikon AF DX Fisheye-Nikkor 10.5mm f/2.8G ED was the first diagonal fisheye lens designed specifically for digital SLR crop sensors, and it became one of the most important lenses in underwater photography during the mid-2000s through the 2010s. Announced in late 2003 (^[1]), it filled a critical gap: existing full-frame fisheye lenses like the Nikon 16mm f/2.8 produced a much narrower field of view on APS-C sensors, and underwater photographers needed the widest possible coverage to replicate the look they had achieved with film.

The lens delivered a full 180-degree diagonal field of view on Nikon’s 1.5x crop DX cameras — the D100, D70, D200, D300, D7000, D7100, and their successors. As Alex Mustard wrote in early field reports, the 10.5mm meant “finally being able to shoot something really wide on digital,” noting that he had “always been a big fan of the 16mm on film and felt my style of photography has been limited by not having something really wide on digital” (^[2]).

A distinctive feature of the 10.5mm DX was that its barrel distortion could be corrected in software to produce a rectilinear ultra-wide image using Nikon Capture 4. This gave photographers the flexibility to choose between the traditional fisheye look and a corrected wide-angle rendering from a single lens. Jean Bruneau of Aquatica described the correction feature as “very easy to use” and “almost disappointing how simple it is,” though he noted that corrected edges showed some softness and stretching. He concluded that the corrected output was “quite similar to my 35mm Aquatica A90 housing with a 14mm and 8 inch dome” in terms of perspective, though not matching edge-to-edge quality (^[3]).

One limitation of the correction feature was that only files from Nikon digital camera bodies could be processed in Nikon Capture 4 — Fuji S2 Pro and S1 Pro owners could use the fisheye lens but had to find other software tools to correct distortion (^[4]).

The rear gel filter holder was praised by photographers for available light filter work. Alex Mustard noted that “cutting the filter (square vs circular) and slipping it in the slot is so much easier than on the 16mm FE” (^[5]).

Housing and Port Compatibility

The 10.5mm was widely supported by all major underwater housing manufacturers. Because the lens is physically small, it paired well with compact dome ports:

Aquatica

Used with the AD-100 (D100) housing and 8-inch acrylic dome port, requiring no extension ring. Aquatica showed the lens and appropriate focus gear at announcement. Jean Bruneau demonstrated the combination with pool testing in February 2004, including split shots at f/5.6 (^[6]). Aquatica later produced a dedicated 8-inch dome port adapted for Ikelite housings that worked with the 10.5mm and other fisheye lenses (^[7]). In 2010, Aquatica released the Mini Dome 100, a 4-inch BK-7 coated glass dome port specifically designed for fisheye lenses including the 10.5mm Nikkor, rated to 90m/300ft, priced at $699 (^[8]).

Seacam

Compatible with both the Seacam fisheye dome port and superdome, without extension rings. Mark Mintz used the 10.5mm with the Seacam D100 housing’s fisheye dome port in his field journal, noting the setup was well-balanced underwater (^[9]). Stephen Frink later confirmed that both the Nikon 10.5mm and 16mm fisheyes “work perfectly with both superdome and fisheye port,” unlike the Canon 15mm which performed poorly in the fisheye port (^[10]). Seacam also produced a 105mm Fisheye Macro port (approximately 4 inches) that was well-suited to fisheye lenses for close focus work (^[11]).

Subal

Used with the Subal FE2 (fisheye) dome port, no extension ring required. Alex Mustard used this combination extensively with D100, D2X, and D300 bodies (^[12], ^[13]). The Subal ND30 for the D300 accommodated the 10.5mm in the same port setup (^[14]). Forum members confirmed the lens would vignette at corners with the wide port, so the fisheye dome was essential (^[15]).

Ikelite

The Ikelite 8-inch dome port accommodated the 10.5mm without vignetting when paired with the D200 housing. Norbert Wu reported that the new 8-inch dome was “extremely sharp” with fisheye lenses and accommodated the 10.5mm (^[16]). However, the earlier 6-inch dome had problems — it technically worked with the 10.5mm but “without a shade and reflections are a real problem” (^[17]).

Sealux

Compatible via Sealux 180F dome port. The same port accommodated the 10.5mm, Sigma 15mm, Tokina 10-17mm, and Nikon 12-24mm (with extension ring) (^[18]).

Zen Underwater

The Zen 100mm dome (approximately 4 inches) became hugely popular for the 10.5mm and Tokina 10-17mm, particularly for close focus wide angle work. Alex Mustard’s 2010 article on mini domes documented its advantages and limitations in detail (^[19]). Zen also offered a DP-100 specifically designed for Nauticam housings with the 10.5mm and Tokina 10-17mm (^[20]).

UnderWater Camera Stuff

Released a 5-inch modular dome port tuned specifically for the Tokina 10-17mm and Nikon 16mm (and compatible with the 10.5mm) for Ikelite housings in 2011, priced at $300-$350 (^[21]).

Dome Port Theory and the 10.5mm

The 10.5mm played a central role in the development of dome port theory for underwater photography. Because it was a short focal length lens (10.5mm) on a cropped sensor, it had inherently deep depth of field, which meant it could produce sharp corners behind smaller dome ports than a full-frame fisheye like the 16mm.

Alex Mustard explained the principle in his 2014 Nauticam 140mm dome review: “Smaller formats use shorter focal length lenses (with more depth of field) for the same angle of coverage.” He used a 100mm dome with the 10.5mm on the 1.5x crop as his “lower limit of acceptable quality,” compared to needing a 150mm dome for the equivalent 15mm on full frame (^[22]).

Borut Furlan conducted systematic DX vs. FX comparative tests using the 10.5mm on a D2X (DX) against the 16mm on a D3 (FX) behind the same Seacam dome ports, demonstrating the DX format’s advantages for corner sharpness behind dome ports (^[23]). He used a small fisheye dome port (50mm curvature radius, approximately 100mm diameter) and noted it “performs well with lenses that are able to focus very closely (e.g. 10.5mm f/2.8).”

Techniques

Close Focus Wide Angle (CFWA)

The 10.5mm’s extremely close minimum focus distance made it one of the premier lenses for close focus wide angle (CFWA) photography — a technique where photographers get very close to a subject with a wide-angle lens to fill half the frame while capturing the environment in the rest. Alex Mustard noted that “the 10.5mm can go a lot closer” than the 16mm, making it superior for this technique (^[24]).

The combination of the 10.5mm with mini dome ports (100mm/4-inch) was particularly powerful for CFWA. Alex Mustard demonstrated this in his 2010 mini domes article, showing how a sea urchin “smaller than half a tennis ball” could fill the frame at 10mm on the widest setting (^[25]).

Mike Veitch wrote extensively about CFWA techniques, noting that with fisheye lenses “the focus is so close that you have to be careful not to bump your subject with the dome port” and advising photographers to bring strobes “right in to the dome port” for proper lighting (^[26]).

Available Light and Filters

The 10.5mm excelled at available light photography with color correction filters. Alex Mustard used a 40CC red gel in the rear filter holder at Stingray City, Grand Cayman, white balancing with a grey card at 3-4m depth, producing impressive results straight from the camera (^[27]).

Mike Veitch reviewed the Magic Filter using his “newly purchased 10.5mm wide angle lens” and found it excellent for ambient light work, particularly for evenly lighting large subjects like lettuce coral that strobes could not fully illuminate (^[28]). Alex Mustard also tested the UR Pro SW-CY filter on a D70 with a CC40 Red filter on the 10.5mm lens at Stingray City Sandbar (^[29]).

Teleconverter Use

Forum discussions explored using the 10.5mm with teleconverters to create a wider-angle macro hybrid. With a 1.5x teleconverter, the combination yielded approximately a 15mm f/4 fisheye equivalent with enhanced close-focus capabilities for wide angle macro (WAM) photography. Alex Mustard used the 10.5mm with a 1.5x TC extensively and planned a detailed article for UWP Magazine. He noted that lighting was the main challenge, recommending top lighting for seabed subjects and front lighting for subjects in the water, ideally with a small dome port (^[30]).

Mustard also used the 10.5mm with a 1.4x Kenko teleconverter for his D7100 review in Bali, pairing it with wide-angle work alongside the Nikon 105mm VR macro (^[31]).

Lighting Tips

Alex Mustard shared practical lighting advice: “The big trick when flash lighting the 10.5mm is to try not to have to light the whole frame. Fill say half the frame with your subject, light that, and leave the rest of the frame as open blue water.” He also warned that the gold embossed lettering on top of the lens could cause internal reflections inside the dome port, recommending covering it with black tape (^[32], ^[33]).

Competition and Recognition

The 10.5mm DX demonstrated its capability at the highest levels of underwater photography competition:

• 2004: Alex Mustard’s 10.5mm achieved third place in the Black and White Prints category at the Antibes Festival, though it was on JP Trenque’s D100 at the time rather than Mustard’s own camera (^[34]).
• 2005: JP Trenque (forum name “frogmansub”) won the BBC Photographer of the Year competition with a picture of schooling barracuda taken at Ras Mohammed, Egypt, using a Nikon D100 and the 10.5mm lens, selected from 12,000 entries by public vote. In the comments, Trenque humorously noted it was actually Alex Mustard’s 10.5mm lens: “I don’t know what’s so special about your lens. I’ve never won anything with mine since I bought my own 10.5!” (^[35])
• 2011: At the Manado Ocean Festival Photography Competition, Delien Yusuf Sulaiman won 1st prize in the Open Section Wide-Angle category using a Nikon D300 with the 10.5mm Fisheye lens (^[36]).

Professional Use: “Ask the Pros”

In Wetpixel’s 2015 “Ask the Pros: Wide-Angle” feature, multiple professional underwater photographers mentioned the 10.5mm as part of their arsenal. Amanda Cotton listed the Tokina 10-17mm as her go-to DX fisheye but noted using the 10.5mm’s range on her D7000. The feature demonstrated the lens’s enduring place in the professional toolkit even as the Tokina zoom gained dominance (^[37]).

Competing and Successor Lenses

The 10.5mm DX established the fisheye category for DX underwater photography, but it eventually faced competition:

• Tokina 10-17mm f/3.5-4.5 AT-X DX Fisheye Zoom (released ~2006): This became the 10.5mm’s primary competitor and eventual successor as the go-to DX fisheye for underwater use. The zoom range (10-17mm) provided flexibility the fixed 10.5mm lacked. A 2007 forum poll found that most photographers who bought the Tokina still kept the 10.5mm initially, but many found they used the Tokina at either 10mm or 17mm with little in-between. Some photographers preferred the 10.5mm for its superior sharpness, color rendition, and build quality, but the Tokina’s zoom versatility won out for most users (^[38], ^[39]).

• Sigma 10mm f/2.8 EX DC HSM Fisheye (announced 2007): A competitor offering 180-degree diagonal coverage with remarkably close focus (1.8cm from the lens glass). Available in Nikon, Canon, and Sigma mounts (^[40]).

• Nikon AF-S Fisheye Nikkor 8-15mm f/3.5-4.5E ED (shipped 2017): Nikon’s modern fisheye zoom, designed for both FX and DX bodies. On DX, it vignettes below 10.5mm focal length, effectively providing a 10.5-15mm equivalent range. While superior in optical quality, it was primarily targeted at FX shooters. On DX, it replicated the 10.5mm’s coverage at its wide end (^[41]).

The Switch Away: Nikon to Canon

The 10.5mm’s unique position as the only DX-dedicated 180-degree fisheye was part of Nikon’s competitive advantage in underwater photography during the mid-2000s. Tim Rock, who switched from Nikon to Canon, described selling his “wonderful 10.5mm lens” alongside his D100 bodies, noting that “Canon has nothing like them” at the time. The lack of a Canon equivalent of the 10.5mm was a significant drawback of switching systems (^[42]). When Rock later returned to Nikon with a D200, the 10.5mm was among the first lenses sent to him by Aquatica for testing (^[43]).

Community Discussion

The 10.5mm generated extensive discussion on the Wetpixel forums:

• 10.5mm Fisheye tips and results (19 replies) — Alex Mustard’s April 2004 field report from Grand Cayman with practical tips on lighting, filter use, and covering lens lettering to prevent dome reflections (^[44])
• Why not to buy the Nikon 10.5? (33 replies) — Ironic title; the thread became a celebration of the lens, with Alex Mustard declaring “Learn to shoot a fisheye and you won’t want anything else for divers, wrecks and scenery” (^[45])
• Got a Tokina 10-17mm, still using the Nikkor 10.5mm? (29 replies) — Community comparison after the Tokina zoom arrived as a competitor (^[46])
• 10.5mm FE + Teleconverter (28 replies) — Discussion of using teleconverters with the 10.5mm for wide angle macro photography (^[47])
• 10.5 Fisheye lens (multiple replies) — Port matching discussion confirming compatibility with Seacam and Subal fisheye domes without extension rings (^[48])
• Trying to decide between fisheyes — Sigma 15mm vs. Nikon 10.5mm comparison, with Alex Mustard advising “either go 10.5mm or 12-24mm” and noting the 10.5mm “suddenly makes a lot more sense UW” compared to its extreme width on land (^[49])
• Fisheye lenses - Sigma 15mm or Nikon 16mm (8 replies) — FX fisheye comparison where the 10.5mm was discussed as a DX alternative, with one user noting its closer focus than the 16mm making it attractive even for FX shooters (^[50])

Timeline

• 2003-11: Nikon announces the 10.5mm f/2.8G ED DX Fisheye — the first diagonal fisheye designed for digital SLR crop sensors. Aquatica shows the lens with AD-100 housing focus gear and port (^[51])
• 2004-02: Jean Bruneau of Aquatica publishes first underwater test results with D100 and 8-inch dome port, demonstrating distortion correction via Nikon Capture 4 and split shot capability (^[52], ^[53])
• 2004-02: Mark Mintz tests the 10.5mm with Seacam D100 housing and fisheye dome port (^[54])
• 2004-03: Updated with photos from beneath the ice by Jean Bruneau, demonstrating the lens in extreme conditions (^[55])
• 2004-04: Alex Mustard publishes first field tips and results from Grand Cayman, establishing practical shooting techniques (^[56])
• 2004-11: 10.5mm-shot images win prizes at the Antibes Festival — JP Trenque takes third in B&W Prints (^[57])
• 2005-03: Alex Mustard uses the 10.5mm extensively in his Nikon D2X and Subal ND2 review, praising the combination (^[58])
• 2005-05: Aquatica produces an 8-inch dome port adapted for Ikelite housings, compatible with the 10.5mm and other fisheyes, shown at SeaSpace 2005 (^[59])
• 2005-07: Tim Rock sells his 10.5mm when switching from Nikon to Canon, calling it one of Nikon’s key advantages for underwater photography (^[60])
• 2005-10: Mike Veitch reviews the Magic Filter using the 10.5mm for available light underwater photography (^[61])
• 2005-11: JP Trenque wins BBC Photographer of the Year using the 10.5mm DX Fisheye on a Nikon D100, selected from 12,000 entries (^[62])
• 2006-12: Stephen Frink documents port matching for Seacam housings, confirming the 10.5mm works perfectly with both superdome and fisheye port (^[63])
• 2007-01: Forum discussion of using the 10.5mm with teleconverters for wide angle macro photography (^[64])
• 2007-03: Tim Rock returns to Nikon with D200 and 10.5mm combination in Aquatica housing for Cayman Islands assignment (^[65])
• 2007-09: Norbert Wu confirms Ikelite 8-inch dome accommodates the 10.5mm in his D200 housing review (^[66])
• 2007-10: Community begins comparing the 10.5mm with the new Tokina 10-17mm fisheye zoom (^[67])
• 2008-04: Martin Edge reviews the Subal ND30 for D300, confirming 10.5mm port compatibility (^[68])
• 2010-02: Mini dome port movement gains momentum; Seacam 105mm Fisheye Macro port and Zen 100mm dome both work with the 10.5mm (^[69])
• 2010-03: Aquatica releases Mini Dome 100 specifically designed for fisheye lenses including the 10.5mm (^[70])
• 2010-03: Alex Mustard publishes comprehensive mini dome port analysis using the 10.5mm as a reference lens (^[71])
• 2011-03: Borut Furlan conducts systematic DX vs. FX testing using 10.5mm on D2X against 16mm on D3, demonstrating DX advantages behind dome ports (^[72])
• 2011-05: 10.5mm wins 1st prize in Open Section Wide-Angle at Manado Ocean Festival Photography Competition (^[73])
• 2013-12: Alex Mustard uses 10.5mm with 1.4x Kenko teleconverter for D7100 review in Bali (^[74])
• 2014-11: Alex Mustard uses the 10.5mm as a reference point in his Nauticam 140mm dome port review, establishing 100mm as the minimum dome size for the lens on DX (^[75])
• 2015-05: Multiple pros reference the 10.5mm in Wetpixel’s “Ask the Pros: Wide-Angle” feature (^[76])
• 2017-05: Nikon ships the 8-15mm f/3.5-4.5E ED fisheye zoom, the spiritual successor that covers both DX and FX formats (^[77])