Factory lenses work best for me

Author's Rating:

Pros: Be it social photography or structurals this lense serves me well.

Cons: I think I might like to put a polarizer on it when shooting scenics.

The Bottom Line: 
The wide range of focus, depth of field and exceptional color clarity makes it most useful

Author's Review
As a retired photographer I like to keep my skills honed as much as possible. I have a Minolta 7D and use the 16MM Fisheye lense on it almost exclusively. When shooting social photography it allows me to include more surroundings or people in any given shot. Since people tend to gather in small groups it is usually possible to include them in a single shot. The extreme depth of field helps me include near and far people/objects with minimal fuss. I will say that the visual distortion inherant in the fisheye lense is easily rectified by software. This is without doubt one of the two most useful lenses I own and the other is a Minolta 500MM Cad. Though the lenses are AF I usually keep that feature turned off. By shooting at f22 I am able to create a plane of focus from about 2 feet to infinity with raxor-sharp results. Oddly, the built-in flash on the 7D illuminates from edge to edge in most applications. Knowing the keystone effect inherant in all wide angle lenses I plan the shots accordingly and compensate with software as I would have had to do in the darkroom. I am hoping to have the opportunity to shoot a roundup with it, and envision some spectacular shots while they brand the calves. Another facet of my photography is creating virtual worlds for the computer. I have a Manfrotto/Kaidan setup which makes the shooting very accurate and repeatable. To recap: the 16MM Minolta fisheye is the most useful lense I own and I depend on it for a very wide range of shots.I wish we could post photos taken to compare/demonstrate its capabilities. I must also point out that I no longer even own 35MM cameras but rely on the 7D and a shirt-pocket digital for all my work.