The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Sigma 15mm F2.8 EX DG Fisheye and the Sigma 8-16mm F4.5-5.6 DC HSM for their suitability to various photography scenarios:
Size and Weight Comparison
The size of a lens is a crucial factor to consider when comparing two lenses. Sigma 8-16mm F4.5-5.6 DC HSM is the longer of the two lenses at 106mm. The Sigma 15mm F2.8 EX DG Fisheye with a length of 65mm, is 41mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Sigma 8-16mm F4.5-5.6 DC HSM also has a larger diameter of 75mm compared to the Sigma 15mm F2.8 EX DG Fisheye's 74mm diameter.
The weight of a lens is equally significant as its external dimensions, particularly if you intend to handhold your camera and lens combination for extended periods. Sigma 15mm F2.8 EX DG Fisheye weighs 370g, which means it is 185g (33%) lighter than the Sigma 8-16mm F4.5-5.6 DC HSM which has a weight of 555g.
Lens Mounts
Both the Sigma 15mm F2.8 EX DG Fisheye and the Sigma 8-16mm F4.5-5.6 DC HSM has the same Sony Alpha lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with the Sony Alpha lenses are Sony A99 II, Sony A68 and Sony A77 II.
Sigma 15mm F2.8 EX DG Fisheye is also available in the Canon EF , Nikon F (FX), Pentax KAF and Sigma SA mounts.
Sigma 8-16mm F4.5-5.6 DC HSM is also available in Canon EF , Pentax KAF3, Sigma SA and Nikon F (DX) mounts.
Focal Range
Sigma 15mm F2.8 EX DG Fisheye is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 15mm. When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.5x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of
22.5mm.
On the other hand, the Sigma 8-16mm F4.5-5.6 DC HSM has a focal range of 8-16mm and 2.0X zoom ratio which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of 12-24mm when used on a APS-C / DX format camera.
