It's amazing. With all of the great optics that I have access to, the one lens that I always have with me is the $98 Olympus Fisheye Body Cap 9mm f/8 lens.

It's about the size of an Oreo cookie, weighs 1 ounce, yet covers 140 degrees and incorporates 5 elements in four groups.

It's manual focus with 3 settings for infinity, medium range, and close up. You don't need anymore than that because of its tremendous depth of field thanks to the optical design, fixed f/8 aperture, and micro four thirds sensor. I use the "body cap" lens on all of my Olympus and Panasonic cameras.

When traveling, the fisheye allows me to capture images that I would otherwise have to pass on. For example, on the last day of our TDS San Francisco Street Photography Workshop, we celebrated our success at one of my favorite restaurants in Chinatown. I love the big round tables with a lazy susan in the middle. The food begins to arrive from the kitchen, and everyone shares in the bounty.

"Lunch in Chinatown" - We celebrated our workshop efforts, and I was able to capture it with my E-M1 Mark II and the $98 fisheye lens. Photo by Derrick Story.

That's when I pull out the fisheye (from my pocket in this case) and capture the moment. We have 9 people around the table and just as many entrees - no sweat for the 140 degree field of view with the Olympus lens.

There are certainly higher quality optics on the market. But how much space do you want to dedicate to a fisheye lens, and how much of your budget would you allocate? In this case, it's less than practically any other lens, and smaller too. And that's why I never leave home without my Olympus Fisheye lens.

TheOlympus Fisheye Body Cap lens has a high Nimbleosity Rating. What does that mean? You can learn about Nimbleosity and more by visiting TheNimblePhotographer.com.

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