AstrHori has introduced the MF 8mm f/2.4 Circular Fisheye, a manual-focus lens designed for Fujifilm GFX and Hasselblad XCD medium-format mirrorless cameras. The new model provides a 220-degree field of view, exceeding the 180-degree coverage generally associated with conventional fisheye lenses. Its optical design produces a circular image surrounded by black borders rather than filling the entire rectangular sensor area.

The lens expands AstrHori’s existing range of fisheye optics, which already includes a 12mm f/2.8 model for medium-format cameras. However, the new 8mm version adopts a shorter focal length and a wider maximum aperture, emphasizing extreme angular coverage rather than conventional wide-angle photography.

The MF 8mm f/2.4 incorporates an optical construction consisting of 10 elements arranged in eight groups, including two extra-low-dispersion elements and two high-refractive-index elements. According to AstrHori, these specialized glass elements are intended to reduce chromatic aberrations and other optical defects associated with the lens’s unusually wide field of view.

The aperture ranges from f/2.4 to f/16 and is controlled through a mechanical ring positioned toward the front of the barrel. The diaphragm consists of 10 blades, while the aperture mechanism uses distinct click stops rather than a continuously adjustable design. Consequently, exposure adjustments during video recording are less gradual than those available with clickless aperture systems.

Focusing is entirely manual, with a dedicated focusing ring positioned closer to the camera mount. The minimum focusing distance is 0.1 meters, allowing subjects to be positioned very close to the front element while retaining a substantial portion of the surrounding environment within the composition. Despite its f/2.4 maximum aperture, the extremely short focal length generally produces considerable depth of field, except when focusing at particularly short distances.

The 220-degree field of view also introduces pronounced geometric distortion, which is characteristic of circular fisheye lenses. Unlike rectilinear wide-angle optics, the AstrHori does not attempt to preserve straight lines across the image. Instead, objects near the edges of the circular frame appear increasingly curved, while the lens can capture subjects positioned slightly beyond the conventional forward-facing hemisphere.

Here are some sample pictures, courtesy of AstrHori: