Object of Desire: Nikon Nikkor 6mm f/2.8 Fisheye Lens

JULY 13, 2012

By Dan Havlik

There are lenses and there are lenses and then there is the colossal Nikkor 6mm f/2.8 Fisheye. This Moby Dick-size lens, which offers such a panoramic perspective it can actually see behind the front element, was first unveiled at the Photokina trade show in Cologne, Germany, back in 1970. Only a few hundred were ever manufactured and finding one for sale is extremely rare.

That’s why it caused such a stir last spring when Nikon retailer Grays of Westminster in London put one up for sale for 100,000 British pounds (about $160,000). The lens eventually sold for that asking price to a private collector.

This monster fisheye weighs 11.5 pounds and makes the SLR attached to it look like a tiny point-and-shoot. The lens comes with an equally impressive, padded hard-shell case.

Though it’s designed for scientific and industrial usage, we can think of a few landscapes and buildings we’d love to shoot with it. It’s unlikely we’ll ever get the chance, considering the astronomical cost and lack of availability. Still, there’s no harm in dreaming.

Price: $160,000
Info: www.graysofwestminster.co.uk