Irix 11mm f/4Full-Frame 126º Ultra-Ultra WideSample Images Intro Format Compatibility Specifications Unboxing Performance Compared Usage Recommendations Irix 11mm f/4 (rear gel filters, 28.9 oz./820g, 0.9'/0.27m close focus, about $590) bigger. I'd get mine at at Adorama, at Amazon or at B&H. It comes for Canon as shown here, as well as for Nikon and for Pentax. It comes in the $650 mostly metal "Blackstone" version shown here, and the same optics also come in a lighter-weight $525 mostly plastic "Firefly" version. This all-content, junk-free website's biggest source of support is when you use those or any of these links to my personally-approved sources when you get anything, regardless of the country in which you live. Get yours only from the approved sources I use myself for the best prices, service, return policies and selection. Thanks for helping me help you! Ken. May 2018 Irix Canon Sony Nikon Fuji LEICA Zeiss Hasselblad all reviews Why Fixed Lenses Take Better Pictures
Irix 11mm f/4. bigger.
Sample ImagesTop Sample Images Intro Format There are more samples throughout the review. All these images are from NORMAL JPGs; no RAW CR2 files or FINE JPGs were used. Small entryway made huge, 28 April 2018. The door is only 12 feet (3.7m) away! Canon 5DSR, Irix 11mm at f/5.6 hand-held at 1/10 at Auto ISO 400, Perfectly Clear V3. bigger or full 50MP resolution.
Small living room made huge, 29 April 2018. Canon 5DSR, Irix 11mm at f/8 for 3 seconds at ISO 50, exactly as shot. bigger or camera-original © 50MP JPG. This 11mm lens sees 117º horizontally, so if you're close to a corner you can show at least parts of all four walls!
IntroductionTop Sample Images Intro Format
This is the widest manual-focus lens made for SLR or DSLR cameras, with an undistorted 126º diagonal angle-of-view. It has full electronic connections to your camera for exposure modes, electronic focus confirmation and EXIF data. With a lens this short you're best off focusing by the distance scale rather than looking through the finder or using the electronic confirmations. This isn't a fisheye; straight lines stay straight. It's a sharp lens with some easy-to-correct barrel distortion, but it is cursed with a lot of lateral color fringes which will require some fancy software work on your end if it bothers you. The Canon 11-24mm has none of this lateral color and the Laowa 12mm f/2.8 is much better at this, too — but for the price I can't complain. These fringes will be visible if shot on Canon at large magnifications; Nikon cameras often can correct for lateral color automatically. I'm reviewing the mostly metal "Blackstone" version here. The lighter-weight mostly plastic "Firefly" version has the same optics.
FormatTop Sample Images Intro Format This is a full frame lens and I'm reviewing it as such. It works on APS-C cameras, but that's a stupid idea. Any of the Canon 10-18mm, Nikon 10-20mm or Sony 10-18mm are all much better ideas to use on those APS-C cameras.
CompatibilityTop Sample Images Intro Format
Manual FocusThis is a manual focus lens. It doesn't autofocus on any camera.
On CanonIt should work flawlessly on every Canon full-frame and every Canon APS-C DSLR. It also should work flawlessly on every 35mm EOS camera, like my Canon EOS 1V, introduced in 2000, and original 1987 Canon EOS 620. On Canon APS-C use the Canon 10-18mm, which is a much better lens for use on APS-C. Use the EOS-M adapter to use this on Canon's EOS-M mirrorless cameras, but that's also a silly idea.
On SonyThere is no E-Mount version of this lens. You can use an adapter if you like, but don't bother. The Full-Frame Sony 12-24mm f/4 is much better than this lens optically, and it will autofocus and integrate much better with your camera than this 11mm lens on an adapter ever will. On APS-C use the Sony 10-18mm. You're lucky with Sony because you have a reasonably-priced full-frame high-performance ultra-ultra wide that no other camera brand offers.
On NikonThis manual-focus lens should work with most full-frame Nikon cameras made since 1977, both FX digital and 35mm. Of course it won't autofocus on any camera, but usually offers color matrix metering and aperture-preferred auto exposure if you like. It should work on better DX cameras, but that's a dumb idea; use the Nikon 10-20mm instead. See Nikon Lens Compatibility for details on your camera. Read down the "AI, AI-s"column.
On PentaxBeats me; it's a Pentax K mount which pretty much works with everything Pentax has ever made.
SpecificationsTop Sample Images Intro Format
VersionsBlackstone: Mostly metal construction and includes a semi-hard case as reviewed here. Firefly: Same optics in a cheaper, lighter plastic barrel and comes with a lens sack. It has a metal mount. Both of these come in mounts for Canon as shown here, as well as for Nikon and for Pentax. This makes six different versions.
OpticsIrix 11mm Internal Construction. Aspherical, HRI and ED elements. 16 elements in 10 groups. 3 Aspherical elements. 2 ED extra-low dispersion elements, which help reduce secondary axial chromatic aberration. 4 High Refractive-Index (HRI) elements.
CoverageCanon: Full-Frame, 35mm and APS-C. Full-Frame, 35mm and APS-C.
DiaphragmIrix 11mm f/4. bigger. 9 rounded blades. Stops down to f/22, even though the depth-of-field scale only goes to f/16.
Focal Length11mm. If you're silly enough to use this on an APS-C camera, it sees the same angle of view as a 17mm lens sees when used on a full-frame or 35mm camera. See also Crop Factor.
Angle of View on Full-Frame126º diagonal. 117º horizontal. 95º vertical.
AutofocusNONE. Manual-focus only.
Focus ScaleYes.
Infinity Focus StopNo, but there is a slight click stop.
Depth of Field ScaleYes, but oddly stops at f/16 while this lens stops down to f/22.
Reproduction Ratio ScaleNo. Infrared Focus IndexYes.
Close Focus0.9 feet (0.27 meters).
Maximum Reproduction Ratio1:13 (0.077 ×).
Image StabilizerNone.
CapsThe front cap is a big plastic thing that clips-on: Irix 11mm front cap. bigger. It's not elegant like the metal caps that good ultrawides like the older Canon 14mm f/2.8L and Nikon 13mm f/5.6 have; it's pretty similar to what you get with the Canon 11-24mm. It comes with two of its own rear caps. They aren't very good; I'd spend a couple of dollars and get a real Canon EOS "E" rear cap or Nikon LF-4 rear cap.
FiltersNO FRONT FILTERS. Rear 30 × 30mm gel filter holder slot.
HoodNone; the"petals" are permanent and more for mechanical protection.
CaseIrix 11mm Blackstone hard case. bigger. Semi hard zipper case included as shown with the heavier Blackstone version. The cheaper Firefly version comes with just a sack (not shown).
Size4.49" maximum diameter × 2.05" extension from flange. 118 mm maximum diameter × 103 mm extension from flange.
Weight28.910 oz. (819.5 g) actual measured weight, Canon Blackstone version. The Firefly version should be about 12% less, or about 25.4 oz. (720g).
QualityIrix 11mm f/4. bigger. Made in Korea.
Announced02 March 2017.
IncludedLens. Front cap. Two rear caps. Sack or semi-hard case. Warranty card.
Price, USAApril 2018: $650 "Blackstone" version shown here, or $525 plastic-barreled "Firefly" version.
UnboxingTop Sample Images Intro Format Irix has a thing about black-and-white. Since they design this crazy stuff in Switzerland, they must be the same guys who did the cover art for Yello's "Zebra" album. Yello is a Swiss group most famous for their song "Oh Yeah" on the same album, so try to get that out of your head as you contemplate this lens. Irix 11mm box. bigger. Open the box top, and inside you find a tin cookie box. Pull off the metal top and you'll find the lens in its hard case, packed inside some white foam. There's a spare second rear cap, but sadly no spare front cap which you might actually need: What's included with the Irix 11mm Blackstone. bigger.
PerformanceTop Sample Images Intro Format
Overall Autofocus Manual Focus Breathing Bokeh Distortion Ergonomics Exposure Falloff Filters Flare & Ghosts Lateral Color Fringes Macro Mechanics Sharpness Stabilization Sunstars
OverallThe Irix 11mm is sharp and well made and its distortion is easy to correct fully in Photoshop's lens correction filter, but it has a lot of lateral color fringes and there are no lens profiles to correct these in-camera.
AutofocusThere is no autofocus.
Manual FocusManual focus is moderately stiff.
Focus BreathingFocus breathing is the image changing size as focused in and out. It's important to cinematographers because it looks funny if the image changes size as focus gets pulled back and forth between actors. If the lens does this, the image "breathes" by growing and contracting slightly as the dialog goes back and forth. The image from the Irix 11mm gets slightly larger as focused more closely.
BokehBokeh, the feel or quality of out-of-focus areas as opposed to how far out of focus they are, doesn't really matter since it's nearly impossible to get anything out of focus in the first place. Here's a sample image shot at f/4 from about a foot away: Davis 6250 weather station, 29 April 2018. bigger or camera-original © file. As always, if you want to throw the background as far out of focus as possible, shoot at f/4 and get as close as possible.
DistortionThe Irix 11mm is not a fisheye, but it has a lot of barrel distortion for a rectilinear lens. Luckily it's easy to correct this completely with a factor of +4.8 in Photoshop's lens correction filter when shot on full frame at 3m (10 feet). There is no in-camera correction because no camera maker makes a lens profile for this lens.
Ergonomics
Irix 11mm f/4. bigger. It's a straightforward manual-focus lens, with mostly illegible markings. The problem is that all the scales and indices are the same white, so it's not at all clear which is which when you're actually out shooting this lens rather than looking at my huge, clear straight-on studio shot above. The focus index should be in a contrasting color, or at least be much wider or a big diamond so it stands out as the most important mark on the lens. The Meters scale should be white, but the feet scale must be in yellow or some other contrasting color. The infra-red index must be in red, but everything is in the same weight of white so it all gets lost with everything else. See how those words stand out from this page even many feet away? This is the same reason different things are required to be in different colors so we can read them easily and quickly in actual shooting. Geez, I thought the Swiss have laws about these things; they take their graphic design very seriously. Sadly more effort went into the marketing graphics and throw-away packaging design than went into the design of the lens' ergonomics. The mounting index dot must be big and bright red so we can find it in the dark, but again it's just a mostly invisible little gray dot. It's supposed to be a big red plastic ball so we can find it by feel in the dark as we can with all LEICA, Minolta and Canon lenses for at least the past sixty years, not flat as it is here. Made even worse by the dull monochromatic graphics is the redundant "hyperfocal" scale which says nothing (it's the same as putting the ∞ index at each point on the depth-of-field scale), but really messes up the focus ring with yet more noise in the same color. Here's another really sad part: this lens goes to f/22, yet the scales only read to f/16. Irix really messed up the graphics, and on top of it they use random distances for feet like 2.15, 3.6 and 9 feet, The footage scale should read 0.9, 0.95, 1, 1.1, 1.25, 1.5, 2, 3, 5, 10 and ∞ feet, not 0.9 0.95 1.1 1.25 1.5 2.15 3.6 9 and ∞ feet. Make all the fun of me you want for me making fun of the careless markings, but remember I make my living as a visual artist; I'm not some blogger or hobbyist or YouTuber who just talks; making things look the way they should is how I earn my living every day. These things matter to artists and photographers, even if people more interested in collecting equipment don't care. This lens should have had brilliant graphics, especially seeing all the effort that went into the packaging. The focus ring is stiff; it takes two fingers to move, which is good because you usually want to set it and hope it doesn't move. The focus ring even has a lock to ensure this.
ExposureAs a third party lens, exposure can very more than with camera-brand lenses. Be sure to pay attention and use plenty of exposure compensation as you shoot if you need it.
FalloffThere is a little bit of falloff on full-frame at f/4, which goes away by f/5.6. Here's a snap wide-open at f/4: Living room, 29 April 2018. Canon 5DSR, Irix 11mm at f/4 at ½ at ISO 50, exactly as shot. bigger or camera-original © 50MP JPG. And here it is at f/8: Living room, 29 April 2018. Canon 5DSR, Irix 11mm at f/8 at 3 seconds at ISO 50, exactly as shot. bigger or camera-original © 50MP JPG.
I've greatly exaggerated the falloff by shooting a gray field and placing these on a gray background:
Filters, use withThere are no front filter threads. You have to cut gel (plastic sheet) filters to size and slip them in the rear slot. Don't use polarizers on ultrawide lenses; the sky's natural polarization will appear as a dark band in the sky.
Flare & GhostsIf the sun is in the image you may see a series of many small green and yellow dots: Ghosts in Dubai, 29 April 2018. Canon 5DSR, Irix 11mm at f/8 at 1/100 at ISO 100, Perfectly Clear. bigger. See more samples at Sunstars.
Lateral Color FringesThis lens has a lot of lateral color fringes, more than other lenses. This is its biggest drawback. As shot on Canon, there are strong green-magenta lateral color fringes, and there is no lens profile to correct for this in-camera. You won't see these in screen-size images, but if you like to scrutinize your files at 100%, then you'll see them. I didn't try it on Nikon cameras, which by default can often correct these without any profile. These are so strong in this lens that I suspect the camera's can't correct them, much as the lateral color from the Nikon 13mm f/5.6 usually aren't corrected in-camera. If you worry about this, you can mess with it in your computer, or also in some raw processing software — or man-up and shoot the Canon 11-24mm which has no lateral color fringes. The Laowa 12mm is also much better here. Irix has some profiles available for use in computers, but not in cameras.
MacroIt focuses very close, but because it sees such a huge angle it doesn't seem very close. This is as close as it gets on full-frame: Kienzle Flieger Automat 800/2843, 29 April 2018. bigger or camera-original © file. The great news is that this is shot wide-open at f/4, and it's super sharp.
1,200 × 900 pixel crop from above. bigger or camera-original © file. If this crop is about 6" (15cm) wide on your screen, then the complete image printed at this same extreme magnification would be about 29 × 43" (2.4 × 3.6 feet or 0.75 × 1.1 meters). If this crop is about 12" (30cm) wide on your screen, then the complete image printed at this same extreme magnification would be about 58 × 87" (4.8 × 7.2 feet or 1.5 × 2.2 meters).
Mechanical QualityIrix 11mm f/4. bigger. This is the mostly metal "Blackstone" version. The lighter "Firefly" version has a metal mount but a mostly plastic barrel.
Hood & Front BarrelThe front petals of the lens are a permanent part of the lens and are there mostly to protect the front elements from impact. These petals and the big flange printed "11 IRIX f/4" are all plastic.
Filter ThreadsNone.
Focus Lock RingMetal.
Focus RingMetal.
Rear BarrelMetal.
IdentityPrinted on top front exterior of lens.
InternalsPlastic and metal.
Dirt Seal at MountYes.
MountDull chromed metal.
MarkingsIdentity: Paint. Focus and depth-of-field markings: lightly engraved and filled with paint.
Serial NumberLaser engraved in black-on-black on bottom of barrel near mount.
Date CodeNone found.
Noises When ShakenNone. This lens is as solid as a brick.
Made inKorea.
SharpnessIt's sharp, but lateral color fringes degrade sharpness on the sides and corners. Cleally this is an MTF chart for monochromatic light.
Irix' MTF chart.
Image StabilizationIt has no Image Stabilization (IS or Vibration Reduction), but it's such a heavy lens that it tends to self-stabilize by virtue of its own mass, and it has such a short focal length that lens shake is much less noticeable. Therefore I get sharp results at down to about ¼ second handheld at 50 megapixels. As always, fire several shots and pick the sharpest at slow speeds; one shot will usually be much sharper than the others.
SunstarsWith rounded blades there aren't much in the way of sunstars, but you can get some 18-pointed ones at the smallest apertures. Click any to enlarge: click any to enlarge.
ComparedTop Sample Images Intro Format Versus the Canon 11-24mmThe Canon 11-24mm is much bigger and more expensive, and has far superior optics. The Canon 11-24mm shot on my old 22MP 5D Mk III three years ago is much sharper than this lens shot today on my 50MP 5DSR:
The Canon lens shot wide-open on my old camera three years ago easily wipes the Irix off the map, and I had the Irix stopped down a stop and post-processed the file in Perfectly Clear. Even with these two unfair advantages the Canon wins by far. If you're serious about your work, of course you want the Canon 11-24mm.
Versus the Laowa 12mm f/2.8Irix 11mm and Laowa 12mm. bigger. The Laowa 12mm has better optics, is better built of 100% metal with better ergonomics and is smaller and lighter, but it's more expensive and not as wide. Both are manual focus only. This Irix 11mm has modern electronic contacts to communicate with your camera and a normal automatic diaphragm, while the Laowa 12mm is a purely stone-age mechanical-only lens with no data communication with your camera and a manual diaphragm that has to be opened and closed manually for each shot. The Laowa has less distortion and has far less lateral color fringes, the main optical defect of the Irix 11mm.
Versus 14mm f/2.8 lensesIrix 11mm, Laowa 12mm and Canon 14mm f/2.8L. bigger. Oddly the Canon 14mm f/2.8L is the smallest and lightest of this bunch. It also has autofocus and the least distortion, and sells for about the same price used if you know How to Win at eBay. The 14mm f/2.8 L is the softest of this bunch; it's the oldest design here, as well as the least wide. Nikon's 14mm f/2.8 is also an autofocus optical dinosaur from the 1990s. Its optics have plenty of weird distortion which most Nikons can completely correct in-camera, and it's also about as soft as the Canon 14mm f/2.8L. Nikon's 14-24mm f/2.8 G is a modern lens with superb optics far better than any of the Irix 11mm, Laowa 12mm or Canon 14mm f/2.8L, but it's huge and expensive and nowhere near as wide as the 12 or 11mm lenses.
Versus the Nikon 13mmThe Nikon 13mm f/5.6 is more of a collectors' item; it's impossible to find and has a five-figure price tag if you do — and it remains as Nikon's widest non-distorting lens today. If you do get one, it's much bigger and heavier, much better made and has sharper optics with less distortion and less lateral chromatic aberration. It uses rear glass bayonet filters.
See also:
User's GuideTop Sample Images Intro Format
GeneralUltrawide lenses are the most difficult lenses to use well, and this ultra-ultra wide is extra difficult to use well. See How to Use Ultrawide Lenses. You have to get close; they aren't for "getting it all in."
AutofocusThere is no autofocus. You have to turn the focus ring with your hand. Don't bother looking in the finder to focus, either on the ground glass or with the electronic aids. You think I'm kidding, but try it and you'll see how you can turn the focus ring all over the place and not much happens. The best way to focus an ultra-ultra wide is to measure or guess the distance and set it on the focus scale. Second best is to use magnified Live View. Check your focus scale either with magnified Live View or taking pictures, My sample is correctly adjusted, but it's the first Korean-made lens I've ever had that had its focus properly adjusted. If yours is off, I wouldn't screw with the mechanical adjustment; I simply tape a new focus index mark on the barrel. Focus is stiff and not likely to get knocked, but you might want to lock the lens to 5 or 10 feet and just shoot; its depth-of-field is pretty much unlimited.
CapsIt comes with two of its own rear caps. They aren't very good; I'd spend a couple of dollars and get a real Canon EOS "E" rear cap or Nikon LF-4 rear cap. Try not to lose the special front cap. I don't know how you get a replacement.
FiltersYou only need filters when shooting film (How to Shoot Film). With all the lateral color fringes, an ages-old trick for sharper pictures with B&W film is to use a monochromatic filter, specifically a deep green 58 or maybe a Red 25, so only one color makes it to the film and the color fringes don't matter.
RecommendationsTop Sample Images Intro Format
OverallYou can pay more, but you can't get a wider lens for an SLR or DSLR at any price. This 11mm is wider than any non-fisheye lens made by Sony or Nikon. Be sure to know How to Use Ultrawide Lenses. 11mm lenses have few uses for normal photography. Their most practical use is for real estate listings, where wider lenses make land and interiors look much bigger. This 11mm lens will let you make properties look far bigger than your competitors can, and therefore listings shot with this lens will get more showings and more sales and make you look like a genius to the people who hire you. Listing photos are small; in my local MLS the submissions are limited to 1,024 × 768 pixels even for $20,000,000 homes, so this lens' lateral color problems won't be visible. I'd get mine at at Adorama, at Amazon or at B&H. It comes for Canon as shown here, as well as for Nikon and for Pentax. It comes in a mostly metal "Blackstone" version, and the same optics also come in a mostly plastic "Firefly" version. Every 11mm lens has almost unlimited depth of field. You don't have to stop it down to get everything in focus. f/8 is as small as I use since diffraction in all lenses starts softening images at f/11 and it makes the images much softer at f/22.
For CanonThe Canon 11-24mm is a far better lens, and much bigger and more expensive. If you're serious about your work, pass on this lens and stick with the real thing from Canon. Because this 11mm lens has so much lateral chromatic aberration it demands a lens profile for serious work — but there is none for in-camera use. You'll be stuck screwing with computer optimizations. If you want the best pictures, stick with the Canon 11-24mm. For more casual use, for fun exploring what an ultra-ultra-wide lens can do or if your photos are only going in the local MLS and no further, then this lens makes great images. Look at the Sample Images shot on my 50MP 5DSR as uncorrected and unprocessesd JPGs. They look pretty good; just don't expect them to hold up as well at 100% on your computer as images from the Canon 11-24mm that costs five times as much.
For NikonNikon's widest practical lens is 14mm, nowhere near as wide as this lens. Nikon's widest lens ever is the Nikon 13mm f/5.6, but you're not likely to find one. Nikons also automatically correct lateral color in-camera. I haven't tried it, but this lens might look much better when shot on a Nikon camera. Seeing how Nikon has stepped away from serious lenses and how this lens might work well on Nikon, I'd suggest ordering one and trying it yourself. If you use any of my approved sources and you don't love it, you can return it for a full cash refund. In other words, you can buy and try it yourself at no risk; you never have to wonder or take the chance that you might not like it.
For SonyThere is no Sony mount version. This is an SLR and DSLR lens. it is not a mirrorless lens and not optimized for use on mirrorless cameras. You'll probably get mediocre results at best using an adapter with the Canon version to use it on Sony, and seeing how Sony makes a superb 12-24mm G lens for not that much money, I'd consider you pretty silly if you bought this to use on Sony instead of the real Sony 12-24mm, which is optically, mechanically and ergonomically superb.
Have fun! This all-content, junk-free website's biggest source of support is when you use those or any of these links to approved sources when you get anything, regardless of the country in which you live. I use the stores I do because they ship from secure remote warehouses where no one gets to touch your new camera before you do. Buy only from the approved sources I use myself for the best prices, service, return policies and selection. Thanks for helping me help you! Ken, Mrs. Rockwell, Ryan and Katie.
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29 April 2018