I had the opportunity to test the new NiSi 9mm on the Canon R7 this fall. As an avid user of the NiSi 15mm on the Canon R5 I was excited to see how the new APS C equivalent would perform. Being a frequent user of ultra wide angle lenses I have high expectations when it comes to sharpness minimal image distortion and beautiful sunstars.
About the lens itself:
The NiSi 9mm is designed for mirrorless APS C cameras and can therefore be mounted directly on cameras like the Canon R7 or R10 without an adapter. You need to enable the “Release shutter without lens” option in the menu since it is a manual lens. It features both a manual focus ring and a manual aperture ring. The aperture can be visibly adjusted in full stops as well as in between stops.
Right out of the box the lens gives a very high quality impression. The yellow rubber gasket on the mount provides weather sealing. It weighs 364 grams and measures 74 mm by 78 mm (diameter by length) making it very compact. This means it can easily be taken along on day trips. The minimum focusing distance is 20 cm.
The lens is available for the following mounts: Canon RF, Sony E, Nikon Z, Micro Four Thirds, Fujifilm X.
Filter
Just like the NiSi 15mm one of the biggest advantages of this lens is the filter thread which allows the use of 67mm screw in filters or with an adapter ring a V6 or V7 system with 100mm square filters without any vignetting.
Focus
The focus must be set manually. Most of the time the line is aligned with the center of the infinity symbol. For other distances a focus peaking display or estimating the subject's approximate distance to the sensor plane can help.
Image quality and distortion
Even in challenging lighting conditions (very bright areas next to very dark ones) no chromatic aberration occurred. The sharpness is especially good when slightly stopped down. The distortion is typical for ultra wide angle lenses and easy to correct if it's noticeable at all usually only with parallel lines near the edge of the frame. I didn't find vignetting to be distracting in any of the test shots during practical use.
Aperture star
I was especially curious about how the aperture star would look and I wasn't disappointed. Similar to the NiSi 15mm the lens produces beautiful sunstars with small point light sources. I usually use f/8 to f/11 for that but they are already clearly visible at wider apertures.
Bokeh
Ultra wide angle focal lengths naturally produce a large depth of field but f/2.8 still allows you to work with blur in the background or foreground. When focusing on very close subjects the lens creates a beautiful bokeh at the wide open aperture of f/2.8.
Use cases
In addition to classic landscape photography the NiSi 9mm is also well suited for shooting in darker indoor environments as well as for capturing the night sky northern lights and more thanks to its good light gathering capabilities.
My conclusion:
The lens proved itself in practical use and earns my recommendation.
Here are the reasons why
- compact size and low weight
- good light performance with f/2.8
- screw-in filters or the V7 system can be used
- strong image quality and sharpness with no distracting image flaws
- weather sealing
- beautiful sunstars
- great value for money
