Verdict: 4.3 stars I’ve used tilt/shift lenses before so I know how they work, but I did find the Laowa 35mm f/2.8 Zero-D Tilt Shift 0.5x Macro unexpectedly heavy and somewhat awkward to use. There wasn’t much space around the lens on my Sony A7 III to easily operate its knobs and adjusters. I’m also not sold on the 35mm focal length for this type of work. But the quality of construction, and the results and control this lens offers, are pretty exceptional.
Laowa
Laowa is a division of Venus Optics, a Chinese company which has made a strong reputation in a short time for high-quality, manual focus wide-angle and macro lenses. These are typically very well made and sell for considerably less than own-brand lenses.
Laowa 180mm f/4.5 1.5X Ultra Macro APO review
Verdict: 4.8 stars The Laowa 180mm f/4.5 1.5X Ultra Macro APO is special in a number of ways. First, it’s a macro lens with an extra-long working distance which can be an advantage for many subjects, second it can also be used as an everyday telephoto, third it’s really inexpensive! The Sony E, Nikon Z and Canon EF (not RF) versions also have a seamless AF option for distances beyond 1.5m. Best of all, the optical performance is superb.
Laowa 12mm f/2.8 Lite Zero-D FF launched, a new mirrorless version of an existing DSLR lens
The Laowa 12mm f/2.8 Lite Zero-D FF is an ultra-wide full frame mirrorless lens in Sony, Nikon, Canon and L mount versions, though only the Sony and Nikon versions have autofocus – the Canon and L mount versions are manual focus only.
Laowa 9mm f/2.8 Zero-D review
Verdict: 5 stars ★★★★★ Who wants to return to the bad old days of fixed focal length lenses, manual focus and manual exposure? After trying the Laowa 9mm f/2.8 Zero-D, we do! It’s small, light, nice to use and produces terrific image quality. It’s even affordable! After using it more and seeing what it can […]