Laowa 12mm f/2.8 and Laowa 15mm f/2 – 2 UWA lenses from Venus optics with close to zero distortion!

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6 Responses

  1. Petr says:

    Excellent article. I really looking forward to see more info about both 12mm and 15mm lenses. Manual focus is definitely no issue, as even at my 17-40 I rather use my signs on the lens (especially in the dark situation), instead of AF.

  2. The 15 is very appealing to me. I rented the Voigtlander 15, but I didn’t like it for night photography on the street or even interior photography without a tripod. It has 2 benefits over this Laowa: 1. it is much smaller (that comes with being much slower), and 2. it supplies the lens EXIF data with each shot. I value both of those things, so I am not sure if I’ll just get that lens or wait and try the Laowa to see if I like night scenes that much better to add size and lose EXIF. Hmmm.

    • Hi Sean,
      we will have to see how 12/2.8 and 15/2 behave, once the production samples become available. I am afraid that same as Voigtlander, Laowa will have pronounced vignetting. This is for me huge issue (for my paid work), because what worth acclaimed lens speed, if one have to lift 75% of the frame for 1-2 stops?
      Of course, for many applications and if I remember well for your style of photography, vignetting is not necessarily a problem and sometimes it might be even desired feature.
      Laowa 15/2.8 doesn’t look that big to me and it certainly doesn’t feel so, (much smaller and lighter than Samyang 14/2.8 e.g). so I don’t see compactness as a problem. I don’t care about EXIF, but I can fully understand that many does, so this can be a deal breaker.
      From my initial impression though, those two lenses were probably most exciting lenses on Photokina 2016, because I didn’t know that is possible to achieve such a great distortion control at this wide angle, respecting their size and price margin.
      Cheers,
      Viktor

  3. Thanks Viktor. I’ll be curious to try one out in the future when they start shipping. Hopefully my rental company carries them (lensrentals). You’re right, the vignetting is not that bothersome for my type of shooting.

  1. January 30, 2017

    […] able to briefly try it on Photokina 2016 and I made a short “hands on” review – http://www.verybiglobo.com/laowa-12mm-f2-8-and-laowa-15mm-f2-2-uwa-lenses-from-venus-optics-with-clo…, where you can find specification and sample […]

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