Over the years Laowa has steadily been expanding its line up of shift lenses, after the 17mm 4.0 MSC and the record breaking 15mm 4.5 Shift we are now getting their third shift lens, the Laowa 20mm 4.0 Shift. Let’s have a closer look at this latest addition.
The M-System seems to be extremely popular in China, as we still see an increasing amount of manufacturers offering new M-mount lenses from this country. The latest is Syoptic with this 50mm f/1.1, sometimes referred to as “Mr. Ding 50mm lens”. Some of the few samples I found online showed very appealing bokeh rendering, so I ordered one as soon as it was possible in Europe. It took longer than expected, but I finally have it in my hands, so let’s have a closer look.
This lens will be reviewed on the 42mp Sony A7rII and the 24mp Leica M10.
Update March 2022: tests of E-mount version added
Update October 2022: An improved version of this lens has been released under the “Mr. Ding Studios” branding. You can find a full review here.
I have already reviewed many of the super fast 50mm lenses from China, e.g. the TTArtisan 50mm 0.95, several 50mm 0.95 from Zhong Yi and just lately the SYoptic 50mm 1.1. What was missing so far was this 7Artisans 50mm 1.05 with its rather unorthodox maximum aperture of f/1.05. What also sets it apart from the others: it has actually been designed for the Sony E-mount cameras, not for M-mount cameras. So let us find out what this lens has in store for us.
The Laowa 45mm 0.95 is the latest addition to Laowa’s high speed Argus line up and thereby follows the footsteps of the record breaking 35mm 0.95. A maximum aperture of f/0.95 is always exciting whereas a focal length of 45mm is a rather rare bird. Let’s see what the differences between these two lenses are and who this 45mm is for!
I have a soft spot for lenses with unique parameters and a compact 85mm macro lens offering a staggering maximum magnification of 2:1 while being only 260g heavy certainly fits the bill. But everything comes at a price and a maximum aperture of f/5.6 does not exactly sound appealing, so let us find out in this review if this ends up being an issue and who this lens is for.
