Category Archives: Laowa

Comparison: Fast 28mm f/1.2 | f/1.4 | f/1.5 Fullframe Lenses

Introduction

28mm fullframe comparison 1.4 1.2 1.5 voigtländer laowa nikon af-s af-d argus nokton thypoch simera sigma art dg contrast resolution bokeh vignetting coma sharpness loca ca
Sigma 28mm 1.4 Art | Nikon AF-S 28mm 1.4E | Nikon AF 28mm 1.4D | Laowa 28mm 1.2 Argus | Thypoch Simera 28mm 1.4 | Voigtländer VM 28mm 1.5 Nokton

To me, fast 28mm fullframe lenses are very useful. No matter where I go, I either carry a fast 28mm or a fast 35mm lens. When it comes to the 28mm focal length we are not exactly blessed with great options though. I gathered six of those ranging from f/1.2 to f/1.5 and will compare them, to give you an idea which might work best for your needs.

Continue reading Comparison: Fast 28mm f/1.2 | f/1.4 | f/1.5 Fullframe Lenses

Review: Laowa 10mm 2.8 AF – The Beginning of a New Era

Introduction

laowa 10mm 2.8 II fe C&D dreamer zero-D autofocus auto focus AF venus optics review architecture 42mp 61mp sony a7riv a7rv sharpness contrast vignetting flare
Laowa 10mm 2.8 AF on Sony A7rII

2024 is a special year for Laowa, as it marks the company’s 10th anniversary. What better way to celebrate this than with a 10mm lens? But wait, Laowa already released a 9mm full frame lens, so what is so special about this 10mm lens? For starters, this lens features a maximum aperture of f/2.8, making it the world’s fastest 10mm lens and also the world’s widest f/2.8 lens. But what might be even more important: this is Laowa’s first AF lens. The beginning of a new era.

Sample Images

laowa 10mm 2.8 II fe C&D dreamer zero-D autofocus auto focus AF venus optics review architecture 42mp 61mp sony a7riv a7rv sharpness contrast vignetting flare
Sony A7III | Laowa 10mm 2.8 AF | f/4.0
laowa 10mm 2.8 II fe C&D dreamer zero-D autofocus auto focus AF venus optics review architecture 42mp 61mp sony a7riv a7rv sharpness contrast vignetting flare
Sony A7III | Laowa 10mm 2.8 AF | f/2.8
laowa 10mm 2.8 II fe C&D dreamer zero-D autofocus auto focus AF venus optics review architecture 42mp 61mp sony a7riv a7rv sharpness contrast vignetting flare
Sony A7III | Laowa 10mm 2.8 AF | f/4.0
laowa 10mm 2.8 II fe C&D dreamer zero-D autofocus auto focus AF venus optics review architecture 42mp 61mp sony a7riv a7rv sharpness contrast vignetting flare
Sony A7III | Laowa 10mm 2.8 AF | f/5.6
laowa 10mm 2.8 II fe C&D dreamer zero-D autofocus auto focus AF venus optics review architecture 42mp 61mp sony a7riv a7rv sharpness contrast vignetting flare
Sony A7III | Laowa 10mm 2.8 AF | f/4.0
laowa 10mm 2.8 II fe C&D dreamer zero-D autofocus auto focus AF venus optics review architecture 42mp 61mp sony a7riv a7rv sharpness contrast vignetting flare
Sony A7III | Laowa 10mm 2.8 AF | f/8.0
laowa 10mm 2.8 II fe C&D dreamer zero-D autofocus auto focus AF venus optics review architecture 42mp 61mp sony a7riv a7rv sharpness contrast vignetting flare
Sony A7III | Laowa 10mm 2.8 AF | f/4.0

Continue reading Review: Laowa 10mm 2.8 AF – The Beginning of a New Era

Analogue Adventures – Part 28: Japan

Introduction

kodak portra 800 analogue leica m6 contax canon fd olympus om
Leica M6 | Voigtländer VM 40mm 1.4 MC | f/2.0 | Portra 800 +1 | ECN-2

When visiting Japan in early 2023 I exposed 8 rolls of film, this is a collection of pictures from that trip.

laowa 15mm 2.0 zero-d m-mount leica m10 m10r m11 review sharpness contrast coma distortion vignetting 42mp 24mp 61mp
Minolta CLE | Laowa 15mm 2.0 M | f/2.0 | Ektar 100 +1 | ECN-2
Minolta CLE | Laowa 15mm 2.0 M | f/8.0 | 500T | ECN-2
laowa 15mm 2.0 zero-d m-mount leica m10 m10r m11 review sharpness contrast coma distortion vignetting 42mp 24mp 61mp
Minolta CLE | Laowa 15mm 2.0 M | f/2.0 | 500T +1 | ECN-2
Minolta CLE | Voigtländer VM 40mm 1.4 MC | f/1.4 | 500T +1 | ECN-2

Continue reading Analogue Adventures – Part 28: Japan

Review: Laowa FFII 58mm f2.8 CA-Dreamer Macro 2X APO

Introduction

While most popular macro lenses have been in the range of 90-105mm and Laowa themselves having all, an 85mm, a 90mm, and a 100mm macro 2X lens, they opted for making a 58mm lens too, as some macro photographers prefer a wider angle of view or use the lens both as macro and allround lens. Also the perspective might make a difference for some people as you can include more surroundings with a wider lens for the composition. Laowa has shown that they can produce very nice macro lenses during the past few years, let’s see if this one can match them!

Sample Images

Nikon Z6 | Laowa FFII 58mm f2.8 CA-Dreamer Macro 2X | f/4 (stacked 38 images)
Laowa FFII 58mm f2.8 CA-Dreamer Macro 2X review sharpness bokeh coma vignetting 24mp nikon z6 z6ii 46mp nikon z7 z7ii Z8 Z9 D7200 D750 D600 D800 D7500
Nikon Z6 | Laowa FFII 58mm f2.8 CA-Dreamer Macro 2X | f/5.6 (stacked 34 images)
Laowa FFII 58mm f2.8 CA-Dreamer Macro 2X review sharpness bokeh coma vignetting 24mp nikon z6 z6ii 46mp nikon z7 z7ii Z8 Z9 D7200 D750 D600 D800 D7500
Nikon Z6 | Laowa FFII 58mm f2.8 CA-Dreamer Macro 2X | f/2.8
Laowa FFII 58mm f2.8 CA-Dreamer Macro 2X review sharpness bokeh coma vignetting 24mp nikon z6 z6ii 46mp nikon z7 z7ii Z8 Z9 D7200 D750 D600 D800 D7500
Nikon Z6 | Laowa FFII 58mm f2.8 CA-Dreamer Macro 2X | f/5.6 (stacked 39 images)
Laowa FFII 58mm f2.8 CA-Dreamer Macro 2X review sharpness bokeh coma vignetting 24mp nikon z6 z6ii 46mp nikon z7 z7ii Z8 Z9 D7200 D750 D600 D800 D7500
Nikon Z6 | Laowa FFII 58mm f2.8 CA-Dreamer Macro 2X | f/8

Continue reading Review: Laowa FFII 58mm f2.8 CA-Dreamer Macro 2X APO

Review: Laowa 25mm f/2.8 2.5-5x Ultra Macro

Introduction

We have seen macro lenses with 1:2 magnification, 1:1 magnification, and even with 2:1 magnification. What if you want to have a lens that goes further and has greater magnification? The cool thing about macro at 3x-5x is that you can take any random ordinary everyday object and make it highly interesting.

For a long time the only available lens that had a magnification greater than 1x was the Canon MP-E 65mm, and not only that, it also could go up to 5x magnification. A long time a matter of envy for all non-Canon users, until mirrorless cameras and adapters made it possible to adapt that lens to other brands, but it was the only option and expensive. This is where the Laowa 25mm f2.8 2.5-5X Ultra Macro comes in handy. A small lens that has a whopping 5X magnification, costs half and does not need any adapters as it comes in almost all popular mounts. Let’s see how good this little wonder is!

Sample Images

Laowa 25mm f/2.8 2.5-5x Ultra Macro review sharpness bokeh coma vignetting 24mp nikon z6 z6ii 46mp nikon z7 z7ii Z8 Z9 D7200 D750 D600 D800 D7500
Nikon Z6 | Laowa 25mm f/2.8 2.5-5x Ultra Macro | f/5.6 (Stacked, 29 images)
Laowa 25mm f/2.8 2.5-5x Ultra Macro review sharpness bokeh coma vignetting 24mp nikon z6 z6ii 46mp nikon z7 z7ii Z8 Z9 D7200 D750 D600 D800 D7500
Nikon Z6 | Laowa 25mm f/2.8 2.5-5x Ultra Macro | f/8 (Stacked, 5 images)
Laowa 25mm f/2.8 2.5-5x Ultra Macro review sharpness bokeh coma vignetting 24mp nikon z6 z6ii 46mp nikon z7 z7ii Z8 Z9 D7200 D750 D600 D800 D7500
Nikon Z6 | Laowa 25mm f/2.8 2.5-5x Ultra Macro | f/5.6 (Stacked, 55 images)
Laowa 25mm f/2.8 2.5-5x Ultra Macro review sharpness bokeh coma vignetting 24mp nikon z6 z6ii 46mp nikon z7 z7ii Z8 Z9 D7200 D750 D600 D800 D7500
Nikon Z6 | Laowa 25mm f/2.8 2.5-5x Ultra Macro | f/5.6 (Stacked, 74 images)

Continue reading Review: Laowa 25mm f/2.8 2.5-5x Ultra Macro