In 2023 there are plenty of lens manufacturers originating from China speaking to various different target audiences. While some are the Primark of the lens industry – simply trying to offer cheaper alternatives to the reknown manufacturers of lower quality – others have become the actual innovators in the photography lens business.
Having used more than 60 of those lenses from 14 different manufacturers I thought it is a good time to highlight the best ones I came across.
Photokina in 2016 was the first time I saw the Laowa 15mm 2.0 Zero-D for Sony E-mount, I bought it as soon as it was available and have used it since. Already at that time there was talk about the lens being released for M-mount but it never happened and admittedly I kinda forgot about it.
But what happened at CP+ 2023? We see an M-mount version of the Laowa 15mm 2.0 Zero-D. And for M-mount it might be even more spectacular, pushing the boundaries of the system quite a bit. So let’s see what has changed compared to the Sony version!
Lens is being reviewed on Sony A7rII and Leica M10
Laowa was already responsible for releasing the world’s fastest 35mm lens and now they are back doing the same for the 28mm focal length. This time around it isn’t f/0.95, but f/1.2 at 28mm – in a more compact package. This is just as impressive, especially when most manufacturers seem to have neglected the 28mm focal length altogether. But is it only impressive on paper or does it also deliver in the field? Let’s find out in this review.
The king is dead, long live the king! After the Voigtlander 10mm 5.6’s field of view has been matched by the Samyang 10mm 3.5 XP and the Laowa 10-18mm 4.5-5.6 it has now been surpassed by this Laowa 9mm 5.6 FF-RL. Can a lens be wider and at the same time better? Let us try to find out!
Lens is being tested on 42mp Sony A7rII and 24mp Leica M10
Last Update: January 2025
When announced in at Photokina in 2016 the Laowa 15mm 2.0 Zero-D was one of the first lenses making actual use of the narrow flange distance of mirrorless cameras, opening up new lens design possibilities needed to create a compact yet fast ultra wideangle lens.
I have been using this lens for years, so let’s have a look together how it fared in this long term review.
Jan 2023: Alternatives Section updated, new samples added, general update
