{"id":31202,"date":"2022-03-27T20:15:47","date_gmt":"2022-03-27T19:15:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/?p=31202"},"modified":"2026-03-24T12:39:53","modified_gmt":"2026-03-24T11:39:53","slug":"review-laowa-20mm-4-0-shift","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/review-laowa-20mm-4-0-shift\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Laowa 20mm 4.0 Shift"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Introduction<\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_31264\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-31264\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-31264\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Laowa_20mm_4.0_Shift.jpg\" alt=\"laowa 20mm 4.0 shift tilt ts-e pc-e comparison review venus optics wide angle ultra wide angle sharpness uwa resolution contrast 42mp 61mp a7riv a7rii a7riii\" width=\"800\" height=\"505\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Laowa_20mm_4.0_Shift.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Laowa_20mm_4.0_Shift-300x189.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Laowa_20mm_4.0_Shift-768x485.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-31264\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Laowa 20mm 4.0 Shift on Sony A7rII<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Over the years Laowa has steadily been expanding its line up of shift lenses, after the <a href=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/review-laowa-magic-shift-converter-17mm-4-0\/\">17mm 4.0 MSC<\/a> and the record breaking <a href=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/review-laowa-15mm-4-5-zero-d-shift\/\">15mm 4.5 Shift<\/a> we are now getting their third shift lens, the Laowa 20mm 4.0 Shift. Let&#8217;s have a closer look at this latest addition.<\/p>\n<h2>Sample Images<\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_31306\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-31306\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-31306\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_sample_6_pano.jpg\" alt=\"laowa 20mm 4.0 shift tilt ts-e pc-e comparison review venus optics wide angle ultra wide angle sharpness uwa resolution contrast 42mp 61mp a7riv a7rii a7riii\" width=\"800\" height=\"609\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_sample_6_pano.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_sample_6_pano-300x228.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_sample_6_pano-768x585.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-31306\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sony A7III | Laowa 20mm 4.0 Shift | f\/8.0 | shift pano<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_31331\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-31331\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-31331\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/A7R04712-Pano.jpg\" alt=\"laowa 20mm 4.0 shift tilt ts-e pc-e comparison review venus optics wide angle ultra wide angle sharpness uwa resolution contrast 42mp 61mp a7riv a7rii a7riii\" width=\"800\" height=\"485\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/A7R04712-Pano.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/A7R04712-Pano-300x182.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/A7R04712-Pano-768x466.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-31331\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sony A7rII | Laowa 20mm 4.0 Shift | f\/11 | shift pano<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_31326\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-31326\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-31326\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/A7308447.jpg\" alt=\"laowa 20mm 4.0 shift tilt ts-e pc-e comparison review venus optics wide angle ultra wide angle sharpness uwa resolution contrast 42mp 61mp a7riv a7rii a7riii\" width=\"800\" height=\"517\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/A7308447.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/A7308447-300x194.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/A7308447-768x496.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-31326\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sony A7III | Laowa 20mm 4.0 Shift | f\/8.0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_31305\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-31305\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-31305\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_sample_5_pano.jpg\" alt=\"laowa 20mm 4.0 shift tilt ts-e pc-e comparison review venus optics wide angle ultra wide angle sharpness uwa resolution contrast 42mp 61mp a7riv a7rii a7riii\" width=\"800\" height=\"596\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_sample_5_pano.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_sample_5_pano-300x224.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_sample_5_pano-768x572.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-31305\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sony A7III | Laowa 20mm 4.0 Shift | f\/8.0 | shift pano<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_31304\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-31304\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-31304\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_sample_4.jpg\" alt=\"laowa 20mm 4.0 shift tilt ts-e pc-e comparison review venus optics wide angle ultra wide angle sharpness uwa resolution contrast 42mp 61mp a7riv a7rii a7riii\" width=\"800\" height=\"516\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_sample_4.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_sample_4-300x194.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_sample_4-768x495.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-31304\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sony A7III | Laowa 20mm 4.0 Shift | f\/8.0 | shifted up<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><em>Most of the sample images in this review can be found in full resolution <a href=\"https:\/\/flic.kr\/s\/aHBqjzFWxF\">here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n<h2>Disclosure<\/h2>\n<p>The Laowa 20mm 4.0 Shift was kindly provided free of charge by Venus Optics \/ Laowa for reviewing purpose for two weeks.<\/p>\n<h2>Specifications \/ Version History<\/h2>\n<p>This Laowa 20mm 4.0 Shift comes in Canon EF, Nikon F, Sony E, Nikon Z, Canon RF and L-mount. I am reviewing a Sony E sample here which has the following specifications:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li>Diameter: 91 mm (without cap and hood)<\/li>\n<li>Field of view: 94.4\u00b0\/117\u00b0 (diagonally, unshifted\/shifted)<\/li>\n<li>Length: 129 mm (without caps)<\/li>\n<li>Weight: 745g (without caps and hood)<\/li>\n<li>Filter Diameter: 82 mm<\/li>\n<li>Shift range: 11mm<\/li>\n<li>Number of Aperture Blades: 14 (rounded)<\/li>\n<li>Elements\/Groups: 16\/11<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-31222 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Laowa_20mm_4.0_Shift_Optical_Design2-300x165.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"165\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Laowa_20mm_4.0_Shift_Optical_Design2-300x165.png 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Laowa_20mm_4.0_Shift_Optical_Design2-800x440.png 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Laowa_20mm_4.0_Shift_Optical_Design2-768x422.png 768w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Laowa_20mm_4.0_Shift_Optical_Design2-672x372.png 672w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Laowa_20mm_4.0_Shift_Optical_Design2-1038x576.png 1038w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Laowa_20mm_4.0_Shift_Optical_Design2.png 1365w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/li>\n<li>Close Focusing Distance: 0.25 m<\/li>\n<li>Maximum Magnification: 1:6.7 (measured)<\/li>\n<li>Mount: Sony E<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>You may also have a look at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.venuslens.net\/product\/15mm-f-4-5-zero-d-shift\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">official page<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><em>The lens can already be preordered at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.venuslens.net\/product\/laowa-20mm-f-4-zero-d-shift\/ref\/57\">manufacturer&#8217;s homepage<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3vWU1S8\">amazon.com<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ebay.com\/sch\/i.html?_from=R40&amp;_trksid=p2380057.m570.l1313&amp;_nkw=laowa+20mm+4&amp;_sacat=0&amp;mkcid=1&amp;mkrid=711-53200-19255-0&amp;siteid=0&amp;campid=5337820268&amp;toolid=20008&amp;mkevt=1\">ebay.com<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/bhpho.to\/3CFNezO\">B&amp;H<\/a> for <strong>$1099<\/strong> (advertisement\/affiliate link)<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Handling \/ Build Quality<\/h2>\n<div class=\"mceTemp\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<figure id=\"attachment_31265\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-31265\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-31265\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Laowa_20mm_4.0_Shift_.jpg\" alt=\"laowa 20mm 4.0 shift tilt ts-e pc-e comparison review venus optics wide angle ultra wide angle sharpness uwa resolution contrast 42mp 61mp a7riv a7rii a7riii\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Laowa_20mm_4.0_Shift_.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Laowa_20mm_4.0_Shift_-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Laowa_20mm_4.0_Shift_-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-31265\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Laowa 20mm 4.0 Shift<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><em>Regarding Shift and what it can be used for best have a look at my article <a href=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/working-with-tilt-shift-lenses\/\">Working with Tilt\/Shift lenses<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Unlike most of the other Laowa lenses this one features a red ring. As far as I know there have been two versions of the Laowa 15mm 4.5 Shift: one with a blue ring, indicating 5 straight aperture blades, and one with a red ring, indicating an to me unknown (but much higher number) of aperture blades.<br \/>\nAs this one features 14 blades, this might be the reason for the red ring.<\/p>\n<p>The <strong>focus ring<\/strong> has a really nice resistance which has been the case for all the latest Laowa lenses.<br \/>\nThe focus ring travels ~90\u00b0 from the minimum focus distance (0.25m) to infinity.<\/p>\n<p>The narrow <strong>aperture ring<\/strong> is situated right behind the focus ring and has full-stop click stops &#8211; which is always my preference &#8211; and travels ~60\u00b0 from f\/4.0 to f\/22. Considering the complexity of this lens I wonder why the click stops are not equidistant though.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_31266\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-31266\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-31266\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Laowa_20mm_4.0_Shift_knob.jpg\" alt=\"laowa 20mm 4.0 shift tilt ts-e pc-e comparison review venus optics wide angle ultra wide angle sharpness uwa resolution contrast 42mp 61mp a7riv a7rii a7riii\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Laowa_20mm_4.0_Shift_knob.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Laowa_20mm_4.0_Shift_knob-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Laowa_20mm_4.0_Shift_knob-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-31266\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Shift ring, shift locking knob, rotator lever<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Next is the <strong>shift ring<\/strong> and here we have a very different design compared to the Canon TS-E and Nikon PC-E lenses. The Nikon and Canon lenses feature a locking knob on one side and an adjustment knob on the opposite side. These have often been criticized for being rather delicate and hard to operate when wearing gloves.<br \/>\nThose critics may like the Laowa approach: here you have a big ring (almost same size as the focus ring) to adjust the shift value and on one side of the lens you have a scale that tells you the amount shifted from -11 mm to +11 mm.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_31267\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-31267\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-31267\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Laowa_20mm_4.0_Shift_mechanism.jpg\" alt=\"laowa 20mm 4.0 shift tilt ts-e pc-e comparison review venus optics wide angle ultra wide angle sharpness uwa resolution contrast 42mp 61mp a7riv a7rii a7riii\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Laowa_20mm_4.0_Shift_mechanism.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Laowa_20mm_4.0_Shift_mechanism-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Laowa_20mm_4.0_Shift_mechanism-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-31267\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Shift scale on Laowa 20mm 4.0 Shift<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The ring has a high resistance and I have the feeling the mechanism is also stiffer than that of the Canon TS-E lenses, I never felt the need to use the shift lock knob.<\/p>\n<p>Close to the bayonet you can find a little lever, if you push it the whole lens can be rotated 360\u00b0 (with 15\u00b0 click stops) therefore allowing you to shift in every direction. The lens not featuring any electronics is an advantage here, but this of course also means no EXIF data is transmitted to the camera.<\/p>\n<p>When you fully shift your lens in every direction and take a picture at every 15\u00b0 rotation this is the panorama you will get, I added the <a href=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/review-laowa-9mm-5-6-ff-rl\/\">Laowa 9mm 5.6<\/a> and the <a href=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/rolling-review-laowa-15mm-2-0-zero-d\/\">Laowa 15mm 2.0<\/a> for comparison:<\/p>\n<div class=\"osc-res-tab tabbable   osc-tabs-left\"><div style=\"clear:both;width: 100%;\"><ul class=\"nav osc-res-nav nav-tabs osc-tabs-left-ul\" id=\"oscitas-restabs-1-review-laowa-20mm-4-0-shift-84298\"><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#ert_pane1-0\" data-toggle=\"tab\">9mm 5.6 Single Shot<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#ert_pane1-1\" data-toggle=\"tab\">15mm 2.0 Single shot<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#ert_pane1-2\" data-toggle=\"tab\">20mm 4.0 Single shot<\/a><\/li><li class=\"active\"><a href=\"#ert_pane1-3\" data-toggle=\"tab\">20mm 4.0 Shift Pano<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div><div style=\"clear:both;width: 100%;\"><ul class=\"tab-content\" id=\"oscitas-restabcontent-1-review-laowa-20mm-4-0-shift-84298\"><li class=\"tab-pane \" id=\"ert_pane1-0\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-31228\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/comp_9mm.jpg\" alt=\"laowa 20mm 4.0 shift tilt ts-e pc-e comparison review venus optics wide angle ultra wide angle sharpness uwa resolution contrast 42mp 61mp a7riv a7rii a7riii\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/comp_9mm.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/comp_9mm-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/comp_9mm-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/li><li class=\"tab-pane \" id=\"ert_pane1-1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-31229\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/comp_15mm_single.jpg\" alt=\"laowa 20mm 4.0 shift tilt ts-e pc-e comparison review venus optics wide angle ultra wide angle sharpness uwa resolution contrast 42mp 61mp a7riv a7rii a7riii\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/comp_15mm_single.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/comp_15mm_single-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/comp_15mm_single-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/li><li class=\"tab-pane \" id=\"ert_pane1-2\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-31231\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/comp_20mm_single.jpg\" alt=\"laowa 20mm 4.0 shift tilt ts-e pc-e comparison review venus optics wide angle ultra wide angle sharpness uwa resolution contrast 42mp 61mp a7riv a7rii a7riii\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/comp_20mm_single.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/comp_20mm_single-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/comp_20mm_single-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/li><li class=\"tab-pane active\" id=\"ert_pane1-3\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-31230\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/comp_20mm_pano.jpg\" alt=\"laowa 20mm 4.0 shift tilt ts-e pc-e comparison review venus optics wide angle ultra wide angle sharpness uwa resolution contrast 42mp 61mp a7riv a7rii a7riii\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/comp_20mm_pano.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/comp_20mm_pano-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/comp_20mm_pano-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div>\n<p>Unlike on Canon&#8217;s TS-E and Nikon&#8217;s PC-E lenses there is no tilt, the Laowa can only shift. To me personally this is all but a big deal, I never felt the tilt being very useful when it comes to ultra wide angle lenses, but if you need it you already know that and can choose your lens accordingly.<\/p>\n<p>The build quality is pretty much in line with other recent Laowa lenses: the 20mm 4.0 Shift seems to be mostly made from metal, but to me it looks like only the markings on the focus ring and the rotator are engraved and filled with paint whereas the ones on aperture ring as well as the distance scale look like they are just printed.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_31270\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-31270\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-31270\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Laowa_20mm_4.0_Shift_with_hood.jpg\" alt=\"laowa 20mm 4.0 shift tilt ts-e pc-e comparison review venus optics wide angle ultra wide angle sharpness uwa resolution contrast 42mp 61mp a7riv a7rii a7riii\" width=\"800\" height=\"497\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Laowa_20mm_4.0_Shift_with_hood.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Laowa_20mm_4.0_Shift_with_hood-300x186.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Laowa_20mm_4.0_Shift_with_hood-768x477.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-31270\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Laowa 20mm 4.0 Shift with hood attached<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>There is a lens hood included, which is very rare for wide shift lenses. It is mainly meant to be used for the unshifted lens, more on this in the vignetting section.<br \/>\nThe ring with the petals can be rotated though, so you can make some additional adjustments to the position of the hood when the lens is shifted.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_31268\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-31268\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-31268\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Laowa_20mm_4.0_Shift_size_comparison.jpg\" alt=\"laowa 20mm 4.0 shift tilt ts-e pc-e comparison review venus optics wide angle ultra wide angle sharpness uwa resolution contrast 42mp 61mp a7riv a7rii a7riii\" width=\"800\" height=\"431\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Laowa_20mm_4.0_Shift_size_comparison.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Laowa_20mm_4.0_Shift_size_comparison-300x162.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Laowa_20mm_4.0_Shift_size_comparison-768x414.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-31268\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Laowa 9mm 5.6 &#8211; 15mm 2.0 &#8211; 20mm 4.0 Shift<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The Loawa 20mm 4.0 Shift is a DSLR lens with built-in adapter, so compared to actual mirrorless wideangle designs it is a very big lens. There are no shift lenses designed for mirrorless available though and I am also not even sure they would be much smaller than the DSLR ones. Time may tell.<\/p>\n<h2>Vignetting<\/h2>\n<p><em><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-31215\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/vignetting_Laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_centered.jpg\" alt=\"laowa 20mm 4.0 shift tilt ts-e pc-e comparison review venus optics wide angle ultra wide angle sharpness uwa resolution contrast 42mp 61mp a7riv a7rii a7riii\" width=\"750\" height=\"610\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/vignetting_Laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_centered.jpg 750w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/vignetting_Laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_centered-300x244.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/em><\/p>\n<p>When using the the lens centered (unshifted) you are only using the central part of the lens, so vignetting should be less of an issue. Wide open there is still vignetting of roughly 2.0 EV, stopped down to f\/5.6 this improves to only 1.3 EV and stopped down to f\/11 it is still around 1.0 EV.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-31216\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/vignetting_Laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_shifted.jpg\" alt=\"laowa 20mm 4.0 shift tilt ts-e pc-e comparison review venus optics wide angle ultra wide angle sharpness uwa resolution contrast 42mp 61mp a7riv a7rii a7riii\" width=\"750\" height=\"610\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/vignetting_Laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_shifted.jpg 750w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/vignetting_Laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_shifted-300x244.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The results in the shifted area are of course very different. Wide open we are dealing with 3.2 EV in the most extreme corner. Stopped down to f\/5.6 this improves to 2.4 EV and stopped down to f\/11 about 1.8 EV remain.<br \/>\nShifted the values are similar to the <a href=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/review-canon-ts-e-17mm-4-0l\/\">Canon TS-E 17mm 4.0L<\/a> and noticeably better than those of the <a href=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/review-laowa-15mm-4-5-zero-d-shift\/\">Laowa 15mm 4.5 Shift<\/a>.<br \/>\nIf you want to correct the uneven vignetting I can recommend using gradients in Lightroom.<\/p>\n<p>The lens hood is mainly designed for the unshifted lens. It still allows for \u00b15mm shift up\/down, but any amount of shift left\/right will immediately lead to black corners.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_31214\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-31214\" style=\"width: 1026px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-31214\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Laowa_20mm_4.0_unshifted.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1026\" height=\"766\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Laowa_20mm_4.0_unshifted.png 1026w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Laowa_20mm_4.0_unshifted-300x224.png 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Laowa_20mm_4.0_unshifted-800x597.png 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Laowa_20mm_4.0_unshifted-768x573.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1026px) 100vw, 1026px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-31214\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Laowa 20mm 4.0 Shift C-Dreamer<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The software only allows for showing you the unshifted area, as we would expect: vignetting is rather low here.<\/p>\n<p><em>Our method of determining the vignetting figures struggles a bit with lenses this wide (e.g. stopped down you can see wrinkles of the tissue which also translates to the graphs being a bit wavy).<\/em><\/p>\n<h2>Sharpness<\/h2>\n<h3>MTF graphs<\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-31209\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Laowa_20mm_4.0_Shift_MTF.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"560\" height=\"365\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Laowa_20mm_4.0_Shift_MTF.jpg 560w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Laowa_20mm_4.0_Shift_MTF-300x196.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 560px) 100vw, 560px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>When reviewing the Canon TS-E lenses I was trying to find MTF graphs for the actual bigger image circle, but I couldn&#8217;t manage to find any, so I was delighted to see Laowa provided an MTF graph covering the whole image circle and not just the fullframe area.<\/p>\n<p>We see very high image quality in the center of the frame and the midframe up to ~18mm, so almost in the complete fullframe area (edge is at 21.5mm). There is almost no astigmatism visible in this part of the frame.<br \/>\nWe see a dip in resolution and contrast at around 25mm, so I am curious to see whether this will be visible in the pictures and how things improve on stopping down.<\/p>\n<p>I would love to compare this graph to those of the <a href=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/review-canon-ts-e-17mm-4-0l\/\">Canon TS-E 17mm 4.0L<\/a> and even more so to the Nikon PC-E 19mm 4.0, but their graphs top out at the fullframe corners. Within the fullframe area the Nikon&#8217;s MTF show higher resolution but also higher astigmatism.<\/p>\n<h3>infinity (42mp)<\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-31243\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Sharpness_Laowa_20mm_4.0_Shift.jpg\" alt=\"laowa 20mm 4.0 shift tilt ts-e pc-e comparison review venus optics wide angle ultra wide angle sharpness uwa resolution contrast 42mp 61mp a7riv a7rii a7riii\" width=\"1050\" height=\"1961\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Sharpness_Laowa_20mm_4.0_Shift.jpg 1050w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Sharpness_Laowa_20mm_4.0_Shift-161x300.jpg 161w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Sharpness_Laowa_20mm_4.0_Shift-685x1280.jpg 685w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Sharpness_Laowa_20mm_4.0_Shift-768x1434.jpg 768w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Sharpness_Laowa_20mm_4.0_Shift-822x1536.jpg 822w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1050px) 100vw, 1050px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Lenses with such a high viewing angle usually feature a wavy field and this Laowa 20mm 4.0 Shift is no exception.<\/p>\n<p>We will first have a look at the performance unshifted. Interestingly there is an area not that far from the center where there is a very noticeable drop in performance at wider apertures. There <em>is<\/em> a dent in the MTF graphs visible here (around ~11mm from the center), but the dip is more noticeable in the real world than I would have expected.<br \/>\nFarther away from the center the performance is better, especially the fullframe corners that look great from wide open.<br \/>\nStopped down to f\/8.0 the across frame performance hardly leaves anything to be desired and I guess this is how this lens will be used mostly.<\/p>\n<p>Now looking at the shifted corners I noticed that the very extreme corners actually look pretty good from f\/4.0, but the area shortly before that (around ~28mm from the center) looks worse, so I decided to show you this area instead. In this area f\/16 actually looks a bit better than f\/11, which is rare, as usually the loss in image quality due to diffraction eats up possible image quality improvements due to stopping the lens down.<\/p>\n<p>To put things into perspective: the performance at f\/8.0 to f\/11 in the shifted areas is actually better than that of the <a href=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/review-laowa-15mm-4-5-zero-d-shift\/\">Laowa 15mm 4.5 Shift<\/a> and the <a href=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/review-canon-ts-e-17mm-4-0l\/#Sharpness\">Canon TS-E 17mm 4.0L<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>So long story short: the sharpness performance is pretty good.<\/p>\n<h3>close (0.25 m, 1:6.7)<em><br \/>\n<\/em><\/h3>\n<div class=\"osc-res-tab tabbable   osc-tabs-left\"><div style=\"clear:both;width: 100%;\"><ul class=\"nav osc-res-nav nav-tabs osc-tabs-left-ul\" id=\"oscitas-restabs-2-review-laowa-20mm-4-0-shift-84844\"><li class=\"active\"><a href=\"#ert_pane2-0\" data-toggle=\"tab\">f\/4.0<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#ert_pane2-1\" data-toggle=\"tab\">f\/5.6<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#ert_pane2-2\" data-toggle=\"tab\">f\/8.0<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#ert_pane2-3\" data-toggle=\"tab\">f\/11 border fully shifted<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div><div style=\"clear:both;width: 100%;\"><ul class=\"tab-content\" id=\"oscitas-restabcontent-2-review-laowa-20mm-4-0-shift-84844\"><li class=\"tab-pane active\" id=\"ert_pane2-0\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-31276\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_sharpness_close_4.0.jpg\" alt=\"laowa 20mm 4.0 shift tilt ts-e pc-e comparison review venus optics wide angle ultra wide angle sharpness uwa resolution contrast 42mp 61mp a7riv a7rii a7riii\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_sharpness_close_4.0.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_sharpness_close_4.0-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_sharpness_close_4.0-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/li><li class=\"tab-pane \" id=\"ert_pane2-1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-31277\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_sharpness_close_5.6.jpg\" alt=\"laowa 20mm 4.0 shift tilt ts-e pc-e comparison review venus optics wide angle ultra wide angle sharpness uwa resolution contrast 42mp 61mp a7riv a7rii a7riii\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_sharpness_close_5.6.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_sharpness_close_5.6-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_sharpness_close_5.6-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/li><li class=\"tab-pane \" id=\"ert_pane2-2\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-31278\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_sharpness_close_8.0.jpg\" alt=\"laowa 20mm 4.0 shift tilt ts-e pc-e comparison review venus optics wide angle ultra wide angle sharpness uwa resolution contrast 42mp 61mp a7riv a7rii a7riii\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_sharpness_close_8.0.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_sharpness_close_8.0-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_sharpness_close_8.0-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/li><li class=\"tab-pane \" id=\"ert_pane2-3\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-31279\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_sharpness_close_11_shifted.jpg\" alt=\"laowa 20mm 4.0 shift tilt ts-e pc-e comparison review venus optics wide angle ultra wide angle sharpness uwa resolution contrast 42mp 61mp a7riv a7rii a7riii\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_sharpness_close_11_shifted.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_sharpness_close_11_shifted-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_sharpness_close_11_shifted-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"color: #999999;\"><em>100% crops, A7rII<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p>With the minimum focus distance of just 0.25 m you can get really close to your subject. In the center the performance is very good already wide open and stopping down only slightly improves the sharpness.<br \/>\nIf you place your subject close to the unshifted borders the resolution is quite okay, but when you fully shift the lens and place your subject near that extended border region the resolution never reaches really good levels, not even on stopping down considerably. Not sure anyone ever wants to use under these circumstances, but if you wanted to know: now you know.<br \/>\nI noticed the same behaviour on the <a href=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/review-laowa-15mm-4-5-zero-d-shift\/\">Laowa 15mm 4.5 Shift<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/review-canon-ts-e-17mm-4-0l\/\">Canon TS-E 17mm 4.0L<\/a> and also on similarly wide lenses like the <a href=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/review-voigtlander-10mm-5-6-e-hyper-wide-heliar\/\">Voigtlander 10mm 5.6<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/review-laowa-10-18mm-4-5-5-6-fe-c-dreamer\/\">Laowa 10-18mm 4.5-5.6<\/a>. The exception here is the <a href=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/review-laowa-9mm-5-6-ff-rl\/\">Laowa 9mm 5.6<\/a> that manages to maintain really good across frame sharpness at these distances albeit at the cost of higher distortion.<\/p>\n<h2>Flare resistance<\/h2>\n<p>As always evaluating flare is a complex matter since you can get any lens to look bad if you push it hard enough and a slight change of scenario can affect results a lot.<span id=\"infinity_42mp_Sony_A7rII\" tabindex=\"-1\"><\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Sun outside frame<\/strong><\/h3>\n<div class=\"osc-res-tab tabbable   osc-tabs-left\"><div style=\"clear:both;width: 100%;\"><ul class=\"nav osc-res-nav nav-tabs osc-tabs-left-ul\" id=\"oscitas-restabs-3-review-laowa-20mm-4-0-shift-56575\"><li class=\"active\"><a href=\"#ert_pane3-0\" data-toggle=\"tab\">no hood<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#ert_pane3-1\" data-toggle=\"tab\">hood<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div><div style=\"clear:both;width: 100%;\"><ul class=\"tab-content\" id=\"oscitas-restabcontent-3-review-laowa-20mm-4-0-shift-56575\"><li class=\"tab-pane active\" id=\"ert_pane3-0\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-31245\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_flare_sample_11_1.jpg\" alt=\"laowa 20mm 4.0 shift tilt ts-e pc-e comparison review venus optics wide angle ultra wide angle sharpness uwa resolution contrast 42mp 61mp a7riv a7rii a7riii\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_flare_sample_11_1.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_flare_sample_11_1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_flare_sample_11_1-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/li><li class=\"tab-pane \" id=\"ert_pane3-1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-31247\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_flare_sample_11_ghosts.jpg\" alt=\"laowa 20mm 4.0 shift tilt ts-e pc-e comparison review venus optics wide angle ultra wide angle sharpness uwa resolution contrast 42mp 61mp a7riv a7rii a7riii\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_flare_sample_11_ghosts.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_flare_sample_11_ghosts-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_flare_sample_11_ghosts-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div>\n<p>With the sun outside the frame, especially close to one of the corners, many lenses struggle. The Laowa 20mm 4.0 Shift also shows a rather big flare in these situations, but the performance gets better when using the hood. Keep in mind: the hood does not allow for the complete shift movements.<\/p>\n<p>Therefore I often went out without the hood and tried to shade the lens with my hand instead, which also helps a bit.<\/p>\n<div class=\"osc-res-tab tabbable   osc-tabs-left\"><div style=\"clear:both;width: 100%;\"><ul class=\"nav osc-res-nav nav-tabs osc-tabs-left-ul\" id=\"oscitas-restabs-4-review-laowa-20mm-4-0-shift-47400\"><li class=\"active\"><a href=\"#ert_pane4-0\" data-toggle=\"tab\">no hood<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#ert_pane4-1\" data-toggle=\"tab\">shaded by hand<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div><div style=\"clear:both;width: 100%;\"><ul class=\"tab-content\" id=\"oscitas-restabcontent-4-review-laowa-20mm-4-0-shift-47400\"><li class=\"tab-pane active\" id=\"ert_pane4-0\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-31284\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_flare_unshaded.jpg\" alt=\"laowa 20mm 4.0 shift tilt ts-e pc-e comparison review venus optics wide angle ultra wide angle sharpness uwa resolution contrast 42mp 61mp a7riv a7rii a7riii\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_flare_unshaded.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_flare_unshaded-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_flare_unshaded-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/li><li class=\"tab-pane \" id=\"ert_pane4-1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-31283\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_flare_hand.jpg\" alt=\"laowa 20mm 4.0 shift tilt ts-e pc-e comparison review venus optics wide angle ultra wide angle sharpness uwa resolution contrast 42mp 61mp a7riv a7rii a7riii\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_flare_hand.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_flare_hand-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_flare_hand-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div>\n<h3><strong>Sun inside frame<\/strong><\/h3>\n<figure id=\"attachment_31246\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-31246\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-31246\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_flare_sample_11_1_hood.jpg\" alt=\"laowa 20mm 4.0 shift tilt ts-e pc-e comparison review venus optics wide angle ultra wide angle sharpness uwa resolution contrast 42mp 61mp a7riv a7rii a7riii\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_flare_sample_11_1_hood.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_flare_sample_11_1_hood-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_flare_sample_11_1_hood-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-31246\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sony A7rII | Laowa 20mm 4.0 Shift | f\/11<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>With the sun inside the frame also ghosts can appear. Generally I found this to not be a big issue, but if you want to make the lens look bad this is also possible, as can be seen in this worst case scenario:<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_31309\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-31309\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-31309\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_sample_14.jpg\" alt=\"laowa 20mm 4.0 shift tilt ts-e pc-e comparison review venus optics wide angle ultra wide angle sharpness uwa resolution contrast 42mp 61mp a7riv a7rii a7riii\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_sample_14.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_sample_14-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_sample_14-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-31309\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sony A7rII | Laowa 20mm 4.0 Shift | f\/16<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>One thing shall be noted though: at f\/4.0 it was rather easy to catch a very obvious ring flare. I was told the sample I received was an early sample and later samples will have improved blackening of the lens elements and this effect should not occur anymore. Nevertheless, even stopping down just a little will make this go away completely.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_31244\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-31244\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-31244\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_flare_sample_4.0_1.jpg\" alt=\"laowa 20mm 4.0 shift tilt ts-e pc-e comparison review venus optics wide angle ultra wide angle sharpness uwa resolution contrast 42mp 61mp a7riv a7rii a7riii\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_flare_sample_4.0_1.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_flare_sample_4.0_1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_flare_sample_4.0_1-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-31244\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sony A7rII | Laowa 20mm 4.0 Shift | f\/4.0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>Coma<\/h2>\n<p><div class=\"osc-res-tab tabbable   osc-tabs-left\"><div style=\"clear:both;width: 100%;\"><ul class=\"nav osc-res-nav nav-tabs osc-tabs-left-ul\" id=\"oscitas-restabs-5-review-laowa-20mm-4-0-shift-65257\"><li class=\"active\"><a href=\"#ert_pane5-0\" data-toggle=\"tab\">f\/4.0<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#ert_pane5-1\" data-toggle=\"tab\">f\/5.6<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#ert_pane5-2\" data-toggle=\"tab\">f\/8.0<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#ert_pane5-3\" data-toggle=\"tab\">f\/11<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div><div style=\"clear:both;width: 100%;\"><ul class=\"tab-content\" id=\"oscitas-restabcontent-5-review-laowa-20mm-4-0-shift-65257\"><li class=\"tab-pane active\" id=\"ert_pane5-0\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-31388\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_coma_unshifted_4.0.jpg\" alt=\"laowa 20mm 4.0 shift tilt ts-e pc-e comparison review venus optics wide angle ultra wide angle sharpness uwa resolution contrast 42mp 61mp a7riv a7rii a7riii\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_coma_unshifted_4.0.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_coma_unshifted_4.0-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_coma_unshifted_4.0-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/li><li class=\"tab-pane \" id=\"ert_pane5-1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-31389\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_coma_unshifted_5.6.jpg\" alt=\"laowa 20mm 4.0 shift tilt ts-e pc-e comparison review venus optics wide angle ultra wide angle sharpness uwa resolution contrast 42mp 61mp a7riv a7rii a7riii\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_coma_unshifted_5.6.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_coma_unshifted_5.6-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_coma_unshifted_5.6-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/li><li class=\"tab-pane \" id=\"ert_pane5-2\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-31390\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_coma_unshifted_8.0.jpg\" alt=\"laowa 20mm 4.0 shift tilt ts-e pc-e comparison review venus optics wide angle ultra wide angle sharpness uwa resolution contrast 42mp 61mp a7riv a7rii a7riii\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_coma_unshifted_8.0.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_coma_unshifted_8.0-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_coma_unshifted_8.0-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/li><li class=\"tab-pane \" id=\"ert_pane5-3\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-31391\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_coma_unshifted_11.jpg\" alt=\"laowa 20mm 4.0 shift tilt ts-e pc-e comparison review venus optics wide angle ultra wide angle sharpness uwa resolution contrast 42mp 61mp a7riv a7rii a7riii\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_coma_unshifted_11.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_coma_unshifted_11-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_coma_unshifted_11-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><span style=\"color: #999999;\"><em>Sony A7rII, 100% crop extreme corner unshifted<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Coma in the unshifted extreme corner is rather unobstrusive. Stopped down to f\/5.6 the performance is already really good and it only improves marginally on stopping down to f\/8.0 and f\/11.<\/p>\n<p><div class=\"osc-res-tab tabbable   osc-tabs-left\"><div style=\"clear:both;width: 100%;\"><ul class=\"nav osc-res-nav nav-tabs osc-tabs-left-ul\" id=\"oscitas-restabs-6-review-laowa-20mm-4-0-shift-54834\"><li class=\"active\"><a href=\"#ert_pane6-0\" data-toggle=\"tab\">f\/4.0<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#ert_pane6-1\" data-toggle=\"tab\">f\/5.6<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#ert_pane6-2\" data-toggle=\"tab\">f\/8.0<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#ert_pane6-3\" data-toggle=\"tab\">f\/11<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div><div style=\"clear:both;width: 100%;\"><ul class=\"tab-content\" id=\"oscitas-restabcontent-6-review-laowa-20mm-4-0-shift-54834\"><li class=\"tab-pane active\" id=\"ert_pane6-0\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-31384\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_coma_shifted_4.0.jpg\" alt=\"laowa 20mm 4.0 shift tilt ts-e pc-e comparison review venus optics wide angle ultra wide angle sharpness uwa resolution contrast 42mp 61mp a7riv a7rii a7riii\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_coma_shifted_4.0.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_coma_shifted_4.0-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_coma_shifted_4.0-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/li><li class=\"tab-pane \" id=\"ert_pane6-1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-31385\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_coma_shifted_5.6.jpg\" alt=\"laowa 20mm 4.0 shift tilt ts-e pc-e comparison review venus optics wide angle ultra wide angle sharpness uwa resolution contrast 42mp 61mp a7riv a7rii a7riii\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_coma_shifted_5.6.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_coma_shifted_5.6-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_coma_shifted_5.6-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/li><li class=\"tab-pane \" id=\"ert_pane6-2\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-31386\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_coma_shifted_8.0.jpg\" alt=\"laowa 20mm 4.0 shift tilt ts-e pc-e comparison review venus optics wide angle ultra wide angle sharpness uwa resolution contrast 42mp 61mp a7riv a7rii a7riii\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_coma_shifted_8.0.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_coma_shifted_8.0-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_coma_shifted_8.0-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/li><li class=\"tab-pane \" id=\"ert_pane6-3\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-31387\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_coma_shifted_11.jpg\" alt=\"laowa 20mm 4.0 shift tilt ts-e pc-e comparison review venus optics wide angle ultra wide angle sharpness uwa resolution contrast 42mp 61mp a7riv a7rii a7riii\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_coma_shifted_11.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_coma_shifted_11-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_coma_shifted_11-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><span style=\"color: #999999;\"><em>Sony A7rII, 100% crop extreme corner shifted<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p>As was already the case with the <a href=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/review-laowa-15mm-4-5-zero-d-shift\/\">Laowa 15mm 4.5 Shift<\/a> the situation in the extreme corners when fully shifted is actually very similar, slight coma at f\/4.0, significant improvements on stopping down to f\/5.6 or further.<\/p>\n<h2>Distortion<\/h2>\n<div class=\"osc-res-tab tabbable   osc-tabs-left\"><div style=\"clear:both;width: 100%;\"><ul class=\"nav osc-res-nav nav-tabs osc-tabs-left-ul\" id=\"oscitas-restabs-7-review-laowa-20mm-4-0-shift-80521\"><li class=\"active\"><a href=\"#ert_pane7-0\" data-toggle=\"tab\">unshifted<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#ert_pane7-1\" data-toggle=\"tab\">shift up 11mm<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#ert_pane7-2\" data-toggle=\"tab\">shift left 11mm<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div><div style=\"clear:both;width: 100%;\"><ul class=\"tab-content\" id=\"oscitas-restabcontent-7-review-laowa-20mm-4-0-shift-80521\"><li class=\"tab-pane active\" id=\"ert_pane7-0\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-31237\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_distortion_unshifted.jpg\" alt=\"laowa 20mm 4.0 shift tilt ts-e pc-e comparison review venus optics wide angle ultra wide angle sharpness uwa resolution contrast 42mp 61mp a7riv a7rii a7riii\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_distortion_unshifted.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_distortion_unshifted-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_distortion_unshifted-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/li><li class=\"tab-pane \" id=\"ert_pane7-1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-31238\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_distortion_shifted_up.jpg\" alt=\"laowa 20mm 4.0 shift tilt ts-e pc-e comparison review venus optics wide angle ultra wide angle sharpness uwa resolution contrast 42mp 61mp a7riv a7rii a7riii\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_distortion_shifted_up.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_distortion_shifted_up-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_distortion_shifted_up-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/li><li class=\"tab-pane \" id=\"ert_pane7-2\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-31239\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_distortion_shifted_left.jpg\" alt=\"laowa 20mm 4.0 shift tilt ts-e pc-e comparison review venus optics wide angle ultra wide angle sharpness uwa resolution contrast 42mp 61mp a7riv a7rii a7riii\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_distortion_shifted_left.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_distortion_shifted_left-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_distortion_shifted_left-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div>\n<p>There is hardly any distortion visible, even in the shifted areas, and the performance is actually better than those of the <a href=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/review-laowa-15mm-4-5-zero-d-shift\/\">Laowa 15mm 4.5 Shift<\/a> and the <a href=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/review-canon-ts-e-17mm-4-0l\/\">Canon TS-E 17mm 4.0L<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>Sunstars<\/h2>\n<p>Unlike most of the other recent Laowa ultra wide angle lenses this one features 14 aperture blades, not 5.<br \/>\nWe see no sunstars at f\/4.0, rather frayed sunstars between f\/5.6 and f\/11 and well defined 14-stroke sunstars between f\/16 and f\/22.<br \/>\nIf you find the sunstars created by 5 straight aperture blades too distracting you might prefer this lens and if you want to learn more about sunstars have a look at <a href=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/best-lenses-for-sunstars\/\">this article<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><div class=\"osc-res-tab tabbable   osc-tabs-left\"><div style=\"clear:both;width: 100%;\"><ul class=\"nav osc-res-nav nav-tabs osc-tabs-left-ul\" id=\"oscitas-restabs-8-review-laowa-20mm-4-0-shift-69419\"><li class=\"active\"><a href=\"#ert_pane8-0\" data-toggle=\"tab\">f\/4.0<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#ert_pane8-1\" data-toggle=\"tab\">f\/5.6<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#ert_pane8-2\" data-toggle=\"tab\">f\/8.0<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#ert_pane8-3\" data-toggle=\"tab\">f\/11<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#ert_pane8-4\" data-toggle=\"tab\">f\/16<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#ert_pane8-5\" data-toggle=\"tab\">f\/22<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div><div style=\"clear:both;width: 100%;\"><ul class=\"tab-content\" id=\"oscitas-restabcontent-8-review-laowa-20mm-4-0-shift-69419\"><li class=\"tab-pane active\" id=\"ert_pane8-0\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-31297\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_sunstars_4.0.jpg\" alt=\"laowa 20mm 4.0 shift tilt ts-e pc-e comparison review venus optics wide angle ultra wide angle sharpness uwa resolution contrast 42mp 61mp a7riv a7rii a7riii\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_sunstars_4.0.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_sunstars_4.0-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_sunstars_4.0-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/li><li class=\"tab-pane \" id=\"ert_pane8-1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-31298\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_sunstars_5.6.jpg\" alt=\"laowa 20mm 4.0 shift tilt ts-e pc-e comparison review venus optics wide angle ultra wide angle sharpness uwa resolution contrast 42mp 61mp a7riv a7rii a7riii\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_sunstars_5.6.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_sunstars_5.6-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_sunstars_5.6-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/li><li class=\"tab-pane \" id=\"ert_pane8-2\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-31299\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_sunstars_8.jpg\" alt=\"laowa 20mm 4.0 shift tilt ts-e pc-e comparison review venus optics wide angle ultra wide angle sharpness uwa resolution contrast 42mp 61mp a7riv a7rii a7riii\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_sunstars_8.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_sunstars_8-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_sunstars_8-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/li><li class=\"tab-pane \" id=\"ert_pane8-3\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-31300\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_sunstars_11.jpg\" alt=\"laowa 20mm 4.0 shift tilt ts-e pc-e comparison review venus optics wide angle ultra wide angle sharpness uwa resolution contrast 42mp 61mp a7riv a7rii a7riii\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_sunstars_11.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_sunstars_11-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_sunstars_11-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/li><li class=\"tab-pane \" id=\"ert_pane8-4\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-31301\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_sunstars_16.jpg\" alt=\"laowa 20mm 4.0 shift tilt ts-e pc-e comparison review venus optics wide angle ultra wide angle sharpness uwa resolution contrast 42mp 61mp a7riv a7rii a7riii\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_sunstars_16.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_sunstars_16-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_sunstars_16-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/li><li class=\"tab-pane \" id=\"ert_pane8-5\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-31302\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_sunstars_22.jpg\" alt=\"laowa 20mm 4.0 shift tilt ts-e pc-e comparison review venus optics wide angle ultra wide angle sharpness uwa resolution contrast 42mp 61mp a7riv a7rii a7riii\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_sunstars_22.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_sunstars_22-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_sunstars_22-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #999999;\"><em>crops, A7rII<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Chromatic aberration<\/h2>\n<h3><strong>lateral<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><div class=\"osc-res-tab tabbable   osc-tabs-left\"><div style=\"clear:both;width: 100%;\"><ul class=\"nav osc-res-nav nav-tabs osc-tabs-left-ul\" id=\"oscitas-restabs-9-review-laowa-20mm-4-0-shift-63744\"><li class=\"active\"><a href=\"#ert_pane9-0\" data-toggle=\"tab\">overview unshifted<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#ert_pane9-1\" data-toggle=\"tab\">crop unshifted uncorrected<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#ert_pane9-2\" data-toggle=\"tab\">crop unshifted corrected<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#ert_pane9-3\" data-toggle=\"tab\">overview shifted<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#ert_pane9-4\" data-toggle=\"tab\">crop shifted uncorrected<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#ert_pane9-5\" data-toggle=\"tab\">crop shifted corrected<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div><div style=\"clear:both;width: 100%;\"><ul class=\"tab-content\" id=\"oscitas-restabcontent-9-review-laowa-20mm-4-0-shift-63744\"><li class=\"tab-pane active\" id=\"ert_pane9-0\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-31257\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Laowa_20mm_4.0_laCA_overview_unshifted.jpg\" alt=\"laowa 20mm 4.0 shift tilt ts-e pc-e comparison review venus optics wide angle ultra wide angle sharpness uwa resolution contrast 42mp 61mp a7riv a7rii a7riii\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Laowa_20mm_4.0_laCA_overview_unshifted.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Laowa_20mm_4.0_laCA_overview_unshifted-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Laowa_20mm_4.0_laCA_overview_unshifted-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/li><li class=\"tab-pane \" id=\"ert_pane9-1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-31259\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Laowa_20mm_4.0_laCA_overview_unshifted_crop_uncorrected.jpg\" alt=\"laowa 20mm 4.0 shift tilt ts-e pc-e comparison review venus optics wide angle ultra wide angle sharpness uwa resolution contrast 42mp 61mp a7riv a7rii a7riii\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Laowa_20mm_4.0_laCA_overview_unshifted_crop_uncorrected.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Laowa_20mm_4.0_laCA_overview_unshifted_crop_uncorrected-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Laowa_20mm_4.0_laCA_overview_unshifted_crop_uncorrected-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/li><li class=\"tab-pane \" id=\"ert_pane9-2\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-31258\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Laowa_20mm_4.0_laCA_overview_unshifted_crop_corrected.jpg\" alt=\"laowa 20mm 4.0 shift tilt ts-e pc-e comparison review venus optics wide angle ultra wide angle sharpness uwa resolution contrast 42mp 61mp a7riv a7rii a7riii\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Laowa_20mm_4.0_laCA_overview_unshifted_crop_corrected.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Laowa_20mm_4.0_laCA_overview_unshifted_crop_corrected-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Laowa_20mm_4.0_laCA_overview_unshifted_crop_corrected-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/li><li class=\"tab-pane \" id=\"ert_pane9-3\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-31254\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Laowa_20mm_4.0_laCA_overview_shifted.jpg\" alt=\"laowa 20mm 4.0 shift tilt ts-e pc-e comparison review venus optics wide angle ultra wide angle sharpness uwa resolution contrast 42mp 61mp a7riv a7rii a7riii\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Laowa_20mm_4.0_laCA_overview_shifted.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Laowa_20mm_4.0_laCA_overview_shifted-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Laowa_20mm_4.0_laCA_overview_shifted-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/li><li class=\"tab-pane \" id=\"ert_pane9-4\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-31256\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Laowa_20mm_4.0_laCA_overview_shifted_crop_uncorrected.jpg\" alt=\"laowa 20mm 4.0 shift tilt ts-e pc-e comparison review venus optics wide angle ultra wide angle sharpness uwa resolution contrast 42mp 61mp a7riv a7rii a7riii\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Laowa_20mm_4.0_laCA_overview_shifted_crop_uncorrected.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Laowa_20mm_4.0_laCA_overview_shifted_crop_uncorrected-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Laowa_20mm_4.0_laCA_overview_shifted_crop_uncorrected-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/li><li class=\"tab-pane \" id=\"ert_pane9-5\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-31255\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Laowa_20mm_4.0_laCA_overview_shifted_crop_corrected.jpg\" alt=\"laowa 20mm 4.0 shift tilt ts-e pc-e comparison review venus optics wide angle ultra wide angle sharpness uwa resolution contrast 42mp 61mp a7riv a7rii a7riii\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Laowa_20mm_4.0_laCA_overview_shifted_crop_corrected.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Laowa_20mm_4.0_laCA_overview_shifted_crop_corrected-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Laowa_20mm_4.0_laCA_overview_shifted_crop_corrected-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><em><br \/>\n<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Usually lateral CA are easily corrected by just one click and unshifted this is also the case here. Shifted the situation is not that simple though, the lateral CA patterns are not symmetrical and therefore the auto correction does not always work properly, but surprisingly it did here nevertheless.<\/p>\n<p>For the cases where it doesn&#8217;t work as well I recommend turning the auto correction off and using the manual defringe CA removal tool as an alternative (the one usually used for removing longitudinal CA).<\/p>\n<h3><strong>longitudinal<\/strong><\/h3>\n<figure id=\"attachment_31273\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-31273\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-31273\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_focus_shift_4.0.jpg\" alt=\"laowa 20mm 4.0 shift tilt ts-e pc-e comparison review venus optics wide angle ultra wide angle sharpness uwa resolution contrast 42mp 61mp a7riv a7rii a7riii\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_focus_shift_4.0.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_focus_shift_4.0-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_focus_shift_4.0-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-31273\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sony A7rII | Laowa 20mm 4.0 Shift | f\/4.0 | 33% crop<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The Laowa 20mm 4.0 Shift shows a really good correction of longitudinal CA. The sample below is a real stress test for purple fringing and we can rarely see any. A very good performance.<\/p>\n<p><div class=\"osc-res-tab tabbable   osc-tabs-left\"><div style=\"clear:both;width: 100%;\"><ul class=\"nav osc-res-nav nav-tabs osc-tabs-left-ul\" id=\"oscitas-restabs-10-review-laowa-20mm-4-0-shift-99806\"><li class=\"active\"><a href=\"#ert_pane10-0\" data-toggle=\"tab\">overview<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#ert_pane10-1\" data-toggle=\"tab\">100% crop<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div><div style=\"clear:both;width: 100%;\"><ul class=\"tab-content\" id=\"oscitas-restabcontent-10-review-laowa-20mm-4-0-shift-99806\"><li class=\"tab-pane active\" id=\"ert_pane10-0\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-31295\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_sample_loca.jpg\" alt=\"laowa 20mm 4.0 shift tilt ts-e pc-e comparison review venus optics wide angle ultra wide angle sharpness uwa resolution contrast 42mp 61mp a7riv a7rii a7riii\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_sample_loca.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_sample_loca-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_sample_loca-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/li><li class=\"tab-pane \" id=\"ert_pane10-1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-31296\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_sample_loca_crop.jpg\" alt=\"laowa 20mm 4.0 shift tilt ts-e pc-e comparison review venus optics wide angle ultra wide angle sharpness uwa resolution contrast 42mp 61mp a7riv a7rii a7riii\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_sample_loca_crop.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_sample_loca_crop-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_sample_loca_crop-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #999999;\"><em>Sony A7rII | Laowa 20mm 4.0 Shift | f\/4.0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Focus shift<\/h2>\n<p><div class=\"osc-res-tab tabbable   osc-tabs-left\"><div style=\"clear:both;width: 100%;\"><ul class=\"nav osc-res-nav nav-tabs osc-tabs-left-ul\" id=\"oscitas-restabs-11-review-laowa-20mm-4-0-shift-38702\"><li class=\"active\"><a href=\"#ert_pane11-0\" data-toggle=\"tab\">f\/4.0<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#ert_pane11-1\" data-toggle=\"tab\">f\/5.6<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#ert_pane11-2\" data-toggle=\"tab\">f\/8.0<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div><div style=\"clear:both;width: 100%;\"><ul class=\"tab-content\" id=\"oscitas-restabcontent-11-review-laowa-20mm-4-0-shift-38702\"><li class=\"tab-pane active\" id=\"ert_pane11-0\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-31273\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_focus_shift_4.0.jpg\" alt=\"laowa 20mm 4.0 shift tilt ts-e pc-e comparison review venus optics wide angle ultra wide angle sharpness uwa resolution contrast 42mp 61mp a7riv a7rii a7riii\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_focus_shift_4.0.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_focus_shift_4.0-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_focus_shift_4.0-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/li><li class=\"tab-pane \" id=\"ert_pane11-1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-31274\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_focus_shift_5.6.jpg\" alt=\"laowa 20mm 4.0 shift tilt ts-e pc-e comparison review venus optics wide angle ultra wide angle sharpness uwa resolution contrast 42mp 61mp a7riv a7rii a7riii\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_focus_shift_5.6.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_focus_shift_5.6-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_focus_shift_5.6-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/li><li class=\"tab-pane \" id=\"ert_pane11-2\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-31275\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_focus_shift_8.0.jpg\" alt=\"laowa 20mm 4.0 shift tilt ts-e pc-e comparison review venus optics wide angle ultra wide angle sharpness uwa resolution contrast 42mp 61mp a7riv a7rii a7riii\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_focus_shift_8.0.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_focus_shift_8.0-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_focus_shift_8.0-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #999999;\"><em>33% crops, A7rII<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p>The Laowa 20mm 4.0 Shift shows a tiny bit of front focus on stopping down, most noticeable between f\/5.6 and f\/8.0. This is actually the first lens where I observed a front focus on stopping down, usually it is back focus.<br \/>\nNevertheless, it is minimal and will be hardly visible at longer focus distances, especially at infinity. And if you first stop the lens down and focus afterwards it is even less relevant.<\/p>\n<h2>Alternatives<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/review-canon-ts-e-17mm-4-0l\/\"><em><strong>Canon TS-E 17mm 4.0L:<\/strong><\/em><\/a><br \/>\nThis Canon lens can also be tilted, so if you are after that this should be the lens to consider. Optically I found it to be worse in most categories compared to this Laowa 20mm 4.0, especially in terms of corner resolution and flare resistance, but also in terms of distortion.<br \/>\n<em>buy from <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/2RpMdp3\">amazon.com<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/2DBJNME\">amazon.de<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/bhpho.to\/2BUU0By\">B&amp;H<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ebay.com\/sch\/i.html?LH_CAds=&amp;_ex_kw=&amp;_fpos=&amp;_fspt=1&amp;_mPrRngCbx=1&amp;_nkw=canon+ts+17+4.0&amp;_sacat=625&amp;_sadis=&amp;_sop=12&amp;_udhi=&amp;_udlo=&amp;_fosrp=1&amp;mkrid=711-53200-19255-0&amp;siteid=0&amp;mkcid=1&amp;campid=5337820268&amp;toolid=10001&amp;customid=&amp;mkevt=1\">ebay.com<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ebay.de\/sch\/i.html?_ex_kw=&amp;_mPrRngCbx=1&amp;_nkw=canon+ts-e+17mm+4.0+l&amp;_sacat=625&amp;_sop=12&amp;_udhi=&amp;_udlo=&amp;_fosrp=1&amp;mkrid=707-53477-19255-0&amp;siteid=77&amp;mkcid=1&amp;campid=5337820268&amp;toolid=10001&amp;customid=&amp;mkevt=1\">ebay.de<\/a> for <strong>$2150 <\/strong>(advertisement\/affiliate links)<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Laowa 17mm 4.0 (<a href=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/review-laowa-12mm-2-8-zero-d\/\">Laowa 12mm 2.8 Zero-D<\/a> on <a href=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/review-laowa-magic-shift-converter-17mm-4-0\/\">Magic Shift Converter<\/a>):<\/strong><\/em><br \/>\nHere you only get 10mm shift and it is slightly worse optically but you have the option of using it as a 12mm 2.8 for e.g. astrophotography, which can be a big benefit.<br \/>\n<em>buy from <a href=\"http:\/\/www.venuslens.net\/product\/laowa-magic-shift-converter\/ref\/57\/\">manufacturer&#8217;s shop<\/a> | <a href=\"http:\/\/amzn.to\/2CsHyYa\">amazon.com<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ebay.com\/sch\/i.html?LH_CAds=&amp;_ex_kw=&amp;_fpos=&amp;_fspt=1&amp;_mPrRngCbx=1&amp;_nkw=laowa+shift+converter&amp;_sacat=625&amp;_sadis=&amp;_sop=12&amp;_udhi=&amp;_udlo=&amp;_fosrp=1&amp;mkrid=711-53200-19255-0&amp;siteid=0&amp;mkcid=1&amp;campid=5337820268&amp;toolid=10001&amp;customid=&amp;mkevt=1\">ebay.com<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/bhpho.to\/2JNn0SR\">B&amp;H<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ebay.de\/sch\/i.html?_ex_kw=&amp;_mPrRngCbx=1&amp;_nkw=laowa+shift+converter&amp;_sacat=625&amp;_sop=12&amp;_udhi=&amp;_udlo=&amp;_fosrp=1&amp;mkrid=707-53477-19255-0&amp;siteid=77&amp;mkcid=1&amp;campid=5337820268&amp;toolid=10001&amp;customid=&amp;mkevt=1\">ebay.de<\/a> for a total of <strong>$1249<\/strong> (advertisement\/affiliate links)<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/review-laowa-15mm-4-5-zero-d-shift\/\"><em><strong>Laowa 15mm 4.5 Zero-D Shift:<\/strong><\/em><\/a><br \/>\nThe Laowa 15mm 4.5 Shift is the widest shift lens available. The optical performance is a little bit worse &#8211; which isn&#8217;t overly surprising considering the difference in focal length &#8211; and there is no easy to use filter thread.<br \/>\nPersonally, considering the difference in price is only $100, I would rather get this 15mm 4.5 lens. It allows for more spectacular perspectives and can be used in even narrower cityscapes where you usually don&#8217;t have the luxury of &#8220;going a few steps back&#8221;.<br \/>\n<em>buy from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.venuslens.net\/product\/15mm-f-4-5-zero-d-shift\/ref\/57\/\">manufacturer&#8217;s homepage<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/bhpho.to\/3GXX2ol\">B&amp;H<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3v1PDlr\">amazon.com<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/33CK7KS\">amazon.de<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/ebay.us\/B9qLVH\">ebay.com<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/ebay.us\/CVUz96\">ebay.de<\/a> for <strong>$1199<\/strong> (advertisement\/affiliate links)<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/review-laowa-9mm-5-6-ff-rl\/\"><em><strong>Laowa 9mm 5.6 FF RL:<\/strong><\/em><\/a><br \/>\nThe Laowa 9mm 5.6 is noticeably wider than a stitched pano taken with this 20mm 4.0 Shift lens, and it is one of the strongest alternatives if you can live with less pixels.<br \/>\n<em>buy from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.venuslens.net\/product\/laowa-9mm-f-5-6-ff-rl\/ref\/57\/\">manufacturer&#8217;s homepage<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/bhpho.to\/3jnhRPw\">B&amp;H<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ebay.com\/sch\/i.html?_from=R40&amp;_trksid=p2380057.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC1.A0.H0.Xlaowa+9mm+5.6.TRS1&amp;_nkw=laowa+9mm+5.6&amp;_sacat=0&amp;mkrid=711-53200-19255-0&amp;siteid=0&amp;mkcid=1&amp;campid=5337820268&amp;toolid=10001&amp;customid=&amp;mkevt=1\">ebay.com<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ebay.de\/sch\/i.html?_from=R40&amp;_trksid=p2380057.m570.l1313.TR12.TRC2.A0.H0.Xlaowa+9mm+5.6.TRS0&amp;_nkw=laowa+9mm+5.6&amp;_sacat=0&amp;mkrid=707-53477-19255-0&amp;siteid=77&amp;mkcid=1&amp;campid=5337820268&amp;toolid=10001&amp;customid=&amp;mkevt=1\">ebay.de<\/a> for <strong>$899<\/strong> (M-mount) and <strong>$799<\/strong> (E\/Z\/L-mount) (advertisement\/affiliate links)<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>PC-Nikkor 19mm 4.0E ED N:<\/strong><\/em><br \/>\nAdapting Nikon E lenses to Sony cameras is not that much fun, so this is not a lens I recommend to Sony users. Nevertheless some Nikon users interested in the Laowa 20mm 4.0 Shift may end up here (welcome!). I have not used the Nikon 19mm personally, but it looks like it is a really great lens by what I have seen from some trusted sources. The Nikon lens also offers tilt and not only is it 1mm wider, it also allows for 1mm great shift range in every direction. The Nikon lens does not offer a filter thread though and needs a 150mm filter system instead and it is significantly more expensive.<br \/>\n<em>buy from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ebay.com\/sch\/i.html?LH_CAds=&amp;_ex_kw=&amp;_fpos=&amp;_fspt=1&amp;_mPrRngCbx=1&amp;_nkw=nikon+19mm+pc&amp;_sacat=625&amp;_sadis=&amp;_sop=12&amp;_udhi=&amp;_udlo=&amp;_fosrp=1&amp;mkrid=711-53200-19255-0&amp;siteid=0&amp;mkcid=1&amp;campid=5337820268&amp;toolid=10001&amp;customid=&amp;mkevt=1\">ebay.com<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/2QZW7yq\">amazon.com<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/bhpho.to\/2BSjqQn\">B&amp;H<\/a> for <strong>$3400<\/strong> (advertisement\/affiliate links)<br \/>\n<\/em><\/p>\n<h2>Conclusion<\/h2>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>good<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #339966;\">sharpness and contrast<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #339966;\">correction of longitudinal CA<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #339966;\">distortion<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #339966;\">coma correction (starting at f\/5.6)<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #339966;\">handling\/build quality<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #339966;\">82mm filter thread<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td><strong>average<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>correction of lateral CA<\/li>\n<li>flare resistance<\/li>\n<li>vignetting<\/li>\n<li>size\/weight<\/li>\n<li>price<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td><strong>not good<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">no electronic contacts<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>The Laowa lenses often feature unique, sometimes record breaking specifications. Laowa gave us the widest rectilinear lens (<a href=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/review-laowa-9mm-5-6-ff-rl\/\">9mm 5.6<\/a>), the fastest 35mm lens (<a href=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/review-laowa-35mm-0-95-the-worlds-fastest-35mm-lens\/\">35mm 0.95<\/a>) and also the widest shift lens (<a href=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/review-laowa-15mm-4-5-zero-d-shift\/\">15mm 4.5<\/a>), to only name a few.<\/p>\n<p>This Laowa 20mm 4.0 Shift does not feature such record breaking specifiations so may not seem as exciting at first sight, but its normal 82mm filter thread still is a unique selling point compared to the <a href=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/review-laowa-15mm-4-5-zero-d-shift\/\">15mm 4.5<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/review-canon-ts-e-17mm-4-0l\/\">Canon TS-E 17mm 4.0L<\/a> and Nikon PC 19mm 4.0E.<\/p>\n<p>The optical performance is very solid. The field is a bit wavy with local drops in sharpness at wider apertures, but stopped down least as good as the other ultra wide angle shift lenses I have reviewed. Longitudinal CA and distortion are very well corrected, vignetting and flare resistance are comparable to similar lenses. There are still no electronic contacts though, so no Exif information are being transmitted to the camera.<\/p>\n<p>What the Laowa shift lenses really have going for them are the shift mechanics, which are in my opinion the best in the market and the only ones I would want to operate when wearing gloves.<\/p>\n<p>If you are looking for a shift lens in this focal length range &#8211; especially if you find the <a href=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/review-laowa-15mm-4-5-zero-d-shift\/\">Laowa 15mm 4.5<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/review-canon-ts-e-17mm-4-0l\/\">Canon TS-E 17mm 4.0L<\/a> a tad too wide &#8211; this Laowa 20mm 4.0 Shift might be for you.<\/p>\n<p><em>The lens can already be preordered at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.venuslens.net\/product\/laowa-20mm-f-4-zero-d-shift\/ref\/57\">manufacturer&#8217;s homepage<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3vWU1S8\">amazon.com<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ebay.com\/sch\/i.html?_from=R40&amp;_trksid=p2380057.m570.l1313&amp;_nkw=laowa+20mm+4&amp;_sacat=0&amp;mkcid=1&amp;mkrid=711-53200-19255-0&amp;siteid=0&amp;campid=5337820268&amp;toolid=20008&amp;mkevt=1\">ebay.com<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/bhpho.to\/3CFNezO\">B&amp;H<\/a> for <strong>$1099<\/strong> (advertisement\/affiliate link)<\/em><\/p>\n<h2>Sample Images<\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_31307\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-31307\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-31307\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_sample_7_pano.jpg\" alt=\"laowa 20mm 4.0 shift tilt ts-e pc-e comparison review venus optics wide angle ultra wide angle sharpness uwa resolution contrast 42mp 61mp a7riv a7rii a7riii\" width=\"800\" height=\"590\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_sample_7_pano.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_sample_7_pano-300x221.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_sample_7_pano-768x566.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-31307\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sony A7III | Laowa 20mm 4.0 Shift | f\/8.0 | shift pano<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_31324\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-31324\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-31324\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/A7R04799-Pano-Bearbeitet.jpg\" alt=\"laowa 20mm 4.0 shift tilt ts-e pc-e comparison review venus optics wide angle ultra wide angle sharpness uwa resolution contrast 42mp 61mp a7riv a7rii a7riii\" width=\"800\" height=\"623\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/A7R04799-Pano-Bearbeitet.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/A7R04799-Pano-Bearbeitet-300x234.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/A7R04799-Pano-Bearbeitet-768x598.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-31324\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sony A7rII | Laowa 20mm 4.0 Shift | f\/11 | shift pano<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_31241\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-31241\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-31241\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_sample_1.jpg\" alt=\"laowa 20mm 4.0 shift tilt ts-e pc-e comparison review venus optics wide angle ultra wide angle sharpness uwa resolution contrast 42mp 61mp a7riv a7rii a7riii\" width=\"800\" height=\"468\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_sample_1.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_sample_1-300x176.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_sample_1-768x449.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-31241\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sony A7rII | Laowa 20mm 4.0 Shift | f\/4.0 | shifted up<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_31329\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-31329\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-31329\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/A7308500-Bearbeitet-Bearbeitet.jpg\" alt=\"laowa 20mm 4.0 shift tilt ts-e pc-e comparison review venus optics wide angle ultra wide angle sharpness uwa resolution contrast 42mp 61mp a7riv a7rii a7riii\" width=\"800\" height=\"501\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/A7308500-Bearbeitet-Bearbeitet.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/A7308500-Bearbeitet-Bearbeitet-300x188.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/A7308500-Bearbeitet-Bearbeitet-768x481.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-31329\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sony A7III | Laowa 20mm 4.0 Shift | f\/8.0 | shifted up<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_31328\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-31328\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-31328\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/A7R04773-Bearbeitet.jpg\" alt=\"laowa 20mm 4.0 shift tilt ts-e pc-e comparison review venus optics wide angle ultra wide angle sharpness uwa resolution contrast 42mp 61mp a7riv a7rii a7riii\" width=\"800\" height=\"499\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/A7R04773-Bearbeitet.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/A7R04773-Bearbeitet-300x187.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/A7R04773-Bearbeitet-768x479.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-31328\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sony A7rII | Laowa 20mm 4.0 Shift | f\/8.0 | shifted up<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_31292\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-31292\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-31292\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_sample_10.jpg\" alt=\"laowa 20mm 4.0 shift tilt ts-e pc-e comparison review venus optics wide angle ultra wide angle sharpness uwa resolution contrast 42mp 61mp a7riv a7rii a7riii\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_sample_10.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_sample_10-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_sample_10-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-31292\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sony A7rII | Laowa 20mm 4.0 Shift | f\/8.0 | shifted up<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_31291\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-31291\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-31291\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_sample_9_pano.jpg\" alt=\"laowa 20mm 4.0 shift tilt ts-e pc-e comparison review venus optics wide angle ultra wide angle sharpness uwa resolution contrast 42mp 61mp a7riv a7rii a7riii\" width=\"800\" height=\"344\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_sample_9_pano.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_sample_9_pano-300x129.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/laowa_20mm_4.0_shift_sample_9_pano-768x330.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-31291\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sony A7rII | Laowa 20mm 4.0 Shift | f\/8.0 | shift pano 11mm left\/right<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><em>Most of the sample images in this review can be found in full resolution <a href=\"https:\/\/flic.kr\/s\/aHBqjzFWxF\">here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<h2>Further Reading<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/fe-lenses-sony-comprehensive-independent-guide\/\">Sony FE lenses: Our comprehensive and independent guide<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/user-guide-ultra-wideangle-lenses-sony-alpha-7-series\/\">Ultra Wide Angle lenses for the Sony A7 Series<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/how-to-create-environmental-portraits\/\">How to: Environmental Portraits<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/how-to-take-better-photos-composition-part-1\/\">How to: Taking better pictures<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Support Us<\/h2>\n<p>Did you find this article useful or just liked reading it? Treat us to a coffee!<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.paypal.com\/donate\/?hosted_button_id=3K9EJRRQVXT4J\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-40345 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/donate2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"103\" height=\"29\"><\/a><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.paypal.com\/en_SE\/i\/scr\/pixel.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" border=\"0\"> <span style=\"color: #999999;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.paypal.com\/en_SE\/i\/scr\/pixel.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" border=\"0\"><em>via Paypal<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p>This site contains advertisement\/affiliate links. If you make a purchase using any of the links marked as advertisement\/affiliate links, I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. This helps support the creation of future content.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Introduction 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&#8217;s have a closer look at this latest addition. Sample Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4708,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[212,7,18,21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31202","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-laowa","category-lenses","category-review","category-sony-e-mount"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Review: Laowa 20mm 4.0 Shift - phillipreeve.net<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Over the years Laowa has become one of the main manufacturers of Shift lenses and the Laowa 20mm 4.0 Shift is the latest addition to\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/review-laowa-20mm-4-0-shift\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Review: Laowa 20mm 4.0 Shift - 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