{"id":79543,"date":"2026-03-12T06:26:55","date_gmt":"2026-03-12T05:26:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/?p=79543"},"modified":"2026-03-14T07:48:44","modified_gmt":"2026-03-14T06:48:44","slug":"review-laowa-ff-ts-17mm-f-4-c-dreamer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/review-laowa-ff-ts-17mm-f-4-c-dreamer\/","title":{"rendered":"REVIEW: LAOWA FF TS 17mm f\/4 C-Dreamer"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"laowa<\/p>\n

Introduction<\/span><\/h2>\n

Laowa has already produced a couple of good tilt-shift lenses, such as the T\/S 55mm f\/2.8 and the impressive T\/S 100mm f\/2.8. Now they\u2019ve introduced an ultra-wide-angle option \u2014 the T\/S 17mm f\/4 \u2014 designed primarily for architectural work. It offers the same handling flexibility as the previous two, including a tripod foot. Let\u2019s see how the optics perform on this one!<\/p>\n

\"camera-icon2\"We tested this lens on a 46 Mp<\/a> Nikon Z7ii<\/a> (Sample images were taken with Nikon Zf<\/a> , and Sony A7III )
\n\"\"Sample images in high resolution here<\/span>.<\/p>\n

Sample Images<\/span><\/h2>\n
\"\"
Nikon Zf | Laowa TS 17mm f4 | f8 | Panorama by shifting left\/right and stitch (Martin)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Sony A7III | Laowa T\/S 17mm 4.0 | f\/4.0 | shifted up (Bastian)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Sony A7III | Laowa T\/S 17mm 4.0 | f\/4.0 | shifted up (Bastian)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"
Nikon Zf | Laowa T\/S 17mm 4.0 | f\/4.0 | shifted up (Martin)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"laowa
Sony A7III | Laowa T\/S 17mm 4.0 | f\/4.0 | shifted up (Bastian)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"laowa
Sony A7III | Laowa T\/S 17mm 4.0 | f\/4.0 | shifted up (Bastian)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/p>\n

\"\"
Nikon Zf | Laowa TS 17mm f4 | f8 | Panorama by shifting left\/right and stitch (Martin)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"laowa
Sony A7III | Laowa T\/S 17mm 4.0 | f\/8.0 | shifted up (Bastian)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"laowa
Nikon Zf | Laowa T\/S 17mm 4.0 | f\/8.0 | shifted up (Bastian)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"
Nikon Zf | Laowa TS 17mm f\/4 | f\/5.6 |  Shifted up + Tilted (Martin)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"laowa
Nikon Zf | Laowa T\/S 17mm 4.0 | f\/4.0 | shifted up (Bastian)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"laowa
Nikon Zf | Laowa T\/S 17mm 4.0 | f\/4.0 | shifted up (Bastian)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Most of the sample images in this review and many more can be found in higher resolution here.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

Specifications<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Focal Length<\/td>\n17mm<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Angle of View<\/td>\n126.2\u00b0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
# of Aperture Blades<\/td>\n14<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Max Aperture<\/td>\nf\/4<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Min Aperture<\/td>\nf\/22<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Min Focus Distance (Max magnification)<\/td>\n25cm (0.13X)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Filter Size<\/td>\n86mm<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Tilt<\/td>\n\u00b110\u00b0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Shift<\/td>\n\u00b112mm<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Lens Mount<\/td>\nE \/ RF \/ Z \/ L \/ XCD \/ GFX<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Weight<\/td>\n\u2248 810 g<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Size (D x L)<\/td>\n\u00d8 93 x 111 mm<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Elements\/Group<\/td>\n18 elements \/ 12 groups<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
\"\"
Laowa 17mm TS lens construction<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Buy new:<\/strong> Laowa Store<\/a>, Amazon (anywhere), B&H<\/a> for $1249 (Affiliate links)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Disclosure<\/span><\/h2>\n

Laowa kindly loaned us this lens for a couple of weeks for testing and review. This review is a team effort.<\/p>\n

Handling and Build Quality<\/span><\/h2>\n

The Laowa T\/S 17mm f\/4 is built of metal and glass, including the lens barrel, control rings, knobs, levers, mount plate, and the included lens hood. The lens comes with standard rear and hard plastic clip-on front caps. The lens looks and feels to be built solidly. All markings are engraved and filled with paint. There are no electronic contacts for aperture control or EXIF data transfer.<\/p>\n

Despite its fully metal-and-glass build, it weighs only 810\u202fg. It is by no means light, but keep in mind that this is not much heavier than standard, quality lenses and considerably lighter than its siblings, the 55mm and 100mm f\/2.8.<\/p>\n

It is a fully manual lens with no electronic contacts, and there is no visible weather sealing. The aperture ring turns smoothly and has click stops at every full stop, with a gentle click. While the aperture ring only clicks at full stops, you can set the aperture value between two stops. The aperture values are spaced with varying distances on the ring.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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Laowa T\/S 17mm f\/4.0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The lens includes an Arca-Swiss compatible foot, attached to a collar support by two screws, which in turn is secured to the lens collar by two additional screws on either side. This setup is intended to stabilise the heavy lens-camera assembly on a tripod.<\/p>\n

The tilt\/shift feature is quite advanced. You can shift the lens up to 12mm in each direction and tilt it up to 10\u00b0 in both directions; each of these can be set using a knob. They use small gears for fine adjustment of the movements. Separate knobs at the opposite side of each of these knobs lock the adjustments.<\/p>\n