Black Friday 2017: Venus Optics Laowa 12mm f/2.8 Zero-D at $899 (reg. $949)

Laowa 12mm F/2.8
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At a glance:

  • EF-Mount Lens/Full-Frame Format
  • Aperture Range: f/2.8 to f/22
  • Three Extra-Low Dispersion Elements
  • Two Aspherical Elements
  • Rectilinear Design, Low Distortion
  • Frog Eye Dust & Water-Repellent Coating
  • Manual Focus Design
  • Floating Optical Design
  • Built-In Petal-Shape Lens Hood

Another Black Friday 2017 discount went live today. The Venus Optics Laowa 12mm f/2.8 Zero-D got $50 off and now sells for $899 at Adorama and B&H Photo. “Zero-D” stays for zero distortion, that’s what this lens promises to deliver at 12mm on a full-frame DSLR. According to reviews (see two video reviews below), the Venus Optics Laowa 12mm f/2.8 Zero-D holds up to the expectations.

Our select Black Friday 2017 deals are listed here.

Amazon EU and Amazon US Black Friday pages are already up and running and first deals are online. Have a look: Amazon US, Amazon CA, Amazon DE, Amazon UK, Amazon FR, Amazon ES and Amazon IT.

B&H Photo has a Black Friday 2017 page   –   Adorama has a Black Friday 2017 page   –   Canon USA has a Black Friday 2017 page

All B&H Photo’s Canon deals for Black Friday are listed here   –   All Adorama Canon deals for Black Friday are listed here.

You may also be interested in these Canon EOS 5D Mark IV and EOS 6D Mark II bundle deals by Adorama and similar bundle deals at B&H Photo.

If you’re hunting deals it’s a good idea to regularly check the page of your interest.

The Laowa 24mm f/14 Relay isn’t a rifle, it’s a lens

laowa 24mm f/14 relay

Laowa is set to start shipping soon a pretty weird lens, the Laowa 24mm f/14 Relay lens.

The new Laowa lens is basically a 2:1 macro lens build so that it can go into places that are impossible to ordinary lenses. As you can easily figure out from the videos, a Canon mount version will be announced for sure. So far they teased the Laowa 24mm f/14 Relay lens on FaceBook.

DigitalRev posted a pre-production model hands-on review:

[…] the lens was very light and constructed decently well, although it’s worth noting this is a pre-production model. I wouldn’t say that it’s as solid as other Laowa lenses, which use quite a lot of metal in their designs. This is probably to keep the long tip flexible and easy to maneuver, even though it doesn’t look very rugged. Regardless, it’s not a lens you’ll be using excessively – more like something you’d keep in a case and bring out just for a specific shot or two.

As soon as the Laowa 24mm starts shipping I will post it. Stay tuned!

Below: The Laowa lens at CP+

Below: Testing footage (On land)

Below: Testing footage (underwater)

[via Mirrorless Rumors]

Venus Optics Laowa 12mm f/2.8 Zero D Lens Review (D. Abbott)

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Laowa 12mm f/2.8 Zero D: B&H Photo | Adorama

At a glance:

  • EF-Mount Lens/Full-Frame Format
  • Aperture Range: f/2.8 to f/22
  • Three Extra-Low Dispersion Elements
  • Two Aspherical Elements
  • Rectilinear Design, Low Distortion
  • Frog Eye Dust & Water-Repellent Coating
  • Manual Focus Design
  • Floating Optical Design
  • Built-In Petal-Shape Lens Hood

Reviewer and photographer Dustin Abbott posted his final review of the Laowa 12mm f/2.8 Zero D lens. The “zero D” stays for “zero distortion”. Can he Laowa hold up to the promises?

Dustin calls the fully manual Laowa a “classic, extraordinarily well-made lens” that feels a lot like a classic Zeiss lens. Dustin’s reviews always come in two versions, you can enjoy the videos below (the first one is the full review), or you can head over to Dustin’s site and go for the written review with many sample pictures. In the conclusion he writes:

This is a very intriguing lens.  That extremely wide focal length is both challenging and yet inspiring.  Laowa has been able to engineer a lens with a fabulous build quality and compact size that I find personally very appealing.  They’ve also managed to minimize the potential optical shortcomings of such a lens and produce a very well rounded result.  The Zero D isn’t necessarily exceptional at any one thing save the incredibly low distortion, but neither is it bad in any area.

Dustin says that “the zero distortion claim pretty much holds up in real world shooting” and that the Laowa has a “good flare resistance, chromatic aberration control, and resolution”. At $949, the Laowa sounds like a winner.

Laowa 12mm f/2.8

Laowa 12mm f/2.8 Zero D: B&H Photo | Adorama

Venus Optics Laowa 12mm f/2.8 Zero-D lens reviewed by Photozone

Laowa 12mm
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Laowa 12mm f/2.8 specifications:

  • Image circle: 24×36
  • Field of view: 121.96°
  • Optical formula: 16 elements, including 2 aspherical elements and 3 elements made of glass with anomalous dispersion, in 10 groups
  • Number of aperture blades : 7
  • Aperture range: f/2.8 – f/22
  • Manual focus
  • Minimum focusing distance: 0.18m
  • Maximum magnification: 0.2x
  • Maximum diameter: 74.8mm
  • Length: 82.2mm
  • Weight: circa 570g.

Venus Optics will soon announce a new lens, the Laowa 12mm f/2.8. The announcement is expected for July 30, 2016. Lens reviewing site Photozone appears to already have a copy of the lens. “Zero-D” stays for “zero distortion”.

From the conclusion:

[…] the lab-based results are quite promising. Given the extreme nature of the lens we can’t expect a uniform performance across the image field. The center performance is nothing short of outstanding straight from f/2.8 whereas the outer image region is soft at this setting. The corners/borders improve the more you stop down and they reach good to very good levels at medium apertures with a peak at f/8. Please keep in mind that the mighty Canon EF 11-14mm f/4 USM L struggled somewhat more on the EOS 5Ds R. Lateral CAs are impressively low for such a lens. Laowa claims zero image distortions (thus the “Zero-D” in the name). Well, it comes close at least. We measured a barrel distortion of just 1.1% (at a close focus distance to be fair here) which is substantially less than what we’ve seen from the competition.

[via Photozone]

Venus Optics Laowa STF 105mm f/2 (T3.2) full review

Laowa STF 105mm F/2
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Laowa STF 105mm f/2 (B&H Photo | Adorama) at a glance:

  • Canon EF-Mount Lens/Full-Frame Format
  • Aperture Range: f/2 (T3.2) to f/22
  • One Apodization Element for Smooth Bokeh
  • Three Low Dispersion Elements
  • One Extra Refractive Index Element
  • Manual Focus and Manual Aperture Ring
  • Dual Diaphragms: 8- and 14-Blades

Photographer and reviewer Dustin Abbott posted the full review of the Laowa STF 105mm f/2 (T3.2) lens. We featured his first impression last week. The manual focusing Laowa STF (Smooth Trans Focus) 105mm f/2 (T3.2) is made by Venus Optics and was announced back in March 2016. It’s currently available for pre-order at $699 (B&H Photo | Adorama).

The 18 minutes video below is the full review, which can also be read on Dustin Abbott’s site.

In the conclusion he writes:

Some lenses are safe and easy, while some are higher risk/higher reward. The reward from the Loawa STF (Smooth Trans Focus) 105mm f/2 (T3.2) is the ability to create beautiful images from a lens with a very nice resolution-to-bokeh ratio. Laowa refers to this lens as the “bokeh dreamer”, and while I don’t know how much the lens has influenced my dreams, I can certainly verify that it produces soft, beautiful bokeh that lacks hard edges (particularly in the background). This is a great portrait focal length on full frame, and you have the ability to produce very nice portraits with the lens with a little more flexibility in controlling aperture and depth of field. The focal length is good for a number of things, including landscape shooting. The lens also sports a very nice quality build that punches well above its price point. It is worth noting that the two alternatives to this lens on the market (Fujifilm 56mm f/1.2 and Sony 135mm f/2.8) are both nearly twice as much as the $699 asking price of the Laowa, so if you’ve wanted to experiment with an APD/STF lens, this is definitely the lowest cost of entry. Read the review…

You may also be interested in what Dustin Abbott thinks about build quality and handling of the Laowa 105mm f/2.

Laowa STF 105mm f/2 (B&H Photo | Adorama)

Laowa STF 105mm f/2

Venus Optics Laowa STF 105mm f/2 (T3.2) lens first impression video

Laowa STF 105mm F/2
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Laowa STF 105mm f/2 (B&H Photo | Adorama) at a glance:

  • Canon EF-Mount Lens/Full-Frame Format
  • Aperture Range: f/2 (T3.2) to f/22
  • One Apodization Element for Smooth Bokeh
  • Three Low Dispersion Elements
  • One Extra Refractive Index Element
  • Manual Focus and Manual Aperture Ring
  • Dual Diaphragms: 8- and 14-Blades

This interesting lens was announced back in March 2016. The manual focusing Laowa STF (Smooth Trans Focus) 105mm f/2 (T3.2) is made by Venus Optics. It’s currently available for pre-order at $699.

In the video below, hotographer and reviewer Dustin Abbott breaks down the build, handling, and how the new Laowa STF 105mm f/2 (T3.2) works. He also posted a sample images gallery.

1461187799000_IMG_608654

Laowa STF 105mm f/2 (B&H Photo | Adorama)