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

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 Zero D: B&H Photo | Adorama