Laowa Argus CF 33mm f/0.95 - One Month Review

[@notmyforte88]

Thanks Dylan. Finally a usable f/0.95 lens.

[@DylanGoldbyPhotographer]

I've been enjoying it, for sure.

[@AaronGayah]

These are beautiful shots. Thanks for the video.

[@DylanGoldbyPhotographer]

Thanks for watching!

[@AdolfxBlaine]

Looks nice. I may get one! Thank you Dylan for another good review!

[@DylanGoldbyPhotographer]

Thanks for watching. I've really enjoyed it and it's been added to my wish list, for sure.

[@jonesc8266]

Cool. Need this for my video shoot!

[@DylanGoldbyPhotographer]

They've certainly made video a priority for this lens. I'm sure you'll love it.

[@mikaelnilsson5912]

Very helpful, I'm considering this lens if I end up buying a fujifilm aps-c. The bokeh of this lens is absolutely beautiful.

[@tacacepa5957]

Great review as always. The APO is crazy! Wide-open with no CA!?

[@blainea7123]

Yea! It's unbelievable!! I wonder when will the full-frame one will release. Should be 35mm??

[@tacacepa5957]

@@blainea7123 From what I read, it is 45mm for FF but 35mm would be great if it's true

[@DylanGoldbyPhotographer]

They've done quite a good job. As I mentioned here, it's not Zeiss Otus level, but it's 1/10 the price!

[@spacekatze3958]

Love the rendering of this lens, own the Mitakon 35mm, the sharpness seems similar but the fringing is killing me... Sometimes that's too strong and almost ruining my shots....

[@jessicapitt1734]

Yes! Same experience here....Colour fringing is hard to correct and it will soften the image...

[@DylanGoldbyPhotographer]

I had a look back over some of my old Mitakon images while I was preparing my thoughts for this review and that's a big thing that stuck out to me. It's really quite impressive what Laowa has done here.

[@climaxpicture]

@@DylanGoldbyPhotographer I am also selling my 50mm f1 fujifilm lens because of CA

[@el0blaino]

Love your reviews, Dylan. Not a professional and just getting into mirrorless photography so it's been really valuable to hear how you use the lens and see the sample images. I bought the very inexpensive manual-focus-only Meike 35mm f1.7 because it seemed to have nice character and would give me an inexpensive way to see if I would miss autofocus. So far I like the images of these big-aperture 35mm lenses wide open, but I sure have a ways to go at getting acceptable focus in a reasonable amount of time! As for this Laowa, it seems wonderful for its price point, so I will keep it on my radar. Thanks again.

[@DylanGoldbyPhotographer]

Cheers, Blaine. Yes, focus is always touch and go with these wide-aperture lenses. The more you do it, though, the better you'll get at judging it. Muscle memory goes a long way.

[@desoriordan9515]

Hi Dylan, some very nice samples there, i also saw your review of the new 25mm f0.95, of the two i'd prefer the 33mm. Did you eventually buy this lens?

[@Ttjam1]

I’m not surprised this is high quality after using Laowa’s stunning 65mm macro

[@Teeum5]

Hello Dylan, thank you for this interesting video. I sold my Voigtländer 25mm 0.95 for Olympus because I'm absolutely not the one who wants to focus manually (as my eyes are a little bad) but I enjoyed your video and love the pictures you've shown in the slideshow. Very good work as I already know from your other videos I've watched before. 👍

[@DylanGoldbyPhotographer]

Thanks for watching! I'm expecting a day to come when I won't be able to focus these lenses any more. For now, though, I'm definitely enjoying the results.

[@icogicog8287]

Very nice. I think you may have cost me $500. Love your points about rendition and mood. Very important in making one’s photos stand up. On a separate subject I am wondering if Laowa has in the making a faster than F4 wide lens for the GFX system for astrophotography

[@DylanGoldbyPhotographer]

I'm in the same boat. I've cost myself $500 by agreeing to test this one. Haha. Not sure what's in the works for Laowa. There are three more lenses in this "Argus" lineup on their site. I guess we'll see.

[@petrvokurek2286]

Thanks for the review Dylan! This is, in fact, the first time I hear about the lens- I found your article on Fujilove. I have the Mitakon Speedmaster and have been extremely happy about it. As you say- it´s not about technical quality with lenses like this. It´s about the dreamy quality of rendering they have to offer wide open. Question- is the apperture ring on the Laowa the same clickless design like on the Mitakon? I´ve had to get creative and put a piece of rubber on the ring of the Mitakon to stop it from going away from 0,95 :) That is one thing I wish would be different on the Mitakon- an apperture ring with solid clicks. Otherwise it´s a fun lens for me and I don´t see the point "upgarding" to the Laowa- athough the flare can get rather owerwhelming sometimes :) All the best to you and let´s hope we all get more work soon....Oh and btw, i haven´t found any CA´s on the Mitakon that would deter me from using it. I remember a time I used the Canon EF 85mm f1,8 lens on the water ripples...and that was a mess! In fact, CA´s seem to be a non- issue in general on the Fuji cameras. Probably thanks to Fuji´s in-camera processing.

[@DylanGoldbyPhotographer]

Thanks for watching and for this mighty comment, Petr. There's a section in the video about the aperture ring where you can actually see me turning it and comparing it to the Mitakon. I prefer the Laowa, although it is still clickless. As for the Mitakon, the CA was horrific on mine and the flare was enough to make me part ways eventually.

[@EddieInzauto]

The Mitakon II definitely had lots of flare and chromatic aberration, and I think a really short focus throw, too. Longer is way better.

[@piyhaw]

Great review Dylan! Do you still own the Laowa? Would you prefer it over the Mitakon? I have the XF 35/2 and wanted something faster. As the new 33/1.4 doesn't offer much faster aperture compared to f2, so was thinking of going for Laowa or Mitakon. Thanks

[@DylanGoldbyPhotographer]

Hands down the Laowa. Loved it, so I bought myself one. I use it all the time. The Mitakon never really held me. It's soft and prone to image-ruining amounts of flare. The Laowa is bigger and heavier, but worth the trade off for me.

[@JasonLawrenceNoel]

Wow Dylan! I love all the reasons why you love this lens! I love how with the rose shot it almost crests a veil or barrier, where it looks like the objects are poking through ❤. If I was wanting to take some photos like this would you recommend this lens over say a dedicated Fuji Macro lens? I shoot primarily family/portraits and do weekend photo walks just to give context :) thanks!!! Love the channel.

[@DylanGoldbyPhotographer]

A macro lens is really for getting close. This lens is not for that at all. They're two very different things. You'll really need to choose what you want to achieve. Is it shallow depth of field with nothing much in the background, or is it getting really close to really small things? That's where I'd start.

[@JasonLawrenceNoel]

@@DylanGoldbyPhotographer thank you Dylan 🙏

[@xe1zlgg]

Excellent pics... nice review.... thanks for share

[@DylanGoldbyPhotographer]

Thanks for watching!

[@paulyan1946]

Good luck with persuading your wife, Dylan. This lens has got character at f0.95! 👍

[@DylanGoldbyPhotographer]

Thanks, Paul! It definitely makes some nice images wide open.

[@yourtallness]

There's also the 7artisans 35mm f/0.95 for APS-C cameras.

[@DylanGoldbyPhotographer]

Mentioned in the video.

[@dragonstone6594]

Is it me or the background in this image (13:01) looks pretty weird? Like the branches of the trees in the middle of the background are out of focus but the branches in the upper right corner are less out of focus than the middle. Nice review btw

[@DylanGoldbyPhotographer]

There are so many layers of branches in that image. It gave quite an interesting look. It's part of the reason I included it.

[@fellowcitizen]

Subscribed. Much nicer characteristics than I was expecting. With the VX35 releasing, I'll likely go with that one since I'm a big Voigtlaender fan - it would be great to hear your take.

[@DylanGoldbyPhotographer]

It really is a nice lens. Bulky, but worth it for those times you need something a little special!

[@HolonicHD]

If I were to use a black pro mist filter, will it affect the manual focus peaking performance? Due to the softening effect of the filter.

[@DylanGoldbyPhotographer]

I couldn't really comment on that as I don't use pro-mist filters (or peaking very often, to be honest). No doubt the lower contrast would make peaking less effective, but I couldn't say how much.

[@carlviktorbjoerkqvist9738]

Damn those hand movements are next level haah

[@jessicapitt1734]

Perfect review from an artist's point of view! Rendering matters for moody shots. Personally think that an image inspires people or lets people feel the emotion is the gold.

[@DylanGoldbyPhotographer]

It really does! That's the entire reason I initially got into the GFX system. I simply couldn't find a lens that FELT the same way as the GF 110mm.

[@The_NSeven]

I am seemingly unable to get the lens hood off of my copy. I guess I just need to use a bit of force, but that is also a sketchy thing to do with lenses...

[@DylanGoldbyPhotographer]

They're a tad tight, for sure. But they loosen slightly over time.

[@Zenfiren]

Thanks for the review Dylan! Wishlisted. Do you still prefer Fujinon XF 35mm f/1.4 compared to this Laowa?

[@DylanGoldbyPhotographer]

They're very different lenses. The XF lens serves the role of family portraits and fast moving photography. If I have the time and the right scene, the Laowa is a great choice. They're different tools.

[@ashtinelder5992]

I'd say the viltrox 33mm is a good quality lens too

[@DylanGoldbyPhotographer]

No doubt it is, but it's a VERY different option.

[@diogocarvalho6247]

Hi Dylan, I have read many of your articles at Fujilove and love your content, but somehow I never realised you had a KZbin channel! My bad! Ahah. Anyway, I already own the XF 35 f/2, but am in the market for a complementary faster "normal lens". Now that you tried the XF 33 f/1.4, do you think I should keep the f/2 and buy the Laowa 33 f/0.95 to complement it (I do love the 35 compactness...). Or should I sell the f/2, forgo the Laowa and just go strait to the f/1.4? I do 50/50 video and photo.

[@DylanGoldbyPhotographer]

Thanks so much for watching! Glad you found me and happy to have you here! I'm not in the habit of recommending lenses as I don't know how you like to work. I'd say, if you don't mind manual focus (with a very long throw) and are looking for a really interesting image, the Laowa is a great lens. If you want the fast AF of your f/2 with a more "perfect" image, the XF 33mm is a great option.

[@diogocarvalho6247]

@@DylanGoldbyPhotographer I don’t mind a full manual lens, I own the Laowa 65 f/2.8 macro and love it! I do worry a little about image sharpness, since I never had a lens with “caracter” before. I think I’m ok with a less then stellar image wide open but how does the Laowa compares with the XF 33 at f/1.4? Thank you so much for the insight!

[@diogocarvalho6247]

Dylan just wanted to let you know that I went ahead and bought the Laowa 33 f/0,95 and am very impressed with it. Even the de clicked aperture ring doesn’t bother me. What a great lens! Thanks 😊

[@DylanGoldbyPhotographer]

Glad to hear it! I really enjoyed my time with it as well and it's still on my list of future considerations. Hoping I can find the money for it sometime next year! Enjoy!

[@PabloM02]

I'm in almost the same exact situation - between the Fuji 33mm f/1.4 and this Laowa, having only the Laowa 65mm f/2.8 macro. What are your thought until now? Did you keep it, or try the Fuji?

[@peteracain]

I have the Mitakon and agree with points. What is the microcontrast like on the Laowa?

[@DylanGoldbyPhotographer]

The APO design should help greatly with microcontrast. I didn't do any specific testing as that's not really what I worry about with lenses, but theres definitely plenty of good separation in there.

[@wouterj.vanduin8706]

Definitely looks like a great lens. Could possibly also deliver very interesting images when used with the Eterna Bleach ByPass Film-simulation.

[@DylanGoldbyPhotographer]

For sure! The combination could be pretty "cinematic".

[@ruudmaas2480]

Beautifull photographs !! A lens to consider for the streets?

[@DylanGoldbyPhotographer]

If you like the focal length and don't mind manual focusing, I can't see why not!

[@borromine]

Great review. Really appreciate the density and clarity and speed of review. Good luck with your wife and $! I would be interested in seeing portrait comparison between this snd the GF 110. If only online is Laowa f0.95 an adequate substitute? I love my 110mm but it is heavy.

[@DylanGoldbyPhotographer]

Thanks, Joseph! Trying to keep this gear stuff short. Now that I'm done with these two reviews, I'm looking forward to getting back to some photography related videos again! I'm not sure that a 33mm APS-C lens is in any way a substitute for a 110mm medium-format lens. They're very different focal lengths and render very differently. I can try to get a quick portrait in tomorrow morning before FedEx pick up the lens, but I don't think we'll get much from it. They're such different lenses.

[@simonsuen5946]

After 3 years later, there are more f0.95 third party lenses now. Would you still suggest this one over the others?

[@DylanGoldbyPhotographer]

Of the ones I've used, this is by far the most serious lens. The others are more about play and quirks than they are about image quality. The Argus lenses are optically beautiful.

[@simonsuen5946]

@@DylanGoldbyPhotographer I see. Thank you!

[@sfa01076]

Thanks for the video! Good job !! Btw Can you do a comparison video between this and the mitakon? I heard the mitakon is sharper and more contrasty . Is it noticeable? How about the bokeh?

[@DylanGoldbyPhotographer]

Thanks for watching! I actually don't own the Mitakon anymore. I sold it a couple of years back. If I can get my hands on both at the same time, I'll consider making a video. From looking back at my images from when I owned the Mitakon and remembering what it was like to use it, I've included a few thoughts in this video. I honestly feel like the Laowa is sharper than the Mitakon. The APO helps with keeping the bokeh clean, as well. As for contrast, we can mostly deal with differences in post. Neither lens is particularly contrasty wide open. I hope that helps!

[@sfa01076]

@@DylanGoldbyPhotographer thanks so much!! Keep it up with your work!. I enjoyed your videos a lot

[@francissosingindyrcworldga8936]

Great review!

[@DylanGoldbyPhotographer]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@yohannsphotographyvideogra9542]

can you make it work with a full frame sensor ?

[@DylanGoldbyPhotographer]

The image circle wouldn't cover a 35mm full-frame sensor. It's been designed for APS-C.

[@carjac820]

Laowa has 35mm and 45mm full frame options available in the future.

[@David-vb8tg]

Did you actually end up buying this?

[@DylanGoldbyPhotographer]

It's currently number 2 on my list of things to get... I ended up upgrading my work kit first. Still sitting there on my list of things to get.

[@DylanGoldbyPhotographer]

Update... I did.

[@Lukaz1989]

I really like your review but I wish you showed more photos while you're talking and also showed the photos for a bit longer. Great review though.

[@DylanGoldbyPhotographer]

Thanks for watching, Luke. Will keep that in mind!

[@avavaviv1]

I feel like we are very close from having some insane lenses out there. I am talking this kind of wide open perfomance with AF, GM style build quality, OSS..

[@DylanGoldbyPhotographer]

We could well be. Adding AF and IS to a lens like this would make it HUGE at this point, though. Hopefully, we'll see some innovations to allow size reduction as well.

[@keystonebrotherb]

Not better than the 7artisans 35 .95