THE All-in-One Cinema Zoom? Laowa OOOM 25-100mm T2.9 Lens Review and Test Footage

[@crazytsvetock1]

Just stumbled across your gear videos, and I love how you break down everything in categories and show such comprehensive test footage to illustrate every aspect of the lens, while also adding your own personal opinion/experience to add some texture. Do more -- I want to see you cover every piece of gear I might consider renting lol

[@matthewaitkenfilms9477]

"Not for run and gun" Me, a wedding videographer:hmmmm, i bet i could get it to work

[@CliftonStommel]

Run and gun wedding videographers are in a class of their own! Y'all have one crazy stressful job and are so good at finding ways to be super efficient lol. Would love to see your rig, if you end up going for this cam!

[@matthewaitkenfilms9477]

@@CliftonStommel i already use the ursa mini pro g2 for weddings and then just use sigma art glass. Took me a while to get used to shooting for all day with the weight but i finally got used to it recently.

[@CliftonStommel]

@@matthewaitkenfilms9477 oh, awesome! Yeah those Sigma Art lenses are great. Actually swapped out all my L glass for Art zooms . Got the 18-35, 24-70, 24-105, and the 70-200, myself!

[@matthewaitkenfilms9477]

@@CliftonStommel i really wish i got a 24-70 but they were out of stock so i got a 24mm and a 50mm prime

[@CliftonStommel]

@@matthewaitkenfilms9477Interesting! Those primes are crazy fast though, so you definitely have access to an aesthetic the next 24-70 can't achieve. Not sure that's as critical for weddings though. I only use my zooms for corporate, commercial, and live event work. Narrative and music videos I'm all primes!

[@nahlene1973]

This lens has finally just been released last montg in China for preorder, retailing for 35k RMB which is about 5k USD. Not bad at all assuming the price outside China are similar.

[@CliftonStommel]

Agreed. It's a pretty awesome deal for an all-in-one focal range.

[@nealjohnsoncreative]

This is great. More of these please!

[@CliftonStommel]

Thank you so much! Will absolutely continue making these! =D

[@randomgeocacher]

They’re considering a expander that will de-crop it, so full frame cameras will be able to use it. Will loose some speed when expanded though.

[@CliftonStommel]

Yeah, I saw that! Really excited to get out the expander as well as the anamorphic element whenever there is a unit of each I can get my hands on. Will definitely be doing a followup review for those!

[@daveyrobertson]

Great review! Maybe it's not fair to compare sharpness to the primes, but at 7:30 the Laowa seems to be resolving way less detail than the Xeen and Zeiss. How would you say the sharpness stacks up to other cine zooms?

[@CliftonStommel]

Yeah, especially wide open! Personally, I like to see a lens performing at its most nuance-y in order to get a feel for the character of the glass. Stopping down eliminates much of the softness (like with the crazy flair) to make it much more closely match the sharpness of more expensive glass. Like the Fuji 20-120. Both wide open the Fuji is the clear winner in terms of sharpness and contrast (gotta filter it if you want that lots-of-personality look), but stopped down to T4 and above, they are much closer. The Fuji always remains a bit sharper / more clinical than the Laowa, mind you; the difference just becomes far less extreme stopped down even a little bit.

[@daveyrobertson]

@@CliftonStommel Thanks for this! Sounds like the Laowa strikes a nice balance.

[@CliftonStommel]

@@daveyrobertson Agreed! No lens is a perfect one-size-fits all, of course, but this one does have a solid range of capabilities.

[@AlexDerrick_DP]

Their Pricing is close to one Angie EZ lens, but you get range of both EZ lenses. That's a big win for them. I have a Laowa ultra wide prime, and the picture rendition feels very organic and similar, maybe the same as this lens. That makes me interested in checking out this lens. IT would be nice if you could attach an arm to the zoom to get a quick crank. But maybe you can, did you not mention this? It's a shame you weren't able to shoot some tests on a camera with better color separation. That blackmagic look, is pretty basic. Good review tho. Peace!

[@CliftonStommel]

Thanks for the comment! The footage of the dancer and the woman in the kitchen were both filmed on an Arri Alexa. What camera would you recommend?

[@AlexDerrick_DP]

@@CliftonStommel kodak? rental would have probably been same price in LA. did you report minimum focus distance?

[@AlexDerrick_DP]

Clifton Stommel maybe it’s my display. But i don’t find the picture to be very lively. Feels washed out. I’m not sure if that’s the coloring or lens. But good to know either way. ✌🏼

[@CliftonStommel]

@@AlexDerrick_DP Minimum focus is 2 feet (mentioned in video) Well, whatever it is that is making the images unpleasing to your eye I hope you find what you are looking for out there!

[@icecreaman2010]

What are the best clinical sharp cinema zoom lens that has a very aesthetically pleasing look particularly for a red komodo for under 15k?

[@puddytat62]

Did you do any focus breathing tests??

[@robespierrerodriguez]

Hello I am looking for this lens in BH and I have not found it, you know when it comes to market and the price. it seems perfect for my work in video clips and documentary films I would appreciate your answer

[@samthesung4902]

You get the like for the EARTHQUAKE alone.

[@SmallWaterTV]

You suggest this would replace a set of primes so I must ask. What is the breathing like? I know it's a zoom but how bad is it?

[@CliftonStommel]

To be clear on the "replace a set of primes" remark, I was more referring to the price range of a set of primes compared to a single zoom. Of course there is always some trade-off in terms of tack-sharpness and aperture range when you put all of those focal lengths in a single package. That being said, the breathing isn't bad! I've not noticed any of the sort of "nauseating" zoom effect while following subjects or racking between foreground / background.

[@SmallWaterTV]

@@CliftonStommel Are you saying if the camera is moving the breathing is tolerable? I understand rock-solid-lock-down breathing is a pricey proposition.

[@CliftonStommel]

@@SmallWaterTV I mean following talent with focus, not just when the camera is in motion. Yes I would consider the focus breathing to be minimal / manageable.

[@kevinkelly8301]

recorded eq waw!! 1 mill likes from me bro. nice vid

[@CliftonStommel]

Thanks, bro!

[@skene19]

Preordered!

[@CWillmoreProductions]

Any idea when this lens will be available? Would love to see a comparison with the Fujinon Cabrio 19-90

[@CliftonStommel]

The Laowa OOOM should be available by end of this year (2019). Pre-order links for Hot Rod Cameras and Duclos lenses sites are in the video description. =)

[@9977225]

Exterior design is copied from Angeniuex optimo style like 1:1 which is a good thing, since the Angeniuex are very respected lenses in the industry. Great range

[@CliftonStommel]

Interesting observation, Hugo! The Angenieux's do have a really nice design, and I gotta say in a world of paint-can-sized lens housings, it's kind of nice to see a manufacturer keep a pretty slim profile on the exterior plating for their zooms.

[@JoaoSilva22222]

Clifton, when you try vignetting in post, do you get too much banding?

[@CliftonStommel]

To be honest, I've not dealt with banding or blocking since moving to 12bit video/cinema cameras (and painstakingly working out a smooth CinemaDNG workflow). Braw has made life even easier still! And my machine is kind of a beast so I tend to work with native r3d, arriraw/mxf, etc. Used to get insane banding in subtle sky gradations, or ANY time we used a hazer on set. The A7 series DSLRs continue to plague my experience as a colorist lol (and yes in that case it includes vignetting).

[@JoaoSilva22222]

@@CliftonStommel thanks! I cant wait to start on 12 bit!!!

[@kolecava]

Problem is, it is not so usable at T2.9 at anything over 75/80mm and id recommend to go T4-5.6

[@CliftonStommel]

Can you explain what you mean by "not usable"?

[@kolecava]

@@CliftonStommel It becomes quite soft unless you stop it down, the sharpness is completely lost.

[@CliftonStommel]

@@kolecava I appreciate the clarification! Softness and little edge "blooms" (aberrations / fringing are hard to defend, so I'll not even try lol) can be valuable depending on the look of project or purpose of the shot being built. That being said, I generally just take note of these things with different lenses and operate accordingly. Of course, I'd never use any lens all the way wide open on say a commercial set, I also wouldn't shoot a drunkin/dreamlike sequence stopped way down. In a narrative environment you can bet I'm gonna play with that line between "dripping with character" and "tack sharp" My core four Xeens for example (24, 35, 50, 85) spend most of their time at T2 while I'm shooting narrative (and often I'll bump them out to T1.5) and 2.8 to 4 on commercials. My 135mm Xeen however I pretty much always shoot wide open at T2.2 because it has a natural swirly-bokeh effect I actively use it for (similar to the Petzval lens) and even if the subject isn't the most tack sharp, the relative sharpness to the background is extreme enough to achieve what I refer to as "perceptual sharpness" So yeah... Unless you're dealing with heavy back lighting, especially with a light source in frame, on a lens with known CA / fringing issues, or the lens simply lacks the ability to achieve critical focus relative to the out-of-focus areas, it's really just a question of what is a good aesthetic for which projects.

[@shotbymatias9324]

LF or S35?

[@CliftonStommel]

Super35 sensor coverage.

[@shang-hsienyang1284]

Someone dropped their Sigma lenses on the floor and hence the earthquake.

[@CliftonStommel]

Haha, that's one heavy set of lenses!

[@kevinkelly8301]

i want this lens

[@CliftonStommel]

It's a great one!

[@kevinkelly8301]

@@CliftonStommel how much will it cost

[@CliftonStommel]

@@kevinkelly8301 $6,500

[@kevinkelly8301]

@@CliftonStommel ok

[@supjay3945]

7:10 Should I eat an apple 🍏 or read a book? Or do both? Nah ill just read a book 📗. Better yet use the apple as a book cover

[@funfilmphilippines]

That's funny, my last name is Duclos, never seen much of it anywhere. So can i get a 80% discount please on this lens...?

[@CliftonStommel]

Whoa, it's a super unique name for sure! Crazy that you ended up a filmmaker, too. Long lost siblings, maybe?

[@funfilmphilippines]

@@CliftonStommel Long lost rich relatives hopefully, then i'll have some great lenses for Christmas.

[@CameraCheckChannel]

Hey, nice channel. I see you have reactivated the channel. Good idea and carry on. :-)

[@CliftonStommel]

Thank you! Yeah, its good to be back (and with purpose)!

[@orangerecords_studio]

to me, the T 2.9 looks unusabel soft for m filmmaking ....and thats where the aperture will be most of the time .

[@CliftonStommel]

Not sure I've met a lens I would call "unusably soft" for filmmaking (flange misalignment excepted, of course). There is certainly an aesthetic quality to be tapped into! That being said, yeah I wouldn't film a shot, reverse shot dialogue scene using this lens for one character and a master prime for the other (though as I type this I can actually imagine an scenario in which that may help subtly support the narrative, depending on your reasons for the mismatched footage). I would be willing to bet that folks seeing a film shot entirely with this lens would have no complaints about the sharpness Without a side-by-side comparison, you'd be surprised how few people can even perceive the natural "softness" of a lens, which is one of the reasons I really like discovering new lenses like this with unique "personality" to their look! This is just a lens I more often use for narrative projects than commercial projects. To each his own!

[@orangerecords_studio]

@@CliftonStommel ..... and yes. we ofter soften clips, faces, somteimes with plugins , its lots of ways, really. But. You want ta sharp image, and then, you treat it. So, to a documentarist, fo course eh wants an even sharper image. :) I said about f stops, coz the 2.8 is the most used in film, for several reasons, but SDF is one of them, and, you talk about side by side, You jsut did that, and the lense is very soft wide open, we can seeit, and U can . In mjusic production , we often treat audio clips with distortion,and tapesimulators etc. but that does not mean we want a distorted signal to start with .

[@orangerecords_studio]

@@CliftonStommel and also all lesnese wil go quite soft in 1.5, but inthis the T.2.9 looks softer even that taken in consideration :)tis lens is TOO soft, even other test showed that :)

[@CliftonStommel]

@@orangerecords_studio sounds like you've done plenty of research, and that this may not be the lens for you.

[@ChannelWright]

Laowa lenses usually have a reasonable price - but not this one. Sorry, not impressed. Go back to the drawing board and try again.

[@CliftonStommel]

How do you mean?

[@ChannelWright]

I meant the price is too high ($6500) for most Laowa users.

[@CliftonStommel]

@@ChannelWright Does the price strike you as unreasonable for what the lens accomplishes? Some might say it is just a different class of lens than the lower-priced Laowa offerings.

[@ChannelWright]

@@CliftonStommel Yes, it's in a different class - they're aiming higher. I was drawn to the review by the great features this lens has but since it's Laowa, I expected a much better price - that $6500 gave me sticker shock. I'd take a shorter focal range for a smaller price...until then, it looks like a used Canon 2.8 EFS 17-55 or something from Sigma (much larger and heavier than the Laowa - ugh ) will have to do.

[@drydockstudios]

Not a fan of this lens

[@CliftonStommel]

This lens is fond of you, though!

[@drydockstudios]

Clifton Stommel ha...they’re too soft for my taste; prefer that Cooke look. :D

[@CliftonStommel]

@@drydockstudios Ahh! You have one of the Cooke 18-100mm units then!

[@nickb_rock]

That is possibly the most disgusting flaring I've ever seen on a lens and anybody who thinks that is "super cool" has never shot with great glass. Flare was an unavoidable consequence of older lens designs and coatings. With the most current modern lenses and coatings we have nearly flare free optics that help your camera display the world as your eyes would see it... why would you want such a horrible flat and washed out image besides to be "trendy"? There's a reason why Deakins shoots with new optics like the Arri Signature primes for virtually no breathing, vignetting, and minimal flare. Because it takes away from being immersed in the film.

[@CliftonStommel]

This appears to be something you are very passionate about, Nick! Glad to hear people getting so fired up about optics. You'd be amazed how often I hear people fail to articulate what they like or dislike about any given lens or set. I have personally shot with Arri-Zeiss Master Primes / Anamorphics, Cooke S4, Angenieux, etc as well as CP.2, Xeens, CN-E, Sigma Cine, etc... And I personally think that every lens aesthetic has a place. Just depends on what one is shooting, and the mood / tone one is going for. It would be silly to try and shoot something for the MCU on this sort of glass, just as it would be a little mismatched to film a vintage sci-fi throwback piece on unfiltered Master Anamorphics. You may want to take a look at the music video for LCD Soundsystem's "Oh Baby" - to see what I'm talking about.

[@nickb_rock]

@@CliftonStommel Clifton, thank you for the reply. I am very passionate about optics and apologize if I seemed too fired up or argumentative. I can appreciate a lens' unique character for certain projects as I'm sure since you've used what you've stated before you know the subtleties of each set. I just find that new glass that is trying to cover all bases fails majorly at some of the most important aspects like lens coatings to improve contrast and reduce flare. Thank you for the reply and I appreciate the content you've shown as it has given me an objective opinion on the optics without having to rent. Thank you for the content and the reply