Venus Optics Laowa 12mm Zero D Review

www.DarrenMiles... - Southwest Florida Portrait, Wedding, Family and Real Estate Photographer.
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[@keystonebrotherb]

I think maybe your copy was soft. Mine has tack sharpness corner to corner past f4. Vignetting is nearly eliminated at f8. I love all of my Laowas, the 24 and 25 are spectacular and the 100 is the best bargain 2x macro available. I still say for RE the aps-c 9mm 2.8 is THE lens to have. Even in crop mode on an riii, it’s the best little lens for interiors. Love it.

[@tonylouisvisionvideography3469]

Wow! Your real eastate video and stills work is exception. This video so well put together and very well presented. I love the effort you put into your videos

[@georgemurray752]

Perhaps the reviewer wasn't aware of this at the time of the review, but the Laowa also offers the MSC (magic shift converter) which makes it a 17mm F4 shift lens which is incredibly useful for architectural shots. Also, I have the 14 2.8 manual Samyang and the Laowa beats it hands down in every respect except of course price.

[@DarrenMiles]

I was not aware of that, I’ll have to look into it. Thank you for bringing it to my attention!

[@shang-hsienyang1284]

I think it is the problem with Sony's thick sensor stack causing the soft corners

[@rmarko52]

Is it possible that you received a "bad" copy of this lens? I've heard that Laowa is somewhat weak in the quality control department. I have (and I know that you had previously reviewed) the Venus Optics Laowa 7.5mm f/2 for m4/3 and I've been generally happy with it's performance.

[@Bob-mo6iv]

thank you for your honest opinion!

[@powerlurker]

that white outfit makes me wonder“when did i subed a cooking channel？ and the chief looks quite like a photographer tuber i know ” XD

[@mrshaheedmalik]

Hahaha

[@FidelWS]

I think your experience is based on this particular camera or lens, I use this lens with metabones on GH5 and with Canon 7d Mark II and is super sharp, even at f2.8 and corners are good

[@ovidiulazar6226]

I would still go for the Voigtlander + AF adapter - for a Sony camera on wide lenses

[@MotoMatt418]

Great review. If you had to choose between the Canon 15-35 RF or this Laowa 12mm what would you prefer? Thanks for the info!

[@GNOBNX]

15-35 RF ALL DAY

[@Neopulse00]

Glad you made this review. Was really on the fence about purchasing this lens since I already own the 105mm f/2 lens.

[@SonnyCrackBeats]

Great video!! I just spent 20 minutes trying to find that song Summertime Blues with ZERO luck like this Zero-D lens.. lol Can ya help me out Darren? Thanks!! With the lens, I think it's a trade off but for high end real estate it won't cut it but it certainly has a place in some instances.

[@The_Daliban]

Great video.was unsure at the beginning but loved it at the end. Thanks for the review🙏🏻 Which lens would you recommend for stills and video?

[@oneeyemonkey3468]

Hi Darren, thanks for the great review. For real estate, this laowa or the voigtlander?

[@StephanEilert]

Specially if you are shooting at 1080p, sharpness wont be a problem unless its really bad. Im a phtographer first and now getting into video, and my lenses are SHARP, but I would get a softer lens if it helps me to record better videos, thats why 24-105 f4 is from canon is so popular for videomakers and not that much for photographers: great range, meh aperture but good enough and IS, but its sharpness its bad. Also, 12megapixels is about a 4k image in video, so if you are shooting 1080 is less than 5megapixels, so you wont notice the sharpness difference THAT much.

[@gabrielsebastian]

Reminds me of Gerald undone. Easily passable for his dad.

[@wolfieseven2360]

Except for that fact that he's probably like 1 year older than good 'ol Gerald.

[@Tubularjake]

...it's not a good sign when you have to begin a video with an apology.

[@ATreeForFive]

Would you recommend this lens with an APS-C camera ? If not, what would be a better fast prime option ? Thx

[@carlgregory6910]

Fantastic review

[@manykzofficial8111]

why Laowa 12mm f/2.8 better than Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 ??? cant find any comparisons on your tube

[@cartales4kiddos509]

Darren, have you tested the 9mm Laowa full frame? Only f5.6, but very interested to see your review on its optics

[@JaredHoyman]

Thanks for the review Darren! I have been using the samyang 14mm rf for over 6months and love it. I now have the canon R6 and was excited for the IBIS with the samyang but for some reason canon doesn't allow IBIS with samyang. Only dummy lenses and ef lenses allow the IBIS to function. And thats why I'm now looking at the Laowa 12mm rf version. I have the Laowa 7.5 on my gh5 and have loved it. R6 4k 60fps is awesome but I really need the IBIS for any micro jitters.

[@DarrenMiles]

I got the Samyang 14 with the R6 and I’m impressed! With both!

[@JaredHoyman]

@@DarrenMiles is the IBIS working with your samyang 14mm rf AF?

[@JaredHoyman]

Btw...LOVE samyang and use that solely for real estate photos and now using it for my video walk throughs on the r6. Time to sell my gh5.

[@tonylouisvisionvideography3469]

I have the Voigtlander 10.5mm F/0.95 lens on my GH5s The only Laowa lens I own is the 7.5mm F/2 rectilinear lens

[@MrCochise71]

Looks like I'll take the Texas Chili instead. 😋 I've used the old school Canon 15mm and I'm still pretty happy with it. Haven't shot with 14mm yet .

[@DarrenMiles]

You and me both, too many better options out there...

[@tempest1191]

@@DarrenMiles CALIFORNIA BABY!!!!!

[@DarrenMiles]

@@tempest1191 California... Chili?

[@tempest1191]

@@DarrenMiles Nah, I just really like California!

[@nicke.3536]

A nice review. Exactly what I say too. Good for video on gimbals and poor for photos. My Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8 better than Laowa for a big margin (for photos of course). In video - other story. For BMPCC 4K - Laowa CINE is shining like no other lenses on the market.

[@davidburton2294]

I'm on the fence with this and the Samyang 14mm af for my a7rii.

[@freddymann1044]

Since you gave this a below average rating...what lens would you recommend in its place? PS - very well done review.

[@DarrenMiles]

Several - 14mm f/1.8 from Sigma, 14mm f/2.8 from Samyang, any of the zooms - almost every other wide angle out there honestly...

[@stefan_becker]

Have a look at the Sigma 14-24mm 2.8 DG DN. It's in my experience even sharper than the Sony 16-35mm 2.8 GM.

[@DarrenMiles]

@@stefan_becker Used ir, reviewed it LOVED IT!

[@philindeblanc]

Easy, the Voitlander MIII in 14mm for under $450. Tamron also has a very nice lens that is 15-30mm

[@keystonebrotherb]

The lens to recommend is the Laowa 9 2.8 in crop mode. I have both and the aps-c lens is magical. Very sharp and lightweight, it’s perfect.

[@oliverlison]

Laowa is the last manufacturer that comes to my mind.

[@Ultima2876]

Does this work with a speed booster on an APS-C sensor?

[@DarrenMiles]

I can’t say, I haven’t tried it.

[@jedlimvisuals]

Looks like you have the E-mount version. There is an A-mount or FE mount version. Do you think this could be why you have issues with image quality on the full frame?

[@heisenberg9616]

did you print out your logo and glue it onto your shirt?

[@DarrenMiles]

Looks like it huh? I have to talk to my printer about this lol

[@heisenberg9616]

@@DarrenMiles I am not trolling, I am just curious why a transparent file with the white background was not used :)

[@DarrenMiles]

@@heisenberg9616 it was embroidered- so they needed some kind of a background to run the thread through… And voilà - looks like a patch

[@philindeblanc]

Anything over $475 , maybe $520 for this is OVERPRICED. Get yourself a Voitlander or as mentioned, the Samyang. I do see it sell $599 regularly and I still wont buy it as the Voit is better optics. For anything in the 800+ range Get the Tamron 15mm to 30 or is it 11-15 (I think it is?), excellent lens.

[@DarrenMiles]

Which Voitlander?

[@philindeblanc]

@@DarrenMiles I thought it was 14mm, but its the 15mm F4 Super Wide Heliar Aspherical III

[@ronspi]

Okay, you HAVE to change that white shirt, with the white background of the embroidery! I nearly got a seizure. The shirt is too thin for this kind of embroidery and it can be seen through. (Don't take offense, please - There is an engineer here. It's all about the details). - Love the video, as always, regardless.

[@sourabhrawat1089]

Hey what are your thoughts for samyang 14 mm

[@DarrenMiles]

See for yourself right here - kzbin.info/www/bejne/jaLTiZSEhKd0qJI

[@sourabhrawat1089]

@@DarrenMiles thankyou so much ❤️

[@robertocordero4682]

Thanks, I almost buy this lens 👍 @bobbyfingers