Venus Optics 'Laowa' 14mm f/4 lens review with samples

[@AgnostosGnostos]

The Laowa 15mm f/2 is designed for mirrorless cameras too. It is a little heavier and bigger but it much brighter and not very expensive. Christopher Frost has another video about this lens too.

[@Vantrakter]

'A little heavier'? 'Not very expensive'? It is twice as heavy (228g vs 500g) and 200-300USD more expensive. venuslens.net/product/14mm-f4-ff-rl-zero-d/ venuslens.net/product/laowa-15mm-f2/

[@oliverpuczyk2]

@@Vantrakter whats an extra 300$ when it comes to photo gear

[@kingmex1347]

The distortion of this for a 14mm is almost zero to none. That’s insane

[@vikmanphotography7984]

I bought the Canon 14mm 2.8 right before the market started to focus on ultra wide-angle with the Sigma and samyang options and while I absolutely got screwed with an overpriced lens, I can confirm that even that older lens has virtually no distortion. The Canon also has way better field curvature. Don't buy the Canon though- it's overpriced. Just saying this lens isn't particularly special imo.

[@vegasjtech]

Nicely done and informative review Christopher. Thank you.

[@mdturnerinoz]

I have the RF versions of the 2:1 and 5:2.1 macro lenses; really quality products and easy to use with my EOS-R! I won't be getting one of these until a Canon RF version is produced. But manual focus notwithstanding, these are solidly-built and useful lenses!

[@epicyclic]

I'm puzzled as to why the test chart for resolution shows both the center and corners to be sharp at all apertures, yet the distortion chart shows only the center to be sharp.

[@mitchellweitzman9329]

Hey Chris, do you have a recommendation for Nikon Z shooters on these affordable UWA primes? This looks decent, but then Samyang has a manual focus Z option as well, or the Irix 15mm is very affordable (only about $250 used in the States) and could be adapted even. thanks!

[@donaldklopper]

Is there no way to remove the lens hood before fitting filters? They should have made that hood quite a bit larger...

[@ManofTones]

Christopher, could you please review the wonderfull irix 150mm lens? I honestly think your way of testing lenses is to me the best. Consistent and clear. Thanks!

[@christopherfrost]

Maybe one day :-)

[@RONGNEL]

Thank you Chris for another awesome review! Regarding those "occasional" flares - they seem pretty frequent at 5:11 . Will this lens be of use for some astrophotography @F4 ?!

[@6rimR3ap3r]

As it's announced for Canon RF this might be my choice to replace my aps-c Laowa 9mm when switching to full frame.

[@albedo0point39]

Dominik Heidrich Ah, Canon RF is good news indeed.

[@filipwielechowski1819]

Great vid! You did a review on a very similar lens laowa 15mm no-d, which one do you think is better for Sony a7r III?

[@SlotCarNewsOfficial]

Would this OR the Voightlander 10mm be better? I'm going to be traveling to India later this year and I'm considering getting a VERY wide angle lens like this OR the 10mm Voightlander. Which would be sharper, better micro contrast?

[@ProudNothing]

Love laowa lenses!

[@yesthisisdonut]

it's corners are much sharper. :D thanks for the review chris, good stuff! any chance of us seeing you take a closer look at that ridiculous fujifilm 50mm f1.0?

[@garyxu5929]

Looks like there is a field curvature effect

[@Lucamitm]

Is it difficult to focus manually with wide angle lens like this? Do the marks help for quick focus? Thanks

[@florinhorhat8702]

Hello Christopher, i do appreciate all your reviews, i too love my M6 mark ii canon camera but i struggle about good lenses, please if you have time try some lenses for rest of us to decide easier on what to get ( some prime maybe some of "trinity" canon or third party). Thank you and keep up your good work, all the best!

[@film20plus]

Are you in Falmouth?

[@timelapsebylkunl72]

Thanks for a great reviews as always. Did you try 100mm filter holder that come with it. I wonder how much vignette it cause. Look like an interesting lens better than 9mm and 11mm earlier.

[@FencerPTS]

What was going on in the corners of the distortion grid? It looked terribly blurred at f/4.

[@pizzablender]

Probably field curvature at shorter distances?

[@kangsterizer]

great review work as usual. the lens itself feels too niche for the price - though the price isn't bad for what you get, it's probably far down the list of lenses most people would want

[@arielelijah1282]

Hi is it equivalent for a 18 mm moment lens in edge to edge clarity and also the lens softening and barrel distortion are eliminated. Some lens like Samyang 14 mm f 2.8 has barrel distortions which is limited for landscape photos only.

[@andre1987eph]

The problem with receiving samples from manufacturers is the samples are cherry picked, not random as a consumer would get from store.

[@Hazzmat321]

What brand of filters did you go with? Having just received my lens im finding that there is little space between the lens threads and the hood. My 52mm filters dont fit.

[@NaviRetlav]

Please test the Laova 9mm FF lens on sony :)

[@AndrewSmith-im5xh]

Chris, Love your reviews! When I watch "DA" I feel like my social security check will arrive any moment and I have grown to despise "Fro-bro" with his condescending approach and his frequent references to previous cocaine addiction. A suggestion, with the arrival of these third party ultra wide lenses that will accept filters, most landscape folk will want to know about vignette problems.

[@nvztsnl]

this can be a “weird” lens cuz glaring from corners are really weird.

[@RichardsWorld]

Laowa shows a video of them setting infinity focus with a screw driver. You're not going to show this?

[@christopherfrost]

I wasn't even aware that was a feature LOL. If the lens can do that then that's potentially a useful feature.

[@vikmanphotography7984]

Eh. $550 is too much, considering all the other ~14mm lenses in the market and the f4 aperture

[@sussar]

How this lens compare with the Laowa 15mm F2?

[@christopherfrost]

It's smaller, but the 15mm is a better lens overall

[@cypherdk85]

Just a silly question, would it make it easier to put in a circular polariser if you first put a UV filter on it, so it's raised and easier to put in? Or is that a bad idea?

[@christopherfrost]

Yes, but you'll get huge vignetting, probably

[@lmenzol]

Rather get the laowa 15mm or the 11mm

[@PhoenixBlackYT]

so many new lenses, will you going to review the new Samyang AF 35mm f1.8 that announced a few days ago too? that lens will be a great alternative to the Sony version if the CA performance is better

[@shang-hsienyang1284]

3:55 does this lens suffer from field curvature like the Laowa 9mm f/2.8 apsc lens?

[@sloemo4024]

I noticed on the vignetting/distortion test image at infinity the corners seemed way out of focus. Would guess this is field curvature issue.

[@yourtallness]

It's getting confusing with all these Laowa wide angles.

[@joshizposh1995]

Can you please do a tamron 17-28mm sony FE lens review? Great work as usual

[@JoATTech]

Are the corners much sharper than 11mm F4.5 though?

[@christopherfrost]

Yup

[@PavelHoloubek]

Is it good enough for interior photography???

[@tuckerfarce]

Happen to know the actual weight? Just in case I plan to put this one up in the air.

[@RealRaynedance]

228g, or half a pound. Light enough to pick up with two fingers.

[@terrencelau9419]

Hey Chris, will you retest the Sigma 50-100 f1.8 on the M6 Mark II? Could be a good test to see truly how sharp the lens is!

[@Termidryna]

Seems better than 15 mm f/4

[@shang-hsienyang1284]

The aperture ring is useful on a7c, which was crippled by Sony by not including a front dial.

[@StringerBell]

Dude what country are you living in? It's so damn beatutiful.

[@youmustmonthebiff]

England. Not much like Baltimore, eh stringer?

[@melfarus]

@@youmustmonthebiff Pretty sure it's Wales

[@StringerBell]

@@youmustmonthebiff Indeed :D

[@wwjjss33]

Wales. County Ceredigion. -Isn’t it beautiful?! His pictures compel me to squirrel away funds to travel there when all this madness settles down. Such a stunning coast.

[@tomnicholas8264]

West Wales - mainly in the Ceredigion (Cardigan) area, I believe. The cathedral (St David's) is a bit further down the coast, in Pembrokeshire.

[@mohsaeedbaq]

Great

[@albedo0point39]

Disappointing lack of 3rd party support for RF... and no wide primes from Canon. 🙁

[@shang-hsienyang1284]

I guess this lens is superior to the 15mm f/4 Nisi

[@mmhhlee99]

It’d be perfect if they provide a fuji version.

[@EFFTEEZEE]

3:40 Look at this TERRIBLE field curvature!! Only APS-C area of image is in focus. Distortion is very low for UWA lens though.

[@ArteUltra1195]

Not as much of a problem when you think of how close the lens had to be to the test chart. When doing landscape its going to be entirely different

[@EFFTEEZEE]

​@@ArteUltra1195 I do know that. But even in infinity focus(Landscape distance) they are still a lot blurrier than center. Maybe focusing on 2/3 position of image might help.

[@DavidLeicamFotografia]

bad lens.

[@ciba20]

why?