The Laowa 15mm f4.5 Macro is sort of an interesting alternative. You see, this isn’t the corporate’s first 15mm lens. Laowa additionally has a 15mm f4.5 Zero Distortion Tilt-shift, a 15mm f2, and a 15mm f4 macro — the latter is one thing we acknowledged to be, “…true factor of magnificence.” Maybe better of all, this lens is simply going to price $399. However why one other 15mm lens? It’s an odd focal size option to make so many choices for. Numerous photographers as an alternative would count on a 50mm or 35mm lens variant as an alternative. However this? Effectively, a minimum of the picture high quality is fairly good.
The Huge Image: Laowa 15mm f4.5 Macro Assessment Conclusions
I’ve to be actually frank right here: that is essentially the most lukewarm I’ve been a couple of lens in a very long time. It doesn’t excite me very a lot and it’s fairly removed from actually profitable any awards. To be trustworthy, I don’t perceive why Laowa made it. Why add one more 15mm lens not to mention a 15mm macro lens to your lineup? Granted, there’s numerous good issues about it.
However in my thoughts, that is simply one other 15mm lens. And what’s the purpose in having one other?
Professionals
- Steel construct
- Good picture high quality
- I like the tremendous saturated colours
- Good controls
- Ergonomically pleasing management rings
Cons
- Missing climate resistance
- Focusing with Nikon isn’t the most effective
Gear Used
We examined the Laowa 15mm f4.5 with a Nikon Zf. The digital camera is our personal and the lens is a loaner unit offered to us by Laowa.
Who Ought to Purchase It
The Laowa 15mm f4.5 Macro is an interesting lens, however I’m truthfully unsure that it’s value getting over so many others available on the market.
{Hardware}
The dearth of climate resistance here’s a actual drawback. At one level, I attempted stopping down the lens solely to see a very huge hair on the Nikon Zf sensor. So after making an attempt to determine the issue, I wanted to take the lens off and not directly blow air from my mouth onto the sensor. It jogged my memory of once I was youthful and a mum or dad would attempt to blow air into my eye to get one thing out. If the lens had resistance and sealing, this drawback wouldn’t have occurred.
Focusing
The Laowa 15mm f4.5 Macro has guide focus solely however with Focusing affirmation in-built with Nikon. However on this case, it’s actually not all that good. Generally Nikon will say the lens is in focus when it actually isn’t. So typically, I’d find yourself magnifying the picture to make sure the main focus labored simply fantastic. There was a degree the place folks would say that you simply didn’t must focus the lens, however this isn’t the case in any respect. With digital, there’s a lot depth to the picture that you must focus it.
Ease of Use
Effectively, if you happen to complain about guide focus, then you definately’re not going to love this lens. It requires you to decelerate to get the shot. Plus there’s the guide aperture across the lens. Really, the Laowa 15mm f4.5 Macro is a lens for somebody who needs to create a picture and have the fullest guide management and expertise attainable. Numerous photographers don’t actually know what which means till they do it.
Picture High quality
Whereas the Laowa 15mm f4.5 Macro can ship bokeh, I don’t suppose it’s value it with this lens. As a substitute, it’s a lot better for cityscapes and landscapes in so many various methods. Cease this lens down, focus it out, after which use a slower aperture to get a few of the higher experiences with it.
Further Picture Samples
The Phoblographer has been enormous on transparency with our viewers since day one. Nothing from this evaluation is sponsored. Additional, many people will submit evaluations and present a lot of enhancing within the photographs. The issue then turns into that anybody and everybody can do the identical factor. They’re not exhibiting what the lens can do. So, we now have a bit in our Further Picture Samples space to point out edited and unedited photographs. From this, you possibly can resolve for your self.
Unedited
Edited
Tech Specs
Supplied to us by Laowa
| Identify | Laowa 15mm f/4.5 0.5X Vast Angle Macro |
| Focal Size | 15mm |
| Aperture Vary | f/4.5-f/32 |
| Angle of View | 110.5° |
| Max. Magnification | 0.5x |
| Format | Full-Body |
| Focusing System | MF |
| Lens Construction | 16 Components in 11 Teams (2 aspherical parts, 3 HR parts, and three ED parts) |
| Aperture Blades | 5 |
| Min. Focusing Distance | 5.08” / 129mm |
| Working Distance | 1.42” / 36mm |
| Filter Thread Measurement | Ø62mm |
| Dimension | 1.88” x Ø2.76” / 47.7mm * Ø70mm |
| Weight | ~0.68lb / 308g |
| Mount | Auto-Aperture: Sony E / Nikon Z / Canon EFManual-Aperture: Nikon F / Canon RF / L Mount |
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