Laowa 15mm f/2 Zero-D Lens (Nikon Z)

Toto sklo s Nikonem Z6 doslova čaruje. Úžasná kvalita obrazu. Ostrost již od plně otevřené clony. Perfektní i na noční focení a astro.

good size. smooth rings. bright wide angle lens. only minus is that the camera doesnt see the aperture. otherwise good lens.

Almost perfect, more like 4.5 stars?

The lens is great, at F 2.0 with it's close focusing distance it'll get some nice bokeh. Build quality is solid and focusing ring turns buttery smooth.Having lived with the lens over a year now I have a few gripes. The first and biggest one is that the lens hood doesn't lock into place very well. When you screw it on it kind of just slides into place without the detent or locking action, which causes it to shift when you are switching lenses often and cut off the corner of your images (if you don't pay attention). Second, and this one has problem been mentioned elsewhere, the infinity focus isn't quite where it's marked on the lens but about 1-2mm before you reach the end of the focus travel. You can find this out by playing with the lens.So other than a couple ... MoreThe lens is great, at F 2.0 with it's close focusing distance it'll get some nice bokeh. Build quality is solid and focusing ring turns buttery smooth.Having lived with the lens over a year now I have a few gripes. The first and biggest one is that the lens hood doesn't lock into place very well. When you screw it on it kind of just slides into place without the detent or locking action, which causes it to shift when you are switching lenses often and cut off the corner of your images (if you don't pay attention). Second, and this one has problem been mentioned elsewhere, the infinity focus isn't quite where it's marked on the lens but about 1-2mm before you reach the end of the focus travel. You can find this out by playing with the lens.So other than a couple minor but annoying caveats the lens itself has been pretty wonderful.

Awesome budget landscape lens

The only drawback is no autofocus. But who needs autofocus when shooting landscape. It's not like the subject is moving. Wonderful low light performance with its f2 aperture. And makes an excellent real estate lens too.

Flawed, maybe a bad copy?

I have been looking for a lens for the occasional night/milky way shot that a) does not weigh a ton b) does not break the bank c) has reasonable performance and d) preferably does not require adapaters on my Z6. The Laowa 15mm f2 zero D seemed to fit the bill based on the available reviews, so when one became available for sale in like new condition I decided to jump on it.While shooting it on a tripod side by side with a Nikon lens at the same focal length, I noticed that at equivalent f-stop the Laowa would meter differently in A mode, and under equivalent settings in M mode it would produce darker images. Which caused me to run additional tests. On a tripod, in A mode, under fixed artifical lighting conditions I would simply record the metered shutter ... MoreI have been looking for a lens for the occasional night/milky way shot that a) does not weigh a ton b) does not break the bank c) has reasonable performance and d) preferably does not require adapaters on my Z6. The Laowa 15mm f2 zero D seemed to fit the bill based on the available reviews, so when one became available for sale in like new condition I decided to jump on it.While shooting it on a tripod side by side with a Nikon lens at the same focal length, I noticed that at equivalent f-stop the Laowa would meter differently in A mode, and under equivalent settings in M mode it would produce darker images. Which caused me to run additional tests. On a tripod, in A mode, under fixed artifical lighting conditions I would simply record the metered shutter speeds.The Nikon lens behaved exactly like you would expect. In the f/4-f/22 range at 1 stop increments the metered speeds weref/4-f/22: 1/20, 1/10, 1/5, 1/2.5, 1/1.3, 1.6f22-f4: 1.6, 1/1.3, 1/2.5, 1/5, 1/10, 1/20The Laowa not so much:f/2.8-f22: 1/40, 1/20, 1/13, 1/5, 1/3, 1/1.6, 1f22- f2.8: 1, 1, 1/2, 1/5, 1/10, 1/20, 1/40The aperture ring was in click mode. It is immediately obvious that the calibration is not correct, and there is significant backlash/hystersis between the up and down series. I repeated the test a couple of times and it was repeatable. As soon as the aperture was decreased above f/5.6 the increments were not integer steps of 1/2, and the return sweep was offset from the forward one.In addition, the lens would meter in A and S modes, but not in M mode. Not sure if I would blame Laowa for that one, it may be something due to Nikon software, but it is a hassle to deal with either way.Have not done detailed comparisons of IQ yet but it seems about what you would expect relative to the Nikon lens. Not as good contrast, not as good sharpness, slightly muddy look in the corners, even at f/16. Given that this lens lists for 65% of the Nikon the latter is not too surprising. I did not note any obvious decentering issues, though I have not looked too carefully.These results are disappointing. I was hoping that the lens would be good enough to keep. Will have to look for alternatives, unfortunately there are none in native Z mount at the moment and nothing is coming in the foreseable future that would not cost a ton. Maybe I just had a bum copy?

Nostalgia!

Brings back the days when every shot had to be hand-focused ... many young photographers reject manual lenses out of hand, but I regard autofocus as a frill. The lens itself is great ... very sharp, minimal distortion, and you can add filters, which is unusual for 15mm glass. And compared to virtually every other lens made for the Nikon Z series so far, it's affordable! Highly recommended.

Upgrade over the Samyang MF 14mm F2.8

Compared to the Samyang/Rokinon 14mm F2.8, the Laowa 15mm F2 lens has a lot less vignette, is smaller, accepts screw-on filters, and is much sharper at F2.8. Surprisingly, it's also about 1/3 of a stop brighter at F2.8 too (measured in the center of the frame to limit the effect of vignette). F2 is noticeably soft, however.The only thing the Samyang does better is coma performance with bright stars in the extreme corners. It's a real problem for the Laowa, but I'll still use it for astro. A small crop or star replacement and it's gone.The Samyang also has a noticeable yellow color-cast, which I've observed in other Samyang/Rokinon lens as well. The Laowa has more neutral colors.The attached comparison photos show both lens shot at F2.8 with no lens correction, ... MoreCompared to the Samyang/Rokinon 14mm F2.8, the Laowa 15mm F2 lens has a lot less vignette, is smaller, accepts screw-on filters, and is much sharper at F2.8. Surprisingly, it's also about 1/3 of a stop brighter at F2.8 too (measured in the center of the frame to limit the effect of vignette). F2 is noticeably soft, however.The only thing the Samyang does better is coma performance with bright stars in the extreme corners. It's a real problem for the Laowa, but I'll still use it for astro. A small crop or star replacement and it's gone.The Samyang also has a noticeable yellow color-cast, which I've observed in other Samyang/Rokinon lens as well. The Laowa has more neutral colors.The attached comparison photos show both lens shot at F2.8 with no lens correction, exposure changes, or color correction. Laowa is on the left, Samyang on the right.

Venus Lens

The product has proven to be very efficient lens.

Wasn't for me...

I purchased this lens as it had some decent reviews but I ended up selling it shortly after as I learned that it just wasn't for me.Negatives:1.) The lens had some oily spots on it. They came off with a cleaning solution, but I think this goes to show the little effort that is put into quality control.2.) The lens hood fits loosely and it is not reversible.3.) It's manual focus, which I knew when buying it, but what I didn't know is that it does not work with the Nikon Z series bodies to show you your exposure. What I mean is your in-body exposure meter will not work with this lens. I actually think this is the fault of Nikon, not so much the lens, but nonetheless, it is a downside. And it should be possible because you can use the lens in priority modes and ... MoreI purchased this lens as it had some decent reviews but I ended up selling it shortly after as I learned that it just wasn't for me.Negatives:1.) The lens had some oily spots on it. They came off with a cleaning solution, but I think this goes to show the little effort that is put into quality control.2.) The lens hood fits loosely and it is not reversible.3.) It's manual focus, which I knew when buying it, but what I didn't know is that it does not work with the Nikon Z series bodies to show you your exposure. What I mean is your in-body exposure meter will not work with this lens. I actually think this is the fault of Nikon, not so much the lens, but nonetheless, it is a downside. And it should be possible because you can use the lens in priority modes and it automatically adjusts for you, so you know the camera is understanding how to read the scene, but when you put it in manual mode, you don't have a clue how your settings are affecting the exposure of the image.4.) it's not weather-sealed5.) I didn't find it to be all that sharp of a lens, even in the center.Pros:1.) Cheaper than Nikon2.) good job limiting distortion for such a wide-angle lens3.) It's metal which some people like, but to be honest this could be a negative as well because it gets cold easily which you can feel in the winter months. It also means it produces more condensation when moving between warm and cold areas.ig @elladacanada

Well Built and Sharp

Love the smooth focus for EZ manual focus. I use Nikon Z6 and set movie button to zoom in 200 percent, this gives me a nice close up to get critical focus as I shoot this lens at F2 much of the time. The de-click switch is a nice touch for video shooting and is the buttery smooth focus pull. Not 300 degree or anything but very smooth.