Overview: Laowa 10mm 2.8 AF – The Starting of a New Period

Introduction

2024 is a particular 12 months for Laowa, because it marks the corporate’s tenth anniversary. What higher option to have a good time this than with a 10mm lens? However wait, Laowa already launched a 9mm full body lens, so what’s so particular about this 10mm lens? For starters, this lens includes a most aperture of f/2.8, making it the world’s quickest 10mm lens and in addition the world’s widest f/2.8 lens. However what is likely to be much more vital: that is Laowa’s first AF lens. The start of a brand new period.

Pattern Photos

Most of the Pattern photos on this assessment may be present in full decision right here.

Disclosure

The Laowa 10mm 2.8 AF was kindly offered freed from cost by Laowa for reviewing function for just a few weeks previous to launch.

Specs / Model Historical past

Laowa launched a number of extremely large ange lenses by now, together with the Laowa 10-18mm 4.5-5.6 (the primary fullframe zoom beginning at 10mm), a fair wider Laowa 9mm 5.6 and the Laowa 12mm 2.8. This 10mm 2.8 affords an unprecedented mixture of focal size and most aperture although and it’s also the primary Laowa to function autofocus (solely accessible for E-mount and Z-mount), its full specs (E-mount, AF model) are:

• • Diameter: 82 mm
  • Subject of view: 130.4° (diagonally)
  • Size: 72 mm
  • Weight: 420g (with out hood, with out caps)
  • Filter Diameter: 77 mm
  • Variety of Aperture Blades: 5 (straight)
  • Parts/Teams: 15/9
    
  • Shut Focusing Distance: 0.12 m
  • Most Magnification: 1:5.1 (measured)
  • Mount: Sony-E, Nikon-Z, Canon RF, L-mount

For Sony-E and Nikon-Z this lens can also be accessible as handbook focus model with 14 aperture blades and aperture ring. They don’t function digital contacts although.

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How large is it?

Sony A7rII | most aperture

I’ve been utilizing lenses this large for years, however in case you are not that conversant in them it’s tough to know what a giant soar it’s from a lens being 10mm large to at least one being 9mm large. Due to this fact I believed it might be a good suggestion to incorporate this comparability.

We additionally see that the 10mm has much less points with colour solid, most likely due to its a lot larger rear factor.

Dealing with / Construct High quality

This 10mm 2.8 shouldn’t be solely Laowa’s first AF lens, it additionally includes a new casing design. Whereas Laowa’s earlier lenses had been normally merely black, this one includes a metallic darkish gray end. I prefer it and everybody I’ve proven the lens to to this point additionally preferred it, however obiously it matches the colour of most cameras much less in comparison with a black lens.

The supplies used differ from different Laowa lenses. I used to be advised it’s constituted of aluminium however I believe there are additionally some components made of top of the range polycarbonate. Both means, the lens is lighter than it seems to be.

The main target ring can also be one thing particular, because it options two bumps with a Laowa brand. One other distinctive design factor. For an AF lens the ring is properly dampened and it takes 180° from the minimal focus distance to infinity – much like Sony’s GM lenses.

The lens does additionally function an AF/MF-switch on the left facet.

The E-mount model doesn’t function an aperture ring, you set the specified aperture in digicam.

The lens additionally includes a rubber gasket on the rear bayonet which some individuals suppose helps with holding the sensor clear of mud and others suppose is principally a advertising gag.

In relation to the glass diameter in relation to the diameter of the entire lens this Laowa 10mm 2.8 AF jogs my memory lots of the Zeiss Batis 18mm 2.8, that means the glass components look tiny in comparison with the large casing, however there may be acually a great purpose for that. Up to now not one of the 10mm (or 9mm) lenses featured a standard filter thread, primarily due to their bulbous entrance components. This Laowa 10mm 2.8 AF however options a normal 77mm filter thread. I attempted it with a slim polarizer and that works with none extra vignetting. I additionally tried to stack two filters, which results in large vignetting.

The hood can also be detachable, so theoretically you can use a filter system as properly. I don’t have a 100mm system to inform you which combos work right here although. Attaching and eradicating the hood requires some power on this pattern of the lens.

The brand new 10mm 2.8 AF seems to be big in comparison with the 9mm 5.6, however on nearer examination the diameter of the entrance components is definitely smaller, that was a little bit of a shock. The 10mm 2.8 does function a a lot larger rear factor although. As must be obvious from these footage: this isn’t precisely a small lens.

AF efficiency

I’m not capturing sports activities or fast-paced animals/people so if you wish to know if the lens is quick sufficient for this or the way it compares to different lenses on this phase you’ll have to search for a special assessment with a extra detailed evaluation of this facet.

In on a regular basis use I discovered the AF to be completely usable and in addition almost silent.

Vignetting

mild falloff

For the common readers it’s going to most likely not come as a shock that the vignetting numbers are actually excessive, particularly at f/2.8, the place I measured near 4 EV. We see a slight enchancment on stopping down and from f/5.6 onwards the vignetting quantities to three EV. That is similar to the Laowa 9mm 5.6 the place I additionally measured ~3 EV.

The Brightin Star/7Artisans 9mm 5.6 do a bit higher on this class displaying round 2.3 EV mild falloff.

It is suggested to take a look at this text first to get an thought how this brightness graph works.

colour solid

Some excellent news: whereas the Laowa 9mm 5.6 has noticeable colour solid and in addition the closest competitor by way of specs, the Samyang 10mm 3.5 XP, even has one of many strongest colour casts I’ve seen to this point, this Laowa 10mm 2.8 is fairly clear in that regard.

I didn’t really feel the necessity to appropriate any colour solid in submit for the images you see on this assessment.

Sharpness

infinity (42mp Sony A7rII)

The middle seems to be nice from f/2.8, however as was already the case for the Laowa 9mm 5.6 we see a slight midzone dip which right here disappears on stopping all the way down to f/5.6.

Additionally much like the 9mm 5.6 the corners look greatest at f/8.0, as resulting from excessive vignetting the precise f-stop within the corners is slower than that within the heart and subsequently diffraction kicks in earlier within the nook areas.

From f/5.6 to f/11 the efficiency is definitely similar to the Laowa 9mm 5.6. However when selecting this lens over one of many 9mm 5.6 choices the query is in fact, how helpful is it at f/2.8 and f/4.0? The midzone dip will solely be seen in very massive prints and when there aren’t any vital objects within the corners I wouldn’t thoughts utilizing it at f/2.8 in any respect. Finest have a better take a look at among the indoor pattern footage taken at f/2.8 to resolve if this could be ample for you.

shut 0.12 m, 1:5.1 (42mp Sony A7rII)

100% crops from heart, A7rII

Laowa is thought for implementing very beneficiant shut focus distances of their extremely large angle lenses and that is additionally the case right here, as this 10mm lens focuses all the way down to 0.12 m providing a powerful 1:5.1 magnification.

As a result of the lens is massive itself you’ll very seemingly run into points correctly lighting your topic located on the minimal focus distance although.

Distortion

This 10mm 2.8 AF is a part of Laowa’s “Zero-D” line. Not at all times does this imply that the distortion of the lens is non existent although, simply that it is rather low. As you may see from the image above it’s certainly low and I didn’t appropriate it for any of the pattern footage.

For essential structure footage you should still need to appropriate this. There is no such thing as a profile accessible now, however you may in fact at all times attempt to create one by yourself.

Flare resistance

As at all times evaluating flare is a posh matter since you may get any lens to look unhealthy in case you push it onerous sufficient and a slight change of state of affairs can have an effect on outcomes loads.

With a lens as large as 10mm you’ll typically encounter conditions the place you discover sturdy level mild sources inside and/or outdoors the body. We’ll first take a look on the efficiency at f/2.8 after which at f/11.

Sony A7III | Laowa 10mm 2.8 AF | f/2.8

Relying on the place of the purpose mild supply within the body we are able to see a number of varieties of ring like artefacts at f/2.8. This problem appears to be most extreme with the sunshine supply within the midframe space. If in case you have a structured topic they don’t seem to be at all times simple to identify within the viewfinder/on the digicam display. Within the following scene solely later I found these artefacts:

What concerning the state of affairs stopped all the way down to f/11?

Sony A7III | Laowa 10mm 2.8 AF | f/11

Usually the efficiency is a lot better stopped down, as these ring flare artefacts are principally gone.

By f/5.6 this Laowa 10mm 2.8 AF performs much like the Laowa 9mm 5.6 in addition to the 7Artisans/Brightin Star 9mm 5.6. I’m a bit undecided how a lot we should always complain concerning the artefacts at f/2.8, contemplating these different lenses begin at f/5.6 and the Samyang 10mm 3.5 XP confirmed the worst efficiency of all of them.

Coma

Sony A7rII | Laowa 10mm 2.8 AF | 100% crops from excessive nook

Astrophotography might be an utility for a 10mm 2.8 lens. We see slight Coma at f/2.8 to f/4.0. Right here the lens additionally performs a bit worse than the Samyang 10mm 3.5 XP. From f/5.6 Coma is properly corrected.

Now stars are much less demanding than cityscapes, so I additionally had a glance how the lens performs right here:

Sony A7III | Laowa 10mm 2.8 AF | f/2.8 | 20s

If you’d like a 10mm lens for astrophotography I’d fairly suggest the Samyang 10mm 3.5 XP not due to its barely higher Coma correction, however its noticeably decrease vignetting figures – that’s in case you can reside with its disadvantages for different functions (dimension, weight, colour solid, no AF, worse flare resistance).

Sunstars

Sony A7rII | Laowa 10mm 2.8 AF | 50% crops

No sunstars at f/2.8 and really properly outlined 10-stroke sunstars between f/4.0 and f/22 as we have now additionally seen from different current Laowa extremely large angle lenses.
If you wish to study extra about sunstars take a look at this text.

Chromatic Aberrations

lateral

100% crops from excessive nook, Sony A7rII

The Laowa 9mm 5.6 confirmed an uncommon behaviour right here, because the CA had been highest within the midframe, not within the corners, as we might count on.

This Laowa 10mm 2.8 AF reveals a extra typical behaviour, a medium quantity of lateral CA within the corners which can also be simply corrected in submit by only one click on.

longitudinal

Lenses this large are normally not liable to displaying longitudinal CA and that is additionally the case right here. Even on this very demanding scene no purple fringing is to be discovered:

Conclusion

When it comes to optical efficiency that is typically a high-quality lens. It’s good to have the f/2.8 possibility in a lens this large, because it allowed me to take some handheld pictures in the course of the blue hour that may have in any other case been too noisy with out a tripod. Peak efficiency is reached at f/5.6, which can also be the aperture setting I used most, as you may see from the pattern footage.

As with virtually all lenses this large my most important grievance is the excessive vignetting, which was to be anticipated and is a part of the worth to be paid for having a normal 77mm filter thread.

In relation to lenses within the Sept. 11 mm vary, I’d fee this Laowa 10mm 2.8 AF being probably the most versatile one. Not solely resulting from providing AF, but in addition due to a normal filter thread – one thing to not be discovered on any of the rivals – and having near no colour solid, which suggests no time wanted in submit to repair it.

Now I’m concerning the final person who would want AF in a 10mm lens, however for Laowa it was essential to incorporate it, because it means the model will likely be acknowledged by those that merely weren’t involved in shopping for handbook focus lenses. This additionally permits them to collect expertise that will likely be wanted to develope lenses that closely depend on a properly working AF.

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Options

I’ll solely cowl the obvious options right here. Out of those solely the Voigtländer 10mm 5.6 and the Samyang 10mm 3.5 XP function digital contacts to speak together with your digicam although. The much less apparent options you’ll find in our Information to Extremely Huge Angle Lenses for the A7 Sequence.

Laowa 9mm 5.6 FF-RL:
I outlined the variations within the particular person chapters already. The distinction in FoV is far larger than it sounds on paper. From f/5.6 onwards the efficiency is mostly comparable.
The advantages of the 10mm are AF and Exif readout in addition to a scarcity of colour solid and a standard 77mm filter thread. The 9mm is noticeably wider and smaller.
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Brightin Star 9mm 5.6 / 7Artisans 9mm 5.6:
The optical building of those two lenses is an identical, however the Brightin Star comes with a becoming 34 mm ND1000 rear filter for a similar worth, which is why I believe it’s the extra fascinating lens of the 2 – except you don’t like its flashier casing design and/otherwise you don’t need to use an ND filter anyway.
These should not as large because the Laowa 9mm 5.6, they’re roughly half means inbetween the Laowa 9mm and this 10mm.
The optical efficiency of those is definitely much like this Laowa lens from f/5.6. Essentially the most notable variations: much less vignetting, inexperienced colour solid within the corners, no AF and Exif readout, no customary filter thread.
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Voigtlander 10mm 5.6 E Hyper Huge Heliar:
I used this lens for a few years, however now that there are optically higher and on the similar time cheaper options like both the Laowa 9mm 5.6, the 7Artisans/Brightin Star 9mm 5.6 and in addition this quicker Laowa 10mm 2.8 AF accessible, I discover this tough to suggest.
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Laowa 10-18mm 4.5-5.6 C-Dreamer FE:
For those who worth flexibility and compact dimension over picture high quality and also you don’t know but what focal size is the fitting one for you this can be value a glance.
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Samyang 10mm 3.5 XP:
This Samyang was once the quickest 10mm possibility and for the nook areas this really nonetheless holds true, because it reveals noticeably much less vignetting, particularly stopped down. It does have actually unhealthy colour solid although. I don’t suppose it is a nice choose for mirrorless customers, except you desperately desire a 10mm lens for astrophotography, the place that is the best choice.
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Additional Pattern Photos

Most of the Pattern photos on this assessment may be present in full decision right here.

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