Laowa 8-16mm f/3.5-5 Review
75
The Laowa 8-16mm f/3.5-5 lens is a manual lens with a wide zoom range, suitable for landscape, travel, and architecture photography. It has good build quality and allows for front filters. However, it has some image quality issues and struggles with distortion and bright lights.
The build quality is impressive, with a metal construction and the ability to take large 86mm front filters, a fantastic feature for an extremely wide-angle lens. The lens has a smooth and easy-to-use manual focus ring, although there is a moderate amount of focus breathing.
Pros
- Wide zoom range
- Good build quality
- Ability to use front filters
Cons
- Image quality issues
- Distortion problems
- Struggles with bright lights
The lens struggles with distortion and bright lights, with noticeable vignetting and coma levels. However, it does have some strengths, including good sharpness at 8mm, the ability to use front filters, and low coma and big sunstars.
The Laowa 8-16mm f/3.5-5 lens is a manual lens with a very wide zoom range, making it suitable for various types of photography, including landscape, travel, and architecture. The build quality is impressive, with a metal construction and the ability to take large 86mm front filters, a fantastic feature for an extremely wide-angle lens. The lens has a smooth and easy-to-use manual focus ring, although there is a moderate amount of focus breathing. One downside is the lack of weather sealing, and there are some issues with image quality, especially in the corners, where there is some sharpness loss and chromatic aberration. Additionally, the lens struggles with distortion and bright lights, with noticeable vignetting and coma levels. However, it does have some strengths, including good sharpness at 8mm, the ability to use front filters, and low coma and big sunstars. Overall, the Laowa 8-16mm f/3.5-5 lens is a decent option for those looking for an extremely wide-angle lens, but it does have its weaknesses, particularly in terms of image quality and handling various lighting conditions.
Overall, the Laowa 8-16mm f/3.5-5 lens is a decent option for those looking for an extremely wide-angle lens, but it does have its weaknesses, particularly in terms of image quality and handling various lighting conditions.
Source
This article is based on the review by
Christopher Frost
Christopher Frost is a YouTube channel dedicated to providing in-depth reviews and analyses of photography equipment, particularly lenses. Christopher Frost, the creator and host of the channel, is known for his thorough and detailed evaluations of various lenses from different manufacturers, including Canon, Nikon, Sony, Fujifilm, and others. To learn more, please visit the channel here.