p.15 #1 · Official: Laowa 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 FE Zoom at 496 grams
Jacknut16
in an answer I can not show images, this is my reply
the CV10mm was a reason, why I got the lens for tests.
I find the distortion of the CV10mm less that the Laowa, but we compare a prime with a zoom. It depends of your priorities, do you want flexibility with a zoom or best available IQ with a fixed 10mm CV.
Not looking good for anyone who wanted a high resolution lens, especially in the corners. It's hard to see this as a big seller for Laowa. I'm hoping they will produce a more traditional wide zoom (say 15-35 or even 15-28) that is small but high resolution.
I'd say it looks interesting for UWA and compactness, but for resolution fans, maybe something to pass on if the corners are important. I was considering this or the Sony 12-24 as my eventual UWA zoom, and I think I'm going to stick with Sony -- EXIF data is nice to have and the Sony corners (at least in Colby Brown's review) look much better.
p.15 #5 · Official: Laowa 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 FE Zoom at 496 grams
cputeq wrote:
Nice work as always Phillip.
I'd say it looks interesting for UWA and compactness, but for resolution fans, maybe something to pass on if the corners are important. I was considering this or the Sony 12-24 as my eventual UWA zoom, and I think I'm going to stick with Sony -- EXIF data is nice to have and the Sony corners (at least in Colby Brown's review) look much better.
If resolution is important it is certainly not a great solution. From what I have seen the only other 10mm E-mount lens, the CV 5.6/10 doesn't really have better corners though so that is probably the standard against which it should be measured. Personally if I felt I needed a 10mm lens flare resistance and lack of exif would most likely kill the Laowa 10-18 for me.
If you don't need the 10mm setting then I would also choose the Sony 4/12-24 which by all accounts is an astonishingly sharp lens. But it is also a bit bulky, doesn't take filters, has less nice sunstars and it's flare resistance is weak as well.
p.15 #6 · Official: Laowa 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 FE Zoom at 496 grams
This is a case where the lack of EXIF transmission is a fatal flaw, imho.
The lens has complicated distortion, which changes shape/location/character depending on the focal length. Sometimes barrel, sometimes pincushion, sometimes 'mustache'. With EXIF, it would be trivial for a LR profile to correct it appropriately. Lacking that, it would still be possible to use the Adobe Lens Profile tool to create a separate profile for each focal length, to be applied manually. But without EXIF, you won't know which focal length you used for a shot, meaning you'd have to just try each profile until you got the best results.
Not worth the hassle to me, especially since the lens doesn't seem particularly good at anything.
p.15 #10 · Official: Laowa 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 FE Zoom at 496 grams
MikeEvangelist wrote:
This is a case where the lack of EXIF transmission is a fatal flaw, imho.
The lens has complicated distortion, which changes shape/location/character depending on the focal length. Sometimes barrel, sometimes pincushion, sometimes 'mustache'. With EXIF, it would be trivial for a LR profile to correct it appropriately. Lacking that, it would still be possible to use the Adobe Lens Profile tool to create a separate profile for each focal length, to be applied manually. But without EXIF, you won't know which focal length you used for a shot, meaning you'd have to just try each profile until you got the best results.
Not worth the hassle to me, especially since the lens doesn't seem particularly good at anything....Show more →
Yes, this would be on my list of lenses to get IF it had CPU contacts. Go ahead and make the lens $50-$100 more expensive to have CPU contacts, then IBIS is automatic for those 5 second hand held shots (), I have EXIF data, etc., etc. Pay Sony their licensing fee and make the lens much more attractive to many more people.
p.15 #11 · Official: Laowa 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 FE Zoom at 496 grams
Agree I want corrections in a lens like this as it is be tough to build profiles for each focal length. I don’t have the patience for that. I have one non Exif lens and that’s enough the CV 50 1.2 and that don’t have any real distortion in it.
Bastian's copy performs similarly to mine. At first I thought something must be terribly wrong, but it does not seem to be the case.
Mine is decentered throughout the entire range and I have requested a replacement which didn't arrive yet. However, I don't think a new copy will improve things in regards to resolution.
Perhaps it's fair to say that corners never really get sharp even at very small apertures. (High astigmatism and CA)
Also the lens has weak flare resistance.
The Sony 12-24, Voigtlander and Laowa primes will perform noticeably better at center, mid and especially corners. The Laowa 10-18mm improves 2 stops down but still not a high resolution lens.
p.15 #14 · Official: Laowa 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 FE Zoom at 496 grams
Gunzorro wrote:
I'll be keeping my terrific FE 12-24/4 G. I don't really need 10 or 11 mm views.
I am still using and keeping my Leica M WATE for the size, weight, performance (improved somewhat with A7r Kolari modded V3) and the ability to easily work with my screw in and Lee 100mm filter holder system using step up rings and adapters from 67 to 77mm and a number of filters at the same time.
p.15 #16 · Official: Laowa 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 FE Zoom at 496 grams
It looks like a second copy of this lens was finally shipped to me. I didn't post crops from my first copy because it was noticeably decentered. Hopefully I will have it this week and it will be a good copy.
p.15 #17 · Official: Laowa 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 FE Zoom at 496 grams
I would be surprised if they did not hand pick and check the new lens before they sent it to you, so I will assume that your review will be of the best possible case.
I love IR and especially with UWA lenses. But the problem with a lens with a hard stop at infinity is, that you can not focus to infinity in IR. This is the same for the Laowa 10-18mm and the Voigtlander 10mm. When I stop down to f/11 the image is getting acceptable sharp.
In the case of the Laowa 10-18mm prototype, that I used, the infinity for normal shooting is, when I set the focus to about 1m. This means, that I can focus beyond infinity on this special copy and still don't get IR infinity.
Sorry, hard to explain, but I hope, I could make it clear enough :-)
