GabrielPhoto wrote:
Indeed that would be nice. This is an interesting lens for sure but to see my Sigma 35mm 1.2 "bokeh smoothness" championship taken away the Laowa...it hurts me
There is definitely more blur with the 0.95.
If not inspecting too close, the Laowa perform well for something so extreme in terms of aperture and focal length.
It looks like it'll be a fun rental (and LensRentals carries most Laowa lenses). Seven days should be plenty of time with it to figure out I don't really need it.
zz wrote:
Bastian in his review did really get it nailed on for photos though; probably no mean feat on his part!
It is easier to focus than the VM 35mm 1.2 III (esp. at full body portrait distance) or TTArtisan 50mm 0.95 / Zhong Yi 50mm 0.95 E II(I) / MS-Optics 50mm 1.0 ISM
and plenty of other lenses I have used, so I really wonder why some reviewers seem to have struggled with that a lot.
Some of the photos on the product page seem to have been taken under bright sunlight at f/0.95 without ND filter,
for a decent exposure one would need shorter times than 1/8000s so I am pretty sure the pictures were overexposed and adjusted in post which will lead to
the dodgy low contrast look with overexposed white skin I see in some of the samples.
olalafoto wrote:
Some samples from the official website
I wish I had encountered that little light/air pollution in Turkey 2 weeks ago...
This really looks to be the ultimate character lens—really wish Sony (or anyone not Leica, really) had a less janky MF implementation. I don't have the patience for this lens in everyday shooting—though it's certainly something to think about if I ever make a portrait studio. This must be the best lens to work with isolating a subject into a crowded scene: enough blur with enjoyable transitions to provide meaningful separation, while still being wide enough to actually incorporate a setting in the photograph.
Thanks to Bastain for the excellent sample images.
Too bad about the still missing EXIF, but I guess that is something one can live with somehow...
I'm now wondering if it makes sense to add this to my 35m lineup (I guess I'm a bit of a 35mm collector ) if I still have the Bigma... The laowa is actually sharper than I expected (certainly usable at wider apertures).
As for the ultimate character 35mm, this title still goes to Nokton Classic for me .
Excellent review by Bastian as always!
j4nu wrote:
I'm now wondering if it makes sense to add this to my 35m lineup (I guess I'm a bit of a 35mm collector ) if I still have the Bigma... The laowa is actually sharper than I expected (certainly usable at wider apertures).
JVan_02 wrote:
This must be the best lens to work with isolating a subject into a crowded scene: enough blur with enjoyable transitions to provide meaningful separation, while still being wide enough to actually incorporate a setting in the photograph.
You can do that with longer lenses too, though. Plenty of people take environmental portraits with lenses in the 50-60mm range; you just need to walk back a few steps to put more of the environment into the frame. Of course 35mm is considered the standard for environmental portraiture for a reason, but it's not the only focal length that works. See for example the album of portraits by Pavel Valchev here, all taken with the Minolta Rokkor 58mm f1.2. https://www.flickr.com/photos/124318089@N06/albums/72157691133326705
Back on subject though, I am also tempted by this lens. I thought I was more than done with 35mm lenses...I have a "magical" one (Minolta Rokkor HH MC 35/1.8), a "sharp" one (Carl Zeiss ZF 35mm/1.4) and a "vintage character" one (Canon 35/1.8 LTM from 1957). That covered all the bases for me. But wow, this Laowa is tempting.
bjhurley wrote:
You can do that with longer lenses too, though. Plenty of people take environmental portraits with lenses in the 50-60mm range; you just need to walk back a few steps to put more of the environment into the frame. Of course 35mm is considered the standard for environmental portraiture for a reason, but it's not the only focal length that works. See for example the album of portraits by Pavel Valchev here, all taken with the Minolta Rokkor 58mm f1.2. https://www.flickr.com/photos/124318089@N06/albums/72157691133326705
Back on subject though, I am also tempted by this lens. I thought I was more than done with 35mm lenses...I have a "magical" one (Minolta Rokkor HH MC 35/1.8), a "sharp" one (Carl Zeiss ZF 35mm/1.4) and a "vintage character" one (Canon 35/1.8 LTM from 1957). That covered all the bases for me. But wow, this Laowa is tempting. ...Show more →
That opinion was more in reference to a studio (indoor) scenario. I often find 50+ a bit cramped indoors, but as you said it's completely fine if you have more room to move.
Despite owning a glut of characterful 35mm’s…I am very tempted. Was not tempted at all by the 35GM or Bigma. As someone who shoots concerts/at least a music festival yearly (which seem to be returning largely and hopefully they stay), the speed and blur combo could be unrivaled.
zz wrote:
) if I still have the Bigma... The laowa is actually sharper than I expected (certainly usable at wider apertures).
