Bryan Carnathan has a review out, too (but it's for a manual focus version, in RF mount): https://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Venus-Optics-Laowa-10mm-f2-8-Zero-D-Lens.aspx
At least now I know how the "stone age" version looks - it's a cross between the AF one and the old Laowa styling, visually. Might be kind of redundant because the 9mm was already available in RF mount (I think), though the much brighter aperture is probably enough to give this version a reason for existing.
Curious to see a performance test between this and the 9mm, mainly sharpness across the frame and vignetting. There still seemed to be a lot at F11 in Albert’s tests.
albertdros wrote:
Feel free to check out my First Impressions video as well
featuring many landscape shots from Iceland
Is there a text version?
Btw, even Ken Rockwell has reviewed this lens, but I (to borrow his own insistent terminology) won't soil this board with links to his site.
RomanMF wrote:
Curious to see a performance test between this and the 9mm, mainly sharpness across the frame and vignetting. There still seemed to be a lot at F11 in Albert’s tests.
Creative Edge wrote:
I would also love to see this comparison.
From f/5.6 they perform very similar in terms of sharpness.
9mm has more color cast.
In terms of vignetting they are very hard to compare, as the 9mm is noticeably wider.
The main advantage that I’d care about on 10mm vs the 9mm isn’t actually the F stop but the AF, since I could then use Sony’s automated focus stacking … I’m lazy 😅
Here is another "test shot" from my first outing with the new Laowa 10mm. Unlike the previous one, this has been heavily edited in LR, so there is some grain and noise that's been introduced, nothing to do with the lens.
I really like what I'm seeing from this lens. On some sample images I do see pentagonal flares and, when there is bokeh, it's also pentagonal. I don't know if the excellent sunstars are worth the odd shaped bokeh balls - although I guess it could theoretically be handled in post (but then again, sunstars can be added in post as well). Not sure which version to order on L mount.
I've been out with the Laowa 10mm f2.8 (AF version) a couple of times so far. Reviews by Bastian, Dustin and Albert are spot on.
These are some of my initial impressions of the lens in architectural use:
1. The lens hood is the biggest weak point. It does not screw on precisely a lot of the time, causing vignetting.
2. I've tested using low profile K&F/Kase magnetic ND filters, 82mm on 77/82mm step-up rings. Very slight corner vignette. By the time I straighten the image slightly in LR, the vignette is usually cropped out. If not, a small spot healing brush will take care of it. I'm looking forward to trying some LE work with fast moving clouds.
3. The lens is very sharp across the frame at f8 or f11. Sharp enough for my needs.
4. Low lateral CA is really nice. What little there is cleans up nicely in post.
5. Autofocus hunts & pulses in AF-C mode outside of image centre. AF-S seems fine. Not sure about video.
6. It seems a little better than my previous Laowa 9mm f5.6. The extra speed indoors is nice.
7. Even though optical/geometric distortion is excellent, there is considerable stretching towards the long edges of the image ((volumetric distortion), which is not a problem in many images, but can be bothersome in some. DXO VP3 seems to correct this fairly well, although it can introduce other problems.
8. Like any extreme UWA lens, the use cases where composing using a lens this wide to good effect is very limited. I've come home with hundreds of images with only a couple of keepers. Like "what was I thinking". But when it's the right compositional situation to use, nothing else will beat it.
9. Reasons to get this over the other extreme UWA lenses: Ability to take screw-on filters, f2.8-f4, AF, EXIF reporting even if using with MF (AF version), excellent image quality for this FL.
Here is another "test shot" from my first outing with the new Laowa 10mm. Unlike the previous one, this has been heavily edited in LR, so there is some grain and noise that's been introduced, nothing to do with the lens.
chrisd999 wrote:
I've been out with the Laowa 10mm f2.8 (AF version) a couple of times so far. Reviews by Bastian, Dustin and Albert are spot on.
These are some of my initial impressions of the lens in architectural use:
1. The lens hood is the biggest weak point. It does not screw on precisely a lot of the time, causing vignetting.
2. I've tested using low profile K&F/Kase magnetic ND filters, 82mm on 77/82mm step-up rings. Very slight corner vignette. By the time I straighten the image slightly in LR, the vignette is usually cropped out. If not, a small spot healing brush will take care of it. I'm looking forward to trying some LE work with fast moving clouds.
3. The lens is very sharp across the frame at f8 or f11. Sharp enough for my needs.
4. Low lateral CA is really nice. What little there is cleans up nicely in post.
5. Autofocus hunts & pulses in AF-C mode outside of image centre. AF-S seems fine. Not sure about video.
6. It seems a little better than my previous Laowa 9mm f5.6. The extra speed indoors is nice.
7. Even though optical/geometric distortion is excellent, there is considerable stretching towards the long edges of the image ((volumetric distortion), which is not a problem in many images, but can be bothersome in some. DXO VP3 seems to correct this fairly well, although it can introduce other problems.
8. Like any extreme UWA lens, the use cases where composing using a lens this wide to good effect is very limited. I've come home with hundreds of images with only a couple of keepers. Like "what was I thinking". But when it's the right compositional situation to use, nothing else will beat it.
9. Reasons to get this over the other extreme UWA lenses: Ability to take screw-on filters, f2.8-f4, AF, EXIF reporting even if using with MF (AF version), excellent image quality for this FL.
Just a quick update on point number 1 - the biggest weak point being the hood. I received a replacement hood from Laowa today, which now clicks in perfectly, and stays clicked in, requiring some force to move it. There is no vignetting in the locked in position. We can strike this issue off the list.
), though the much brighter aperture is probably enough to give this version a reason for existing.
