Laowa’s New 8-15mm Fisheye Lens: A World of Creativity Awaits

I should confess, in my 40 years as a photographer, I’ve by no means as soon as used a fisheye lens. I’ve now not observed the purpose. When I used to be more youthful, I assumed the speculation of a distorted symbol was once foolish. But lately, I’ve grow to be uninterested in my images. I’ve been having a look to take a look at new issues and discover extra inventive tactics of capturing topics like landscapes, side road, and trip. As I contemplated how I would possibly accomplish that, Laowa known as.

They requested if I sought after to study their new complete body 8–15mm f/2.8 zoom fisheye lens. My first idea was once, “Why would I want to do that?” Every week went through, with extra brooding about about how I may just shoot extra creatively, after which a lightbulb got here on. I do need to take a look at this new Laowa fisheye lens—it could be the solution to my creativity predicament! Was it too past due to get the lens? No. Good.

Beautifully Made

I bought Laowa’s 100mm macro a couple of years again and was once inspired with the standard, so I had top expectancies for the 8–15mm fisheye zoom. When it arrived, I used to be much more inspired than I assumed I might be. It oozed high quality. I latterly had Hasselblad’s new 20–35mm zoom to study, and this fisheye felt simply as excellent to carry. Crafted out of metallic, the focal point ring, aperture ring, and zoom ring all grew to become as easily as butter. The aperture ring has a stupendous click on to it, a tactile high quality this is very reassuring. The handiest different lens I’ve skilled with an aperture high quality like that is my Leica 28mm Summilux. Honestly, this lens is up there with the most efficient of them for a reassuring high quality really feel. But will it ship on symbol high quality?

Image Quality

When it involves checking out lenses, I am going out and shoot with them and have a look at the effects, however I’ve no real interest in pixel-peeping, “bench-testing,” and evaluating to different lenses. I’m both proud of the real effects I am getting, or I’m now not. That’s the true international. I’m a photographer greater than I’m a equipment fanatic.

With this 8–15mm fisheye zoom, I used to be, after all, willing to check the whole focal vary and shoot from very shut as much as panorama vistas. Most of the pictures I shot required an aperture of round f/8 to f/11. If I’m capturing a construction or panorama and getting so much within the body, I’m going to desire a respectable intensity of box. I did, alternatively, check the lens large open at f/2.8. There have been a couple of eventualities the place a shallow intensity of box did appear to make sense with this lens, despite the fact that when capturing very on the subject of your matter, the background blur is spectacular round f/8, and it gave the look of I used to be getting a sharper symbol there too.

Why Would You Want an 8-15mm Lens?

First off, this isn’t an on a regular basis lens. It’s a lens with a 180-degree box of view, one thing you’d achieve for when an ultra-wide distorted point of view is needed. It must be used with goal, whilst you require surreal or immersive effects. It’s a wonderful focal vary for exploring and experimenting with inventive photographs.

The one house this lens shines is whilst you use it as an alternative of a macro lens for capturing items shut up. Like a macro lens, you’ll be able to position the lens inside of a few inches of the topic, and the distorted end result I used to be discovering is extra attention-grabbing than an ordinary macro.

You can shoot a standard large panorama scene, as long as the horizon is within the heart of the body to keep away from distortion. A bit of best or backside cropping, and also you’ll finally end up with a composition adhering to the guideline of thirds, which has a tendency to be aesthetically pleasant. A fisheye is excellent for large panoramic photographs, once more, with a little bit cropping.

My Opinion

I spent numerous time with this lens, capturing landscapes, side road scenes, structure, or even tabletop/flat-lay preparations.

I discovered myself the use of the 15mm focal period essentially the most since the barrel/vignetting wasn’t visual within the body. The barrel seems round 14mm however will also be cropped out. Mostly, from 15mm I might leap immediately to 8mm, which provides you with the whole circle of the barrel within the body. There have been undoubtedly eventualities the place this impact is a laugh and really helpful, specifically for 1:1 ratio photographs. But admittedly, it wasn’t used up to the 15mm finish. 9mm to 12mm didn’t get used in any respect.

Whatever focal period I used, I used to be cropping in. I at all times say a 24 MP digicam is all you want for many forms of images, however this can be a lens the place having it connected to a digicam with 48 MP comes in handy, so you’ll be able to crop as desired and nonetheless finally end up with a decent-sized record.

Loved The Most

• The forged, reassuring construct high quality. As excellent as a Leica lens on this regard.
• This lens feels excellent to make use of. The older I am getting, the extra I respect issues which might be produced from metallic to top requirements and are mechanical—specifically with lenses. So many are product of light-weight plastic and electronics and will smash so simply.
• That aperture click on—simply chic!
• It’s now not too large or too heavy, taking into account it’s an all-metal zoom.
• Image high quality is excellent during the focal vary.

Loved The Least

• The convex entrance part is uncovered, protrudes past the protecting lens casing, and will also be simply scratched. This clearly is not only the case with this actual lens, however all fisheye lenses, through design.
• There’s no lens hood or thread to glue filters, so one has to keep in mind when the use of the lens and position the metallic slide-on lens cap when now not capturing.

Laowa 8-15mm f/2.8 Zoom Fisheye Specifications

• Format: Full body, handbook center of attention

• Mounts: E, Z, L, RF

• Focal Length: 8–15mm

• Aperture: f/2.8 to f/22

• Angle of View: 180 levels

• Lens Structure: 13 components in 9 teams

• Aperture Blades: 9

• Minimum Focus Distance: 16 cm

• Weight: 650 g with out entrance and rear caps

• Price: $699 (US)

Bottom Line

If you’re like me and feature been suffering with generating pictures which might be extra inventive than the standard photographs you shoot, perhaps this lens is the solution. Having used it now for 6 weeks or so, I will be able to attest to it being numerous a laugh in quite a lot of eventualities—from macro, structure, and side road to landscapes.

A 15mm fisheye high can be sufficient, however there aren’t too many made. When I came upon Sigma’s 15mm fisheye sells for $2,200, I figured this Laowa 8-15mm was once a a lot better deal. If I did want to shoot wider for no matter reason why, I had that choice, at a 3rd of the fee.

The Laowa 8-15mm f/2.8 Fisheye Zoom is now to be had, priced at $699.

For extra fisheye pattern pictures, you’ll be able to watch my video above.