Laowa has just released a new Zero-D – zero distortion – lens for full-frame mirrorless cameras: the Laowa 10mm F/2.8 Zero-D FF. This ultra-wide angle prime lens is also the company’s first autofocus lens for Sony E- and Nikon Z-Mount cameras. The lens is available for Canon RF and Leica L-Mount cameras but as a manual lens only. So, let’s take a closer look at it!
On the heels of the recent announcement of their Laowa Nanomorph ZOOM, which consists of a 28-55mm T2.9 and a 50-100mm T2.9 with a constant 1.5X squeeze, both covering Super35 image sensors, Laowa is already back with a new lens!
This time, the company is back to their photography roots with a full-frame lens, but also their first autofocus lens: the Laowa 10mm F/2.8 Zero-D FF.
Laowa 10mm F/2.8 Zero-D FF – features
The Laowa 10mm F/2.8 Zero-D FF is a compact, ultra-wide angle lens that is only 70.8mm/2.79″ long for a weight of 420g/0.925 lbs. This lens covers full-frame image sensors and is available in four different lens mounts:
- Sony E- and Nikon Z-mount: both versions have autofocus capabilities.
- Canon RF and Leica L-mount, which are only available as manual focus options.
The lens comes with a lens hood that can be removed to attach front filters. On the Sony E and Nikon Z versions, you’ll find an autofocus AF/MF switch on the lens barrel.
As its name suggests, this lens is part of Laowa’s “Zero-D” lineup of ultra-wide angle lenses, which stands for Zero Distortion. With these lenses, you won’t get a fisheye effect, and the lines will remain straight.
Laowa already has a wide variety of Zero-D lenses, including 11mm, 14mm, and 15mm to list a few, and these kinds of rectilinear lenses have proven to be a great choice when shooting real estate, aerial, and indoor footage, for example.
Furthermore, as mentioned, the Sony and Nikon versions are Laowa’s first autofocus lenses and, even more, the first autofocus Zero-D lenses. Since the AF version can communicate with your camera, they don’t have an aperture ring, as you can adjust the aperture directly via your mirrorless camera aperture dial.
Lens design
The lens design of the Laowa 10mm F/2.8 Zero-D FF consists of 15 elements in 9 groups, including two aspherical and three ED glasses. The aperture diaphragm features five aperture blades, but a 14-aperture blade version is also available for manual focus versions. The five-blade aperture has the advantage of producing a nice-looking 10-point sunstar.
The 10mm F/2.8 Zero-D FF has an incredibly close minimum focusing distance of only 12cm/4.72″. Last but not least, the front filter thread is 77mm.
Pricing and availability
The Laowa 10mm F/2.8 Zero-D FF is available for pre-order and will start shipping mid-March for $799/€816.
For more information, please visit Laowa’s website here.
What do you think about this first autofocus Laowa lens? Have you already shot with a Laowa Zero-D lens? Don’t hesitate to let us know in the comments down below!
