Recently I wrote about my latest acquisition - the Laowa 7.5mm ultrawide lens for micro four thirds. I scribbled a quick initial impression on the lens but had the opportunity to take it out for a more substantial spin over the weekend since then. My partner and I hiked 30 miles with Pack Major (the big bags, as opposed to Pack Minor - anything less substantial than that) including a cheeky wild camp and a visit to my parents for Father's Day. The 7.5mm stayed on my camera for the majority of the time as I got used to the new focal length - much wider than any (non-fisheye) I've ever used before.
NB: All photos in this review (and several more) can be found on my flickr - just click the link beneath each photo.
I discovered a few things about the lens in this time. It can starburst nicely with the sun, but it also flares relatively easily. The lens hood truly is as large as it possibly can be and can be accidentally twisted while adjusting the focus if you have a clusy moment. If this happens, the lens hood then shows up in the corner of the photos where the 'petals' of the hood are out of line. You can see this exemplified below:
Overall, however, the lens feels solid and behaves itself. I'm still getting ued to the extreme angle of view: I don't know that it will be my favourite focal length but I'm willing to give it a good go. The lens can really haul detail out of a scene provided it is stopped down a little, and even wide open isn't half bad. Surprisingly for such a wide lens, it can also give quite pleasing bokeh, as seen with the picture of something that is patently not Duvel. A busier background yields somewhat busier blur, but its not bad all things considered. I've put a couple of examples in below - the extra busy-ness in the daisy photo may be down to the fact it was shot at f4.
Overall, I'm impressed with the tiny ultrawide from China. It is jewel-like in size and build, with a heft that belies its low weight (170g). The image quality across the frame is excellent at f5.6 (for landscaping) and in centre-frame is still excellent wide open. The corners take a bit of a hit at f2, but they are still perfectly acceptable provided you're not selling large prints of your photos to discerning pixel-peepers. It is more susceptible to flare than many lenses, but this can be usually be avoided by reframing slightly and improves on stopping down. Yes - you could buy more flexible and sharper-wide-open lenses from Olympus and Panasonic, but these both weigh more (3x more, in the case of the Olympus) and are not as fast (both, but particularly the Panasonic). The Laowa is much more portable and surprisingly pleasant to use as a manual lens - the aperture ring in particular is a nice change from control dials.
If what you're looking for is a compact, well-made and fast ultrawide lens for micro four thirds, look no further - you've found it. If your primary usage scenario is wide-open landscape shots for big prints, or fast-moving non-zone-focusable action then you probably should keep looking and think about the Olympus 7-14mm or the new Panasonic Leica 8-18mm - but I hope you're prepared to carry them around! A lens left at home is just a paperweight, after all. With that in mind, I will cheerfully recommend this lens
Build quality: 4/5 (the lens hood needed a stop to prevent it turning if you catch it with your fingers).
Image quality: 4/5
Portability: 5/5
Worth having with you? Yes.
NB: All photos in this review (and several more) can be found on my flickr - just click the link beneath each photo.
The sunset after leaving. I got home from work late so we only started walking around 8pm. GM5 + Laowa 7.5mm @ f8, finished in Lightroom.
I discovered a few things about the lens in this time. It can starburst nicely with the sun, but it also flares relatively easily. The lens hood truly is as large as it possibly can be and can be accidentally twisted while adjusting the focus if you have a clusy moment. If this happens, the lens hood then shows up in the corner of the photos where the 'petals' of the hood are out of line. You can see this exemplified below:
Lens hood failure - see corners! GM5 + Laowa 7.5mm at f4-5.6 (don't exactly remember), finished in Lightroom.
Overall, however, the lens feels solid and behaves itself. I'm still getting ued to the extreme angle of view: I don't know that it will be my favourite focal length but I'm willing to give it a good go. The lens can really haul detail out of a scene provided it is stopped down a little, and even wide open isn't half bad. Surprisingly for such a wide lens, it can also give quite pleasing bokeh, as seen with the picture of something that is patently not Duvel. A busier background yields somewhat busier blur, but its not bad all things considered. I've put a couple of examples in below - the extra busy-ness in the daisy photo may be down to the fact it was shot at f4.
This is clearly not Duvel. However, the detail of the droplets on the glass is excellent and the background to my eye is pleasantly blurred out. GM5 + Laowa 7.5mm @ f2, finished in Lightroom.
Daisies in a meadow. The background blur is still okay, but somewhat busier. However, note that this one is shot at f4 so if you consider that it's quite impressive. GM5 + Laowa 7.5mm @ f4, finished in Lightroom.
Overall, I'm impressed with the tiny ultrawide from China. It is jewel-like in size and build, with a heft that belies its low weight (170g). The image quality across the frame is excellent at f5.6 (for landscaping) and in centre-frame is still excellent wide open. The corners take a bit of a hit at f2, but they are still perfectly acceptable provided you're not selling large prints of your photos to discerning pixel-peepers. It is more susceptible to flare than many lenses, but this can be usually be avoided by reframing slightly and improves on stopping down. Yes - you could buy more flexible and sharper-wide-open lenses from Olympus and Panasonic, but these both weigh more (3x more, in the case of the Olympus) and are not as fast (both, but particularly the Panasonic). The Laowa is much more portable and surprisingly pleasant to use as a manual lens - the aperture ring in particular is a nice change from control dials.
Detail levels can be truly excellent across the frame - a logpile in the woods at f5.6-8 (can't remember which one...I think f5.6). GM5 + Laowa 7.5mm, finished in Lightroom.
If what you're looking for is a compact, well-made and fast ultrawide lens for micro four thirds, look no further - you've found it. If your primary usage scenario is wide-open landscape shots for big prints, or fast-moving non-zone-focusable action then you probably should keep looking and think about the Olympus 7-14mm or the new Panasonic Leica 8-18mm - but I hope you're prepared to carry them around! A lens left at home is just a paperweight, after all. With that in mind, I will cheerfully recommend this lens
Build quality: 4/5 (the lens hood needed a stop to prevent it turning if you catch it with your fingers).
Image quality: 4/5
Portability: 5/5
Worth having with you? Yes.
I took the green channels out of this one because I was bored of everything being so green. A meadow of poppies found on-route. GM5 + Laowa 7.5mm @ f4, 1/3200s, ISO 200.
Thanks for review
ReplyDeleteNo worries! Impressedyou found it in this forgotten corner of the web.
DeleteGreat review! If I ever get an ultra wide-angle lens, this will probably be it.
ReplyDelete