Specifications
Mount: Nikon Z, Nikon F
Full-frame: Yes
Autofocus: No
Image stabilization: No
Lens construction: 17 elements in 11 groups
Angle of view: 110°
Diaphragm blades: 5
Minimum focusing distance: 0.2m
Maximum magnification ratio: N/A
Filter size: N/A
Dimensions: 79x103mm
Weight: 597g
£1249/$1199
Already one of our favourite manufacturers when it comes to offbeat glass, the Laowa 15mm f/4.5 Zero-D Shift only adds to Venus Optics’ standing as a producer of exotic, esoteric and excellent lenses. On paper, what the Laowa 15mm f/4.5 Zero-D Shift offers is quite extraordinary: it’s the world’s widest full-frame shift lens, offering ±11mm of shift. But while these properties make it an excellent option for genres like architecture and interiors, unlike the best tilt-shift lenses the Laowa 15mm only shifts – it isn’t able to tilt for selective focus, so no ‘toytown’ effects.
It’s also a fully manual optic, with no electrical connections or EXIF data, and there’s no weather sealing – but then, it’s also around half the price of traditional tilt-shift lenses. So how does it fare, and do these limitations hamper its performance?
Key features
The Laowa 15mm Shift lens has a 110° angle of view, and produces an enormous image circle with a 65mm diameter, with the maximum possible vertical shift of ±11mm.
This story is from the July 2021 edition of N-Photo: the Nikon magazine.
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This story is from the July 2021 edition of N-Photo: the Nikon magazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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