If you want to explore ultra-wide perspectives, the new Venus Optics Laowa 8-15mm f/2.8 Fisheye lens is certainly an intriguing option. This lens offers a versatile focal range and bright aperture, which means you can experiment with inventive compositions, especially if ultra-wide angles appeal to your artistic style.
Coming to you from Christopher Frost, this informative video offers a clear breakdown of the new Venus Optics Laowa 8-15mm f/2.8 Fisheye lens' capabilities and what you can realistically expect. Frost starts by noting the unique versatility of the lens, being the first fisheye zoom to offer such an impressively bright f/2.8 aperture. This gives it particular appeal for astrophotography and creative close-ups, thanks to its close minimum focus distance of only about six inches. Although entirely manual, you'll find focusing reasonably straightforward due to the lens' wide angle nature. Frost points out that it's solidly built from metal, feels premium in the hand, but lacks weather-sealing, which you'll want to bear in mind before heading into rough conditions outdoors.
Frost moves on to image quality, testing the lens thoroughly on a high-resolution 42-megapixel Sony a7R III. At the widest 8mm focal length and f/2.8 setting, images appear incredibly sharp right from the center into the corners, showing excellent contrast. By slightly stopping down to f/4, Frost captures even better results, particularly in corner sharpness. However, performance at the 15mm end wide open is more mixed—center sharpness remains very good, though corners appear darker and somewhat softer until you close the aperture slightly. Frost also notes noticeable flaring issues when including bright lights in your composition, something you'll need to consider carefully depending on your typical scenes.
Key Specs
- Focal Length: 8 to 15mm
- Aperture Range: Maximum f/2.8, Minimum f/22
- Lens Mounts: Sony E, Fujifilm X, Leica L, Canon RF, Nikon Z
- Lens Coverage: Full frame sensors
- Angle of View: 180° (8mm) to 175° (15mm)
- Minimum Focus Distance: 6.3 inches (0.16 m)
- Magnification: 0.23x
- Macro reproduction ratio 1:4.3
- Optical Design: 13 elements in 9 groups
- Aperture Blades: 9
- Focus Design: Manual focus only
- Image Stabilization: None
- Dimensions: 3 inches diameter, 3.7 inches length
- Weight: 1.4 lb (650 g)
Frost also addresses how this lens handles special conditions such as close focus, where the results are again impressive once stopped down slightly. He examines coma and sun-stars performance, illustrating how nighttime shooters may find the lens practical despite minor coma at wider apertures. Similarly, you might also notice how attractively the lens handles out-of-focus backgrounds, creating a pleasing separation between the subject and environment.
Frost raises minor practical quirks, like a troublesome slip-on lens cap which tends to fall off too easily. Venus Optics has indicated they might redesign it before widespread release. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Frost.
