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Home → Reviews → Venus Optics Laowa 12mm f/2.8 Zero-D Review

Venus Optics Laowa 12mm f/2.8 Zero-D Review

By Spencer Cox 19 Comments
Last Updated On January 8, 2024

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Conclusion

The Laowa 12mm f/2.8 is an unusual lens, and a very special-purpose option on today’s market. With all the 14mm lenses available from a myriad of manufacturers – zooms and primes, autofocus and manual focus – it is hard to justify a lens with some performance issues just because it is 12mm. Then again, there is no denying that 2 millimeters can make a difference at such wide focal lengths. It could be the factor that causes you to get the photo rather than miss it.

Venus Optics Laowa 12mm f2.8 Zero-D Sample Landscape Photo
NIKON Z7 + Laowa 12mm f/2.8 @ 12mm, ISO 64, 1/60

In terms of optics, there are good points and bad points about the Laowa. The minimal distortion is, frankly, an amazing achievement with a lens this wide. But it’s also not a top priority for most photographers today, since distortion can be corrected fairly easily in post-processing. Personally, I would have preferred better sharpness numbers (or less coma and vignetting) in exchange for 3-5% distortion. But that also reflects my needs as a landscape photographer more than it would someone who photographs primarily architecture.

The 12mm f/2.8’s sharpness issues would have been more acceptable if it were priced in line with lenses like the Samyang 14mm f/2.8 ($250 to $370 depending on configuration) or even the Irix 11mm f/4 ($500). But we’re talking about a $950 lens. This is not a low-end option, yet its performance has some clear weak points. If you’re prepared to spend that much on an ultra-wide lens, I’d at least consider other options first, whether zoom or prime.

Laowa 12mm 2.8 Fall Colors Photo
NIKON D810 + Laowa 12mm f/2.8 @ 12mm, ISO 64, 1/60, f/16.0

If you need 12mm or minimal distortion, don’t let me stop you. At smaller apertures, this is certainly a good lens, as are most lenses when you’ve stopped down to f/8. I had tremendous fun photographing rock formations and sand dunes with such an extreme perspective, and I came away with shots that I couldn’t easily have gotten any other way. At the end of the day, that’s what matters most in photography equipment: expanding the horizon of photos you can take. I only wish the Laowa did it without the image quality compromises.

  • See more user reviews and purchase this lens from B&H
  • Venus Optics’s product page for the 12mm f/2.8 Zero-D

Let me know on the final page of this review if you have any questions!

Venus Optics Laowa 12mm f/2.8 Zero-D
  • Optical Performance
  • Features
  • Build Quality
  • Size and Weight
  • Value

Photography Life Overall Rating

3.9

Table of Contents

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