Venus Laowa 9 mm F2.8 Zero-D Hands On

Laowa 9mm F2.8 Hands On

The Spanish site albedomedia made a quick hands on review on one of the third party lenses, that arises most curiosity in the Fuji X community: the Laowa 9mm F2.8.

I know for many of you guys, this lens is on the radar also for eventual astrophotography, but of course we are all still waiting to see how it performs, especially when it comes to coma.

But it seems that Laowa is actively promoting this lens also for astrophotography, since they display a couple of prints of the milky way taken with the Laowa 9mm F2.8.

With that said, here are some first impressions by albedomedia (google translated):

• Zero-D stands for “zero distortion“
• The denomination Zero-D has already been used for lenses such as the Laowa 12mm F2,8 Zero-D or the Laowa 15mm F2 FE Zero-D . The new Laowa includes a complex optical scheme consisting of 15 lenses in 10 groups, with a combination of aspherical lenses and special glasses with low chromatic dispersion.
• Manual Focus only
• The focus ring, of correct dimensions, presents a suitable firmness, but its route is too short to our understanding
• Its metal construction is of good quality, and conveys a sense of quality in its finishes
• At shooting distances more typical of interior design, here at the stand of the CP + , the Laowa 9 mm f / 2.8 Zero-D seems to offer a reasonably rectilinear performance
• On the positive side is its very compact size, the feeling of good finishes […]. On the other hand, in the least positive, it would be short of its route of the focus ring – a price to be paid in part for the compactness – and above all a level of distortion that we believe does not agree with the name of the presumptive one.

The Laowa 9mmF2.8 Zero-D has already been annouced here. Check it out for more specs and price.