Laowa has announced its newest lens, a compact ultra-wide for APS-C. It’s the Laowa 8-16mm f/3.5-5 Zoom CF (buy here), and it’s available for Sony E, Nikon Z, Fuji X, Canon RF and even Canon EF-M.
About the new lens, Laowa says it “redefines the boundaries of wide-angle photography and is designed to meet the needs of modern photographers”. That’s a big claim for a small lens!
Laowa 8-16mm f/3.5-5 Zoom CF – REALLY wide!
The Laowa 8-16mm f/3.5-5 Zoom CF lens is extremely wide, even for APS-C. It offers a field of view from a relatively narrow 82.8º to a ludicrously wide 120.9º. It’s perhaps not bright enough for most astrophotographers, with an f/3.5-5 aperture, but it opens up many opportunities for creative wide-angle photography.
It’s a pretty compact lens, widening out just at the end to hold those large 86mm filters. The lens measures 88.4 x 88.53mm overall and weighs 463g without the hood. Not a terrible weight for walking around with.
10-point sun stars, clickless (or clicked) aperture
The lens features a 5-blade aperture, which provides 10-point sun stars. This can make for some very interesting-looking landscapes and nighttime street photography.
But that’s not all this lens is for. It offers a minimum focus distance of only 20cm, letting you get very close to subjects. So, you can get as surreal as you like with those close-up dog portraits! It’s also very handy for things like toy photography and filming miniatures.
Speaking of filming, the aperture is able to be switched from a regular clicked aperture to a smooth, de-clicked aperture.
Laowa 8-16mm f/3.5-5 Zoom CF Specs
| Focal length | 8-16mm |
| Max aperture | f/3.5-6 |
| Min aperture | f/16 |
| Angle of view | 82.9° – 120.9° |
| Format | APS-C |
| Mount | Sony E, Nikon Z, Fuji X, Canon RF, Canon EF-M |
| Focus type | Manual Focus |
| Lens type | Zoom |
| Optics | 16 elements in 12 groups |
| Aperture blades | 5 |
| Min focus distance | 20cm |
| Dimensions | 88.4 x 88.53mm |
| Weight | 463g (without hood and caps) |
Price and Availability
The Laowa 8-16mm f/3.5-5 Zoom CF is available to pre-order soon for $549 for Sony E, Nikon Z, Fuji X, Canon RF and Canon EF-M.
FIND THIS INTERESTING? SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS!