Laowa 14mm f/4 FF RL ZERO-D for Canon RF, Nikon Z, Sony FE and L mounts is big on performance but stays small in size
(Image credit: Laowa)
Laowa has announced another ultra-wide lens to add to its already extensive range of manual wide primes. This latest addition is specifically for full frame mirrorless cameras and lines up alongside the existing Laowa 15mm f/2 Zero-D and Laowa 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 Zoom for Canon and Nikon full-frame mirrorless cameras. The new Laowa 14mm f/4 comes in the same Canon RF and Nikon Z mounts, and also Sony FE, Leica M and L mounts.
As you'd hope for a lens designed for slim mirrorless cameras, the Laowa 14mm f/4 FF RL ZERO-D is fittingly compact and light, measuring only 58 x 59mm and weighing in at just 228g. It's even compatible with tiny 52mm screw-in filters, so there's no need to carry square filters so often required for large-diameter ultra-wide lenses.
The 14mm focal length translates to a huge 114-degree angle of view, making the lens ideal for capturing expansive landscapes, architecture and interiors. The fairly fast f/4 max aperture may also make this a great lens for astrophotography.
Inside, the lens is comprised of 13 elements arranged in 9 groups, and the stack includes 2 aspherical elements and 3 extra-low dispersion elements. As indicated by the Zero-D moniker, the lens is also said to produce minimal distortion - something that's not easy for such an ultra-wide lens, as these tend to produce some degree of barrel distortion. A 5-blade diaphragm generates attractive 10-point sunstars
Expect to pay $549 for the Sony FE, L-mount, Canon RF mount and Nikon Z versions, while the Leica M-mount edition will set you back $649. Retail availability is set for the end of September, though the RF mount version and a special silver edition of the lens exclusively for Leica M users will go on sale in early October. The first 100 orders made through the Venus Optics web store will also get a 100mm magnetic filter holder worth $149.
Ben is the Imaging Labs manager, responsible for all the testing on Digital Camera World and across the entire photography portfolio at Future. Whether he's in the lab testing the sharpness of new lenses, the resolution of the latest image sensors, the zoom range of monster bridge cameras or even the latest camera phones, Ben is our go-to guy for technical insight. He's also the team's man-at-arms when it comes to camera bags, filters, memory cards, and all manner of camera accessories – his lab is a bit like the Batcave of photography! With years of experience trialling and testing kit, he's a human encyclopedia of benchmarks when it comes to recommending the best buys.
