Laowa 15mm f/2 Zero-D review

The Laowa 15mm f/2 Zero-D delivers a fast, de-clickable aperture with remarkable distortion control

Laowa 15mm f/2 Zero-D review
(Image: © James Artaius / Digital Camera World)

Digital Camera World Verdict

The Laowa 15mm f/2 Zero-D is a fantastic optic, offering an ultra wide-angle lens with a fast f/2 aperture and an affordable price – making it a bit of a unicorn lens for architectural and landscape photographers. And for videographers, the ability to de-click the aperture by sliding a switch makes this an essential lens for shooting wide. It's an all-manual lens, but the image quality and distortion control are both impressive.

Pros

  • +

    Fast f/2 aperture

  • +

    Aperture de-click switch

  • +

    Remarkable distortion control

Cons

  • -

    No electronic contacts

  • -

    Not weather sealed

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Landscape lenses like the Laowa 15mm f/2 Zero-D don't get the same column inches as their glitzy portrait lens counterparts. However, this rectilinear lens is worthy of plenty of headlines, combining a huge 110° angle of view with a fast aperture that's significantly brighter and cheaper than rival lenses, such as the massive Canon EF 11-24mm F/4L USM

It's a manual focus lens, and it doesn't have weather sealing or electrical contacts, but it can stand toe-to-toe with its bigger budget counterparts in terms of performance – and it pairs brilliantly with mirrorless cameras. 

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James Artaius
Editor

The editor of Digital Camera World, James has 21 years experience as a journalist and started working in the photographic industry in 2014 (as an assistant to Damian McGillicuddy, who succeeded David Bailey as Principal Photographer for Olympus). In this time he shot for clients like Aston Martin Racing, Elinchrom and L'Oréal, in addition to shooting campaigns and product testing for Olympus, and providing training for professionals. This has led him to being a go-to expert for camera and lens reviews, photo and lighting tutorials, as well as industry news, rumors and analysis for publications like Digital Camera MagazinePhotoPlus: The Canon MagazineN-Photo: The Nikon MagazineDigital Photographer and Professional Imagemaker, as well as hosting workshops and talks at The Photography Show. He also serves as a judge for the Red Bull Illume Photo Contest. An Olympus and Canon shooter, he has a wealth of knowledge on cameras of all makes – and a fondness for vintage lenses and instant cameras.