Laowa 15mm f/4.5 Zero-D Shift review

The world's widest full-frame shift lens, the Laowa 15mm f/4.5 Zero-D Shift gives pricey tilt lenses a run for their money

Laowa 15mm f/4.5 Zero-D Shift Lens
(Image: © James Artaius)

Digital Camera World Verdict

The Laowa 15mm f/4.5 Zero-D Shift offers comparable perspective correction and a superior wide-angle perspective to tilt lenses that cost nearly twice as much. Though it lacks weather sealing and electrical contacts, it handles superbly and offers a native option for mirrorless shooters. Canon and Nikon's tilt-shift options offer better sharpness, but not a thousand bucks better. This lens delivers professional, distortion-free results and is worthy of an architectural or indoor photographer's toolkit.

Pros

  • +

    +/- 11mm of shift

  • +

    360° rotation

  • +

    Great distortion control

  • +

    Medium format-friendly

Cons

  • -

    No tilt function

  • -

    Fully manual

  • -

    Not weather sealed

  • -

    No (external) filters

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Already one of our favorite manufacturers, the Laowa 15mm f/4.5 Zero-D Shift only adds to Venus Optics' standing as a producer of exotic, esoteric and excellent lenses. 

On paper, what the Laowa 15mm f/4.5 Zero-D Shift offers is quite extraordinary: it's the world's widest full-frame shift lens, offering ±11mm of shift. However, so large is the image circle that this lens can also be used on medium format cameras, delivering up to ±8mm shift on bodies like the Fujifilm GFX 100S and Hasselblad X1D II 50C

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James Artaius
Editor

James has 22 years experience as a journalist, serving as editor of Digital Camera World for 6 of them. He started working in the photography industry in 2014, product testing and shooting ad campaigns for Olympus, as well as clients like Aston Martin Racing, Elinchrom and L'Oréal. An Olympus / OM System, Canon and Hasselblad shooter, he has a wealth of knowledge on cameras of all makes – and he loves instant cameras, too.