Mattias Burling Posted July 5, 2022 Share #1 Posted July 5, 2022 (edited) Advertisement (gone after registration) Just received this lens the other day (a loaner for review). Solid build like the other Laowa lenses Ive tried. I was very happy with their 9mm and this is similar in IQ but of course a little tighter and more versatile. Close focus is 15cm like the 9mm. There only negative so far is the new lens cap, its a twist metal and comes of way to easy. My first impression is, "Pretty cool". Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Edited July 5, 2022 by Mattias Burling 1 2 Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/334218-laowa-12-24mm-f56-for-leica-m/?do=findComment&comment=4465605'>More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted July 5, 2022 Posted July 5, 2022 Hi Mattias Burling, Take a look here Laowa 12-24mm f5.6 for Leica-M. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
wizard Posted July 5, 2022 Share #2 Posted July 5, 2022 You should correct the title. It says '12 - 14mm', whereas the lens seems to be a 12 - 24mm. Cheers, Andy 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
darylgo Posted July 5, 2022 Share #3 Posted July 5, 2022 In M Mount? A zoom? Rangefinder coupled? Do you need to focus? 😁 Can you post some images, that would be greatly appreciated. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MBSweden Posted July 6, 2022 Share #4 Posted July 6, 2022 Yes, M-mount, rangefinder coupled and it zooms At close (sub 30cm) focus it was easy to miss even with the 9mm. But at longer distances, no, zone will be fine It would be against the forum rules to post images unfortunately. I have posted to Instagram. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gelatino Posted July 6, 2022 Share #5 Posted July 6, 2022 14 minutes ago, MBSweden said: Yes, M-mount, rangefinder coupled and it zooms It would be against the forum rules to post images unfortunately. I have posted to Instagram. If the M-mount body is a leica you are allowed to post images. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lct Posted July 7, 2022 Share #6 Posted July 7, 2022 On 7/6/2022 at 6:55 AM, MBSweden said: It would be against the forum rules to post images unfortunately. Why so? Don't you own an M body? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
overexposed Posted July 8, 2022 Share #7 Posted July 8, 2022 Advertisement (gone after registration) Well i guess the biggest PRO you get, is the same with most Laowa lenses, the price. not terrible, but also not great......in the corners, but considering the price its an alternative for sure Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Blanko Posted July 8, 2022 Share #8 Posted July 8, 2022 Interesting focal length range. But seems to be quite chunky for the M system. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattias Burling Posted July 8, 2022 Author Share #9 Posted July 8, 2022 13 hours ago, lct said: Why so? Don't you own an M body? I have an M-mounted camera but not made by Leica. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattias Burling Posted July 8, 2022 Author Share #10 Posted July 8, 2022 3 hours ago, overexposed said: Well i guess the biggest PRO you get, is the same with most Laowa lenses, the price. not terrible, but also not great......in the corners, but considering the price its an alternative for sure The corners are actually quite sharp, at least sharper than I would have thought. Only caveat is that Ive mostly shot landscapes so stuff is usually at a distance and not the best way to judge small details. But my earlier experience with Laowa is that they are easily on par with Voigtländer and definitely playing in the league of Zeiss and some Leicas. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattias Burling Posted July 8, 2022 Author Share #11 Posted July 8, 2022 55 minutes ago, Al Brown said: Begging to differ with you. Laowa is just a Chinese company with Chinese style QC and optics definitely one notch below the level of Voigtlander, Zeiss or Leica - in terms of sharpness and optical flaws. I own all of the mentioned brands (Voigtlander, Zeiss, Leica, Laowa), some for Leica M, some MFT, some full frame and one Laowa for Fujifilm GFX and can definitely stand by my claim. But they do try harder each year. Expecting awesomeness soon. Their biggest undoing as mentioned before is the flawed quality control for lens tilt and decentering in brand new lenses straight from assembly. It is my first hand personal experience, plus It is all over the internet. Still excited for each new item though as they are truly an innovator (10-18 full frame mirrorless zoom, zero-D UWA optical calculations, UWA for medium format etc.) YMMV, in my experience the Laowa lenses Ive used have been sharper than the quite soft lenses Voigtlander produce. (I also own/have owned all of the brands.) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lct Posted July 8, 2022 Share #12 Posted July 8, 2022 1 hour ago, Mattias Burling said: I have an M-mounted camera but not made by Leica. May i ask if it is a full frame camera? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lct Posted July 8, 2022 Share #13 Posted July 8, 2022 16 minutes ago, Mattias Burling said: YMMV, in my experience the Laowa lenses Ive used have been sharper than the quite soft lenses Voigtlander produce. (I also own/have owned all of the brands.) Would you mind to quote the Voigtlander lenses you find quite soft this way? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarsHP Posted July 8, 2022 Share #14 Posted July 8, 2022 (edited) Regarding Laowa versus Voigtländer, Bastian Kratzke at PhillipReeve.net has tested several lenses of both brands. In his review of the Laowa 9mm f/5.6 RL FF he said that it was not only wider than the 10mm Voigtländer, but also sharper, including in the corners. I have the 9mm myself and it's pretty darn impressive from wide open. There is a little mid-frame drop when scrutinizing at 100%, but stopped down one stop, it's gone. Kratzke wrote that sharpness in the extreme corners is diffraction limited wide open... What I am saying is that Laowa may be Chinese, but in terms of optical performance it's in a different league than most other Chinese lens manufacturers. They make lenses with parameters no other lens manufacturer has made before, which also is a statement by itself. Edited July 8, 2022 by LarsHP Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lct Posted July 8, 2022 Share #15 Posted July 8, 2022 9 minutes ago, LarsHP said: They make lenses with parameters no other lens manufacturer has made before, which also is a statement by itself Interesting indeed but what does it mean actually? Just curious. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarsHP Posted July 8, 2022 Share #16 Posted July 8, 2022 20 minutes ago, lct said: Interesting indeed but what does it mean actually? Just curious. What it means to me is that a manufacturer that makes products noone else have made is innovative and don't just copy what others have done before. It puts Laowa in a different category than the "China-copy" category that many people seems to think every Chinese manufacturer belongs to. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pgk Posted July 8, 2022 Share #17 Posted July 8, 2022 5 hours ago, Al Brown said: Begging to differ with you. Laowa is just a Chinese company with Chinese style QC and optics definitely one notch below the level of Voigtlander, Zeiss or Leica - in terms of sharpness and optical flaws. I own all of the mentioned brands (Voigtlander, Zeiss, Leica, Laowa), some for Leica M, some MFT, some full frame and one Laowa for Fujifilm GFX and can definitely stand by my claim. But they do try harder each year. Expecting awesomeness soon. Their biggest undoing as mentioned before is the flawed quality control for lens tilt and decentering in brand new lenses straight from assembly. It is my first hand personal experience, plus It is all over the internet. Still excited for each new item though as they are truly an innovator (10-18 full frame mirrorless zoom, zero-D UWA optical calculations, UWA for medium format etc.) Many Sony lenses are made in China and they are on a par with lenses from any other maker. I think that what you are possibly trying to say is that lower prices often suggest that costs have been cut and this can be true of very cheap lenses but not always. QC is costly and reducing it may well result in more variation but then again Sony lenses are far cheaper than Leica and can be very, very good. I have the 21SEM and Sony 20/1.8 and would be hard pushed to argue that either is anything other than extremely good. Their price difference is substantial. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lct Posted July 8, 2022 Share #18 Posted July 8, 2022 22 minutes ago, LarsHP said: What it means to me is that a manufacturer that makes products noone else have made is innovative and don't just copy what others have done before. It puts Laowa in a different category than the "China-copy" category that many people seems to think every Chinese manufacturer belongs to. Hehe nothing personal but young people sometimes feel that everything new is beautiful while old fogies like me tend to believe that the best soup is made in old pots . Just kidding. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pgk Posted July 8, 2022 Share #19 Posted July 8, 2022 13 minutes ago, Al Brown said: I beg to differ with you, of the 6 Sony FE lenses I have including the 20/1.8 which is also the one you have ALL are made in Thailand. I have 5 - 2 Chinese made, 1 Thai, 1 Japanese and 1 unmarked as to country of origin. The country of origin has no realtionship with optical quality. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pgk Posted July 8, 2022 Share #20 Posted July 8, 2022 2 hours ago, Al Brown said: Even the DPReview guys have gotten a decentered copy of Laowa 12-24/5.6 for the test, evident at 24mm wide open (Chris mentions the lens' "serious issues" at 8:02 in the video). The right side of the frame is visibly softer. This is the thing I was talking about. Great products, not so great QC. I have had a Leica made M lens with the same (irreparable) problem. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now