Venus Optics has just announced a new wide-angle shift lens with very minimal distortion, the Laowa 20mm f/4 Zero-D Shift. The lens promises to correct convergent vertical perspective lines and it covers the full-frame format, enabling a ±11mm shift adjustment. Its official suggested retail price is $1,299.
Perspective-control lenses are particularly suitable for architecture, interior, and landscape photography. In truth, with a little bit of creativity, they also have interesting applications in the filmmaking world. In case you missed it, I suggest taking a look at this recent article on the subject.
Chinese lens manufacturer Venus Optics already offers a super wide-angle shift lens, the EISA-awarded 15mm f/4.5 Zero-D Shift, which is now joined by a new 20mm low-distortion glass. So let’s take a look at the new Laowa 20mm f/4 Zero-D Shift.
Laowa 20mm f/4 Zero-D Shift: overview
This new manual lens provides a wide angle of view of 94.4°. Its large image circle covers the full-frame format and it enables a ±11mm shift adjustment on such sensors. This further extends the angle of view to 117° when shooting panorama stills.
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The shift adjustment is particularly useful to correct converging vertical lines when taking stills of tall structures and buildings. The lens is part of the Zero-D series, which delivers close-to-zero distortion, according to the company.
This 20mm is compatible with a huge variety of camera systems, since it’s available in Canon EF and RF, Nikon F and Z, Sony E, Pentax K, Leica L, and Fujifilm G mount options. Moreover, this new glass comes with an included lens hood that is rotatable to prevent lens flares.
Optical design
The optical design features 16 elements in 11 groups, including 2 aspherical and 3 ED components. According to the company, this scheme allows to achieve optimal image quality, obtain a crisp image, and keep chromatic aberrations under control.
Moreover, the iris design consists of 14 blades that serve two purposes. In fact, they render point-like light sources as 14-point sunstars when stopping down the aperture for architecture photography, while still providing a smooth bokeh when shooting close subjects wide open. By the way, the minimum focusing distance of the lens is 22cm.
Key features
- 20mm wide angle lens
- f/4-20
- 94.4° angle of view
- ±11mm shift amount
- Close to zero distorsion
- 16 elements in 11 groups
- 14-blade aperture
- Minimum focusing distance: 22cm
- 82mm filter thread
- Rotatable lens hood
- Optional lens support available
- Weight: 747g
Price and availability
The new Laowa 20mm f/4 Zero-D Shift lens is now available for purchase on CVP. All mount options share the same official retail price of $1,299 (approximately €1,136.94 excl. VAT). Moreover, an optional special lens support is also up for sale for $249 (about €268.52 excl. VAT).
Do you often find yourself using shift lenses in your work? Let us know your thoughts about this new Laowa 20mm f/4 Zero-D Shift Laowa in the comment section down below!
