Laowa 12mm f/2.8 Zero-D (Black) for Sony FE

Let me preface this by saying if you're OK with the manual nature of this lens, don't hesitate to purchase. This lens is fantastic. Just not for me. I needed it for my real estate photography business. The problem I have is not really with the lens but my my old, blurry eyes! I've tried but, I'm just not able to get that tack-sharp image required by my clients. Again, I don't blame the lens, I just don't have the luxury of taking lots of time on-site acquiring the sharp focus required. Even though the focus looks great on the screen of my Sony A7iii, focus on the final edits just aren't what I need. Sadly, I need to rely on the auto-focus features that the Sony offers. I'm going to somehow manage the expense and purchase of the Sony - G Master FE 16-35mm f/2.8 GM Wide Angle Zoom Lens. Unfortunately that lens costs almost as much as the camera itself!

Just got my new Laowa 12 mm Zero-d lens and I like a lot about it. I’m a hobbiest and I’m learning a new hobby, a new camera, and a new lens, all at the same time. I don’t usually do reviews, but this is the least expensive wide angle lens you can buy for Sony full frame cameras and it does work. And I thought I should share the news.Because of the wide angle lens I was still able to capture the milky way, even though the moon was in the sky and I was in a high light pollution area. I found two local parks, in the city, and gave it a shot. (See photos) I can’t wait for the galactic core and new moon to be back in my local sky.I haven’t experienced any barrel distortion. What you see here in these photos is perspective distortion. Caused by how I framed my photo. If I tipped the camera down toward the horizon a bit the vertical objects begin to straighten. If I was further back from the vertical objects they would not have tilted in. In these cases I decided to focus on the big sky and not worry about the foreground. I use the landscape version of these photos on desktop and portrait version on my phone lock screen.I’ve been told the perspective distortion happens with every ultra wide angle lens, so I’m not worrying about it. I’ll just have to improve my shots by looking for some different vantage points.I’m still trying to fine tune the sharpness of close up shots. It’s not a true macro but you can get really close. These flower photos were taken from less than a foot away and then cropped. I thought they were pretty good for a wide angle lens.It is a solid lens. Seems well constructed. 1.4 pounds of camera and 1.3 pounds of lens makes hand holding this setup a bit like exercise. Thankfully most of my work is on tripod.Focusing on stars has has been easy with this lens. This lens lets in a lot of light which is really nice.I’m using it with a new Sony a7iii and after that purchase I needed to really look at lenses and my budget. This lens seemed like a great fit for Astro photography and was in my budget. So I gave this lens a chance and I’m very happy with it.Why only 4 stars? Communication. Only ISO and shutter speed data are relayed back to Lightroom. So if you are using Lightroom to see the stats on your photo, to prepare for your next trip out, you’ll be short some information. Also if you want to use filters you’ll need to buy their specific filter mount.All in all, I like it. Thanks Venus Optics.

I love it so much, tack sharp all the way, but I do have another 12mm f2.8 fisheye from Rokinon, I found the Laowa wasn't as wide as the fisheye even after correcting the fisheye distortion the Rokinon is still wider, but the Laowa is a little bit wider the 16-35 mm GM, if there is a way to shoot video on my full frame Sony a7iii using Rokinon 12mm f2.8 fisheye witg corrected distortion in camera like what available in many action cam, I probably won't buy this, but for now, I like how Laowa physically correcting the distortion before the image hits the sensor

This lens is corner to corner sharp, produces amazing colors, and the FE Mount fits perfectly to my A7iii. Make sure you do not get the incorrect lens without the FE adaptor because a lot of the photos online do not match the correct lens.Thanks amazon

I have this paired with Sony A7III to shoot mostly Real Estate. I am not an expert but the angle of view and low light capability are impressive. Realtors like wide, this is wide on a full frame. I have not had it long but great image quality and it is heavy. Given this I think it is EXCELLENT VALUE for money

This lens is a beast! All metal, great build. I'm quite happy with it so far. I use it for real estate photography for creating 360 images.My only niggle is that it's completely manual. I knew that when purchasing however.Overall, great lens and would highly recommend for landscape or real estate photography. I'm using it on a7ii.

Very sharp lens with minimal distortion. Can also focus very closely with near macro capabilities.

I have not purchased mine from these people, but i do have one that was given to me by a friend. If you dont have one, you are truly missing out. This is a great lense for real estate photography! Images are crisp, there is visually no warp in the image at all! Mine is kinda beat up right now because i have dropped it a lot, but its still kicking and works just how i want it to and better. If i could afford another one, i would buy this in a heart beat. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!! If i could give it 10 stars, i would.