ISSUE 125
54 / GEAR
TESTED: LAOWA 35MM F/2.8 ZERO-D TILT-SHIFT 0.5X MACRO Get the right perspective £1269 venuslens.net A tilt-shift lens that can offer technically perfect images and wacky creativity
Back when DSLR cameras ruled, most manufacturers offered
Verdict Overall rating: 9/10 A lens that lets you control converging verticals or create unique, small-world style images or shallow depth-of-field. It focuses at close distances and is built to give lasting service where you are. The midpoint has a nice detent on the shift but not the tilt. Using the shift mechanism is simple. Keep your camera horizontal then shift the lens up to create the final composition. Buildings suddenly won’t look like they are falling over backwards. The tilt mechanism is a bit trickier to master if you want true, extended depth- of-field. Unless you are super scientific, it’s trial and error using different shift angles, apertures and focus settings. It’s more fun to go the other way and create small-world scenes of real buildings or super shallow depth-of-field effects. The lens itself is best mounted to the tripod and it comes with a foot with an Arca-Swiss mount. But when used on a mirrorless camera like the Sony A7S III, getting access is a squeeze. The aperture is all manual as is the focus, which is both precise and smooth although the throw isn’t huge. Focus peaking helps nail it, especially up close. The lens does focus as close as 228mm, so it’s useful for product shots. The optical quality is excellent, but with no auto lens correction in software you may want to tweak it manually. This is not an everyday lens. It’s for when you’re locked down to a tripod for architecture and interiors, or when you want to create some funky-looking creative shots. It will mark you out as a real pro operator.
a range of tilt-shift lenses used for perspective correction so buildings didn’t look like they were falling over when the camera was angled up to get the top of the edifice. The camera was kept level and the lens shifted up. The tilt mechanism was often called into play in order to maximise depth- of-field by shifting the lens axis, so the plane of focus could be changed. Tilting the ‘wrong’ way gives the effect of miniaturising your scene. But since the move to mirrorless cameras, only Fujifilm has offered tilt- shift lenses for its GFX System range. Many shooters now correct verticals in software, despite needing to shoot the scene on a wider lens as some of the image will be cropped out. Venus Lens has come to the rescue with its superb Laowa optics that have a range of tilt-shift options, including this new 35mm f/2.8 Zero-D tilt-shift 0.5x Macro, which comes in full-frame mounts such as Sony E, Canon RF and Nikon Z, as well as Fujifilm GFX and Hasselblad XCD. The lens has a 360° rotatable mount so the angle of tilt or shift can be changed at will, rather than just horizontally or vertically. The optic fits on like any normal lens, but it’s manual focus only with no electronics between the lens and camera. Both tilt and shift mechanisms are locked in place with a firm knob, then are adjusted by a second knob with a scale engraved on the barrel to show
TESTED: LAOWA 17MM F/4 ZERO-D SHIFT Shift to a wider view
£1009
venuslens.net
Laowa is soon to launch a superwide tilt-shift lens to match its new 35mm, but if you want to save a bit of cash then the 17mm f/4 Zero-D Shift is a solid option. It’s smaller and lighter than the 35mm, just a stop slower and only has shift to correct verticals. The superwide perspective is ideal for interiors and architecture where it can be used to not only cram loads into the frame but also stop verticals from leaning. Of course, as a 17mm lens, it’s also very good for general landscapes. It’s not too big or heavy to be carried around all day, and has very smooth all-manual focusing and iris control. A locking knob releases the shift mechanism but it’s adjusted using a large and solid ring on the lens – a bit like a zoom control. This is much easier to get hold of and better to use. And despite its superwide view, it takes 86mm screw-in filters – but you need to buy super-slim ones to ensure you avoid vignetting. Image quality is very good, even pixel-peeping stills on a large screen. Flare is well controlled, colours are natural and the image offers lots of contrast. It’s a great-performing lens that provides something Sony, Canon, Nikon and the rest simply don’t for their full-frame mirrorless offerings – and without resorting to the old DLSR tech and adapters.
Specifications
Mount Sony E, Canon RF, Nikon Z, Fujifilm GFX, Hasselblad XCD Mount rotation 360° Image coverage Full-frame Aperture f/4-22 Aperture blades 14 Shift +/-11mm Construction 12 elements in 12 groups Minimum focusing distance 250mm Filter size 86mm Dimension (wxl) 93x111mm Weight 770g
PC GONE MAD! Laowa’s 35mm lens offers full tilt and shift options with
Specifications
a rotatable mount and doesn’t cost the earth
Mount Sony E, Canon RF, Nikon Z, Fujifilm GFX, Hasselblad XCD Mount rotation 360° Image coverage Full-frame
Aperture f/2.8-22 Aperture blades 15 Tilt +/-10°
Shift +/-12mm Construction 14 elements in 12 groups Minimum focusing distance 228mm Filter size 77mm Dimension (wxl) 148.9x104.9mm Weight 1350g
Verdict
Overall rating: 8/10 A very capable and affordable perspective-correction lens, ideal for architecture or interiors
STRAIGHT UP Tilting the camera up makes buildings look like they lean, but a shift lens makes it all straight
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