Affordable tilt-shift lenses incoming! Laowa reveals its debut tilt-shift glass
Plenty of manufacturers were showcasing new products at the China International Photograph & Electrical Imaging Machinery and Technology Fair 2024 (China P&E), and Laowa was key among them showing off two new tilt-shift lenses.
Laowa is a third-party lens manufacturer, making some of the best macro lenses and wide-angle lenses on the market. The recently released Laowa 10mm f/2.8 Zero-D FF is the first ever AF lens developed by the company to celebrate its tenth anniversary. Not wanting to stop there with firsts, these tilt-shift lenses are also a first for the brand.
Tilt-shift lenses are going through a bit of a resurgence of late, thanks to social media, with many drawn to the aesthetic of making everyday scenes look like miniature worlds – and they're also a staple in the kit bags of architecture photographers, for whom they're a standard tool of the trade.
The two new lenses on display from the Chinese manufacturer are the Laowa FFII T/S 55mm f/2.8 Macro 1:1 and Laowa FFII T/S 100mm f/2.8 Macro 1:1, both to be released for the Fujifilm GF, Sony E, Canon RF, Nikon Z and L Mount.
Although shown at China P&E, Laowa has yet to announce anything on its channels so information regarding availability, sample images and pricing is sparse. What we do have, however, is a list of specs that provide us with a little more information on the performance expectations.
Starting with the similarities, judging by the photographs only, both lenses look to follow Laowa's design and build quality. They are both dust and splash-proof and are of course limited to MF, as with all tilt-shift lenses. The aperture ranges from f/2.8 - f/22, and they both offer a maximum shooting magnification of 1x.
Other notable features included an aperture ring, ±12mm shift, ±10° tilt, 360° revolving in 15° increments, and 90° rotatable tilt/shift (55mm only).
As for the differences between the lenses, the 55mm f/2.8 has a total of 15 aperture blades, and a lens design configured of 14 elements in 11 groups. It measures 168.5 x 85mm, weighs 1,345g and has a minimum focusing distance of just 0.27m.
The 100mm f/2.8 also has a total of 15 aperture blades but varies in configuration to house 13 elements in 11 groups. The size and weight also differ as the 100mm measures 162 x 85mm and weighs 1,215g, surprisingly lighter and thinner than the 55mm.
Laowa is a well-respected lens manufacturer and it has been making some exceptional glass of late, so I am looking forward to seeing these in person, especially as they have a large enough coverage to use on the Fujifilm GFX system.
Fujifilm has recently released two tilt-shift lenses, the Fujinon GF 30mm F5.6 T/S and the Fujinon GF 110mm F5.6 T/S Macro, both ranking very highly in our reviews. The sticking point for many here is, however, the price point, so it will be interesting to see whether the new tilt-shift lenses by Laowa turn out to be great budget alternatives.
You may also be interested in our guides to the best Fujifilm lenses, the best super-wide angle lenses, and the best lenses for landscape photography.
