LENS TEST

EXPERT OPINION ON THE LATEST KIT

LAOWA ARGUS 28MM F/1.2 FF

All things bright and beautiful - up to a point

Designed for both full-frame and crop-sensor mirrorless cameras, the Laowa Argus 28mm f/1.2 FF from Venus Optics follows in the confident footsteps of several predecessors in the Argus range. These lenses have all shared an ultra-fast 0.95 aperture rating, but the 28mm is about an f-stop slower at f/1.2. That's still super-fast in our books - and an upside is that it enables a design that's surprisingly compact and light for such a speedy, full-frame-compatible prime.

Engineered for mirrorless cameras. it's available in Canon RF, Leica L. Nikon Z (FX) and Sony E (FE) mount options; the L-mount version also hits the mark for Panasonic and Sigma bodies.

Key features

That fast f/1.2 aperture is the standout feature but as with other dubiously titled 'dumb lenses' - the Laowa lacks a CPU (Central Processor Unit), so there's no electronic communication with the camera body. As such, it's a fully manual lens: neither autofocus nor camera-controlled aperture adjustment are available, and no EXIF data is stored in image files. That's not a deal-breaker, as we'll come to later. In the Nikon Z-mount version that we tested, it proved easy to input the lens's vital statistics into cameras that feature IBIS (In-Body Image Stabilisation), beating the shakes in handheld shooting.

Upmarket glass includes one aspherical element and two HR (High Refractive index) elements, designed to boost sharpness while reducing the overall size and weight, along with two ED (Extra-low Dispersion) elements to enhance clarity and minimise lateral chromatic aberration, or colour fringing.