Laowa 15mm f/4.5 Zero-D Shift

The world’s widest full-frame shift lens, the Laowa 15mm f/4.5 Zero-D Shift gives pricey tilt lenses a run for their money

Specifications

Mount: Nikon Z, Nikon F

Full-frame: Yes

Autofocus: No

Image stabilization: No

Lens construction: 17 elements in 11 groups

Angle of view: 110°

Diaphragm blades: 5

Minimum focusing distance: 0.2m

Maximum magnification ratio: N/A

Filter size: N/A

Dimensions: 79x103mm

Weight: 597g

£1249/$1199

Already one of our favourite manufacturers when it comes to offbeat glass, the Laowa 15mm f/4.5 Zero-D Shift only adds to Venus Optics’ standing as a producer of exotic, esoteric and excellent lenses. On paper, what the Laowa 15mm f/4.5 Zero-D Shift offers is quite extraordinary: it’s the world’s widest full-frame shift lens, offering ±11mm of shift. But while these properties make it an excellent option for genres like architecture and interiors, unlike the best tilt-shift lenses the Laowa 15mm only shifts – it isn’t able to tilt for selective focus, so no ‘toytown’ effects.

It’s also a fully manual optic, with no electrical connections or EXIF data, and there’s no weather sealing – but then, it’s also around half the price of traditional tilt-shift lenses. So how does it fare, and do these limitations hamper its performance?

Key features

The Laowa 15mm Shift lens has a 110° angle of view, and produces an enormous image circle with a 65mm diameter, with the maximum possible vertical shift of ±11mm.