I have been tempted by this lens for a long time. I needed a really wide lens for some cramped spaces that I encounter. The Laowa 9mm 5.6 is a manual lens with no electrical contacts. The lens needs to be matched with a manual lens setting in my Nikon Z8. At F8 or F11, it has a huge depth of field and can mostly be set to infinity on the focusing scale and focusing the lens can be forgotten.
I took it out for some test shooting locally. On a tripod it is surprisingly sharp. Here are a few test shots.
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| San Prospero Reggio Emilia. Hand held |
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| Duomo Reggio Emilia. This lens will be useful for cramped crypts. |
These abandoned factory shots are 5 frame HDR combinations
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| Ex Reggiane, Reggio Emilia |
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| Ex Reggiane, Reggio Emilia |
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| Ex Reggiane, Reggio Emilia |
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| Ex Reggiane, Reggio Emilia |
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| Ex Reggiane, Reggio Emilia |
These shots taken in a new city park are all hand held.
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| Rivalta, Reggio Emilia |
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| Rivalta, Reggio Emilia |
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| Rivalta, Reggio Emilia |
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| Rivalta, Reggio Emilia |
This lens is really fun to use. It does take some practice to use it properly, and is best when I can level the camera on a tripod. The image quality is surprisingly good considering the extreme angle of view. I was lucky to find an "as new" copy for €490, which is about what I want to pay for a special occasion lens.
