@@spector175 I'm curious about it, but I don't think I'll be sending my z6 in. I have some thoughts on the topic that I might be sharing in a video soon.
Hi Tommy. Great comparison between these two lenses! As a landscape and product photographer using the Nikon Z7 with several Nikkor S lenses, as well as the Laowa 100 f/2.8 Ultra-Macro, I'd like to offer my opinions on a few comments you made regarding build and image quality. First, IMHO, the Nikkor S lenses, while obviously not an all-metal design, are of sufficiently high build quality to handle most situations easily. They are weather-sealed and seem to have tight tolerances on moving parts, i.e., smooth rotation, no "wiggles", and an overall feel of precision in manufacture. I can say the same about my Laowa 100 f/2.8 Ultra-Macro lens, which IS all-metal. However, I have 2 criticisms of the Laowa design that I feel are quite important to mention...First, the focus throw of this all-manual lens is Extremely SHORT! This means that when trying to make critical focus adjustments on ones' subject, it's quite frustrating, because you must SLOWLY rack focus ever-so-slightly, until that "pinpoint focus" is achieved precisely where you want it! I simply fail to understand why Laowa didn't make the focus throw as large as, say, the Micro-NIkkors, which are MUCH better in that regard. Secondly, the aperture ring, while very smooth, offers too small/light clicks between f-stops, meaning that one must visually confirm which aperture one is on, rather than relying on counting clicks. That said, I must also say that the image quality of the Laowa 100 f/2.8 Ultra-Macro lens is STELLAR! The sharpness obtained (assuming one nails the focus!) is superb indeed, which is the main reason I got this lens. Thank you.
I just got a 14-30mm f4 from B&H PHOTO lightly used for just over 900 dollars, when I purchased the Nikon ZF and Z6Ii my wide angle lens is the Voightlander 15mm F4.5 , I use these lens for landscapes so I don't need a fast aperture, that being said, my Nikon cameras are only a small part of my camera collection, I have Panasonic, Pentax, Olympus and Fujifilm cameras that cover full frame, APSC and Micro 4-3. I have prime and zoom lenses of different focal lengths and apertures so I have a good selection of glass that I can use for low light photography. I use the Voightlander on the ZF and they compliment each other nicely, I also have the 40mm f1.2 Voightlander, a few Viltrox lens and a few Nikon Z mount glass. The thing that I like about the Voightlander lens is that even though they are manual focus they have electrical connections that give you focus conformation and all aperture and focal length data, they are compact and have an excellent build.
Nice video, it was really helpful for me - I've been trying to pick a wide angle for my Z6. I have the Rokinon 14mm, but I'm just not happy with it anymore.
Of course - the Sigma 18-35 is incredible. It’s what I filmed the A roll of my talking head with here, and it’s part of my main tripod combo (gh5, Viltrox EF-M2, sigma 18-35). I haven’t done any adapter reviews for the Z6 yet though... might need to do one soon!
A little late and someone else might already have said it, but the lens hood might have to get pushed a little further till you get a click. I had the same issue with my Laowa 65mm f2.8, until someone explained this to me.
I'm stoked that you made a video on this. These are the two lenses I'm debating on getting. For real estate video, what lens out of the two do you recommend?
As long as you have one native lens already, Go for the Laowa and then grab a gimbal with the savings. You gotta have at least 1 native or you lose out on a lot of what the Z has to offer :)
Thank you for this comparison! However, I am in the market for only one of these two lenses at this time and can’t decide which one to get.I’m a hybrid shooter, 50/50 photo and video. Right now where I live both of these lenses are at nearly the same price. Could you give an advice which one should I should get? What worries me for the Laowa is the lack of autofocus, but in the Nikon is the slower aperture and distortion in video.
its always the question, what tool for what job... Just bought a 14 - 30mm for hiking and landscape shots. On a montain sometimes a gramm is a lot. And then its not the question of metal or plastik, its the question how much you can carry more... Movie needs other specialities than stills. Landscape other than stars / milkyway So its not easy to find your right lens / lenses...
I am now faced with the choice of which lens to take Laowa 15mm f2 or 15mm f4, macro, I don’t know if there are pros and cons between them. Sony E system
How can Laowa screw up so badly with the lens hood. I mean does nobody ever do in field testing when they manufacture something. If they can screw up and make a hood nearly fall off at the slightest touch, then what else might they have over looked?
I have the Laowa 15mm for my fujifilm xt3. I just used it yesterday for a concert shooting and it’s so fun to play with ! So much things into frame but without any distorsion. Manual focus may be a bit difficult to nailed for photo (focus peaking on Fuji is quite good though) but when i managed to get it, it’s crispy sharp. F2 aperture definitely help for live events in low light situation ! No need to use extra high iso. Plus it’s super low profil, I carry it with me everywhere as it is super small. Very fun lens to play with. I didn’t know this brand at first as I only knew Rokinon for their good manual lenses but Laowa is definitely an interesting brand to keep an eye on !
@@markshirley01 Gotcha, np. Just confirming here - all my Laowa 15mm footage was hand held in this video, except for some slider shots where I used a fluid head tripod and fluid slider (zeapon micro 2) together when getting those shots of the Moza Aircross 2
How can compare these lenses........ ones a f2 prime and the other is f4 zoon...... completely different yet your making it sound the Nikon is shit in comparison
What's your favorite lens these days?
Mamiya f1.9 N my all time favourite. Hey Tommy did you try prores raw in nikon z6 if not would you be testing it?
@@spector175 I'm curious about it, but I don't think I'll be sending my z6 in. I have some thoughts on the topic that I might be sharing in a video soon.
Great review. I’ve just taken delivery of the Laowa (Nov 2022) for use with a Nikon Z 6th, and… WOW! A stunning piece of kit.
Hi Tommy. Great comparison between these two lenses! As a landscape and product photographer using the Nikon Z7 with several Nikkor S lenses, as well as the Laowa 100 f/2.8 Ultra-Macro, I'd like to offer my opinions on a few comments you made regarding build and image quality. First, IMHO, the Nikkor S lenses, while obviously not an all-metal design, are of sufficiently high build quality to handle most situations easily. They are weather-sealed and seem to have tight tolerances on moving parts, i.e., smooth rotation, no "wiggles", and an overall feel of precision in manufacture. I can say the same about my Laowa 100 f/2.8 Ultra-Macro lens, which IS all-metal. However, I have 2 criticisms of the Laowa design that I feel are quite important to mention...First, the focus throw of this all-manual lens is Extremely SHORT! This means that when trying to make critical focus adjustments on ones' subject, it's quite frustrating, because you must SLOWLY rack focus ever-so-slightly, until that "pinpoint focus" is achieved precisely where you want it! I simply fail to understand why Laowa didn't make the focus throw as large as, say, the Micro-NIkkors, which are MUCH better in that regard. Secondly, the aperture ring, while very smooth, offers too small/light clicks between f-stops, meaning that one must visually confirm which aperture one is on, rather than relying on counting clicks. That said, I must also say that the image quality of the Laowa 100 f/2.8 Ultra-Macro lens is STELLAR! The sharpness obtained (assuming one nails the focus!) is superb indeed, which is the main reason I got this lens. Thank you.
I just got a 14-30mm f4 from B&H PHOTO lightly used for just over 900 dollars, when I purchased the Nikon ZF and Z6Ii my wide angle lens is the Voightlander 15mm F4.5 , I use these lens for landscapes so I don't need a fast aperture, that being said, my Nikon cameras are only a small part of my camera collection, I have Panasonic, Pentax, Olympus and Fujifilm cameras that cover full frame, APSC and Micro 4-3. I have prime and zoom lenses of different focal lengths and apertures so I have a good selection of glass that I can use for low light photography. I use the Voightlander on the ZF and they compliment each other nicely, I also have the 40mm f1.2 Voightlander, a few Viltrox lens and a few Nikon Z mount glass. The thing that I like about the Voightlander lens is that even though they are manual focus they have electrical connections that give you focus conformation and all aperture and focal length data, they are compact and have an excellent build.
You can assign manual focus ring to different function or turn it off completely, so I don't see an issue here when using 14-30 lens.
Thanks - great review! - yea lets have more Laowa reviews. Mayby the 12mm in comparison with the 15mm or the 10-18mm
Thank you! And yes, I totally agree. That 12mm is making a lot of people excited.
Nice. I bet the click feature would be great for photo shoots were no sound is involved and you want to have that perfect “feel” with your focus.
Nice video, it was really helpful for me - I've been trying to pick a wide angle for my Z6. I have the Rokinon 14mm, but I'm just not happy with it anymore.
If you do get another, please tell me!
Can you still us the manual focus saturation on nikon z6? That color thing that indicates the focused areas?
Even though the Laowa is fully manual does focus peaking still work on the z6 & 7? When using it?
Tommy!!! You the best ❤️
sigma 18-35 is still a favorite on my GH5 for filming. Have you done a review with the Sigma 18-35 F mount with the adaptor to the Z6?
Of course - the Sigma 18-35 is incredible. It’s what I filmed the A roll of my talking head with here, and it’s part of my main tripod combo (gh5, Viltrox EF-M2, sigma 18-35). I haven’t done any adapter reviews for the Z6 yet though... might need to do one soon!
A little late and someone else might already have said it, but the lens hood might have to get pushed a little further till you get a click. I had the same issue with my Laowa 65mm f2.8, until someone explained this to me.
I'm stoked that you made a video on this. These are the two lenses I'm debating on getting. For real estate video, what lens out of the two do you recommend?
As long as you have one native lens already, Go for the Laowa and then grab a gimbal with the savings. You gotta have at least 1 native or you lose out on a lot of what the Z has to offer :)
Thank you for this comparison! However, I am in the market for only one of these two lenses at this time and can’t decide which one to get.I’m a hybrid shooter, 50/50 photo and video. Right now where I live both of these lenses are at nearly the same price. Could you give an advice which one should I should get? What worries me for the Laowa is the lack of autofocus, but in the Nikon is the slower aperture and distortion in video.
its always the question, what tool for what job...
Just bought a 14 - 30mm for hiking and landscape shots.
On a montain sometimes a gramm is a lot.
And then its not the question of metal or plastik, its the question how much you can carry more...
Movie needs other specialities than stills. Landscape other than stars / milkyway
So its not easy to find your right lens / lenses...
I am now faced with the choice of which lens to take Laowa 15mm f2 or 15mm f4, macro, I don’t know if there are pros and cons between them. Sony E system
I got the sigma 35 1.4 for sony when it price dropped. auto-focus/heavy meh
but ,sweet butter stills.
Sigma makes some great glass. Love my 18-35.
How was the vignetting? 😅
How do you fix the distortion for the 14-30 in fcpx? I’m thinking of getting it for real estate videography. Thanks in advance.
I’ve never used fcpx, but the full version of resolve has lens distortion correction built in.
How can Laowa screw up so badly with the lens hood. I mean does nobody ever do in field testing when they manufacture something. If they can screw up and make a hood nearly fall off at the slightest touch, then what else might they have over looked?
I have the Laowa 15mm for my fujifilm xt3. I just used it yesterday for a concert shooting and it’s so fun to play with ! So much things into frame but without any distorsion.
Manual focus may be a bit difficult to nailed for photo (focus peaking on Fuji is quite good though) but when i managed to get it, it’s crispy sharp.
F2 aperture definitely help for live events in low light situation ! No need to use extra high iso.
Plus it’s super low profil, I carry it with me everywhere as it is super small. Very fun lens to play with. I didn’t know this brand at first as I only knew Rokinon for their good manual lenses but Laowa is definitely an interesting brand to keep an eye on !
Agreed! Laowa smashed into the market with some awesome glass
Tommy what was the gimbal you were using.
In which shot? Timestamp?
@@TommyCallaway it's OK Tommy - I got it - Moza Aircross 2. - thanks 👍
@@markshirley01 Gotcha, np. Just confirming here - all my Laowa 15mm footage was hand held in this video, except for some slider shots where I used a fluid head tripod and fluid slider (zeapon micro 2) together when getting those shots of the Moza Aircross 2
@@TommyCallaway zeapon micro 2 is really smooth . I hope they make motorized 3 axis version of this slider.
@@spector175 I do believe they are developing a motor for one axis, not sure about the 3 axis though.
Great for real estate work.
Yes the 100mm macro
Idk why yours videos making that samll amount of views.
How can compare these lenses........ ones a f2 prime and the other is f4 zoon...... completely different yet your making it sound the Nikon is shit in comparison