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Review: Laowa 20mm f/4 shift lens. Also - how to use a shift lens.
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- čas přidán 17. 08. 2024
- Detailed review of the Laowa 20mm f/4 shift lens by Keith Cooper.
The lens is available in a range of mount options Canon EF and RF, Nikon F and Z, Sony E, Pentax, L, and Fuji G - the RF version is tested here, but the optics are the same for all mounts.
The lens is a fully manual shift [only] lens, so no tilt.
Keith discusses the lens, how it performs, and has a run through of the many ways lens shift (aka rise and fall) can be used.
There is a more detailed written review of the lens, which includes many more sample images at: www.northlight...
Keith has also reviewed the Laowa 15mm f/4.5 shift lens:
www.northlight...
00:00 Start
00:27 Notes for viewers unfamiliar with shift lenses
00:43 Lens design and construction
02:22 The shift mechanism
02:45 Mount differences
04:50 Specifications
05:09 No electronics - fully manual
06:44 Front element and filter options
07:34 Adjustable lens hood
08:50 Flare and aberrations
10:20 Image quality
12:55 How shift works - rise and fall
15:19 The power of stitching
16:07 Dealing with parallax
17:38 The versatility of diagonal shift
20:21 Image quality falloff
21:32 Shift and horizontal perspective
23:37 Conclusions about the Laowa 20mm shift lens
24:30 Is shift only an issue - what about tilt?
25:52 Future testing
There are more articles, videos and reviews covering the use of tilt and shift lenses: www.northlight-...
Keith's book about how to use such lenses is widely available
PHOTOGRAPHY WITH TILT AND SHIFT LENSES
www.crowood.co...
ISBN: 9781785007712
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"Buy me a coffee" ko-fi.com/keit...
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Any help with running this channel is gratefully received.
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US Amazon photo/print gear: amzn.to/3l9vJC6
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![Why not to buy a tilt-shift lens [Fuji 30/5.6].Tilt-shift isn't magic, what do the lenses really do](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Zt9DjlaiUHA/mqdefault.jpg)
Finally a true photographer takes the time to review this lens! Thank you Mr. Cooper!
Thanks - I did notice that many so called reviews did more to point out the lack of experience of the reviewer than the lens ;-)
There is more detailed info in the main [written] review at
www.northlight-images.co.uk/review-laowa-20mm-shift-lens-f4/
@@KeithCooper I absolutely agree with you! Thank you for the link, all the best! :)
Thank you Master Cooper....
Brilliant presentation.
❤❤❤
Thanks!
The example near the end showing three very different perspectives from the exact same position really shows the power and versatility of a shift lens. Excellent stuff Keith 👍
Thanks - this is one of the reasons I much prefer a 'real' shift lens to fixing things in software. It's difficult to visualise shots with the strong shift without seeing it in the viewfinder
Hello Keith,
thanks for your millions of youtube videos and billions of articles on your website - when do you actually sleep?
They really helped me figure out how to photograph buildings better with a little more ambition - especially with the tilt/shift lenses!
And in any case, it's more interesting than reading pages and pages of boring "tests" of the latest 70-200 lenses or the differences between autofocus systems on the forums.
But I would like to ask a few more detailed questions - but for this I write by mail via your homepage.
Once again - thank you for these very informative articles and the professional, unexcited presentation, such a thing has unfortunately become rare in the digital years!
Best regards from Germany
Peter
Thanks - the email address is linked from the contact details at the top right of every page.
Little and often is the secret - that and doing it for 20 years ;-)
Im an architect starting in photography as a hobby-compliment to my work and someone commented about your review on DPReviews video and it being more architecture centered.
Really nice review and well structured, I'm for sure gonna look up the written review
Thanks - the detail always goes into the written stuff on the Northlight site ;-)
Excellent review Keith... I'm so tempted :)
Thanks - I'm trying to get a version to test on the GFX100S. Same optics, just a different mount.
@KeithCooper that's my camera, so would be a neat review to goggle. Might have purchased by then :)
Sorry, me again. Before I buy, what do you think the optics of this vs the GF 23mm would be like? The other series contender, but obvs without the shift joy... Thanks Keith
The 23mm is distinctly better, but if you want 20mm and shift, there is no comparison
It's a bit like buying a really good suit, but one that doesn't quite fit... ;-) @@mrbigg2u
@@KeithCooper I love the idea of shift, but the 23mm is available at such good value nowadays at MPB, I think that might be the way for now. With the files on the 100s, you can correct many angles without losing much obvious quality. Thank you for your time :) Jules
Just picked this up for my GFX and this ABSOLUTELY WAS PERFECT!
Thanks!
Always love your honest reviews.
Thanks - glad they are of interest
Wonderful! Interesting and informative. Thank you.
Thanks - glad it was of interest
Thanks, I really learned a lot from this video. I’m just getting started with shift lenses and am so glad I found your video !
Glad it was helpful! There's lot's more in the written reviews and articles
www.northlight-images.co.uk/photography-articles-and-reviews/tilt-and-shift-lens-articles-and-reviews/
Thank you for such an excellent review!
Thanks - there's more info in the main [written] reviews if you've not seen them.
www.northlight-images.co.uk/category/articles-and-reviews/laowa/
Thank you very much for your review of this lens...very helpful
Thanks - I still have it here and will do a few additional videos with it - all supplementing the main [written] review
They already have a shift mount out. There’s a second version that allows camera rotation within the mount, but the PR video make it look a little flakey. It be interesting in a comparison between the two mounts.
Well, when the one for this lens arrives, I'll give it a thorough test!
Great Video, looking for to buy this lens for my GFX
Should give very good coverage
Thank you very much for this detailed review, it definitely helps me a lot with deciding. I‘m looking for a shift lens for sony E-mount and it seems that the laowa lenses are the only possibilities (besides Samyang whereby I‘m not impressed by the build quality).
This would be the first Laowa lens I‘d buy and I have no experience with Laowa lenses at all. Would you consider the shift mechanism as durable? And how prone might they be to dust entry as well as humidity? I‘m always VERY careful with my gear, but I‘m just wondering how ‚delicate‘ this shift lens is in general, compared to ‚normal‘ lenses as a 24-70 f2.8 for example.
Thanks - do check the main [written] review as well though - the videos are usually 'supplements' ;-)
www.northlight-images.co.uk/review-laowa-20mm-shift-lens-f4/
Well - I've found people's definitions of 'careful' do vary rather widely ;-)
The movements can be damaged if you are not thorough with loosening the lock before moving the shift axis and then JUST tightening it enough. This is why T/S lenses have such a bad record at lens hire companies. People hire them and don't have experience of looking after the mechanicals.
All I'll note is that I'm still using the TS-E17 and TS-E24 which I purchased in 2007 - they are my most often used lenses in my work.
However, my Laowa tests are all of loan equipment, so I don't get to test them long enough to really get a feel for reliability.
No idea about humidity - I'm in the UK and charge extra to work in the rain :-)
Dust - they are relatively simple and have no additional sealing. Another issue I've avoided...
Hi Keith, it's me again. Short additional question: You mentioned at about 4:00 in this video a little bit of vignetting at full shift with the Nikon F-mount version. I want to figure out, if it's better for me to buy a Nikon F-mount lens instead of the Z-Mount because i could use it with the Z6 including FTZ-Adapter and with my D600 as well. Do you see any constraints for this consideration?
Thanks and best regards..
Peter
The small relative size of the F mount can cause issues here at strong shift - see the discussion and notes in the main [written] review www.northlight-images.co.uk/review-laowa-20mm-shift-lens-f4/
I would want a good reason not to get the Z mount version
The F mount issue is also covered in my PC-E19 review - this really does need bringing out as a Z mount version
www.northlight-images.co.uk/nikon-pc-19mm-f4e-ed-review/
Thanks again!
@@KeithCooper
Hi Keith, excelent videos and information, thaks for your time.
Are you planning to test the Laowa 20mm f4 shift on the fuji GFX?
Comment: I wonder if the GFX versión is the same as the canon/nikon, just on a GFX body, or if there is a real change.
Yes, at some point [they hadn't got one spare when I borrowed a 17mm]
Also, it is exactly the same lens as the RF mount one reviewed here and in the main [written] review at
www.northlight-images.co.uk/review-laowa-20mm-shift-lens-f4/
The G mount version has the same 65mm image circle, so the GFX sensor with it's 55mm diagonal gives a reduced amount of useful shift - see my discussion of the 15mm shift for this
www.northlight-images.co.uk/review-laowa-15mm-shift-g-mount-lens/
Interesting... I've never taken architectural shots and probably never will... but thank you for the primer.
Thanks - such lenses are my choice for landscape too
Hello kind sir, where would you recon the entrance pupil point is for this lens? I'm kinda confused trying to find it. Thank you!
Not got one here to test - so I couldn't say.
Can't remember if this one works with the frame - that fits at the nodal point.
Use the viewfinder parallax method?
@@KeithCooper I will try. Thank you, may Jesus continue to bless you.
Keith thanks for reviewing this lens. I think it is just what I am looking for. I use a Sony A7R4 camera and I assuming that the light meter will still work with this lens with the Sony. I realize the auto focus won't. Will a bluetooth remote shutter release work with this lens?
Metering works fine - you just have to set the camera to allow photos with no lens attached [it's not seen as a lens]
You will need to manually set the aperture and then use as you wish.
Sony don't have me on any of their lists, so I've never tested any of their kit whatsoever, but I don't see why it shouldn't work exactly as well as it does on Canon/Nikon/Fuji gear I have tested...
As to remote shutter - that's nothing to do with the lens - remember it is a 100% manual lens so needs treating accordingly.
@@KeithCooper Thanks Keith, I come from a long background of using a large format camera and prefer everything to be manual operation.
Kent. Laowa just announced an "upgrade" to it's 15mm f4.5 shift lens. It is called: a 15mm f4.5R Zero D shift lens. It sports a red ring by the front element. It now has a 14 blade aperture. Do you think you will review the "new" lens? Are there, or will there, be any other changes from the regular 15mm shift lens? Thanks, Ken
I doubt I'll get one - it will be virtually identical. See the out of focus shots in my main [written] 15mm review. www.northlight-images.co.uk/review-laowa-15mm-f4_5-shift-lens/
The stars and OOF highlights were my one potential quibble with the 15mm - I'm glad they are doing the new version.
I'm told it is the only difference
The field of view of this shift lens when shifted equates to 117 degrees, which is slightly wider than a 14mm lens.
Would I get a similar picture taken with a normal 14mm lens, or would the picture still have a keystone perspective?
The 14mm would give no vertical convergence if the camera was level and no horizontal convergence if the (flat, eg a side of a building) was square on to your camera.
Shift lenses let you point the lens in a different direction to the camera
A single shifted view with the 20 would only be part of your shot with the 14mm
great video, thanx! I would like to use this for real estate photos, especially in small room like bathrooms. Am I right to expect with f7.1 this lens to have a depth of field from 2.3m to infinity? this is what a lens calculator told me, but i'm not shure to trust it. Would you recomend this lens for that use case?
Ah - such calculators are useless, or often, I'd say worse than useless ;-)
I would never use one...
What camera sensor size? This is available for 35mm and Fuji GFX
With no shift, 7.1 is reasonable, but with any significant shift I'd be looking at f/10-11
Oh and don't worry about using occasionally using f/13 if need be - 'diffraction problems' are vastly over-rated, usually by those not taking photos for clients ;-)
Sorry but the only way to really understand such lenses is by using them, but yes, they are very useful
See here too
www.northlight-images.co.uk/review-laowa-20mm-shift-lens-f4/
@@KeithCooper thank you again for the quick answers. I use a fullframe Sony A7 Riii. it had good reviews and the RAW filesizes is still manageable. I just started photographing Real estates and used what i already had.... I had to much work in post because of the distortion especially while i tried to stick panoramas. Thats why i'm considering this lens. So i will carefully read your written review. Thanks again.
So you have to use 35mm crop on GFX if it’s EF mount ?
No, but you may get some vignetting at strong shift.
Remember that this is a review of the RF mount lens, not the G Mount version.
Thank you Keith for this and your many useful reviews.
In terms of image quality, especially sharpness, how do you think this Laowa 20mm compares to your Canon EF TS-E 24mm II and 17mm?
Glad they of help.
The 20mm lens I looked at is broadly similar and I'd have no problems in using it for my work - but for the fact I still use the 24 and 17 on my EF mount 5Ds, and the 20mm is RF mount
Keith thanks for the review. If I got this lens I would definitely get the mount, but boy, it looks like more than a notion! If you already have the Canon 24 TS-E second version, would you consider getting this as well? Or would you only consider this if you didn't have the Canon 24mm and didn't necessarily need tilt?
Thanks - I'll have a look at how the 20mm mount compares with my Rogeti TSE frame when they send me one.
I might well look at this to complement just a 24, BUT I have a TS-E17, so probably not ;-)
What do you recomend for landscape panorama. I have Nikon D850 a 45Mpic camera and I have a Nikon 24mmF3.5 PC lens . Shall I get the Nikon 19mmF4 PC , the Laowa 20mm f/4 shift lens or the Laowa 15mm f/4.5 shift lens? I like as sharp lens as possible for use on the 45 Mpix D850 and a 55-60 Mpix camera Z8x in the future.
I don't always recommend shift lenses for panoramic - I often use a normal good lens, take several shots and stitch them. I do sometimes take several shots with a bit of vertical shift and stitch.
I use shift lenses for up/down & left right stitches but that isn't really panoramic from my POV.
What a lot of people seem to call panoramic shots are not wide enough for my liking
Anything less than 3:1 is just a bit wide ;-)
@@KeithCooper Thank you for your feedback. I guess I have to get a panorama head, levering base and nodal slide to my 18mm. I have used a 35mmF2 on a D300 APS-C camera and stitched 5 pictures together without proper equipment but I lost some upper and lower parts of the pictures due to Zigzag when stitching pictures together. My goal is to stich 3 pictures, using 30% overlap, to get the HB Pan look, so it’s not 2x, i.e. 24*70mm, but 2.4x. If it goes well I will add more upper and lower parts too when I start my infrastructure project or some cliffs in wood land can need it too....
Many of mine are shot hand held ;-)
Fix alignment errors by cropping to a rectangle after stitching...
Panoramic work is sometime made vastly more complex and expensive than it needs to be IMHO ;-)
@@KeithCooper I have some thought at creating 6x6, 6x9 and 6x17 cm pictures using my 12 Mpix Nikon D700 for some projects. I have a goal to create a book in one copy. My 3 current proto projects are used to test and experiment and learn so I know what project I will complete. Each project shall have the same size of the pictures. But I need to upgrade my computer before stitching to many pictures together.
Personally I'd say 'fewer projects - more photos'...
But if that's what works for you ;-)
Hello Keith, I just deleteted the double post but I know that you only use Canon with the Extender but how about this for a thought: Using the F version 20/4 and combine it with the 1.4 Magic adapter to at least get a 28mm. ???? What is also confusing the hell out of me are the Red R versions of the 20mm and 15mm lenses vs the Blue Ring versions .... can you see any differences there ?
The adapter should be OK, but I've not tried it
The lenses come in versions with 5 and 13[?] blade apertures - depends on how much you like sunstars ;-)
See my main [written ]reviews for details [the videos are supplements to them]
www.northlight-images.co.uk/category/articles-and-reviews/laowa/
@@KeithCooper I am still working on my 15/4.5R + 20/4 + 1.4x idea ... but it's a bit of a crap shoot because of the lack EF/F mount Macro lenses ( they only come in mirrorless mounts and are non useable together with the 1.4x adapter : (
What lack of lenses?
There are quite a few EF and F Macro lenses, but there are no EF lenses which will work with the adapter - there is no control over aperture, which makes them pretty useless in this instance.
Laowa does not make EF/F mount Macro lenses the only make mirrorless Lenses. They do make EF/F/PK Wide and PC lenses. So If you wanted to build a shift line of lenses similar to Nikon and Canon there is no way of doing that.
Shift is wides only ( so unless you want to mix and match - which is not advisable especially when shooting interiors you are out of luck )
Ah - I was only referring to actual Canon EF lenses
Look for used - Laowa have made several EF macro lenses in the past IIRC
I have a question. I am trying to take some pictures of historic buildings in an old city centre. The streets are around 6 meters wide and the buildings are 4 floors high. I think each floor is around 3 to 4 meters high. So that means the buildings are around 12 to 16 meters tall. Could I use this 20 mm lens or should I use a shorter focal length?
The angle at ground level is ~70º well beyond the shifted FOV of the 20.
raising the camera to ~2m only reduces this a bit (~66º for 16m height)
See the photos right at the end of my written review for related examples
www.northlight-images.co.uk/review-laowa-20mm-shift-lens-f4/
You may need the 15mm, but that close, the distortions are going to be very noticeable
@@KeithCooper Did you review the 15mm lens?
www.northlight-images.co.uk/review-laowa-15mm-f4_5-shift-lens/
there is a short video as well (one of my earliest ones ;-) )
Sorry, I meant Keith.
:-)
Keith, what do you think of it in comparison to the Samyang/Rokinon/Walimex Pro 24mm T+S lens?
I already have that lens.
Ah, my review of the 24 long predates my making videos ;-)
www.northlight-images.co.uk/review-samyang-24mm-tilt-shift-lens/
Good if you can live with the slight distortions.
Do you think there are other disadvantages than minimal vignetting if I'd attach the F-mount version with the FTZ adapter on a Nikon Z7ii? An advantage would be the tripod adapter on the FTZ and I could use it on a DSLR.
It's shift vignetting, not normal vignetting. See my PC-E19 review [the full written one, not the video overview] for examples
www.northlight-images.co.uk/nikon-pc-19mm-f4e-ed-review/
All my Nikon testing has been with the FTZ - seems to work just fine. I do only get kit to test from Nikon UK, so my general Nikon experience is relatively limited.
I've no reason to expect any serious issues with the F version - I'd happily use it.
Thanks a lot 👍.
I’ve the expensive 19pc nikon but it’s the best lens I ever bought. I’m not satisfied enough by the 24ts samyang but nikon is not so much better… laowa 17 seems good but not too wide compared to a 19..probably I have to go with a 15 zero distortion but it is not with shift..
The Laowa 15mm f/4.5 does have ±11mm of shift
www.northlight-images.co.uk/review-laowa-15mm-f4_5-shift-lens/
The Nikon PC-E24 is showing its age against the PC-E19 -it will be good to see when they bring out Z mount versions...
@@KeithCooper wow perfect, thanks! yes probably for Z mount will be sharper even if the 19pc if far better than the very good performances of the 20 1.8G (no shift).. hope their first pc lens for Z mount will be a new 24
Thanks - yes, I'm looking forward to what Canon and Nikon can bring to the tilt/shift lens, for mirrorless mounts. They won't be cheap though! ;-)
@@KeithCooper definetly will be not cheap :( the 19pc cost me a fortune XD the z version will cost more ahah :/
I have a sony. I have never used an adapter for, say, canon lenses. Not sure what problems that would introduce. In your opinion, would I be better off, for Architectural work, going with this lens for sony mount or getting a good adapter and picking up a canon shift lens? Thanks!
The Canon 24 [ii] and 17 are the best quality tilt/shift - the 20mm here is a good lens but shift only.
Adapters should be no problem - I use the 24 and 17 on a GFX100S
See my more detailed [written] reviews for far more info [the videos are generally just supplements]
www.northlight-images.co.uk/photography-articles-and-reviews/tilt-and-shift-lens-articles-and-reviews/