Laowa 9mm f/2.8 Review
Laowa 9mm f/2.8 for Fujifilm X mount shown on the Fujifilm X-Pro2
A Quick Look at the Venus Optics Laowa 9mm f/2.8 Zero-D for Fujifilm X
Chris Screech saved the day again as he pulled another lens out of his vault for me to try out. I have been wanting to take the Laowa 9mm f/2.8 out for quite some time for a closer look. I had a brief hands-on with it a couple of years ago and the initial impressions were favorable.
This past summer Fujifilm kindly sent me an XF 8-16mm f/2.8 R LM WR for a review and I found myself shooting this lens mostly at the wide end.
With a similar ultra-wide focal length on the Laowa 9mm f/2.8, it would be interesting to see if I could draw any meaningful comparison between these two lenses which are polar opposites when it comes to price and weight.
Laowa 9mm f/2.8 - Introduction
The Laowa 9mm f/2.8 saw the light of day in early 2018 and it is the first Laowa lens I review. I came very close to buying a Laowa 65mm f/2.8 2x Ultra Macro APO for copying negatives and the Laowa Argus 33mm f/0.95 CF APO certainly looks interesting.
At the time this review was posted, the Laowa 9mm f/2.8 was priced at $499.00.
Burrard Street, Vancouver, Fujifilm X-Pro2, Laowa 9mm f/2.8
Laowa 9mm f/2.8 - Handling and Specs
The Laowa 9mm f/2.8 is a manual focus lens. The focus ring is smooth and it does have a clickable aperture ring as well but there is no EXIF info transferred to the camera as there are no electronic contacts between the lens and the camera.
Size-wise the Laowa 9mm f/2.8 reminds me of the Fujifilm XF 16mm f/2.8 R WR that I reviewed recently. The two lenses share the same 49mm filter diameter. The Laowa 9mm is slightly heavier at 7.6 oz, 215 g, vs. 5.5 oz, 155 g, for the XF 16mm lens but the difference feels insignificant.
The Laowa 9mm f/2.8 has 15 elements in 10 groups (2 aspherical), which seems like a lot of lens elements in such a small package. The pint-size dimensions of 2.09 x 2.36", 53 x 60 mm make for a very portable package and it easily fits in a pocket.
The minimum focusing distance is 4.72", 12 cm, which is rather impressive.
It is worth mentioning that there is a Cine Lens Version on the Laowa 9mm f/2.8 as well.
Laowa 9mm f/2.8 in Action
I tested the Laowa 9mm f/2.8 on my X-Pro2 as I was using my X-Pro3 at the same time with another lens. Aside from the XF 27mm f/2.8 R WR, the Laowa is one of the smallest lenses I have used and it makes for a wonderful compact, lightweight, and non-intrusive solution for street photography.
I used zone focusing or more accurately mostly put the Laowa 9mm on infinity focus and the aperture at f/5.6 to give me sufficient depth of field. Shooting like this takes a lot of worry out of photography and it basically becomes a point a shoot scenario. I used the aperture priority mode and Auto ISO.
Laowa 9mm f/2.8 - Image Quality
The Laowa delivers impressive sharpness at f/5.6 which is where I mostly used it and that is right out into the corners of the frame. The color rendition is rather pleasant and overall I would have to say I was impressed and positively surprised with the files from the Laowa 9mm.
Laowa 9mm f/2.8 vs. Fujifilm XF 8-16mm f/2.8
I am well aware that these two lenses are entirely different breeds but as I mentioned above when I reviewed the XF 8-16mm f/2.8 R LM WR I mostly shot it at or near 8mm, which begs the question; Could you get these ultra-wide-angle results in a different and more affordable manner? The answer is a resounding yes.
At $1,499.00 the XF 8-16mm f/2.8 R LM WR is three times the cost and almost four times the weight of the Laowa 9mm f/2.8, meaning if you are mainly looking for the ultra-wide aspect and perhaps looking for a portable option for travel the Laowa 9mm f/2.8 could be the answer for you.
In the defense of the XF 8-16mm f/2.8 R LM WR, it has a lot going for it. It has the ability to zoom the entire range from 8-16mm, it has autofocus and shows EXIF info, is weather-sealed, and optically I think it is better with a wonderful Fujifilm color signature. For more about the XF 8-16mm f/2.8 my review is here:
Conclusion
Depending on your current lineup of lenses, the Laowa 9mm is a nifty solution for adding extra spice to your travel, street, landscape, or architecture photography. That is if you gravitate toward and favor ultra-wide-angle photos.
I should also mention the more reasonably priced Fujifilm XF 10-24mm f/4 R OIS WR, at $999.00, which probably would be my favorite in this field, albeit at double the cost of the Laowa 9mm. The ability to zoom, and have autofocus, weather-sealing, and optical image stabilization would be worth the extra cost to me.
However, if budget, portability, and weight are priorities of yours it is hard to argue with this excellent Laowa 9mm f/2.8 option.
Update:
Stay tuned for the release of the Fujifilm XF 8mm f/3.5 which is expected to be announced on May 24, 2023.
Pros
Optically excellent
Great build quality
Compact footprint
Cons
No electronic contacts for transfer of EXIF information to the camera
Please see more sample images below.
Price / Availability
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Laowa 9mm f/2.8 - Sample Images
Please see the sample images below. Editing was done in Capture One and I used Fujifilm film simulations for some of the photos. Some of the images are slightly cropped
Click to view larger images.
Queen Elizabeth Park, Vancouver, Fujifilm X-Pro2, Laowa 9mm f/2.8
Fraser Street, Vancouver, Fujifilm X-Pro2, Laowa 9mm f/2.8
Fraser Street, Vancouver, Fujifilm X-Pro2, Laowa 9mm f/2.8
6th Ave., Vancouver, Fujifilm X-Pro2, Laowa 9mm f/2.8
False Creek, Vancouver, Fujifilm X-Pro2, Laowa 9mm f/2.8
Thurlow Street, Vancouver, Fujifilm X-Pro2, Laowa 9mm f/2.8
Thurlow Street, Vancouver, Fujifilm X-Pro2, Laowa 9mm f/2.8
W Georgia Street, Vancouver, Fujifilm X-Pro2, Laowa 9mm f/2.8
Thurlow Street, Vancouver, Fujifilm X-Pro2, Laowa 9mm f/2.8
W Georgia Street, Vancouver, Fujifilm X-Pro2, Laowa 9mm f/2.8
Granville Street, Vancouver, Fujifilm X-Pro2, Laowa 9mm f/2.8
Granville Street, Vancouver, Fujifilm X-Pro2, Laowa 9mm f/2.8
Howe Street, Vancouver, Fujifilm X-Pro2, Laowa 9mm f/2.8
Robson Square, Vancouver, Fujifilm X-Pro2, Laowa 9mm f/2.8
Third-Party Lenses for Fujifilm X-Mount
7Artisans 35mm f/0.95
7Artisans 55mm f/1.4 II
TTArtisan 17mm f/1.4
TTArtisan 23mm f/1.4
TTArtisan AF 27mm f/2.8 XF
TTArtisan 35mm f/0.95
TTArtisan 50mm f/0.95
TTArtisan 50mm f/1.2
TTArtisan 50mm f/2
Viltrox AF 13mm f/1.4 XF
Viltrox AF 23mm f/1.4 XF
Viltrox AF 33mm f/1.4 XF
Viltrox AF 56mm f/1.4 XF
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