Laowa 12-24mm f/5.6 Zoom Shift CF, a World’s First Lens, Is Finally Available

Back in July, Venus Optics revealed its Laowa CF 12-24mm f/5.6 Zoom Shift lens for APS-C mirrorless cameras in China, the world’s first shift zoom lens. Months later, the company finally debuted the groundbreaking lens on the global stage, and it is now available for purchase.

While many specifications were available in the summer thanks to Laowa’s Chinese social media posts, it is worth recapping the basics. The Laowa 12-24mm f/5.6 Zoom Shift lens is available for APS-C cameras across a diverse range of lens mounts, including Canon RF, Canon EF-M, L-Mount, Fujifilm X, Nikon Z, and Sony E, covering essentially every camera system out there save for Micro Four Thirds.

The lens can shift up to seven millimeters, allowing photographers to gain precise perspective control and minimize certain distortions. This is especially useful for architectural photography, as the shift capabilities allow photographers to capture straight vertical lines, even with tall buildings. Typically, shift capabilities are reserved for prime lenses, which lack the versatility of a zoom lens. However, the +/- seven millimeters of shift is available across the entire zoom range, a world’s first.

Venus Optics promises consistent exposure and image quality performance throughout the entire zoom range from edge to edge, which is essential for architectural and landscape work. It is worth noting that this new lens is not part of Laowa’s Zero-D (zero distortion) lens series. However, Venus Optics promises that “it still showcases excellent distortion control, allowing users to capture accurate and true-to-life images. This makes it an excellent choice for architectural and interior photographers, where precise image quality is crucial.”

The lens includes 15 elements arranged across 11 groups, and it has a nine-bladed aperture diaphragm. There are two aspherical elements and three extra-low dispersion pieces of glass among the 15 total elements. The lens also includes Laowa’s Frog Eye Coating (FED) on the front glass, akin to a fluorine coating to protect the front element and make it easier to clean.

The manual focus lens can focus as close as 15 centimeters (5.9 inches), resulting in a max magnification of 0.4x. The lens accepts 77mm filters via its front thread and has a maximum diameter of 80 millimeters (3.1 inches). The lens is 99 millimeters (3.9 inches) long and weighs 575 grams (1.3 pounds).

Pricing and Availability

The Laowa 12-24mm f/5.6 Zoom Shift CF lens is in a class of its own in terms of capabilities, so there are no apparent competitors to consider. The lens is available now for E, EF-M, L, RF, X, and Z mount APS-C mirrorless cameras and costs $699.

Image credits: Venus Optics / Laowa