Laowa has announced the full details of its two new tilt-shift macro lenses, which it first revealed in May of this year. The Laowa 55mm and Laowa 100mm FFII full-frame lenses both feature a wide f2.8 aperture.
Tilt-shift lenses
With a tilt-shift lens, you can change the orientation or position of the lens relative to your camera’s image sensor. As the name suggests, the tilt function tilts the lens, so the focal plane isn’t parallel to the sensor. In addition, the shift function moves the lens up and down or side to side on the body of the camera. You can use a tilt-shift lens to correct distortions in perspective when filming architecture. Another common use is to make real-world scenes look like miniature models by creating a very shallow depth of field.
Medium format
Laowa’s 55mm and 100mm tilt-shift lenses are intended for use with full-frame cameras. They are available for Canon RF, Leica L, Nikon Z and Sony E-mount mirrorless cameras. However, both lenses cover a 67 mm image circle. As a result, they will also be released for Fujifilm GFX and Hasselblad XCD medium-format mirrorless cameras.
55 mm lens
The Laowa 55mm FFII tilt-shift lens is designed with 14 lens elements in 11 groups. It offers a tilt range of 10 degrees and a shift range of +/- 12mm. Despite its shorter focal length, the 55 mm lens is the larger of the two lenses. It weighs 3.2 pounds (1.45 kg) and measures just over 6.6 inches (168.5 mm) in length. The 55 mm lens also has a close focus distance of 10.6 inches (27 cm). In addition, the wide f/2.8 aperture has 15 iris blades which should give a smooth, circular bokeh. As a true macro lens, the 55 mm delivers a 1:1 maximum magnification ratio.
100 mm lens
The Laowa 100mm FFII tilt-shift lens features 13 lens elements in 10 groups. This is why it is a little lighter and smaller than the 55 mm version. The 100 mm lens measures 6.4 inches (162 mm) in length and weighs 2.9 pounds (1.31 kg). It delivers the same 10-degree tilt and +/- 12 mm shift range as the 55 mm lens. The 100 mm lens also shares the 15-bladed iris with a maximum aperture of f/2.8. In addition, it’s also a true macro lens with 1:1 reproduction. Both lenses have a 77 mm filter thread.
What we think
Tilt-shift lenses are specialist lenses for specific shooting scenarios. However, there aren’t many models currently on the market. As a result, the new Laowa 55 mm and 100 mm tilt-shift lenses should prove very popular, especially as they are available in so many lens mount options. Medium format users will be happy to see that Fujifilm GFX and Hasselblad XCD cameras are supported as well. If you want to explore tilt-shift videos, Laowa’s new 55 mm and 100 mm lenses are a great choice.
Pricing and availability
At the time of writing, Laowa hasn’t announced pricing or release dates for its 55 mm and 100 mm FFII tilt-shift 1:1 macro lenses.