Laowa 12-24mm f/5.6

Laowa 12-24mm f/5.6

A zoom lens is an unusual sight on the Leica M system, which has been built almost entirely around fixed focal lengths, and the Laowa 12-24mm f/5.6 is one of the few exceptions. Built by Venus Optics, it began as a compact full-frame ultra-wide zoom for mirrorless mounts and was also offered in a Leica M version, giving M shooters a 12mm to 24mm range in a single barrel [1][2]. The lens is fully manual, with a fixed maximum aperture of f/5.6 across the zoom range, and Venus Optics positioned its slow speed as a deliberate trade for small size and low cost, reasoning that ultra-wide work is usually done stopped down anyway.

Optically the lens uses 15 elements in 11 groups, including two aspherical elements and three extra-low dispersion elements, and although it does not belong to Venus Optics's Zero-D family it is described as keeping distortion well controlled for architecture and interiors. The barrel is all metal with three control rings for zoom, focus, and aperture; the aperture ring is clicked from f/5.6 to f/22 with a short throw, while the zoom and focus rings turn smoothly with enough resistance to resist drifting. The five-bladed diaphragm is promoted for its ten-point sunstars when stopped down. The lens focuses very close, to about 0.15 m, which puts the front element roughly an inch from the subject and allows near-macro framing at the wide end. The M-mount version is rangefinder-coupled, distinguishing it within the Laowa lineup, although as a manual ultra-wide it is generally used with live view or scale focusing in practice [3]. It carries a 77mm filter thread used together with the supplied screw-on hood and filter ring.

The 12-24mm f/5.6 was sold across Canon RF, Sony E, Nikon Z, and Leica M mounts, with the M version priced slightly higher than the others and the physical length varying by mount. It has no electronic contacts, so no EXIF data is transmitted, and it is not weather-sealed. Venus Optics later introduced a separate zoom-shift version of the 12-24mm, a different product that should not be confused with this fixed lens.

Optical qualities

Rendering Reviewers describe a lens that is capable but not class-leading on outright sharpness, with results that improve markedly when stopped down[4]. It is sharpest around the middle apertures, roughly f/8 to f/11, and unusually for an ultra-wide Laowa this performance is fairly consistent from 12mm to 24mm rather than peaking only at the widest setting.

Sharpness Wide open at f/5.6 the lens loses contrast and softens, while stopping down to the f/8 to f/11 range restores both contrast and detail; corners remain comparatively soft across apertures.

Contrast and color Color rendering drew positive comment, though a slight green cast can appear at the wide end that is easily corrected with a white balance adjustment in post.

Distortion and vignetting Distortion is modest, near neutral around 14mm to 15mm and showing slight pincushion past about 18mm, all readily corrected in software; noticeable vignetting and edge falloff are present, especially wide open.

Aberrations and flare Chromatic aberration is reported as minimal in the corners, with occasional flare near the center of the frame in some conditions; the five-blade aperture yields well-defined sunstars when stopped down.

History

Development and Launch Venus Optics announced the 12-24mm f/5.6 in July 2022 as a compact, fixed-aperture, manual-focus zoom for full-frame cameras, available from launch in Canon RF, Sony E, Nikon Z, and Leica M mounts. The company emphasized small size and a low price relative to faster f/2.8 ultra-wide zooms as the lens's main appeal.

Special editions No major factory special editions of this lens are widely documented; the principal variations are the different lens mounts. A distinct zoom-shift version of the 12-24mm f/5.6 was released later as a separate product.

Collector Notes The Leica M variant is the one of interest to M users and is offered as a rangefinder-coupled, six-element-free manual lens with no electronic contacts. Buyers should confirm the lens is the fixed 12-24mm and not the later zoom-shift model, and verify that the supplied screw-in 77mm filter ring and metal hood and caps are present, since the filter thread is part of that detachable ring rather than the front of the optic.