I picked up a copy of the Laowa 15mm macro lens about a year ago. The lens is fairly unique in the world of the photography. It is a wide angle 1:1 macro lens with 4mm of shift. The shift is more geared towards crop sensor cameras as it will lead to severe mechanical vignetting on full frame cameras. On full frame maybe the first 2mm of shift is usable before darkening becomes problematic. Regardless the whole idea of the lens is a right good giggle. Insect photographers are finally given access to a sizable depth of field and wide angle of view allowing for some much needed diversity in the appearance of that niche of photos.
I picked up the lens (with some irony) not for insect photography but for creating faux landscapes. Part of what makes a photograph read as a landscape is the angle of view. Further helping it read as a formal landscape is the shift allowing for a modicum of perspective correction. The lens isn't perfect. As usual for wide angles the corners are a tad soft and while overall its sharpness is impressive it doesn't compare to the high end Canon lenses I use for everything else. Still for the money the lens has a impressive punch and is acceptable in sharpness. Build quality leaves nothing desired as the lens is predominantly constructed from metal. The lens is fully manual in aperture and focus with smooth actions in both. The only real point of annoyance would be that lens' front shifts back and and forth with focus. Since I often shoot against the glass of fish tanks for these photos I find myself having to shift the camera as I focus. Annoying but not a real problem.
Good
solid construction
unique access to wide angle field of view in macro
shift (only partially usable on full frame)
smooth action for focus and aperture control
sharp enough
stellar price point
Could be better
no auto-focus or auto-aperture (though this helps keep the price amazing)
larger image circle for more usable shift on full frame
moving front element while focusing
As I shoot with it more I will add to the images above.
