A Wide Berth

I don’t add everyday equipment to my inventory very often nowadays as I’ve got everything I need to run things smoothly. Occasionally, there is a need to replace or upgrade due to wear and tear, but adding new stuff just isn’t on the agenda. Until now.

My 15mm Laowa zero-distortion shift lens is permanently attached to my Nikon D850, and is responsible for ninety percent of all the property shots taken in my day to day workflow - the other ten percent (exteriors and detail shots) is handled by my 24-70mm Nikon workhorse. That lens had been repaired twice, and was finally replaced by an identical used model a few years ago.

A fair few of my recent real-estate jobs have involved some very small rooms with little space to set a tripod up, so the images submitted have looked a little pointless as there’s nothing to see. With that in mind, I decided to have a look at what i could find on the used market with a view to getting a bit of a wider view. My old muckers at MPB came up with the goods - a Laowa 12mm zero-D f2.8 with the Nikon F mount. I’ve had this lens in the Nikon mirrorless Z mount in the past, and I truly hated the thing. Here’s the post that described my frustrations. The vignetting on my old Nikon z6ii was unbearable, and I got rid of my entire mirrorless setup as a result. So why - you may ask - would I put myself through the same torture again?

I need a wider lens for those small spaces, and for creating a different look for those occasions I’m asked to shoot a property that I’ve done previously for a different agent. That’s the case for a job later this week. The 12mm full frame lens does have some significant vignetting, but the full frame sensor and improvement in the raw post production software means that it can be sorted very easily. The difference between a 12mm and 15mm lens is significant although it doesn’t sound like there should be much of a viewpoint. the examples below from the Laowa website show the variation.

I picked the lens up for £350, so it’s not a bank-buster thankfully. I suspect it’ll eventually make up a significant part of my arsenal, and I’ll be able to capture wider viewpoints of gardens or land when needed - as well as the smaller interior spaces. It’ll be with me shortly, so expect a full review when I use it in the field for the first time.