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Can the Laowa 17mm F4 Tilt-Shift really transform your images?

Keith Cooper

7,121 views

Testing Laowa's new ultra-wide angle tilt-shift lens. Review [pt.2] MF & FF mirrorless. The Laowa 17mm F4 TS fits medium format [Fuji/Hasselblad] and Full Frame [Canon/Nikon/Sony/L] mounts. 17mm focal length and 67mm image circle with a maximum 12mm of shift [8mm max suggested on medium format] What can you do with it and how well does it perform? Tested on the 100MP medium format [33x44mm sensor] Fujifilm GFX100S

The 17mm focal length tilt- shift lens gives ~13mm equivalent FOV on Fuji GFX and Hasselblad XCD Examples showing just how wide this is with shift. It's a fully manual lens - does that matter?

See my written notes/review at https://www.northlight-images.co.uk/r...
There is a set of full size samples in a thread on the DPReview Medium Format forum
https://www.dpreview.com/forums/threa...

The TS-E17/L17/TTA17 comparison is addressed at the 07:32 mark in my video about lens reviews The "Best Lens" Lie (And Why Reviews Misle...

For info about my tilt-shift book, search any good book store for:
ISBN 9781785007712
PHOTOGRAPHY WITH TILT AND SHIFT LENSES - KEITH COOPER
https://www.crowood.com/book/photogra...

All about using tilt and shift
https://www.northlight-images.co.uk/p...

00:00 Start
00:18 Following on from part one of the review
00:31 Comparing 17mm lenses is in a video of its own
01:02 Using the Laowa17mm F4 physical mounting
02:01 Testing with 100MP
02:12 Best apertures to use?
02:36 Physical features and usability
04:22 Using a fully manual lens
04:30 Setting image stabilisation
05:10 Maximum shift amounts
06:10 Vignetting and shift
07:35 Looking at the fronts of buildings - sharpness
08:48 Not much distortion
10:13 Looking at sample images - the look of 17mm
14:12 Detail in brickwork
16:32 Sunstars and flare?
19:00 Levelling the camera
22:45 More test images
24:02 What about shifting diagonally - changing perspectives
25:05 How tilt lets you set where the plane of focus runs
27:20 A versatile lens
27:31 Recap and lens review overview
28:45 On full frame it's going to be great

#lenstest #tiltshift #mirrorless #mediumformat #wideangle #laowa

For a full categorised index of all my videos, see:
https://www.northlight-images.co.uk/k...
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16 Comments

@KeithCooper Creator 7 months ago (edited) Pinned

The TS-E17/L17/TTA17 comparison is addressed at the 7min 32s mark in my video about lens reviews https://youtu.be/6tc6vAK9qVs For more tilt/shift info see the written notes https://www.northlight-images.co.uk/review-laowa-17mm-tilt-shift-f4-lens/.Questions welcome. I offer 1-2-1 bespoke training in use of tilt/shift lenses [in person NOT online] see https://www.northlight-images.co.uk/commercial-photography/training/learning_about_tilt-shift_lenses/ My tilt/shift book is available if you search any good book shop for: ISBN: 9781785007712 If you'd like to make a small donation towards my testing, I have a Kofi page: "Buy me a coffee" https://ko-fi.com/keithcooper

@solus200 3 months ago

Excellent review Keith. A real world impression of the lens by a working photographer. It makes for a refreshing change compared to the usual comparison videos from others.

@benharveyphotography 7 months ago

Excellent review Keith, very thorough and interesting to see how this works on a medium format body!

@CaveSkiSAR 7 months ago

The foot is a game changer. Other Tilt Shift do not have a foot. Focus peaking makes using a T/S lens with the tilt and shift much easier.

@Olek130273 7 months ago

👍

@MichaelStoneAUS 6 months ago

Thanks for the tip about using full shift to help level the camera! I use a Nikon D850 and have learnt the hard way not to rely on just the internal digital level.'
Also, regarding being able to hand hold the camera... I always prefer to use a tripod and take time to adjust for any composition issues, but it's a luxury that is not always possible, especially when travelling. In Japan, for instance, there are many gardens in temple grounds and castle grounds where the use of a tripod is prohibited.

@diverjustin100 7 months ago

Thank you for this, very informative as always. Have Laowa sent you the 17mm F4 Zero-D Shift lens for testing/review? I've only seen a few mini-reviews online for it but it has a similar shift-only design to their 20mm lens, and appaerently should be out this month as well?

@lorenzogattaldo3764 7 months ago

Great video as usual, thanks for your effort.
Any info about the availability of this lens?

@TheCaboChannelMexico 7 months ago

I enjoyed the additional comments as much as the further review; please keep up your unique and very refreshing presentation style. It's very relatable. Did Venus Optics give you any clue as to pricing or delivery date of this lens?

@lorenzogattaldo3764 7 months ago

02:48-03:05 This is exactly the problem I experienced with the Laowa 35mm TS. That small lock wheel really is too sharp.

@kuremotokyo 6 months ago

I would have preferred if they had released this lens with a removable tilt-shift mechanism. I bought their first lens in 2018, the 12mm f/2.8 Zero-D with the Magic Shift Converter, which I believe gives a 17mm f/4 equivalent, and unfortunately the shift knob broke last year...😭 But at least, since it's a removable part, I can still use the lens on its own because I can't afford to have the converter repaired at the moment. It's like a washing machine and a dryer... it's always better to have them separate when one breaks down!😂

@HyperlapsePro 3 months ago

Did you compare the picture quality of the Laowa 15mm Shift lens with this 17mm lens? If so, what difference did you notice? What is better?

@andycooper4485 7 months ago

Book arrived the other day. Considering getting a v wide TS rather than a typical v wide. Seems more to it creatively and I loathe convergence.

@KabliEsam 6 months ago

Great as always, so if someone own the PC lens from Canon or Nikon and looking for better optical quality is this Laowa lens the answer? Or not worth the upgrade?

@hopphotofilm 7 months ago

I never used those lenses, maybe I will rent one for a week.

@tom_nuyts 6 months ago

thank you very much Keith ,-91 but - why did you hesitate to compare it more directly with the TS-E 17 and also 24 mm? that would have been the most interesting point generally....