Add-On Rumor: 12-24 f/5.6 Laowa Coming Too

In addition to coming out with a slate of bonkers f/0.95 lenses over the next year, and in addition to jumping into the RF-Mount system in addition to the usual suspects, SonyAddict (via CanonNews) reports that Laowa plans to bring a 12-24mm f/5.6 lens that is interesting in a couple ways. It weighs about a pound; and it has a 0.4x magnification ratio (enough for some manufacturers to shrug and call it a “macro.”)

The lens will be offered in Leica M, Nikon Z, Sony E and Canon RF, leaving out the L-mount among the big full frame systems. More specs also available at DPReview.

Whether this is a bonkers-class lens itself, or a cheap option can’t really be determined yet. It has 15 lens elements in 11 groups, and uses five extra expensive elements for maximum correction. But on the other hand, it’s an f/5.6, and it has only 5 aperture blades – something that’s really going to stand out especially at the thin apertures at which it would be shooting.

[Update: CanonNews got some additional information showing its MTF chart, a picture, and the lens design. It is most definitely a bonkers lens. The MTF chart shows it about as sharp as the Sigma 14-24 f/2.8 Art and the Canon RF 15-35.

Given this crazy sharp, light lens with pentagonal bokeh, it appears to be squarely designed for landscape photographers, with a side audience of semi-macro wide angle photographers (which is really a thing). Low light event photographers and those looking for applications like street photography will be disappointed, but then those people typically aren’t the manual focus sort of people to start with.]