Laowa has some really exciting products in its portfolio, the most recent being the world’s first shift zoom lens. It now seems the company is still keen on expanding the tilt shift lineup, which is a great strategy for the time being. For starters, tilt shift lenses are great offerings for architecture and interior photographers, but let’s not narrow down the genre. It can be used for cityscapes, food, and even product photography, as it allows you to create some truly unique images. And now, there are reports of Laowa creating two more tilt-shift lenses, which could further make them a serious competition against Canon, Nikon, Sony, Sigma, and even Tamron.
Laowa Macro Tilt Shift Leaks
The market for tilt-shift lenses may not be huge, but they are an important part of many photographers’ arsenal. According to Fujifilm Rumors, the company is now working on two lenses: Laowa 55mm f2.8 Tilt-Shift 1X Macro and Laowa 100mm f2.8 Tilt-Shift 1X Macro. Both lenses are designed for the GFX mount, which is medium format. Thus, this opens up a whole new work for macro photographers, who can clearly showcase the unseen world. The publication has also shared the first leaked images of both lenses.
Specification of Laowa 55mm f2.8 Tilt-Shift 1X Macro:
- 14 elements in 11 groups
- 62.7° angle of view
- 15 bladed aperture
- ±12mm shift, ±10° tilt
- 27cm focusing distance
- 1x magnification ratio
- Manual focus
- 77mm filter thread
- 85mm x 168.5mm size, 1,345g weight
Specification for the 100mm f2.8 Tilt-Shift 1X Macro
- 13 elements in 10 groups
- 15 bladed aperture
- ±12mm shift. ±10° tilt
- 32cm focusing distance
- 1x magnification ratio
- Manua focus
- 77mm filter thread
- 85mm x 162mm size, 1,215g weight
Laowa Found The Right Balance
It must be noted that while tilt shift lenses are needed by a niche segment, they have not necessarily been created primarily for the mirrorless mount. Before the mirrorless era, Canon and Nikon both had tilt shift lenses, not one but many. However, when they transition to their current mounts, they haven’t really made any in the native mount. Sure, the older lenses can be adapted via a converter, but that means you have to spend extra if you wish to use one.
Similarly, Sony never considered venturing into tilt shift lenses, which is odd considering Sony users still stand to gain a lot from them. Leica has one offering, but that is for medium-format cameras. That means Leica Mirrorless does not have an option from the company. The Fujifilm GFX series has two such lenses, but each costs over $3000.
Laowa clearly saw that they could cater to the segment at relatively cheaper prices and took their shot. We believe this will fare well, especially when camera manufacturers are too focused on chasing the numbers and profit. The niche segments, such as tilt-shift and pancake lenses, often are left at the mercy of third-party manufacturers. Partly because these companies are aware that they can do a better job at a much more affordable price range. In the past, when we tested the Laowa 20mm f4 Zero-D Shift or the 15mm F4.5 Zero-D Shift, we liked the image quality and ergonomics. However, we did feel there must be an autofocus version with weather sealing.
Like the other lenses, we can’t wait to get our hands on the Laowa macro tilt-shift. Watch out this space for the reviews.