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Laowa 8-15mm f/2.8 FF Zoom Fisheye
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Laowa · 8-15 mm · f/2.8 · Full Frame

Laowa 8-15mm f/2.8 FF Zoom Fisheye

From $699 — 1 offer
KEY FACTS
BrandLaowa
Announcement dateJun 2025
Released2025
Production started2025
Production statusIn Production
What We Like
+Unique zoom fisheye for mirrorless systems—only fisheye zoom ever made for mirrorless and fastest fisheye zoom ever made
+Dual fisheye effect in one lens: circular at 8mm (180°) and rectangular at 15mm (~175°) without changing lenses
+Constant f/2.8 aperture throughout zoom range enables excellent low-light performance and astrophotography
+Exceptional close focus of 16cm (6.3 inches) with 0.23x magnification enables creative macro-style distortion
+Solid all-metal construction with smooth, tactile manual controls and excellent build quality
+Competitively priced at $699—roughly half the cost of discontinued Canon/Nikon DSLR fisheye zooms and available for modern mirrorless mounts
Worth Knowing
−No autofocus, no electronic contacts, and no EXIF data recording—fully manual operation requires careful focus confirmation
−No weather sealing or optical image stabilization despite all-metal build
−Sharpness at 15mm requires stopping down to f/5.6–f/8 for edge-to-edge crispness; off-center subjects blur at f/2.8
−Harsh, soap-bubble bokeh with specular highlights; awkward-looking intermediate focal lengths (9–14mm) between the two practical extremes

General

Brand
Laowa
Announcement date
ⓘ
Refers to the date the manufacturer publicly announced the upcoming release and general specs of this camera.
Jun 2025
Released
ⓘ
Refers to the year this camera was officially made available for sale.
2025
Production started
2025
Production status
ⓘ
Current status of lens manufacturing (e.g., in production, discontinued).
In Production
Read our notes on general
The Laowa 8-15mm f/2.8 FF Zoom Fisheye is a full-frame lens that combines the characteristics of two distinct fisheye types in one: circular and rectangular—the only fisheye zoom ever made for any mirrorless system and the fastest fisheye zoom ever made. With a constant f/2.8 aperture throughout its 8-15mm zoom range, it provides outstanding low-light performance and creative flexibility, excelling in challenging conditions like astrophotography, indoor settings, or evening shoots. The lens is impressively sharp, even wide open—especially at the wider end of its zoom range—with minimal chromatic aberration, offering an extremely close minimum focusing distance and an attractive price for what it delivers. As a fully manual lens with manual focus, manual aperture, and no electronic contacts, it lacks built-in image stabilization and weather sealing, though the construction feels solid with no noticeable wobble.

Optics

Aperture Range
f/2.8 to f/22
Elements/Groups
13 elements in 9 groups
Min focal length
8 mm
Max focal length
15 mm
Focal range
ⓘ
Shortest to longest focal length of the lens (zoom range start - end )
8-15 mm
Zoom lens
ⓘ
Zoom allows you to vary the focal length, change between long shots and close-ups
Yes
Max aperture wide
2.8
Max aperture zoom
2.8
Blades
ⓘ
Number of diaphragm blades in aperture
9020
Autofocus mode
No
Closest focusing distance
ⓘ
Minimum distance for a subject to be in focus.
16 cm01500

Sensor coverage

Format
Full-frame (FF)
Coverage at 8mm
Circular fisheye, 180° field of view
Coverage at 15mm
Rectangular (diagonal) fisheye, ~175° field of view

Autofocus manual

Maximum Magnification
0.23x
Focus Throw
70°

Zoom

Zoom Type
Internal zoom
Zoom Throw
75°

Build features

Construction
All-metal and glass
Image Stabilization
None
Electronics
None (fully manual, no electronic contacts)

Mounts

Available
Sony E-mount, Nikon Z-mount, Canon RF-mount, L-mount (Leica/Panasonic/Sigma), Fujifilm GFX-mount, Hasselblad XCD-mount

Pricing

MSRP
$699 USD

Physical

Maximum format
ⓘ
Largest sensor size compatible with the lens.
Full Frame
Lens weight
650 g
Lens diameter
ⓘ
Width of the lens at its widest point
94.5 mm
Lens length
ⓘ
How long the lens is from front to back.
76.4 mm

Features

Weather sealing
ⓘ
Weather sealing capabilities will give you more confidence when shooting in unfavourable conditions.
No