The Laowa 11mm f/4.5 FF RL lens for full-frame cameras has been officially announced. The lens has been designed as a very compact, lightweight, ultra-wide-angle lens.
The lens is available in Leica M, Leica L, Sony FE, and Nikon Z mounts. Two different colors (black and silver) are offered for Leica M mount. (The silver version of M mount will be available in late September).
The 11mm f/4.5 is designated as a rectilinear lens (RL). By limiting the aperture to F4.5, Laowa has been able to keep the weight and size of the lens to a minimum. It tips the scales at just 254g (8.9 oz). The length of the lens is just 6.3cm (2.5inch).
If you compare this to other Laowa full-frame ultra-wide-angle lenses, it is quite a bit smaller. Compared to competition from some of the other manufacturers, it is tiny.
The lens features a 126° angle of view, which will offer users an exaggerated, non-fisheye perspective. This lens would be suitable for anyone shooting landscape, travel, and interiors.
One of the unique aspects of the lens is hat Laowa has designed it with a 62mm filter thread. It is fairly rare to see an ultra-wide angle lens where you can run a readily available filter by screwing it straight on the front of the lens. According to Laowa, the 11mm f/4.5 FF RL is currently the world’s widest rectilinear lens with a front filter thread for full-frame mirrorless cameras.
The lens can also be used with a specially designed filter holder that allows you to attach 100mm-wide filters.
The lens has a minimum close focusing distance of 7.4′′ /19cm (from subject to sensor). This allows you to create some fairly unique looking shots by combining an ultra-wide-angle look with macro capabilities.
The Laowa 11mm f/4.5 FF RL supports rangefinder coupling on the Leica M. For other mounts, Laowa has incorporated a focusing tab to improve stability when focusing.
Price & Availability
The US price for 11mm f/4.5 FF RL is $799 (Leica M mount) and $699 (Sony FE, Nikon Z, and L Mount). Pricing varies in different countries. The first 100 orders through the Laowa web store will get a 100mm magnetic filter holder (Retail Value: $149 USD) for free.
Shipping starts from mid-Sep for Leica M (Black version), L mount, Nikon Z, and Sony E mount. The Leica M mount (Silver version) will be be shipped from late-Sep.
