Kit Leong | Photographer | Oklahoma | Event | Business

The Laowa brand is likely familiar to those involved in photography. Judging from their product lineup, I think it's safe to call them a specialist in "ultra-wide-angle" lenses. They have a variety of products for full-frame, APS-C, M43, and more. Products like the Laowa FE 10-18mm F4.5-5.6 FE Zoom, or the Laowa 7.5mm F2 M43, are all high-quality offerings from this manufacturer. This article is about the new addition to the Laowa M43 product line - the Laowa 10mm F2 C&D-Dreamer. It's also an equivalent 20mm ultra-wide-angle lens. Its standout feature is the inclusion of electronic contacts for the first time in the M43 product line. While it's a manual focus lens, the electronic contacts allow aperture control through the camera body. This means that when you adjust the focus ring, the screen zooms in for confirmation, making it more convenient to use compared to the 7.5mm F2.

Key Specifications of Laowa 10mm F2

Focal Length: 10mm (equivalent to 20mm)

Maximum Aperture: F2

Angle of View: 96°

Optical Structure: 7 groups 11 elements

Aperture Blades: 5

Minimum Focus Distance: 12cm

Filter Diameter: 46mm

Dimensions: 53 x 41mm

Weight: 125g

*M43 Mount

What Are the Advantages of Laowa 10mm F2?

In terms of ultra-wide-angle lenses for the M43 system, this lens is probably the smallest and lightest. It's about 25g lighter than the previous 7.5mm F2 aerial version and slightly cheaper. Plus, it has electronic contacts, which eliminates the inconvenience of completely manual operation without EXIF data. However, it seems that an electronic version of the 7.5mm F2 lens is also about to be released, so one of the advantages of this 10mm F2 will no longer be unique. The difference between an equivalent 15mm and an equivalent 20mm is quite significant in practical use, but personal preference may vary depending on the individual and the scene, so you'll probably need to use this focal length in practice to truly know.

Design Features

The first impression when you hold it in your hand is that it's incredibly small and light, even more surprising than when I got the 7.5mm F2 back then. Since the 7.5mm F2 is no longer available, let's compare its size with the Panasonic Lumix 7-14mm F4 and Panasonic Lumix 12-32mm F3.5-5.6 OIS for reference.

↑ The one in the middle is the Laowa 10mm F2, very compact

With this size, if you're using a smaller M43 camera body like the Olympus E-PL series or the Panasonic Lumix GX850 (GF9), it will match perfectly. It also fits well on the Olympus E-M5 III, creating a very lightweight combination.

As for the build quality, it's similar to the Laowa 7.5mm F2, with a pleasing metallic feel. The manual focus ring has just the right amount of resistance, and the lens mount is also metal, which is reassuring. The front of the lens is marked with a large serial number, which, to be honest, I find somewhat unattractive... The blue ring has a similar feel to the 7.5mm F2.

The packaging includes a compact lens hood, and the lens accepts 46mm filters on the front, allowing you to use UV protection filters or attach CPL/polarizing or ND filters, among others.

Resolution Performance

From the official MTF charts, we can already see that this lens should perform quite well. In practical use, the performance is generally satisfying. Although this lens may not be as sharp in the center as the previous 7.5mm F2, it excels in overall image balance. This makes it quite practical for landscape and architectural photography. It's usable at its widest aperture, and just a slight adjustment closes it to its optimal aperture.

↑ ISO 200, F2.5, 1/3s handheld shot (click to view full-size)

You can see that the image performance across the entire frame is excellent with a slight aperture adjustment.

Zero Distortion

Whether shooting mundane grid patterns or everyday scenes, you can clearly see this lens's strong resistance to distortion. It performs significantly better in distortion control compared to the 7.5mm F2, although the 7.5mm F2 was not designed with zero distortion in mind.

↑ ISO 200, F4, 1/20s handheld shot (click to view full-size)

You can see that the lines in the image are very straight.

Ghosting / Glare with Laowa 10mm

Overall, there has been some improvement in anti-glare performance compared to the 7.5mm F2. The most noticeable improvement is that there is less glare when shooting wide open, and it improves further with a slight aperture adjustment. However, under specific angles, there is still a chance of some unwanted flares.

↑ With the aperture wide open, noticeable glare is expected when facing strong light, but it improves when stopped down slightly.

↑ ISO 200, F11, 1/200s handheld shot (click to view full-size)

In certain angles, strong sunlight can still produce some unwanted glare.

Nice Starburst Effect

The Laowa 10mm F2 has 5 aperture blades, which theoretically should create a 10-point starburst effect. In practice, you can already see a noticeable starburst with just a slight aperture adjustment (like in the F2.5 image). In terms of shape, it's quite good at F2.8 and gets slightly better when you stop down further, but not significantly. It's a pleasant feature when shooting scenes with multiple light sources.

↑ ISO 200, F3.2, 1/4s handheld shot (click to view full-size)

↑ ISO 200, F4.5, 1/3s handheld shot (click to view full-size)

↑ ISO 200, F5.6, 1.6s handheld shot (click to view full-size)

Is Manual Focus Difficult?

Compared to the 7.5mm F2, manual focusing with this lens does require a bit more care, but thanks to the electronic contacts, it's easy to confirm focus as you turn the focus ring. In practical use, except for close-up shots, focusing is quite straightforward. According to the depth of field formula, if you set the lens aperture to F5.6 (the optimal aperture for image quality) and adjust the focus scale to around 1.5m, you should be in the hyperfocal range, so you won't need to worry much about focusing.

Conclusion

I remember that when I wrote about the Laowa 7.5mm F2, one of my wishes was for Laowa to add electronic contacts to their lenses. The Laowa 10mm F2 has fulfilled that wish, and it has also made some improvements in anti-glare performance compared to the 7.5mm F2. Considering factors like size, weight, and price, this lens is highly recommended (assuming you don't mind manual focus). The equivalent 20mm focal length feels quite wide but not overly so. Some may find the equivalent 15mm too challenging to handle, but the equivalent 20mm should be more manageable. However, if you feel that this focal length is somewhat "lukewarm," you may want to wait for the electronic version of the Laowa 7.5mm F2, which is expected to be released later this year.