Laowa 12mm f/2.8 Zero-D
Laowa 12mm f/2.8 Zero-D Lens-
Laowa 12mm f/2.8 Zero-D Lens-
Laowa 12mm f/2.8 Zero-D Lens-
Laowa 12mm f/2.8 Zero-D Lens-
Laowa 12mm f/2.8 Zero-D Lens-
Laowa 12mm f/2.8 Zero-D Lens-
Laowa 12mm f/2.8 Zero-D Lens-
Laowa 12mm f/2.8 Zero-D Lens-
Laowa 12mm f/2.8 Zero-D Lens-

Laowa 12mm f/2.8 Zero-D

Regular price R 21,599.00
/
Tax included.

Mount

This product is not in stock locally, but available to order via airfreight with a delivery time of 5-15 business days. Please get in touch to confirm stock availability and place an order. 

World’s Widest f/2.8 Lens 

Featuring the widest field of view for a rectilinear f/2.8 lens, the Laowa 12mm is the ideal lens for a variety of genres. From landscape, architecture, interior, travel and most importantly, astro-photography, this lens offers photographers the ability to capture images that no other lens can.

Class Leading distortion performance

This lens features class-leading distortion performance, which has made Laowa lenses the workhorse of architectural photographers around the world. 

Excellent Sharpness Across the Frame
 
The center-frame sharpness of this lens is on par with very best the best from wide-open, peaking at f/5.6 - f/8, with diffraction becoming noticeable at f/16. Corner sharpness is slightly soft wide-open as can be expected with such a wide lens, but quickly improves from f/4.0 - f/5.6, with near-perfect corners from f/8 onwards. MTF charts can be found in the reviews linked below. 
 
Cutting-Edge Nano Coating
 
A water and dust repelling ‘Frog Eye Coating’ is added at the front element of the lens. Most reviews of this lens rave about how amazing this coating is - water beads perfectly and simply rolls off the front element, making it easy to clean if shooting rain or seaspray. 
 
Built to Last
 
Despite their compact size and price, Laowa lenses are assembled from the very best materials and are well-known for their fantastic build-quality and solid feel. 
 

In-Depth Objective Reviews

    Full size sample images can be found in Laowa’s Flickr gallery here.

     

    Time-lapse footage

    Shot in Alaska with the LAOWA 12mm f/2.8 ZERO-D Lens (Click 1080p for the best experience)

     

    Close to Zero Distortion

    Most Ultra Wide Angle lenses suffer from an optical distortion rate from 2-5% which causes straight lines to bend. LAOWA Zero-D lenses are so well corrected, they achieve a close-to-zero distortion rate that is truly amazing.
    If you are not so sure what distortion is, this article may help. https://photographylife.com/what-is-distortion

     * The aforementioned close-to-zero distortion rate is measured from shooting objects at infinity focus. The distortion rate may vary for shorter object distance. Only Optical Distortion (Barrel/ Pincushion/ Moustache) is covered here.


    Ultra Wide Angle of View

    The LAOWA 12mm f/2.8 Lens covers an ultra-wide 122° angle of view, allowing you to create an outstanding landscape or architectural shot not possible with lesser lenses. Shooting interior shots will also become much easier. Your house will become spacious and impactful in your photos, even if you are shooting in tight spaces. Don’t forget, this is the world’s widest rectilinear f/2.8 lens.




    Superb Optical Quality

    Optical performance is what we will never compromise. The optical design features a 16 lens elements in 10 groups with 3pcs of Extra-Low Dispersion Elements and 2pcs of Aspherical Elements. This patented optical design delivers a high resolution from corners to corners, even in wide open (f/2.8) situation. Chromatic Aberration has also been controlled to the minimal.


    Easy to Carry

    Weighing only 609g, this is an every-day carry-around lens. It is really small compared to other UWA lenses in the market. Finally, you don’t need to bring a hefty piece of glass for work and travel. And you can now attach 2 pcs of 100mm (not 150mm!!) ND filters & 1pc of 105mm CPL filter – without worrying about vignetting – with the LAOWA 100mm filter holder system. Create your best landscape photos ever!


    Comparison with 11-21mm f/4 L:

    Perfect for Astrophotography


    The LAOWA 12mm f/2.8 ZERO-D is currently the fastest full-frame, non-fisheye 12mm lens in the market. Astro photographers will truly appreciate our efforts to create a fast, well corrected lens. The ultra fast aperture can effectively shorten the exposure time required and help to achieve more details of the night sky. This is proven to be the perfect tool for a nice Milky Way shot. The fast aperture is also very convenient for low-light/indoor shooting. (※ As of July 22, 2016)



    Do you have the item in stock? 

    Products are either in stock, out of stock (sold out) or special order. 

    • In stock: We have stock at our local warehouse. You can see how many we have in stock, add these products to your cart and check out. 
    • Sold out: We usually carry stock of this item but it has sold out. Please get in touch to get an ETA and reserve and incoming product. Or use the "Email me when available" button to get an email when new stock arrives. 
    • Special order: We don't carry local stock of this item. Get in touch to confirm stock availability and ETA to place an order. 

    Delivery options and what they cost

    We pride ourselves on lightning fast shipping, FREE on all orders over R1000. For orders under R1000 a courier fee of R120 will apply. Apart from large f-stop gear orders and large tripods, most of our items ship overnight and the daily cutoff is 13:00. You can read more on the deliveries page

    Can I collect my parcel? 

    Yes, you can collect your order from our warehouse in Saxenburg Park, Blackheath (08:00 - 14:00). Just choose the collection option at checkout- we'll follow up with the specifics. Please note that we are very strict about payment if collecting. We will not release any goods if we are not 100% comfortable about payment. We accept the following as payment confirmation in order to release the goods. 

    • Payfast Card Payment (any customers, new or returning)
    • EFT from FNB to FNB, pending fund clearance (any customers, new or returning)
    • Normal EFT from other banks to FNB (return customers only)
    • Instant EFT from other banks to FNB, pending fund clearance (Any customers, new or returning) 
    • Cash (any customers, new or returning)

    What payment options are available?  

    • EFT
    • EFT via Payfast
    • Credit card: VISA & Mastercard
    • Payflex
    • Float

    What is your policy on returns and or exchanges?

    We are more than happy to exchange any product for something else or a full refund* if you feel that the item you chose isn’t quite right for you. See our Return Policy page for more. 

    *If paying with any card, 4.5% of the transaction value goes to the credit card payment facilitation company. "Full Refund" means that we will return the full amount we received after the credit card service fees. If you are at all unsure that what you're buying is ideal for you, rather opt for EFT payment to be safe. 

    Where is my order? How can I track my order?

    You will receive an email with your tracking number once your order has been collected by our couriers. You can also find tracking number for your orders under "My account" 

    You can also shop NiSi Filters at the following retailers & dealers. 
    Orms Cape Town
    Shop 5 Roeland Square, Cnr Roeland and, Upper Canterbury St, Cape Town
    0214653573
    Orms Bellville
    Victorian Towers, 2 Palm St, Bellville, Cape Town
    Fritz, 0219101380
    FilmFlow (Cinema Specialist)
    Boskruin, Randburg
    Deon Truter, 07823148308
    Kameraz
    Rosebank Mall, 50 Bath Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg
    Martin Wright, 0118802885
    Photoquip
    28 Pearce St, Berea, East London
    043 726 2200
    Lime Photo
    Kloof, Durban
    Emil, 0844849959
     
    You can also shop Leofoto Tripods at the following retailers & dealers. 
    Orms Cape Town
    Shop 5 Roeland Square, Cnr Roeland and, Upper Canterbury St, Cape Town
    0214653573
    Orms Bellville
    Victorian Towers, 2 Palm St, Bellville, Cape Town
    Fritz, 021 910 1380
    Lime Photo
    Kloof, Durban
    Emil, 0844849959
    3% Tactical
    Durbanville
    Bernard Kotze - 0727156743
    Ivan Fourie - 0825290593
    Pretoria Arms
    1032 Silvergrass St, Montana, Pretoria, 0182
    Wayne Lesch – 0798834407

    Damien Bradshaw 
    Eastern Cape (Hunting Products Only)
    0835749134

    Approved Arms
    Pretoria
    Dirk Pio  – 0730556726
     

    We have a no-nonsense approach. If a product breaks due to a manufacturer defect, we will replace it without asking any questions. If we have any reason to believe that the product was put through unreasonably heavy usage, we will have to follow the manufacturer's standard warranty procedure. 

    Find more info on proper care and use for each brand below. 

    NiSi Care & Use

    F-stop Care & Use

    Leofoto

    The manufacturer offers a 10-year limited warranty on all products and we extend that warranty to our customers. Please read the below very carefully, so you understand your position when something breaks or doesn’t work ideally anymore.

    It is critical to understand that this warranty only applies to factory faults and not to standard wear and tear. Tripods are subject to a lot of gray areas in this regard as tripods used outdoors, particularly in sand and sea water, are subjected to extreme wear and tear. We will e.g. replace the affected part of your tripod if a carbon tube snaps or cracks without much pressure applied to it or if the apex breaks. We will not replace your tripod or the affected part if e.g. a joint locks up due to sand or salt build up or if a hinge becomes corroded or stiff/floppy and unserviceable due to corrosion or salt build up. 

In sum, if we see that you took good care of your tripod and something went wrong, we will go out of our way to fix or replace it for you. If we see that you dragged it through the mud (literally or metaphorically), then we are unlikely to fix/replace it for you. How you handle your tripod and take care of it, is all the difference between 3- or 20 years of service. 

The best of tripods will not last longer than 2/3 years if used regularly in the sea, INCORRECTLY, and never serviced. Always make sure to extend the lowest leg section first, so you keep the joints out of the water/sand. Always rinse with freshwater after use in the sea, wipe down with a wet cloth, leave extended to dry and ENSURE YOU KEEP THE HEAD AND APEX DRY. If your tripod’s joints start feeling sandy/gritty, open them up, give them a proper clean and lubrication and fine-tune the tension on the joints.

    If travelling on dirt roads, ensure that your tripod is in its carry-bag when not in use.

    Your tripod will not take care of itself – it is up to you to do so. All our tripods ship with an info-sheet on taking care of your tripod. We also offer a full tripod disassembly and service for R1000, including shipping both ways.