In the review I will be covering the Venus Optics Laowa 9mm f/5.6 FF RL Lens for the Sony E-mount and will be using my Sony A7C for the camera body. This lens is the widest lens available today for the full frame E-mount cameras and although the aperture is a bit slow at f/5.6, the lens is very light weight and compact as a benefit.
This lens is particular great for Landscape Photography, Architecture Photography, and Real Estate Photography. However, you can also use this lens in many other creative ways such as ultra wide angle portraits, sports, and more…
In full disclosure Venus Optics did send me this lens as a loaner so I could do the review, but no money was exchanged and I was strongly encouraged by Venus Optics to do an honest review, which was nice to hear and honestly I would not have done the review otherwise. If you want to check out this Venus Optics Lens on their Website Click Here >>
In my quest to review the Venus Optics Lenses, I have so far worked with the Venus Optical Laowa Argus 33mm f/0.95 Lens which you can check out here >> and now this 9mm beast! I also have the 15mm f/2 FE Zero-D Lens coming for my next lens and I plan on getting some killer Astrophotography while camping if possible š
This Venus Optics Laowa 9mm f/5.6 FF RL Lens is just insanely wide! It is by far the widest lens I have ever used and with the Rectilinear optical design it has very little distortion, unlike a fisheye lens which often comes in at these ultra wide angle numbers. Wait to you see some of the sample photos below!
Key Features:
- E-Mount Lens/Full-Frame Format
- Aperture Range: f/5.6 to f/22
- 14 Elements in 10 Groups
- Two Extra-Low Dispersion Elements
- Two Aspherical and Two UHR Elements
- Rectilinear Design, 135Ā° AOV
- Manual Focus Design
- 5-Blade Diaphragm
- Filter Thread = None
- Built-In Petal-Shaped Lens Hood
- Minimum Focus Distance = 4.72ā³ / 12 cm
- Weight = 12.35 oz / 350 g
- Retail Price = $799 US @ BHPhoto | Amazon
My Venus Optics Laowa 9mm f/5.6 FF RL Lens Review
When watching my video below, please be sure to select the 4k best quality and to view in full screen for the best viewing experience š Thanks, Jay
VIDEO NAVIGATION LINKS:
- – Intro: 0:00
- – Hands-On: 1:53
- – Lab Testing Sample Photos: 4:06
- – Real World Sample Photos: 6:43
- – HDR Photos: 10:56
- – Sample Video: 13:29
- – Conclusions: 14:00
HDR Sample Photos
Real World Photos
Lab Testing Photos
Full Lab Scene
– Note the significant vignetting and just how insanely wide this lens is in my lab!!
f/5.6 
100% 
f/8 
100% 
f/11 
100% 
f/16 
100% 
f/22 
100%
Minimum Focus Test
f/5.6 
100% 
f/8 
100% 
f/11 
100% 
f/16 
100% 
f/22 
100%
GEAR USED FOR THIS REVIEW:
- – Laowa 9mm f/5.6 FF RL Lens: https://bhpho.to/3yOZhY9
- – Sony A7C: https://bhpho.to/3bWMidE
- – Sony FE 35mm f/1.8 Lens: https://bhpho.to/2QVkP3K
- – Sony FE 20mm f/1.8 G Lens: https://bhpho.to/3hYQ3ke
- – Sony A6400: https://bhpho.to/3lqEfZm
- – Sigma 30mm f/1.4 DC DN Lens: https://bhpho.to/31G2XfG
- – Zeapon Micro 2 Plus: https://amzn.to/3ApTAk5
- ā Lowepro ProTactic 450 AW II Backpack: https://bhpho.to/3pWWq9T
- ā 67mm Variable ND Filter: https://bhpho.to/3egicji
- ā 52 to 67mm Step-up Ring: https://bhpho.to/2ZFHCD4
- ā Sennheiser MKE 600 Shotgun Mic: https://bhpho.to/3wlC6Dw
- ā Zoom H5 Audio Recorder: https://bhpho.to/3cZTVxT
- ā XLR Cable for Mic and Recorder: https://bhpho.to/3gmQYJP
- ā Micro HDMI to HDMI Cable: https://amzn.to/39qkXMp
- ā 24ā³ Smart TV as Monitor: https://amzn.to/2LXKwLd
- ā SDXC Memory Cards: https://bhpho.to/30eyfM1
- ā GODOX SL150W II Daylight Balanced Led Video Light: https://amzn.to/2YRCR7Z
- ā Neewer 36 Inches Octagon Quick Collapsible Softbox: https://amzn.to/3rvREkM
- ā Neewer Upgraded 660 LED Light: https://amzn.to/2Lxr5cb
- ā GVM 10.6ā Round Desk Mount LED Video Light: https://amzn.to/3mhklzX
- ā Manfrotto Tripod: https://bhpho.to/2WFWC2k
- ā Leofoto MT-03 Mini Table Tripod: https://amzn.to/2ZH5B3z
- ā MacBook Pro: https://bhpho.to/2UCChrY
- ā Samsung 970 EVO SSD 1TB: https://amzn.to/37g7uHP
- ā SSK Aluminum NVME SSD Enclosure: https://amzn.to/39oXYoA
- – Meze 99 Neo Headphones: https://amzn.to/3wx1ghh
Conclusions
At the end of the day I will tell you theĀ Venus Optics Laowa 9mm f/5.6 FF RL Lens is an unbelievable ultra wide angle lens that will get some amazing shots in a variety of scenarios.. Sharpness, color, clarity are all very good in my opinion and the build quality is also fantastic. I particularly like the ultra compact lightweight design of this lens, because in most situations I was using it, I wanted to use f/8 anyway so a faster aperture lens would not be necessary. With that being said the slower f/5.6 lens doe snot make it ideal for low light situations. The focus and aperture rings felt great and overall build quality is excellent I would say. The lens does suffer from some sever vignetting however, but I honestly add that to most of my Landscape photos anyway, so it’s not that big of a deal for that in my opinion. However, if you are doing architecture photography or real estate photography, you might want to correct for that a bit in post.
That is all for this review, and I really hope you got what you were looking for! Please feel free to ask questions and comment below as always š
Have a wonderful day, Jay
