Laowa 10mm Underwater Review // First Impressions [VIDEO]

Featuring Logan Wood

If you're looking for an ultra-wide rectilinear lens to shoot on your Sony Alpha series camera underwater, then Venus Optics' Laowa 10mm f/2.8 Zero-D FF Autofocus Lens (Sony E) may be right for you. Logan takes it underwater in Steve Miller's Backyard Underwater Studio (i.e. huge pond) to see how it performs in terms of autofocus, field of view, and edge sharpness.

Scroll for video transcript.

As underwater creators we’re always on the hunt for a wide angle lens. Something to get close to our subjects with while decreasing the amount of water that we have to shoot through. So today I’m going to be trying out the Laowa 10mm F/2.8 lens. This is a full frame rectilinear lens that has some specs that I think will make it really great for wide-angle underwater photography and video. I'm excited to get this in the water. I think it can make for some interesting photos. If you're looking for a wide angle lens, this might be a good option for you.

Camera Setup

Today I'm going to be shooting with the Sony a7CR, Laowa 10mm, a couple video lights, and the Ikelite 200DL housing. Let’s put it all together.

We've got the full size 8" Dome Port with 20mm Extension. For the Laowa 10mm, the dome shade will need to be removed from the lens itself as well as from the dome port. I’ll make sure to put my housing under a vacuum and let it sit for about 10-15 minutes and then jump in the water.

Lens Aspects to Test

There's a few things that I want to test out with this lens.

The first is its field of view - what does 10mm rectilinear look like underwater?

The focus distance - there's a really small minimum focus distance, so I'm going to try and get some subjects close to the dome to see what that looks like.

Then depth of field - this lens opens up to f/2.8, so that combined with a close focus might make for some cool shots.

For the purpose of showing the lens off, this plant is touching the dome and the lens is nailing focus.

Setting Up the Shot

The first thing to do is find the perfect tripod. Then put that perfect tripod at the perfect height in the water. Next I’ll need to ditch the tripod and find a rock that's exactly 11in (27.9cm) tall and balance the housing on top. Finally I'll realize I overthought this and just hold the housing because the shot isn't even that great to begin with.

Field of View

Overall here's what I found out about the field of view: it's wide and you can shoot split shots all day with this lens. It's so easy, but it's almost too wide for the kind of shooting I'm doing here. I kept wanting to get closer to the subject but couldn't because either the dome or something else was in the way.

10mm is so wide and left much of the surrounding environment in the frame and kept the subject too small, in my opinion. This all makes sense though, it’s a super wide lens meant for one kind of shot, and not something I’d use to get all the different angles to film a scene with.

In this shot for example, the bass was right next to my dome and it looks so small in the frame but I physically couldn't get any closer.

Autofocus

For a third party lens I think the autofocus was solid. For most of these shots, the turtle was right on the dome and had no problem coming right up and bumping into it. But the lens is doing a great job of keeping up with the camera to track the turtle, even in split shots which can sometimes confuse the camera a bit.

If I bring back to audio you can actually hear how the motors are working to keep focus. But it wasn't perfect. There were a few times where I feel like it should have kept locked onto the turtle but didn't. That might be more of a camera problem though since it's not hunting for focus or anything.

Photos

On the photo end of this lens, everything worked without any major surprises. As expected, I got some sharp results around f/8, and a bit of stretching around the corners. Softness in the corners is going to be there if you look for it, but I don’t think it’s too noticeable. Autofocus worked great too, and 10mm on a high resolution camera offered a ton of room to crop in.

The bokeh on this lens is also interesting as it’s not very round and comes out as a distinct pentagon, representing the 5 aperture blades. Not that you should be shooting directly into the sun, but when I did I got the same pentagon shape as a flare in the center of the image.

10mm on a high resolution camera offered a ton of room to crop in.

That's my review of the Laowa 10mm f/2.8 lens. Obviously we're in a pond here, so my subjects are a little bit limited, but I think overall I was really happy. The stills looked sharp and corners looked good. For video, things looked clean. The autofocus was a little finicky and it was really interesting to hear all the motors running in this thing.

Overall I think it's a really solid choice for someone that's looking for a wide lens to shoot for things like coral reefs and more scenic shots, but less so for animals. I mean, some of the fish and turtles were right up on my dome and they were so small in the frame, so definitely better for wider coral reef scenes.

If you have any questions about putting this in a housing and accommodating it with your camera, you can reach out to us at ikelite@ikelite.com.

Additional Viewing

Laowa 10mm FIRST RESULTS Underwater with the Sony a7CR [VIDEO]

Laowa 10mm Setting It Up // DL Ikelite Underwater Housing Assembly [VIDEO]

Laowa 10mm Setting It Up // DLM Ikelite Underwater Housing Assembly [VIDEO]

Rectilinear vs Fisheye Lenses for Underwater Wide Angle Photography [VIDEO]

Sony Custom White Balance Shortcut for Use in Underwater Housings [VIDEO]

Choosing an Underwater Housing for the Sony a7C II or a7CR

Tips for Shooting Split Shots with Your Underwater Housing [VIDEO]

Logan Wood is a published photographer, cinematographer, and Producer at Ikelite. Stemming from a great appreciation for the outdoors and living an active lifestyle, his work focuses on capturing and sharing the natural world through the latest technologies. When not in the studio, Logan can be found cruising on his bike, going to concerts, and researching where to go next. You can see more of his work at loganwood.net and on Instagram @jlowood