Venus Optics, the Chinese manufacturer of Laowa lenses, has previewed its next lens Weibo and the latest creation looks set to be a world first: it’s a lens that can shift And zoom.
A shift lens is a staple in the kitbag of architectural photographers, but they’ve never had one like it before. That’s because all shift lenses currently available are primes (fixed focal lengths), while Laowa’s upcoming version is a zoom.
A shift lens can move sideways or vertically, independent of the camera it’s attached to, and is primarily used to correct converging verticals. I’ll briefly explain what shift lenses do below, and we have an in-depth explanation of tilt-shift lenses if you’re interested in learning more.
We don’t know anything else about the lens other than what we can glean from the image above, which Venus Optics shared ahead of launch: there’s a rotating collar on the back that allows the lens to be moved vertically or horizontally, it can only be focused manually, and its minimum focusing distance is 0.75 ft / 0.15 m.
There’s no way to say yet what focal length the lens will have, what lens mounts it will be made for, or what sensor format it’s designed for. That hasn’t stopped fans from speculating that it’ll be a moderately wide-angle zoom for APS-C cameras, including the Sony E-mount. It seems like a fair guess given its size, as it’s an APS-C lens.
The official unveiling will take place on July 8 at 7:30pm CST (4:30am PT / 7:30am ET / 12:30pm BST / 9:30pm AEST), where we’ll find out more about the lens and how much it’ll cost.
Change your perspective
When you point your camera up at a tall building, it will appear narrower at the top than at the bottom. To correct this distortion, you need to align your camera’s image sensor with the surface you are photographing.
The problem is that the top of the building is out of the frame unless you have an ultra-wide lens or stand far away, so you’ll have to point your camera up to get everything in the shot.
A shift lens corrects convergent vertical distortion by aligning the image sensor parallel to the surface being photographed. It does the work by moving the lens instead of the camera. The result is that the lines at the top and bottom of a building are parallel to each other.
If you like to photograph buildings as they were meant to be photographed, and especially if you do this for paid work, then a shift lens is the right choice for you.
Laowa lenses are rarely boring. I have enjoyed using their fantastic macro lenses over the years, some of which offer greater than real world magnification (1x), while you have to check out the Laowa probe lens which is truly unique.
We just don’t know yet whether the upcoming zoom-shift lens will be another Laowa masterstroke, or just a nice-to-have. Perhaps architectural photographers will discover the lens they’ve always wanted, or learn that a prime lens with a shift function is enough. Either way, the story will unfold starting July 8.