Laowa 20mm f/4 Zero-D Shift (Canon RF)
Launch MSRP
$1,099- Weight
- 747g
- Filter
- ⌀82mm
- Min focus
- 0.25m
- Max mag.
- 0.17×
- Formula
- 16E / 11G
- Released
- 2022
Specification sheet
Optical construction
- 2x Aspherical
- 3x ED
- Aperture range
- f/4 — f/22
Physical & ergonomics
- Weight
- 747g
- ⌀ × length
- 95.0 × 91.0mm
- Filter
- ⌀82mm
- Weather sealed
- No
- Aperture ring
- Yes
Autofocus actuator
- Stabilisation
- Body IBIS
- Teleconverter
- Not supported
- AF speed score
- —
Close-up performance
- Min focus distance
- 0.25m
- Max magnification
- 0.17× (1:5.9)
Optical character
Laowa's 20mm shift lens offers ±11mm of shift with very low distortion, plus a normal 82mm filter thread, which most wide shift lenses cannot take. A 65mm image circle covers full frame with room to spare and allows ±8mm on medium format.
Shift is set with a large ring with a centre detent and a locking screw instead of a fiddly knob, and a lever lets the lens rotate 360° in 15° clicks, so you can shift in any direction or shoot stitched shift panoramas. The 14-blade aperture gives 14-point sunstars at f/16–f/22, and a rotatable petal hood comes in the box. It is a mechanical lens with no electronic contacts, so aperture is set on the lens and no EXIF is recorded.
Reviewer consensus
Testers found the centre very sharp from f/4 and the full-frame corners good wide open, with a soft zone in the inner mid-frame at f/4 that is gone by f/8. Fully shifted, the extreme corners hold up well, and at f/8–f/11 the shifted areas beat Canon's TS-E 17mm f/4L. Distortion is close to zero even when shifted, though not quite as low as on the 15mm Zero-D Shift, and longitudinal CA is very well controlled. Handling earns praise: the shift ring is easy to use, even with gloves.
The weak points are vignetting (about 2 EV centred and over 3 EV in a fully shifted corner wide open), lateral CA that is asymmetric when shifted and harder to correct, noticeable flare with the sun just outside the frame, and a hood that blocks sideways shift. Some markings are printed rather than engraved, the aperture clicks are faint and unevenly spaced, and there is no weather sealing. It is a DSLR-style design, so it is large for a 20mm f/4.
Owner sentiment
Owner feedback will appear once we have verified real-world reports for this lens.
Strengths, weaknesses & performance
Strengths
- +±11mm shift, 360° rotation in 15° clicks
- +Very low distortion, even shifted
- +Takes 82mm screw-in filters
- +Sharp centre and good corners from f/4
- +14-blade aperture for 14-point sunstars
Weaknesses
- −Over 3 EV vignetting in shifted corners
- −Flare with the sun just outside the frame
- −Hood blocks lateral shift
- −Large and about 750g for a 20mm f/4
- −No electronic contacts or EXIF
Six-axis rating
- Sharpness
- 8.6
- Bokeh Rendering
- 6.3
- Autofocus Speed
- MF
- Flare Resistance
- 7.0
- Build / Sealing
- 8.4
- Value / Size
- 8.0
Editorial 0–10 ratings synthesised from published reviews.
Technical specifications
| Mount | Canon RF · full frame |
|---|---|
| Focal length | 20mm |
| Category | Wide |
| Maximum aperture | f/4 |
| Minimum aperture | f/22 |
| Construction | 16 elements in 11 groups |
| Special elements | 2x Aspherical · 3x ED |
| Aperture blades | 14 |
| Focus type | Manual Focus |
|---|---|
| Drive | Manual Helicoid |
| Minimum focus | 0.25m |
| Max magnification | 0.17× |
| Stabilisation | None (uses body IBIS) |
| Teleconverters | Not supported |
| Weight | 747g |
|---|---|
| Diameter × length | 95.0 × 91.0mm |
| Filter thread | ⌀82mm |
| Weather sealing | No |
| Aperture ring | Yes |
| De-clickable aperture | No |
| Release year | 2022 |
| Launch MSRP | $1,099 USD |
Sources
Verified against the pages below. Specifications come from the maker; summaries only reflect reviews and owner reports we actually read.
Specifications
Launch price
- newsshooter.com/2022/03/28/laowa-20mm-f-4-zero-d-shift/
Professional reviews
- phillipreeve.net/blog/review-laowa-20mm-4-0-shift/
- digitalcameraworld.com/reviews/laowa-20mm-f4-zero-d-shift-review
Similar focal length alternatives
- VS20mm f/4 Zero-D Shift (Canon RF) vs RF 20mm F1.4 L VCM
- VS20mm f/4 Zero-D Shift (Canon RF) vs RF 16-28mm F2.8 IS STM
- VS20mm f/4 Zero-D Shift (Canon RF) vs RF 15-30mm F4.5-6.3 IS STM
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- FLT
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- MFD
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AFWRRING·DC - Canon
RF 16-28mm F2.8 IS STM
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- FLT
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- MFD
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- MSRP
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AFSTABWR - Canon
RF 15-30mm F4.5-6.3 IS STM
15–30mmF4.5–6.3- WT
- 390g
- FLT
- ⌀67mm
- MFD
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- MSRP
- $549
AFSTAB
