Laowa 12mm f/2.8 Lite Zero-D FF (MF, L-Mount)
Launch MSRP
$699- Weight
- 475g
- Filter
- ⌀72mm
- Min focus
- 0.14m
- Max mag.
- 0.21×
- Formula
- 16E / 9G
- Released
- 2025
Also made for
The L-Mount version is 5g lighter than the Canon RF-mount version.
Specification sheet
Optical construction
- 2x Aspherical
- 4x ED
- Frog Eye Coating
- Aperture range
- f/2.8 — f/22
Physical & ergonomics
- Weight
- 475g
- ⌀ × length
- 77.2 × 76.6mm
- Filter
- ⌀72mm
- Weather sealed
- No
- Aperture ring
- Yes
Autofocus actuator
- Stabilisation
- Body IBIS
- Teleconverter
- Not supported
- AF speed score
- —
Close-up performance
- Min focus distance
- 0.14m
- Max magnification
- 0.21× (1:4.8)
Optical character
The 12mm f/2.8 Lite is Laowa's redesigned 122° ultra-wide with near-zero distortion and a standard 72mm filter thread. Its 16-element, 9-group design uses two aspherical and four ED elements, and focus goes down to 0.14m for 0.21x.
Autofocus is offered only on Sony E and Nikon Z. The L-Mount version focuses manually and has a clicked aperture ring, and at about 475g it is heavier than the 377g Sony AF model. Five straight blades give 10-point sunstars; a 14-blade manual variant with smaller stars is also made for L-Mount.
Reviewer consensus
Reviews were done on the autofocus Sony E and Nikon Z versions, which share the optics. Both found a very strong centre from f/2.8 and corners that improve when stopped down, good to very good around f/5.6. Distortion is low, under 1% barrel in one measurement, lateral colour is low, and coma is slight at f/2.8 and well corrected from f/5.6. Sunstars were singled out as excellent. One test also noted fairly high astigmatism, which affects close-up work and point lights at night.
Vignetting is the main weakness at about 3 EV wide open, improving only slightly when stopped down. Flare resistance was rated pretty good, though veiling flare appears when a bright source sits in the very corner. There is no weather sealing beyond a mount gasket. Testers found it optically similar to or slightly better than Laowa's 10mm f/2.8, and one noted it costs far less than Nikon's 14-28mm f/2.8 zoom.
Owner sentiment
Owner feedback will appear once we have verified real-world reports for this lens.
Strengths, weaknesses & performance
Strengths
- +Low distortion, under 1%
- +72mm filter thread at 12mm
- +Clicked aperture ring on L-Mount
- +10-point sunstars from f/4
- +0.14m close focus
Weaknesses
- −Manual focus only on L-Mount
- −Heavy vignetting (about 3 EV)
- −475g on L, heavier than the 377g Sony AF
- −Flare with bright sources in the corners
Six-axis rating
- Sharpness
- 8.0
- Bokeh Rendering
- 6.6
- Autofocus Speed
- MF
- Flare Resistance
- 6.8
- Build / Sealing
- 8.3
- Value / Size
- 8.2
Editorial 0–10 ratings synthesised from published reviews.
Technical specifications
| Mount | L-Mount (FF) · full frame |
|---|---|
| Focal length | 12mm |
| Category | Ultra-Wide |
| Maximum aperture | f/2.8 |
| Minimum aperture | f/22 |
| Construction | 16 elements in 9 groups |
| Special elements | 2x Aspherical · 4x ED · Frog Eye Coating |
| Aperture blades | 5 |
| Focus type | Manual Focus |
|---|---|
| Drive | Manual Helicoid |
| Minimum focus | 0.14m |
| Max magnification | 0.21× |
| Stabilisation | None (uses body IBIS) |
| Teleconverters | Not supported |
| Weight | 475g |
|---|---|
| Diameter × length | 77.2 × 76.6mm |
| Filter thread | ⌀72mm |
| Weather sealing | No |
| Aperture ring | Yes |
| De-clickable aperture | No |
| Release year | 2025 |
| Launch MSRP | $699 USD |
Sources
Verified against the pages below. Specifications come from the maker; summaries only reflect reviews and owner reports we actually read.
Specifications
- venuslens.net› product/laowa-12mm-f-2-8-lite-zero-d-ff/
- laowa.jp› cat1/12mmf2.8-lite.html
- laowa.de› 12mm-f-2-8-lite-zero-d/
Launch price
Professional reviews
- phillipreeve.net› blog/review-laowa-12mm-2-8-af/
- opticallimits.com› nikon/nikon-z/laowa-af-12mm-f-2-8-ff-ii-review/
Similar focal length alternatives
- VS12mm f/2.8 Lite Zero-D FF (MF, L-Mount) vs 12mm f/2.8 Zero-D (L-Mount)
- VS12mm f/2.8 Lite Zero-D FF (MF, L-Mount) vs 11mm f/4.5 FF RL (L-Mount)
- VS12mm f/2.8 Lite Zero-D FF (MF, L-Mount) vs 8-15mm f/2.8 FF Zoom Fisheye (L-Mount)
- LaowaZero-D
12mm f/2.8 Zero-D (L-Mount)
12mmF2.8- WT
- 609g
- FLT
- —
- MFD
- 0.18m
- MSRP
- —
MFRING - Laowa
11mm f/4.5 FF RL (L-Mount)
11mmF4.5- WT
- ≈254g
- FLT
- ⌀62mm
- MFD
- 0.19m
- MSRP
- $699
MFRING - Laowa
8-15mm f/2.8 FF Zoom Fisheye (L-Mount)
8–15mmF2.8- WT
- 650g
- FLT
- —
- MFD
- 0.16m
- MSRP
- $699
MFRING
