Laowa 12-24mm f/5.6 Zoom FF (Nikon Z)

Reviewers found it good to very good across the frame throughout the range, especially at f/8 to f/11, with better coma correction than the older 10-18mm. Distortion is wavy barrel at 12mm and mild pincushion from 18mm, so a profile helps.

The drawbacks are very high vignetting at 12mm (about 3.6 EV wide open), a green corner cast at the wide end, longitudinal colour fringing in high-contrast scenes, and some rainbow flare at 12mm. Testers rate pricier autofocus 12-24mm f/4 zooms as sharper but note that they cannot take screw-in filters.

Owners appreciate the solid build, the evenly spaced aperture clicks, and being able to use standard 77mm filters on a 12mm lens. Many pair it with a fast standard prime as a light landscape kit.

Common complaints are the lack of EXIF, which makes lens profiles tedious, the heavy wide-end vignetting, and sample variation at some focal lengths. Some find f/5.6 limiting indoors or at night.