Laowa 8-15mm f/2.8 FF Zoom Fisheye

Testers report excellent centre sharpness wide open at both ends of the range, with very good corners at 8mm from f/2.8. At 15mm the corners start out good and need about f/8 for their best. Lateral colour fringing is very low, apart from some fringing at the edge of the circular image at 8mm, and coma is mild at 8mm but stronger at 15mm.

Flare resistance is about average for an ultra-wide. Ghosts and a ring flare can appear with the sun near the centre, and sunstars are irregular. Vignetting is moderate at around 2 EV wide open. Reviewers call it a good value niche lens, and the main complaints are the weight and the lack of electronic coupling.

Buyers like getting both circular and full-frame fisheye in one lens for $699, and the f/2.8 aperture for night-sky and indoor work. The dense metal build and wide focus ring with a short throw get positive comments.

The complaints are about the manual operation: no EXIF data and no camera aperture control on Sony bodies. Owners also mention the 650g weight, the exposed front element, that the clicked aperture ring is easy to turn by accident, and that intermediate focal lengths give a partial circle that has to be cropped.