Laowa 20mm f/4 Zero-D Shift full-frame lens revealed

Venus Optics has announced the new Laowa 20mm f/4 Zero-D shift lens, which is designed to provide an ultra-wide angle of view with nearly zero distortion.

Primarily designed for use on full-frame mirrorless cameras the lens allows for a +/-11mm shift on such cameras or a =/-8mm shift on medium format cameras.

At launch, the lens is available in the following mounts: Nikon F and Z, Sony E and FE, Canon EF and RF, L-mount and Fujifilm GFX.

It’s the first Zero-D shift lens from Laowa since the 15mm f/4.5 Zero-D Shift, which was announced in October 2020.

The 20mm lens is mainly designed for shooting architecture, interiors, commercial or panoramic work.

The lens’ construction features 16 elements in 11 groups with two aspherical elements and three ED elements. Venus Optics says this brings, ‘impressive control on chromatic aberration and ensuring the image sharpness is consistent from the centre to the edge.’

Laowa 20mm f/4 Zero-D Shift lens – Key features:

±11mm Shift Amount
‘Zero’ Distortion
14-blade aperture
Construction: 16 elements in 11 groups (2 aspherical and 3 ED elements)
Close focusing distance: 22cm
82mm filter thread
360° rotatable lens hood

Pricing & availability

The lens is available to order immediately in the UK, via the Laowa distributor, UK Digital, with a price of £1,139. UK Digital says it is expecting shipments in mid-April.

The Laowa 20mm f/4 Zero-D Shift lens in Nikon Z mount

See the full Venus Optics press release below:

Anhui China, 28 March 2022 – Venus Optics, the manufacturer that specialized in making unique camera lenses, is presenting a new Laowa 20mm f/4 Zero-D Shift, expanding its shift lens line-up. On top of the fascinating ultra-wide angle of view, the lens delivers incredible sharpness with close-to-zero optical distortion (Zero-D).

A ±11mm shift amount on full-frame (±8mm on Medium Format) allows architecture photographers to have maximum control on the perspective. The lens also comes with a rotatable lens hood for avoiding flare and protecting the front lens element. Pair with the special design lens support*, it can now create perfect high-res stitching with ease. This carefully crafted lens can absolutely satisfy professional users for both architectures, interior and landscape works.

Key Features:

20mm Ultra-Wide-Angle Lens
±11mm Shift Amount
Outstanding Optical Performance
“Zero” Distortion
14-blade Aperture
Close Focusing Distance
82mm Filter Thread
Rotatable Lens hood
Special Design Lens Support*

*Not included, sold separately.

20mm Ultra-Wide-Angle Lens

With a 94.4° angle of view and up to 117° for panorama photography, giving you an option to capture the whole scene with one shot. It is ideal for architectural and interior photography to balance the subject and the surrounding with a pleasing ratio.

Laowa 20mm f/4 Zero-D Shift lens in Sony E mount

±11mm Shift Amount

With its large image circle, the maximum possible shift amount of the lens is ±11mm for full-frame camera and ±8mm for medium format camera. Sufficient shift capability allows photographers to correct converging vertical lines created by distance. By changing the perspective of the lens, straight architecture can be easily maintained.

The ±11mm shift amount also allows photographers to expand the rooms for compositions by stitching multiple images. Creating an extraordinary image perspective.

Outstanding Optical Performance

This lens has 16 elements in 11 groups with 2 aspherical elements and 3 ED elements, bringing impressive control on chromatic aberration and ensuring the image sharpness is consistent from the center to the edge.

“Zero” Distortion

As one of the “Zero-D” members, the distortion is nearly zero. Any straight lines can be maintained from corner to corner. It is a must-have advantage for architectural, commercial and interior photographers which not just saving effort in post-editing, it also prevents any issues when stitching.

14-blade Aperture

The 14-blade aperture produces a pleasant 14-point Sunstar for commercial architecture photography. It also able creates smooth circular bokeh when shooting close focus subject.

The Laowa 20mm f/4 Zero-D Shift lens shown in Nikon F mount

Close Focusing Distance

Apart from far-away architecture, Laowa 20mm f/4 Zero-D Shift also supports capturing very close objects with a 22cm minimum focusing distance. A wide-angle macro style images can be created.

Rotatable Lens hood

The 360° rotatable lens hood shades the front of the lens, keeping the images away from unwanted flares. It is extremely convenient when there is a strong light source from the side. Photographers can also adjust the angle of the lens hood to avoid blocking the image during extreme shifts.

82mm Filter Thread

Laowa 20mm f/4 Zero-D Shift is designed with 82mm filter thread which a screw-in filter can be used. Photographers can now use a lighter and more compact setup when compared to a heavier and more expensive filter holder.

Special Design Lens Support

Lens support is specially designed to work with the new 20mm f/4 Zero-D Shift. The rotatable ring is extremely helpful for stitching by retaining the principal axis when changing orientations and shifting. It is especially important for achieve perfect stitching and panorama photography.