Laowa 12mm 2.8 VS Sigma 14mm 1.8

I'm interested in either lens. I need a UWA option. 14 is good... 12 is amazing.... the 12 is very light and small and attractive. Do I need 1.8 in a UWA?... probably not but the sharpness and distortion "should" be really good on that 14.

Any opinions here?

Buy both grey market.

If you need wide and lightweight then go mirrorless (and perhaps get a Voigtlander 10mm and a Loxia 21mm).
The only reason for me to buy that lens is the f/1.8.

Frodge wrote in post #18286302
Buy both grey market.

None available lol..

CheshireCat wrote in post #18288712
If you need wide and lightweight then go mirrorless (and perhaps get a Voigtlander 10mm and a Loxia 21mm).
The only reason for me to buy that lens is the f/1.8.

I would love to go mirrorless but where is there an equal to 12mm 2.8 full frame? Not considering DOF there is no 8mm 2.8 lens for the fuji (outside of a fisheye) and the voigtlander is a 5.6 lens.

I'll be buying into the Fuji system soon but more for a carry around/travel setup. Will have a 16/23/35/56 and XT-10 or X-E3 if they release that which I hope. This will put me at 3.7lbs total vs a ton w/ the FF. I'll end up keeping the FF for the 35/85/200/400 and my fisheye and hopefully either the 12 or 14 setup.

Uhm... I would never downgrade to APS-C.
Get a used Sony A7R2 and enjoy wides at their best. The Sensor is also state-of-the-art.

Yes, the ultrawide Voigtlanders are f/5.6, but they are really good and super compact.
The Loxia 21/2.8 is much wider than 16mm on APS-C, and possibly the best 21mm lens ever made.

You need faster ? You can adapt all the lenses you want, including the ones in the subject (and the Metabones Canon adapter supports AF). The only downside is Sony's nonsensical menu system, but you can remap all keys, so no menu is needed after initial setup.

CheshireCat wrote in post #18288817
Uhm... I would never downgrade to APS-C.
Get a used Sony A7R2 and enjoy wides at their best. The Sensor is also state-of-the-art.

Yes, the ultrawide Voigtlanders are f/5.6, but they are really good and super compact.
The Loxia 21/2.8 is much wider than 16mm on APS-C, and possibly the best 21mm lens ever made.

You need faster ? You can adapt all the lenses you want, including the ones in the subject (and the Metabones Canon adapter supports AF). The only downside is Sony's nonsensical menu system, but you can remap all keys, so no menu is needed after initial setup.

I'm not going sony ever.

Talley wrote in post #18289005
I'm not going sony ever.

Let's see in a couple years

CheshireCat wrote in post #18289032
Let's see in a couple years

I'll bet my 200 on that one

Talley wrote in post #18289229
I'll bet my 200 on that one

All right, I'll convert it into a lens mug

big mug

What if "downgrading" your gear, actually UPGRADED your photographs and your overall photographic experience? Whoa, mindblow.

Talley you are going to love the Fuji x system, as long as you look at it from the right perspective.

I also think if you are in the market, you are compelled to get the sigma 14....I would wait on reviews, or preorder and return for Laowa if you are not happy, but I think this will be the uwa to have if you don't already have one that is fine for you. If the 1.8 and bells and whistles are not needed, the 2.8 ex is an amazing gem of a bargain. I really like mine, but you need to stop way down to get sharp enough corners...like F8. 2.8 is tack center and very creative. I imagine the new one to be this on steroids and if sharp enough at like F3.5 that would make me consider the upgrade and take the extra "betters" as a bonus.

Nick3434 wrote in post #18290564
What if "downgrading" your gear, actually UPGRADED your photographs and your overall photographic experience? Whoa, mindblow.

Talley you are going to love the Fuji x system, as long as you look at it from the right perspective.

I also think if you are in the market, you are compelled to get the sigma 14....I would wait on reviews, or preorder and return for Laowa if you are not happy, but I think this will be the uwa to have if you don't already have one that is fine for you. If the 1.8 and bells and whistles are not needed, the 2.8 ex is an amazing gem of a bargain. I really like mine, but you need to stop way down to get sharp enough corners...like F8. 2.8 is tack center and very creative. I imagine the new one to be this on steroids and if sharp enough at like F3.5 that would make me consider the upgrade and take the extra "betters" as a bonus.

I prefer lenses to be tack sharp to corners wide open so that way the lens doesn't stop my creativity and/or selection and IQ suffer. Lofty goal I know but so far the lenses I have full fill my needs nicely. The 14 and 20 actually chart better than the 24A and the 24A is a nice performing lens from my perspective. The 12 2.8 is which way I'm leaning but the new 14 is AF and 1.8 as well.

I guess why not both lol.

Talley wrote in post #18290581
I prefer lenses to be tack sharp to corners wide open so that way the lens doesn't stop my creativity

Uhm... I can't think about one case in which sharpness has stopped creativity. Actually, the most creative photos I've seen don't have many sharp pixels at all !

CheshireCat wrote in post #18290726
Uhm... I can't think about one case in which sharpness has stopped creativity. Actually, the most creative photos I've seen don't have many sharp pixels at all !

I demand the sharpest bokeh one can see lol