UK OPTICS (LAOWA UK) is pleased to present the Laowa 105mm F2 STF Lens. STF stands for Smooth Trans Focus, in reference to its special optical system, which is intended to deliver smooth transitions between crisp in‐focus areas and creamy defocused background or foreground areas. This unique manual focus only lens has an integrated apodisation filter that provides superior bokeh rendering and crystal sharp images.
Full frame compatible lens featuring 11 elements in 8 groups with a 14 blade aperture* and a minimum focus distance of just 0.9M. All metal alloy construction housing multi‐coated glass elements throughout. At a focal length of 105mm and with the inherent softly diffused bokeh, this lens is perfect for portraiture.
The Laowa 105mm F2 STF lens is one of only a few lenses currently offering an apodisation effect. Available later in March with an MSRP of £649.99, in the following mounts: Nikon, Canon, Sony A, Sony E and Pentax.
Review
Detail wide open at f/2 is not as sharp in the center of the frame, but it’s still impressive. The sweet spot of the lens is f/4 and up to f/8, where detail is sharpest across the entire frame. However, this lens will often be used in its wider f/2 and f/2.8 apertures.
http://www.photographyblog.com/reviews/laowa_105mm_f2_stf_review
Laowa 105mm f/2 STF vs Nikon 105mm f/1.4 ED
This all-metal mechanical lens reminds me of 1970s Japanese third-party lenses: it's all anodized aluminum with engraved markings. It's a solid all-metal lens; there is no plastic. It's tough and simple.
It's super-sharp. Even wide-open in the corners of my 50 megapixel Canon 5DSR it's still super sharp. There is the tiniest bit of red-blue lateral color at the sides at 50 MP, but it's too minor to notice in actual photos and Nikon cameras correct this automatically. There are no dedicated profiles for Canon cameras.
Testing the Venus Optics LAOWA STF 105 mm f/2 (T3.2) was a real pleasure for me. Not only it is able to generate exceptionally sharp images but also it provides an additional function, allowing you to play with out-of-focus blur in a creative way. What’s more, the lens is very well-done, engaging pleasantly your sense of sight and sense of touch.
Well, most probably it is memory and such. JC Penney lenses are really not good usually, most of them are super cheap.
What do you mean exactly?
Outstanding lens. It's an incredibly sharp optic, with a design that smooths out of focus backgrounds—a big plus for portraiture.
http://www.pcmag.com/review/345778/venus-optics-laowa-105mm-f-2-t-3-2-smooth-trans-focus
The technical quality of the Laowa lens is truly impressive even when ignoring the STF feature. It is extremely sharp in and near the image center and the borders are also very good. The extreme corners are just Ok at f/2 but very decent beyond. If you compare the MTFs with the other reviews that we have done on the EOS 5Ds R so far, you will appreciate how good these results really are!
Sharpness is very impressive throughout. Central sharpness starts off at an excellent level at f/2, approaching outstanding between f/2.8 and f/5.6, is excellent at f/8 and f/11, still very good at f/16 and only drops to fair at f/22.
https://www.ephotozine.com/article/laowa-105mm-f-2-t3-2-smooth-trans-focus-lens-review-29301
While you're technically correct that there is no "FE mount," referring to it as that is nice since it instantly answers the first question that I have whenever somebody mentions a new E mount lens. No need to be pedantic about naming.
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