Venus Optics LAOWA STF 105 mm f/2 (T3.2)
11. Summary
- solid, metal and stylish casing,
- sensational image quality in the frame centre,
- very good image quality on the edge of the APS-C/DX and full frame sensors,
- slight longitudinal chromatic aberration,
- negligible lateral chromatic aberration,
- zero distortion,
- lack of serious coma issues,
- imperceptible astigmatism,
- nice out of focus areas.
Cons:
- problems with roundness of the 9-blade diaphragm,
- some issues concerning spherical aberration,
- weak performance against bright light.
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.
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Still our summary has to mention a small fly in this fine ointment. If a Chinese producer debuts on the marked with a lens priced as high as this one (3500 PLN) they have to guarantee not only an excellent image quality but also lack of any significant slip-ups. Unfortunately this device didn’t manage such a feat: the performance against bright light leaves a lot to be desired and a patchy work of the 9-blade aperture questions the efficiency of the quality control.
Fortunately you don’t often take photos with a lens like this one when the sun is close to the frame and the less-than-round aperture becomes visible only after a significant stopping down so, generally, in rather unusual situations. You buy such devices to enjoy its aperture fastness and its possibilities near the maximum relative aperture.
