Venus Laowa 15mm f/5 Cookie

Leica M-Mount

Review

The Venus Laowa 15mm f/5 Cookie is a unique addition to the lineup of wide-angle lenses available for the Leica M mount. Known for its compact and lightweight design, the Cookie is an appealing choice for those who prioritize portability without compromising on image quality. Its distinctive appearance and optical characteristics make it a fascinating lens for landscape, architectural, and environmental photographers.

Build Quality and Design

The Laowa 15mm f/5 Cookie is constructed with high-quality materials that provide durability while remaining lightweight. Weighing only about 420 grams, it’s easily portable, making it an excellent option for travel photography. Its compact size and sleek design contribute to its overall charm, allowing users to shoot without drawing too much attention. Additionally, the lens features a unique 'pancake' profile, giving it a very low form factor compared to traditional wide-angle lenses.

The manual focus ring is smooth and well-damped, providing precise control over focusing, which is crucial for a wide-angle lens where depth of field can be quite expansive. The aperture ring is also intuitive, allowing for easy adjustment on the fly. However, some users may find the lack of electronic communication with the camera a drawback when using it with Leica M cameras, as it limits certain features like automatic aperture control.

Optical Performance

When it comes to optical quality, the Venus Laowa 15mm f/5 Cookie shines surprisingly bright for a lens of its size and price range. It produces sharp images across the frame, with minimal distortion, which is particularly impressive given the lens’s wide-angle nature. Chromatic aberration is well controlled, and flare resistance is commendable, making it ideal for shooting in various lighting conditions.

However, being a f/5 lens means that it is not the fastest on the market. While this is not uncommon for wide-angle lenses, it does limit its usefulness in low-light conditions. Photographers may find themselves needing to compensate for this with higher ISO settings or longer exposure times, which could be a disadvantage for some.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Compact and lightweight design ideal for travel
• Impressive image sharpness with minimal distortion
• Smooth manual focusing and intuitive aperture control
• Good control of chromatic aberrations and flare

Cons

• Limited to a maximum aperture of f/5, making it less optimal for low-light situations
• Manual focus only; lacking electronic communication with the camera can be inconvenient for some users
• The unique design may not appeal to everyone’s aesthetic preferences

Verdict

Overall, the Venus Laowa 15mm f/5 Cookie is a fantastic choice for Leica M mount users who are looking for a lightweight and portable wide-angle lens with excellent optical performance. While it has its drawbacks, particularly in terms of low-light capabilities and manual focusing, it excels in creating sharp images with minimal distortion. For photographers focused on landscape and architectural shots or simply looking for a trusty companion for their travels, this lens is certainly worth considering. Its unique design and performance make it a standout option for those willing to embrace its specific characteristics.