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02-23-2017, 09:24 AM   #1
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laowa or irix for FF real estate photography?

So im a real estate photographer and I'm interested in a couple companies that make wide angles.

First theres Laowa which has a 15mm f/4 with shift ability (probably the highest selling point for my purposes). And they also have the 12mm f/2.8 with almost no barrel distortion

On the other hand theres irix with a 15mm f/2.4. Doesnt have shift but has larger aperture. And they just announced an 11mm f/4. Which is slightly wider than laowa's but is smaller aperture.

What are your thoughts? Or perhaps a good combo would be the irix 15mm and the laowa 12mm?

02-23-2017, 09:43 AM   #2
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I believe the shift capability is not terribly useful on FF (vignetting, etc.). Moreover, I would like to wait a few years to see what sort of QC track record these lenses have before investing them. Not sure Chinese manufacturing is up to task for making reliable precision optics.

Do you really need FF for real estate photography? I would've thought a wide angle zoom along with an APS-C DSLR would make the most sense. But if FF were absolutely necessary for my real estate photography, I wouldn't mess around: I'd get the DFA 15-30.
02-23-2017, 09:56 AM   #3
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I think the Irix 15mm is a better choice than the Laowa with shift. The problem with the Laowa/Venus 12mm is that, SFAIK, it is not yet available at least in K-mount. I have had a standing "notify me when available" @ B&H for maybe two months, but so far it is "more coming - - eventually - - maybe." Do you know of a merchant who has a K-mount Venus 12mm in stock??
02-23-2017, 10:03 AM - 1 Like   #4
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I wouldn't worry about wide aperture: you will (should be!) using a tripod, so your exposures can be as long as necessary for whatever aperture you use, and you probably want maximum depth of field to show off your buildings and rooms.

02-23-2017, 10:10 AM - 1 Like   #5
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QuoteOriginally posted by AstroDave Quote
I wouldn't worry about wide aperture: you will (should be!) using a tripod, so your exposures can be as long as necessary for whatever aperture you use, and you probably want maximum depth of field to show off your buildings and rooms.
Agree
02-23-2017, 10:11 AM - 1 Like   #6
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QuoteOriginally posted by WPRESTO Quote
The problem with the Laowa/Venus 12mm is that, SFAIK, it is not yet available at least in K-mount. I have had a standing "notify me when available" @ B&H for maybe two months, but so far it is "more coming - - eventually - - maybe." Do you know of a merchant who has a K-mount Venus 12mm in stock??
At least via Kickstarter campaing I got mine many weeks ago. See: Venus Optics Laowa 12mm F2.8 Zero-D Lens Reviews - Miscellaneous Lenses - Pentax Lens Review Database

For inside buildings you can not ever have a wide enough lens...
02-23-2017, 11:14 AM   #7
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QuoteOriginally posted by beholder3 Quote
At least via Kickstarter campaing I got mine many weeks ago. See: Venus Optics Laowa 12mm F2.8 Zero-D Lens Reviews - Miscellaneous Lenses - Pentax Lens Review Database

For inside buildings you can not ever have a wide enough lens...
Man, 12mm on a full frame; that is wide. Same field of view as the Rokinon 8mm in APS-C. I'm always amazed at how much you can fit into the scene with that field of view.

02-23-2017, 12:36 PM   #8
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Sometimes way to much I imagine.
02-26-2017, 08:13 AM - 1 Like   #9
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I'm going to be doing a kitchen shoot with an Irix later this morning, replacing a Sigma 10-15 that I had been using in crop mode. Will report back!
02-26-2017, 08:39 PM   #10
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QuoteOriginally posted by kvetcha Quote
I'm going to be doing a kitchen shoot with an Irix later this morning, replacing a Sigma 10-15 that I had been using in crop mode. Will report back!
Appreciate if you give some samples of your work after the shoot!
02-26-2017, 11:57 PM   #11
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The Samyang 14mm f2.8 seems an option. It's FF, widely available, image quality can be very good, price is OK, and there are lens modules for it in most RAW processors to apply optical corrections as needed.
02-27-2017, 12:49 AM   #12
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Where I live I had two choices. Samyang 14mm 365€ and Irix 15mm 429€. So price difference ain't big. I had long thought about which one to choose, but after everything I read, I came to conclusion that Irix is better option in case you get good copy (Irix seems to have way more variation with quality than Samyang nowdays). So I ordered one yesterday and hope that it will be good copy, if not, I will return it and think again if I want to another or take Samyang.
02-27-2017, 04:10 AM   #13
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QuoteOriginally posted by shaolen Quote
with shift ability
Remember there is already a FF Pentax Shift lens... albeit a manual lens, but then real estate is not in the habit of jumping about too much so you've time to work.

SMC Pentax 28mm F3.5 Shift Reviews - K Prime Lenses - Pentax Lens Reviews & Lens Database
02-27-2017, 04:34 AM   #14
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Hi,

Just like to share my bad experiences of 3rd party lens

I just bought the 3rd party Irix lens 15mm wide angle lens for my Pentax K1, and its gave problem for 2nd day of shooting , can't really fix it well in K1 mount & live view black out and aldy make complained to Irix sale agent and he insisted that Irix lens is best lens N but aldy explained and yet he dun understand i m facing the problem & insisted Irix lens no problem with his own Pentax k5 ...very frustrated with this new lens and learned a very good lesson not to simply buy 3rd party lens for Pentax k1, now i got to sell it off the new Irix lens or keep it in my dry box. The customer service in DSC world only sell 3rd party lens Tamron and not Irix lens...

Last edited by Winnie Ooi Zi Yi; 02-27-2017 at 04:36 AM. Reason: add picture
02-27-2017, 05:38 AM - 1 Like   #15
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I was a little hurried during this shoot so I'm afraid focus may not be totally perfect here.

These are five-exposure HDRs, shot at f/8. The Irix has a good deal less inherent distortion than my Sigma, but it's worth noting that Lightroom does not yet have a correction profile in place for the Irix, so any adjustments have to be eyeballed.





Here's that first shot as a single exposure (non-HDR), adjusted to taste in Lightroom.


Last edited by kvetcha; 02-27-2017 at 05:57 AM.
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