Venus Optics Laowa 12mm F2.8 Zero-D
Bokeh
Bokeh is a Japanese term which refers to the quality, look and texture of the background blur. It does not relate to the depth of field but to the areas in the image that are beyond the range that is expected to be in focus.
A smoother bokeh is generally perceived as being of a higher quality. Bokeh is influenced by the lens design, with a significant role being played by the aperture. Its shape will influence the look of the bokeh, especially around highlights and light sources.
Bokeh is made more visible by a shallower depth of field, something harder to achieve with a shorter focal length. As such, in many cases bokeh will not have a great impact on the Laowa 12mm’s output. Still, we expect the curved aperture blades to produce a smooth texture.
Bokeh Test
In order to evaluate the characteristics of the background blur, we took pictures at varying apertures, using these test parameters:
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Results are directly transferable to APS-C cameras.
| F2.8 |  |
| F4 |  |
| F5.6 |  |
| F8 |  |
| F11 |  |
| F16 |  |
| F22 |  |
The Laowa 12mm's bokeh texture is adequate. The shape of the highlights is reasonably pleasing, with a bit more definition than we would wish for, but nothing dramatic. The texture of the out-of-focus blur is smooth enough, not remarkable but perfectly usable.
The lens is not helped by the huge depth of field created by its short focal length. Users interested in incorporating smooth bokeh in their pictures will be well advised to use F2.8 or F4 and put some distance between their subject and the background.
More examples can be found in our Samples Gallery.
Verdict
The Laowa 12mm renders the out-of-focus areas well. It is in no way special or class-leading, but not particularly harsh or distracting either. Results are within the average.
