Venus Optics LAOWA 17 mm f/1.8 MFT II review - Focusing

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Venus Optics LAOWA 17 mm f/1.8 MFT II

28 January 2020

Arkadiusz Olech

10. Focusing

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In the case of the Laowa 1.8/17 the focus is set with the help of the manual focus ring, 18 mm wide. Its center is covered by fine ribbing and above you can find a distance scale, expressed in meters and feet. The ring turns evenly and is well damped; the focus throw in its case amounts to an angle of about 110 degrees. As we've already mentioned before, that range is a tad too narrow for a manual device.

Venus Optics LAOWA 17 mm f/1.8 MFT II - Focusing

For obvious reasons the narrow focusing range might be the most bothersome at the maximum relative aperure; on stopping down that inconveniece becomes marginalized. Already by f/2.8 it's enough you set the focus at about 7 meters and you can enjoy sharp images from 3.5 meters to infinity. Of course providing that you can establish where that 7-meter point is situated on the ring; due to its narrow range at the end of the scale you get markings just at 1 meter and at infinity...

It's really a pity the producers didn't make more of an effort in that category.