Matt Granger has just published the first review of the new Laowa 200mm f/2.0 lens. His test was done on the Z-mount version, but as you know, an E-mount version is also on the way. While official pricing hasn’t been announced yet, it’s expected to come in well below the cost of Sigma’s new 200mm FE. The big question is: how does it stack up?
- Image quality still appears superior on the Sigma.
- The Laowa’s build quality doesn’t quite match the Sigma’s standard (could be imrpoved on final production version)
- Autofocus performance lags behind the Sigma, though it may improve with the final firmware.
The Laowa performs well, though it doesn’t quite reach the level of the Sigma—and that’s no surprise. My guess is the Laowa will come in under $2,000, compared to the Sigma’s $3,300 price tag. If it can deliver even 90% of what the Sigma offers, it’ll already be a big win!
Laowa 200mm f/2.0 FE lens specs:
- Full Frame Autofocus lens
- 11 elements in 9 groups
- 9 aperture blades
- close focus 1,5m
- Fn button, AF/MF switch, focus limiter
- 43mm drop in filter
- 1.77kg / 3.9lbs
- two color options: Grey and Blue
- Coming for E/Z/EF mount.
- Coming in October
- Price unknown but much cheaper than the Sigma 200mm