Laowa 9mm f/2.8 Zero-D 9mm
Tamron Di III 17-70mm f/2.8 Di III-A VC RXD
What Buyers Say
Laowa 9mm f/2.8 Zero-D 9mm
The Laowa 9mm f/2.8 Zero-D lens is widely praised for its compact size, sharp image quality, and minimal distortion, making it a favorite for landscape, architecture, and real estate photography. Users appreciate its wide field of view and solid build, though some note vignetting at wide apertures and a few report sample variation or infinity focus issues. Overall, it offers excellent value for an ultra-wide manual lens, especially for APS-C cameras.
Pros
- Compact and lightweight
- Sharp image quality
- Minimal distortion (Zero-D)
- Wide field of view
- Solid build quality
Cons
- Vignetting at wide apertures
- Infinity focus inconsistency
- Sample variation (sharpness)
- Manual focus only
- High price for some
Tamron Di III 17-70mm f/2.8 Di III-A VC RXD
The Tamron 17-70mm f/2.8 Di III-A VC RXD lens is widely praised for its sharpness, versatile zoom range, constant aperture, and effective stabilization, making it an excellent all-around lens for APS-C cameras. Users appreciate its solid build quality and value for money, though many note it is noticeably heavier and larger than typical kit lenses, which can feel unbalanced on smaller camera bodies. A few reviewers mention minor issues like chromatic aberration at the longer end and noise from the aperture blades at certain settings, but overall sentiment is very positive.
Pros
- sharp image quality across zoom range
- constant f/2.8 aperture
- effective image stabilization
- fast and quiet autofocus
- versatile 17-70mm focal range
Cons
- heavy and large for APS-C body
- chromatic aberration at 50-70mm
- aperture blade noise above f/5.6
- short zoom throw initially stiff
- no aperture ring on Fuji version
Scores
Specifications
| Laowa 9mm f/2.8 Zero-D 9mm | Tamron Di III 17-70mm f/2.8 Di III-A VC RXD | |
|---|---|---|
| Optics | ||
| Type | prime | zoom |
| Focal Length Min | 9 mm | 17 mm |
| Focal Length Max | 9 mm | 70 mm |
| Elements | 15 | 16 |
| Groups | 10 | 12 |
| Aspherical Elements | 2 | 3★ |
| ED Elements | 3★ | 2 |
| Coating | Frog Eye Coating | Fluorine Coating |
| Aperture | ||
| Max Aperture | f/2.8 | f/2.8 |
| Min Aperture | f/2.8 | f/2.8 |
| Constant | ✓ | ✓ |
| Diaphragm Blades | 7 | 9★ |
| Build | ||
| Mount | Nikon Z | Sony E |
| Format | APS-C | APS-C |
| Weather Sealed | ✓ | ✓ |
| Weight | 0.21 kg★ | 0.54 kg |
| Filter Thread | 49 mm | 67 mm |
| AF & Stabilization | ||
| AF Type | manual focus only | RXD |
| Stabilization | ✗ | ✓★ |
| Focus | ||
| Min Focus Distance | 120 mm★ | 190 mm |
| Max Magnification | 1:7.7 | 1:4.8 |
Pros & Cons
Laowa 9mm f/2.8 Zero-D 9mm
- Strong macro (92nd percentile)92nd %ile
- Strong build (91st percentile)91st %ile
- Strong optical (87th percentile)87th %ile
- Strong aperture (86th percentile)86th %ile
- Below average af (14th percentile)14th %ile
- Below average versatility (34th percentile)
Tamron Di III 17-70mm f/2.8 Di III-A VC RXD
- Strong optical (90th percentile)90th %ile
- Strong versatility (90th percentile)90th %ile
- Strong bokeh (89th percentile)89th %ile
- Strong aperture (86th percentile)86th %ile
Verdict
Scores 97 overall, wins 9 of 9 usage categories and 3 of 21 specs.