CP+ 2018: Hands-on with Laowa ‘Magic Shift Converter’
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Venus Optics has been making some very interesting lenses in the past couple of years. and at this year’s CP+ show the company is showing off an innovative ‘magic shift converter’, first announced last summer.
CP+ 2018: Hands-on with Laowa ‘Magic Shift Converter’
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The magic shift converter fulfills two purposes. It acts as an adapter to allow a Canon or Nikon-mount Laowa 12mm F2.8 Zero-D prime to be used on a full-frame Sony camera, but it also enables a shift movement, to correct for converging verticals.
CP+ 2018: Hands-on with Laowa ‘Magic Shift Converter’
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Here’s a 12mm F2.8, coupled with the shift converter, with the movement fully shifted. In this position, a photographer would be able to mitigate the common problem of converging vertical lines in architectural and interior shots.
When used with the converter, the 12mm F2.8 becomes a 17mm equivalent, F4.
CP+ 2018: Hands-on with Laowa ‘Magic Shift Converter’
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The mechanism can be rotated, allowing you to shift +/-10mm in both X and Y axes, without vignetting.
CP+ 2018: Hands-on with Laowa ‘Magic Shift Converter’
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Unlike a simple mount adapter, the shift converter contains five glass elements arranged in four groups, including two extra low refraction elements. According to the manufacturer, using the adapter has a minimal effect on image quality, and the 12mm should retain its ‘zero distortion’ characteristics.
For around $ 300, the Magic Shift Converter is a relatively low-cost upgrade to the 12mm F2.8. zero-D wideangle prime. Despite its relatively low price, build quality is impressively high. What do you think?
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)