Testing the Laowa 7.5mm 'C-Dreamer' f/2.0 MFT as a zone focus street photography lens in Melbourne

…in which I try to let go of the need for order and deliberation in my photography and shoot blind on the streets of Melbourne, with a Laowa C-Dreamer 7.5mm f/2.0 ultra-wide lens for Micro Four Thirds.
It's small but it's wide with a 15mm equivalent field of view and an ability to keep just about everything in focus with a modest aperture. It's distinguished by manual focus and tiny size and was originally designed for drones. But it fits perfectly on my Olympus Pen F Digital as a discreet ultrawide for the streets of Melbourne. At least in theory.

How does it actually hold up when careering aimlessly through the stations, squares and colourful laneways of Australia's best city for street photography? Can I magically blink meaning into existence without having to put any thought into my composition or do I just end up with images as random as my path on the pavement, as I haphazardly point my camera in the general direction of the unsuspecting public?

While the Laowa has some compromises, one thing is for sure - it's liberating not feeling feeling burdened by photographic formalities. And while not every image was gold, the C-Dreamer is a dream lens for this unobtrusive style of street shooting.

Camera: Olympus Pen F Digital
Lens: Laowa 7.5mm 'C Dreamer' f/2.0 for Micro Four Thirds
Location: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Date: 4 August 2025

http://markmcmahon.me
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