The Laowa 1.33x Rear Anamorphic Adapter and 1.4x Full Frame Expander are finally available to purchase. Laowa first showcased these adapters way back in September 2019 and they have taken a long time to start shipping.
Above you can see our interview with Laowa about the 1.33x Rear Anamorphic adapter from IBC 2019.
1.33x Rear Anamorphic Adapter
If you use Laowa’s own OOOM 25-100mm T2.9 or a compatible cine zoom you can attach the Rear Anamorphic Adapter to create a 2.35:1 widescreen ratio when using a 16:9 sensor. This is way better than just letterboxing your 16×9 footage in post because you retain resolution.
Even though it is called an Anamorphic Adapter, it won’t produce oval bokeh and expand and expand the horizontal field of view like a front anamorphic would. However, it still introduces a distinct look with flares and bokeh.
When using the adapter please be aware that you lose half a stop of light.
If you own compatible lenses where you can use the 1.33x Rear Anamorphic Adapter then it is a cost-effective way of expanding the versatility of optics you already own.
1.4x Full Frame Expander
The Laowa 1.4X Full Frame Expander expands the coverage from Super35 into full-frame without affecting its image quality. According to Venus Optics the 1.4x Expander has been designed to offset the aberrations found on the OOOM and maintains its vintage characters and excellent optical performance.
With this adapter, there will be a 1-stop light loss and 1.4x increase of the focal range. If you are using the Laowa OOOM with the full frame expander, it will become a 35-140mm T4 lens. A quick switch button has been implemented on the OOOM to allow easy conversion of focal length & t-stop scale. You can also use this adapter with other lenses apart from the OOM. You can see that list of compatible lenses further down in the article.
Laowa has also specially designed a back-focus- adjusting mechanism on the 1.4x Expander which replaces the time-consuming and tedious procedure of back focus adjustments with shims.
What lenses do these adapters work with?
Above you can see the list of lenses that Venus Optics has tried with the two adapters. This is not to say they won’t work with other lenses that are not on the list, however, you should use the Clearance Check tool which you can print out to ensure compatibility. You can download those tools below:
Now, currently, there are only PL-PL versions of both of these adapters available, but Venus Optics is looking into making other mount versions in the future.
Price & Availability
The recommended retail price in the United States (without tax) is $999 USD for the 1.33x Rear Anamorphic adapter and $999 USD for the 1.4x Full Frame Expander. You can also buy both in a kit for $1800 USD.
