Laowa has announced 10 new lenses ahead of the Photokina show in Germany. Laowa has a reputation for creating very unique and niche lenses, and their latest additions have only helped to add to that reputation. The new lenses are:
Laowa 17mm f/1.8 MFT
Laowa 12mm f/1.8 MFT
Laowa 9mm f/2.8 Zero-D (DJI DL)
Laowa 9mm f/2.8 Zero-D MFT
Laowa 7.5mm t/2.1 Cine
Laowa 9mm t/2.9 Zero-D Cine
Laowa 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 FE Zoom
Laowa 100mm f/2.8 2X Ultra Macro APO
Laowa 17mm f/4 GFX Zero-D
Laowa 4mm f/2.8 Fisheye MFT
Laowa 17mm f/1.8 MFT
The Laowa 17mm f/1.8 is a new compact, standard prime designed for Micro Four Thirds cameras and it gives a 35mm-equivalent field of view. The lens houses 9 elements in 7 groups and has a 5-blade aperture for the best Sunstar rendering. The lens is extremely compact and lightweight, weighs only 160g (0.36lbs) and is 5cm (2”) long. A 46cm filter thread is included and the 15cm minimal focus distance makes it a perfect lens for videography.
Laowa 12mm f/1.8
Laowa 12mm f/1.8 is a new compact, wide-angle prime for Micro Four Thirds cameras and it gives a 24mm-equivalent field of view. The ultra-fast f/1.8 aperture allows photographers to take astro photos with ease. The lens houses 13 elements in 10 groups and a 5-blade aperture. The lens can focus as close as 14cm (5.5”) and takes 46mm screw-in filters which give extra convenience to videographers. It weighs only 165g (0.4 lbs) and its 5cm long (2”).
Laowa 9mm f/2.8 Zero-D (DJI DL)
Following the successful launch of the super compact and lightweight 7.5mm f/2 MFT lens for DJI Inspire drones (X5 gimbals) during 2017, Venus Optics is proud to introduce another ultra-wide option, Laowa 9mm f/2.8 Zero-D DL, to use on DJI Inspire 2 (X7 gimbals).
Featuring an effective 118° angle of view, the Laowa 9mm f/2.8 Zero-D DJI DL is currently the widest available option for DJI Inspire 2 drones with Zenmuse X7 gimbals. The bigger image circle can cover the size of Super35 sensors and the native DL mount allows an easy lens switching. The lens weighs only 215g and it is super tiny and compact. It comes with a 49mm filter thread and features a close-to-zero optical distortion.
Laowa 9mm f/2.8 Zero-D MFT
Laowa 9mm f/2.8 Zero-D (Micro Four Thirds mount) is the 4th variant added to the existing Fuji X, Sony E, and EOS-M mounts. The 9mm lens provides an 18mm equivalent angle of view on the Micro Four Thirds sensor. It also has a better vignetting control over the other variants of the same lens. The close-to-zero distortion will remain unchanged.
Laowa 7.5mm t/2.1 Cine / Laowa 9mm t/2.9 Zero-D Cine
The new Laowa 7.5mm and 9mm Cine lenses are the cine-mod versions of the existing photo version of Venus Optics best-selling models. Both lenses were re-housed with a step-less aperture rings and focus rings with standard 0.8 mod gears which give videographers extra convenience to use with follow-focus systems. Both of the lenses are the widest available in the market in its class and only weigh 180g (0.4lbs) & 250g (0.55lbs) respectively. Closest focusing distance is both 12cm (0.4 feet). The wide perspective and lightweight makes them the perfect companion for gimbal shooting. MFT mount is available for 7.5mm t/2.1 Cine and Sony E mount is available for 9mm t/2.9 Cine.
Laowa 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 FE Zoom
This lens is currently the widest zoom lens available for Sony full frame E-mount cameras. Designed primarily for travel photography, Venus optics have managed to compress the size to smallest in its class, less than 4 inch (<10cm) and only 1.1 pounds (<500g). The 102° (18mm) to 130° (10mm) angle of view provides flexibility for photographers to compose landscape or architecture photos with ease. The lens houses with 14 elements in 10 groups with 2 aspherical elements & 1 extra-low dispersion element to deliver exceptional performance. It can focus as close as 15cm for some mini-macro shooting. A rear filter slot is included to fit with 37mm filter. A dedicated filter holder is being developed to fit 100mm-wide filters. Click/clickless aperture can be toggled by the switch on the lens barrel. A 5-blade aperture design ensures a pleasing and clean sunstar rendering.
Laowa 100mm f/2.8 2X Ultra Macro APO
Followed by the success of the Laowa 60mm f/2.8 2:1 Macro, the 100mm f/2.8 2:1 Macro is the 2nd member of Laowa 2:1 macro line-up. This new 100mm lens can cover full frame sensor size and focus from 2:1 magnification to infinity. The wide magnification range allows macro photographers to capture a subject at any size. This 100mm portrait lens also features an apochromatic (APO) characteristic that no chromatic aberration can be found. The 12 elements in 10 groups optics design deliver a crystal sharpness image in both macro and tele distances. Automatic aperture control feature is available for Canon EF version and Aperture coupling is available for Nikon F mount version.
Laowa 17mm f/4 GFX Zero-D
This is currently the widest available native lens option for Fujifilm G-mount cameras. The new Laowa 17mm f/4 GFX has a field of view equivalent to 13mm in 35mm format (113°). Featuring a close-to-zero distortion and 86mm filter thread, this lens is ideally suited for landscape, architecture & interior photography. The 21 elements in 14 groups design with 2pcs of aspherical & 3pcs of Extra-low dispersion elements successfully help to control the distortion & chromatic aberrations to the minimal.
Laowa 4mm f/2.8 Fisheye MFT
Featuring a 210° angle of view, this lens delivers a unique circular fisheye field of view on Micro four-thirds cameras. The ultra-wide angle view allows photographers to create 360° panorama with ease. Despite the unique & ultra-wide perspective, the lens only weighs 0.3 pounds (135g).
Pricing and availability
There is currently no indication of pricing or availability for any of these new lenses.
