RSS
 

Posts Tagged ‘Laowa’

Laowa unveils $499 14mm F4 Zero-D lens for EF, F mount camera systems

16 Jul

Venus Optics has announced the release of the Laowa 14mm F4 Zero-D lens for Canon and Nikon DSLR camera systems.

The lens is constructed of 13 elements in 10 elements, including two extra-low dispersion ale nets and two aspherical elements. Like other Laowa ‘Zero-D’ lenses, the lens features near-zero distortion, despite its wide angle of view.

It’s also the first lens to get what Venus Optics called a focusing scale adjustment system, which allows you to calibrate the infinity point of the lens to ensure it’s exactly at the infinity mark based on the specific camera model you’re using it on. Venus Optics has shared the below tutorial showing owners what the calibration process looks like:

The lens features an integrated CPU for electronic control of the aperture with Canon EF mount camera bodies and an aperture coupling for Nikon F mount camera bodies. Other features includ a minimum focusing distance of 14.5cm (5.7″), uses a five-blade aperture diaphragm and uses a 67mm front filter thread.

Below is a gallery of sample images, provided by Venus Optics from a range of photographers:

$ (document).ready(function() { SampleGalleryV2({“containerId”:”embeddedSampleGallery_2536363207″,”galleryId”:”2536363207″,”isEmbeddedWidget”:true,”selectedImageIndex”:0,”isMobile”:false}) });

As for measurements, the lens comes in at 72.5mm (2.85″) in diameter for both the EF and F mount versions. The Canon EF mount version measures 75mm (2.95″) long while the Nikon F mount version is 73mm (2.87″) long, while weighing 320g (11.3oz) and 360g (12.7oz), respectively.

The lens is available to order on Venus Optics’ website for $ 499.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on Laowa unveils $499 14mm F4 Zero-D lens for EF, F mount camera systems

Posted in Uncategorized

 

Laowa 15mm F4.5 Zero-D Shift lens sample gallery (DPReview TV)

27 Nov

$ (document).ready(function() { SampleGalleryV2({“containerId”:”embeddedSampleGallery_5992681361″,”galleryId”:”5992681361″,”isEmbeddedWidget”:true,”selectedImageIndex”:0,”isMobile”:false}) });

The new Laowa 15mm F4.5 Shift lens lets you go wide with perspective control. View our sample gallery to see how a bit of shift can change a photo or introduce creative effects.

View the Laowa 15mm F4.5 Zero-D Shift sample gallery

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on Laowa 15mm F4.5 Zero-D Shift lens sample gallery (DPReview TV)

Posted in Uncategorized

 

DPReview TV lens review: Shift your perspective with the Laowa 15mm F4.5 shift lens

27 Nov

Subscribe to our YouTube channel to get new episodes of DPReview TV every week.

  • Intro
  • The shift lens effect
  • Subtle shifts
  • Shifting and perspective
  • Sample images
  • Build and functionality
  • Bokeh
  • Sunstars
  • Sharpness vs. Canon TS-E 17mm F4
  • Who's it for?

Sample gallery for this episode

$ (document).ready(function() { SampleGalleryV2({“containerId”:”embeddedSampleGallery_5992681361″,”galleryId”:”5992681361″,”isEmbeddedWidget”:true,”selectedImageIndex”:0,”isMobile”:false}) });
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on DPReview TV lens review: Shift your perspective with the Laowa 15mm F4.5 shift lens

Posted in Uncategorized

 

Laowa 9mm F5.6 FF RL sample gallery and impressions

07 Nov

$ (document).ready(function() { SampleGalleryV2({“containerId”:”embeddedSampleGallery_7879244157″,”galleryId”:”7879244157″,”isEmbeddedWidget”:true,”selectedImageIndex”:0,”isMobile”:false}) });

Venus Optics has made quite a name for itself with its collection of very wide angle lenses, and especially for the Laowa Zero-D series that features optical designs with very little curvilinear distortion. This little 9mm lens isn’t one of the Zero-D range, but it is still remarkable as the widest rectilinear focal length lens available for full frame cameras.
The 9mm F5.6 FF RL lens has an extraordinary angle of view of 135°, so you’ll need to be careful your feet don’t make an unscheduled appearance in the bottom of the frame.

The angle of view is so dramatic that users will have to be careful not to appear in their own pictures when the sun is low in the sky.

In fact, checking what is and isn’t in the frame is more important than ever when using this lens as it seems to want to include the whole world. It isn’t just your feet or the things on the ground near where you’re standing you have to watch out for – your own shadow, or that of your tripod, can cause quite a problem as well when the sun is low in the sky. This restricts the directions in which the lens can be pointed according to the time of day, and turning the other way to avoid your own shadow will almost inevitably include the sun in the frame.

It took me some time to get in the habit of finding the shadow of something else in which to stand so I wouldn’t cast an obvious shadow on the ground and to begin thinking about composition to take this into account. I actually considered buying a tree costume at one point to disguise my human form. You have to find buildings and trees to block the sun from striking the front element, and if you’re recording video, and intending to move around, I recommend doing a practice run to make sure you are in control of the content of the frame is essential.

$ (document).ready(function() { SampleGalleryV2({“containerId”:”embeddedSampleGallery_1988249891″,”galleryId”:”1988249891″,”isEmbeddedWidget”:true,”selectedImageIndex”:0,”isMobile”:false}) });

The lens is nice and small (62.4 x 66 mm/2.45 x 2.6″) as well as quite lightweight (350g/12.4oz) given its full-metal body. The aperture ring clicks with stops in each full aperture value with no half or third stop positions, and the distance between F5.6 and F8 is about equal to the distance between F8 and F22.

The focusing ring has a throw of about 90° and is marked in feet and meters from 0.12m (0.4ft) to infinity. The depth-of-field scale suggests that a setting of F22 will allow rendering of 0.19m (0.65ft) to infinity in acceptable focus, and that even F8 will deliver 0.33m (1ft) to infinity – so you may feel focusing is somewhat unnecessary.

The underside of the lens features a tab for finger-focusing the lens. The focus ring turns very nicely indeed, so this tab does provide a useful means of focusing quickly. It is hard to rely on peaking though to find focus without the further assistance of a magnified view, as it can seem that the whole world is in focus as the peaking outlines come to life all over the frame. However, with a good magnified view it is possible to see more clearly what is sharp and what only might be sharp.

With the extensive depth of field of the lens, marks on the front element have a significant impact on the image

The front element is extremely bulbous and protrudes some distance from the main part of the barrel. Although protected in part by the petals of the lens hood it is still quite exposed and a magnet for rain, dust and fingers. With the extensive depth of field of the lens, especially when focused relatively closely, marks on the front element have a significant impact on the image, so it’s particularly important to check it regularly. Sharp-eyed viewers will also notice evidence in the gallery that the sensor of the camera I was using wasn’t spotlessly clean – another thing that shows up with an ultra-wide lens.

It isn’t easy to use filters with this lens without the dedicated filter holder from Laowa – and even that isn’t especially easy. It fits over the lens hood and clamps into place. The holder has a striking resemblance to an H&Y filter holder and uses the same magnetic frames and tightening screw. Even though the holder is designed specifically for this lens it needs to be used with caution because if it’s misaligned only slightly, or if the holder isn’t pushed back far enough, the filter will appear in the edge of your pictures.

I used the L-mount version of the lens and found the 47MP resolution of the Panasonic Lumix S1R slightly punishing, though when viewed at less than 100% the majority of the images look sharp enough. Resolution in the center of the frame is very good, but it drops off significantly towards the corners.

The lens generally performs better with a close subject, at F8 or F11 and when used on a tripod. Subject motion towards the edges of the frame is also exaggerated, so a faster shutter speed is needed to arrest movement and to produce clean detail.

And if you think you don’t need to pay attention to the focusing ring, you do. The depth-of-field scale is slightly generous regarding ‘acceptable’ sharpness and I found things looked better when I actually focused on the subject rather than relying on all-encompassing hyperfocal distances.

Vignetting, corner smearing and a color shift at the edges are all issues that you should expect when using this lens. Most of the nasties are right at the edge of the frame so it’s fairly easy to take them into account when shooting. Trimming the edges gets rid of the worst of the problems and vignetting and the color shift can easily be removed in Raw editing software, leaving a very nice result still with an extreme wide angle view.

Exposure is also tricky when using a lens with such a wide view as no camera system is designed to cope with it

Remarkably, it is possible to achieve some differential focus at F5.6 when focused quite close, and there is a definite depth-of-field progression moving up the aperture range. All the shots in this gallery were taken at F8 or F11, but actually the F5.6 position delivers equal resolution and more light, while diffraction reduces resolution at F16 and F22. Vignetting and chromatic errors are most obvious in the wider apertures and gradually lessen, though by no means disappear, when the lens is stopped-down.

Exposure is also tricky when using a lens like this with such a wide view as no camera system is designed to cope with it. Evaluative/matrix/honeycomb/pattern systems will inevitably be confused when used outside by the range of brightnesses and the areas from which they are coming, so spot and selective metering arrangements work best.

Curvilinear distortion is pretty well controlled considering the angle of view of the lens, but it is still a significant characteristic of the lens. When focused on a distant subject, barreling is generally quite mild, but it increases dramatically at closer focus distances, as shown in the clip above.

The lens is available in mounts for Leica M, Sony FE, Nikon Z and Leica L, and it costs £869/$ 799. The Leica M version comes in silver or black and costs £979/$ 899. The optional 100mm magnetic filter holder comes with one set of magnetic filter frame edges and costs £129/$ 149. For more information see the Venus Optics website.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on Laowa 9mm F5.6 FF RL sample gallery and impressions

Posted in Uncategorized

 

Laowa 15mm F4.5 Zero-D Shift sample gallery and impressions

31 Oct

$ (document).ready(function() { SampleGalleryV2({“containerId”:”embeddedSampleGallery_4126702226″,”galleryId”:”4126702226″,”isEmbeddedWidget”:true,”selectedImageIndex”:0,”isMobile”:false}) });

Those looking for a lens to help with architectural photography don’t have too many choices. Canon and Nikon provide tilt-and-shift lenses for the F and EF mount systems but it’s fair to say these are quite costly – as specialist products usually are. Samyang makes a 24mm that comes in a wide range of mounts, but beyond that options are limited to the adapters various independent brands, such as Fotodiox, offer.

This new lens from Laowa is currently the widest shift lens for full frame users. Where this lens also differs from those others available is that it only shifts – there is no tilt option. All other lenses in this segment offer tilt as well as shift, but Laowa says it hasn’t offered tilt in this 15mm model as it is designed for architectural photographers and they don’t need or use tilt features.

$ (document).ready(function() { SampleGalleryV2({“containerId”:”embeddedSampleGallery_1912504615″,”galleryId”:”1912504615″,”isEmbeddedWidget”:true,”selectedImageIndex”:0,”isMobile”:false}) });

As expected from Laowa, the lens is well made, solid and offers smooth mechanical movements. The barrel is all-metal and the lens comes with a metal twist-lock lens cap to protect the extremely bulbous front element. The 15mm focal length delivers an angle of view of 110° and the 17 elements-in-11-groups design produces curvilinear distortion corrected well enough for Laowa to include this in its Zero-D range of wide angles.

An image circle with a diameter of 65mm allows full frame users 22mm of shift in total – 11mm either side of the neutral position. And the shifting section of the lens can be rotated about 360° with click stops every 15°. The shift is achieved by unscrewing the locking pin and then turning the shift ring that sits between the camera and the aperture ring. Rotating this ring by 45° is enough to take the lens from the neutral position to the extreme of its shift at 11mm from Normal, and 45° the other way takes the barrel in the opposite direction.

As expected from Laowa, the lens is well made, solid and offers smooth mechanical movements

The mechanism for shifting the lens is smooth and, once unlocked, very easy to turn but with enough resistance to make it comfortable to control. A scale on the side of the barrel where the two sections meet makes it simple to measure the movement and then to repeat the same degree of movement in future shots. Conveniently, the lens clicks into place at the neutral position so you’ll know it has come home without looking at the scale.

The aperture ring clicks only at the full stop positions but allows users settings anywhere in between them, and the iris has only five blades – the same as the Laowa 9mm. At F4.5 the iris is round as the blades are fully retracted, but looks very pentagonal as the aperture is closed down. Considering this lens’ traditionally large and distant subjects, maybe the out-of-focus rendering isn’t as important as it might be in longer focal lengths.

Tilting the camera upwards while using ‘rising front’ or ‘drop front’ makes it possible to exaggerate or minimize converging verticals. Here from left to right we have extreme drop front, the lens in the normal position and then raised to its highest position. When the front is dropped down we have to tilt the camera back more to get the top of the building in, which exaggerates the ‘looking up’ perspective

Obviously the main target for this lens is photographers wanting to avoid converging verticals in their architectural work, but it is also very good for exaggerating convergence as shifting the front of the lens down allows for angling the camera up more – a range of effects can be achieved.

Twisting the lens to the 90° position and using the shift to move the lens from side to side is an easy way to create a panoramic image that will stitch easily, and using the shift diagonally allows four images to be taken that can be stitched to make a high resolution super-wide view. With the camera upright side-to-side shifts again allow high resolution stitches to be made with a squarer format.

This image is made from two pictures stitched together, and demonstrates the full horizontal movement of the lens. The lens was mounted on the tripod and I used the full shift to the left and took a picture. I then shifted it to the full extent to the right and took the second shot. They align very easily in software and have a large overlap in the middle. The combined angle of view is somewhere between 160 and 170 degrees.

I found the full 22mm side-to-side shift allowed me to create an image 13314 x 5499 with the Panasonic Lumix DC-S1R – that would allow a 44″ print at 300ppi. Single pictures from this camera are 8368 pixels on the longest dimension so the shift allowed me to add approximately 1.6x to the width of the frame. You don’t get double the width as there is a lot of overlap with such a wide lens. But overlap is good as it makes it easy to remove the aberrations at the edges of the frame – though vignetting is the only real issue.

As you’ll see from the samples the lens is pretty good, and retains decent resolution and sharpness through all but the most extreme movements. At the edges of the imaging circle you should expect a loss of clarity and some slight smearing in the corners, but if you keep away from the +/-11mm settings and don’t push it beyond 8 or 9mm you’ll have good performance right across the frame.

I was a little surprised and disappointed at first to find this lens doesn’t offer tilt, but in use I have come to appreciate why that movement hasn’t been included

All the pictures in this gallery were shot at F8 and F11, but F5.6 also gives good performance. There’s a slight drop of sharpness at F16 and a more noticeable decline at F22, as diffraction takes over. Vignetting is well-controlled and only comes into play at the more extreme settings and, as the Zero-D marking indicates, there is little curvilinear distortion.

I have to say that I was a little surprised and disappointed at first to find this lens doesn’t offer tilt, but in use I have come to appreciate why that movement hasn’t been included. While it would be fun to be able to tilt the lens there isn’t the same depth-of-field advantage in such a wide angle lens as you’d get in a regular focal length – depth-of-field is extensive at all apertures – and it likely won’t be used for product photography.

The lens was ideal for shooting the interior of this summer house in my neighbor’s garden. The wide view allowed me to fit it all in, and a bit of drop front allowed me to position the camera high up to could show the tops of the furniture while maintaining upright verticals. Rising front when shooting the outside let me position the camera low down so it could ‘look up’ and include more of the lit ceiling.

Tilt would offer a few fun tricks, but its absence isn’t likely to put off the target market of those shooting the interiors and exteriors of buildings. In use I found the 15mm focal length too wide for many of the applications I was expecting to use this lens for, but was able to make the most of its charms shooting interiors rather than exteriors – though it did allow me to shoot tall buildings when there wasn’t much room to move backwards.

This is a very interesting, if somewhat specialist, lens that should find a place in the kit bags of those looking for its width, its lack of distortion and its ability to take an altered perspective while maintaining a parallel relationship between the imaging sensor and the subject.

The lens will ship from late November in mounts for Nikon F and Canon EF, and costs $ 1199. Other mounts will follow next year. For more information see the Venus Optics website.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on Laowa 15mm F4.5 Zero-D Shift sample gallery and impressions

Posted in Uncategorized

 

Venus Optics unveils Laowa 15mm F4.5 ‘Zero-D’ Shift lens for full-frame cameras

30 Oct

Venus Optics has announced the release of the Laowa 15mm F4.5 Zero-D Shift, a new lens that takes the crown as the widest shift lens for full-frame camera systems.

The lens is constructed of 17 elements in 11 groups, including two aspherical elements and a new lens coating. It has a 110-degree angle of view, offers a 65mm image circle and can shift +/-11mm on full-frame camera systems (+/-8mm when adapted for medium format cameras, such as Fujifilm GFX and Hasselblad X1D cameras).

Other specifications include a five-blade aperture diaphragm, a 20cm (7.8”) minimum focusing distance and a 360-degree rotation function with clicks every 15-degrees to offer more flexibility when adjusting the shift of the lens. Venus Optics has also developed a specialized lens support that holds the lens towards the front of the barrel so you can keep the lens’ optical axis stable when making your shift adjustments.

Below are a collection of sample shots, provided by Venus Optics:

$ (document).ready(function() { SampleGalleryV2({“containerId”:”embeddedSampleGallery_2361151681″,”galleryId”:”2361151681″,”isEmbeddedWidget”:true,”selectedImageIndex”:0,”isMobile”:false}) });

The Laowa 15mm F4.5 Zero-D Shift is available to pre-order today for Canon EF, RF, Nikon F, Nikon Z and full-frame Sony E-mount camera systems for $ 1,199 on Venus Optics’ website. The Canon EF and Nikon F mount versions will be available in late November 2020, while the Canon RF, Nikon Z and full-frame Sony E-mount versions won’t be available until February 2021.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on Venus Optics unveils Laowa 15mm F4.5 ‘Zero-D’ Shift lens for full-frame cameras

Posted in Uncategorized

 

Venus Optics brings its Laowa 9mm T2.9, 12mm T2.9 and 15mm T2.1 cine primes to Canon RF mount

28 Sep

Venus Optics has announced it’s now adding a Canon RF lens mount option for three of its ultra-wide cinema primes: the 9mm T2.9 ‘Zero-D’ lens, 12mm T2.9 ‘Zero-D’ lens and 15mm T2.1 ‘Zero-D.’

The 12mm T2.9 ‘Zero-D’ lens was released back in January of this year, while the 9mm T2.9 and 15mm T2.1 ‘Zero-D’ lenses were announced back in June of this year. At the time, the lenses were only available for Sony E, Canon EF and PL mount, but owners of Canon’s EOS R series mirrorless cameras can now get native versions of the lenses, negating the need to use the EF version with the EF-RF adapter.

Photo Credit: Photo by Phil Holland, provided by Venus Optics

As part of the Loawa Zero-D’ line, all three lenses offer ‘close-to-zero’ distortion. All three lenses also feature industry standard 0.8 mod pitch gears for controlling both the aperture and focus.

As a quick refresher, below are specification summaries for each of the lenses:

9mm T2.9 ‘Zero-D’ lens

The 9mm T2.9 is constructed of 15 elements in 10 groups, has a minimum focusing distance of 12cm (4.72”), uses a seven-blade aperture diaphragm and weighs 247g (8.71oz).

12mm T2.9 ‘Zero-D’ lens

The 12mm T2.9 is constructed of 16 elements in 10 groups, has a minimum focusing distance of 18cm (7.09”), uses a seven-blade aperture diaphragm and weighs 675g (1.5lbs).

15mm T2.1 ‘Zero-D’ lens

The 15mm T2.1 is constructed of 12 elements in 9 groups, has a minimum focusing distance of 15cm (5.91”), uses a seven-blade aperture diaphragm and weighs 540g (1.19lbs).

All three lenses are available to purchase with the Canon RF mount starting today on Laowa’s online shop. The 9mm T2.9, 12mm T2.9 and 15mm T2.1 retail for $ 600, $ 1,500 and $ 1,200, respectively.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on Venus Optics brings its Laowa 9mm T2.9, 12mm T2.9 and 15mm T2.1 cine primes to Canon RF mount

Posted in Uncategorized

 

Venus Optics unveils Laowa 14mm F4 ‘Zero-D’ lens for full-frame mirrorless cameras

18 Sep

Venus Optics has announced the release of its latest lens, the Laowa 14mm F4 FF RL ‘Zero-D’ lens for full-frame mirrorless camera systems.

The compact ultra-wide-angle lens is constructed of 13 elements in 9 groups, including two aspherical elements and three extra-low dispersion elements. The lens features a 114º angle of view on a full-frame sensor while maintaining near-zero distortion as the ‘Zero-D’ moniker alludes to.

The lens features an aperture range of F4-F22, uses a five-blade aperture diaphragm, has a minimum focusing distance of 27cm (10.6″) and uses a 52mm front filter thread. It measures in at 58mm in diameter, 59mm long and weighs just 228g (8oz).

Below is a gallery of sample images provided by Venus Optics:

$ (document).ready(function() { SampleGalleryV2({“containerId”:”embeddedSampleGallery_9410422361″,”galleryId”:”9410422361″,”isEmbeddedWidget”:true,”selectedImageIndex”:0,”isMobile”:false}) });

The Loawa 14mm F4 ‘Zero-D’ lens is available in Leica M, Leica L, Sony FE, Nikon Z, and Canon RF mounts on Venus Optics’ website. All versions retail for $ 549, with the exception of the Leica M mount, which retails for $ 649. Shipping will start in late September for all but the Leica M and Canon RF mount versions, which will see the first shipments go out in late October.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on Venus Optics unveils Laowa 14mm F4 ‘Zero-D’ lens for full-frame mirrorless cameras

Posted in Uncategorized

 

The Laowa 50mm F2.8 is the first 2x macro lens for MFT systems

19 Aug

Chinese lens manufacturer Venus Optics has introduced a new Ultra Macro lens to its Laowa line-up with a 50mm F2.8 model that offers a 2x macro function. The Laowa 50mm F2.8 2X Ultra Macro APO is claimed to be the first-ever 2x macro lens for the MTF system, and has a minimum focus distance of 13.5cm (5.3in).

Marked with the company’s ‘CA Dreamer’ slogan, the lens has apochromatic correction achieved with three extra-low dispersion elements in the 14-elements-in-10-group construction. The company says lateral and longitudinal chromatic aberrations are corrected and that out-of-focus highlights appear free of color fringes. As the lens provides the view you’d expect from a 100mm on a full-frame sensor Laowa says it also makes an excellent portrait lens.

Jimmy Chan Paul Harcourt Davies
Nicky Bay Paul Harcourt Davies

The lens is chipped and allows body-controlled apertures as well as full EXIF data to be recorded in the image metadata. The lens has a 7-bladed iris, a 49mm filter thread and it weighs 240g (8.4oz), while the short flange distance has allowed the company make it just 79mm (3.1in) in length.

The Laowa 50mm F2.8 2x Macro costs $ 400 before tax and is available to purchase now on the Laowa website.

Press release:

Venus Optics announced the world’s first 2x macro lens for MFT: Laowa 50mm f/2.8 2X Ultra Macro APO

Venus Optics, the camera lens manufacturer endeavoring in unique ultra-macro lenses, announce the release of Laowa 50mm f/2.8 2X Ultra Macro APO Lens. The new 50mm lens is specially designed for Micro Four Thirds (MFT) cameras and it is the first- ever 2X macro lens designed for this sensor size. The lens also features an apochromatic (APO) design to minimize the chromatic aberrations across the frame. The ex-VAT retail price is USD 399/pc and pricing may vary in different countries.

1) Focus from infinity to 2X macro magnification

Unlike most of the MFT macro lenses in the market which can focus only up to 1X, the new Laowa 50mm macro lens offers a 2X maximum magnification ratio along with a minimum focusing distance of 5.3” (13.5cm). It has become the first lens ever designed with a greater- than-life-size (2:1) maximum magnification for MFT cameras, allowing photographing close subjects with finer details. The wider magnification range also makes itself flexible for shooting subjects at different sizes. The lens can focus to infinity and serve as an excellent portrait lens with its 100mm equivalent field of view on 35mm sensors.

2) Equipped with a CPU chip and motor (Automatic aperture)

The lens is equipped with a CPU chip and motor and the aperture can be controlled via the camera body. All the lens data is directly recorded on EXIF. Moreover, the focus magnifier would automatically triggered for easier focus control when the focus ring is rotated.

3) Apochromatic optical (APO) design

The new 50mm f/2.8 2X Ultra Macro has a optics design with 14 elements in 10 groups, three out of which are extra-low dispersion glasses to minimize chromatic aberrations across the frame.
This lens has inherited the exceptional APO design from Laowa 65mm f/2.8 2x Ultra Macro APO, where both lateral chromatic aberration (LaCa) and longitudinal CA (LoCA or Bokeh Fringing) are eliminated.

4) Lightweight & Compactness

The 50mm lens is extremely compact and light in weight. It measures 3.1” (79mm) long and weighs only around 8.4oz (240g). Venus Optics take advantage of the short flange distance of mirrorless cameras and compress the size of the lens to the minimal. An internal focus design is also adopted so that the length of the lens can be maintained during focusing.

5) Compatible with MFT

With the previous success of the Laowa 65mm f/2.8 2x Ultra macro APO which was optimized for APS-C, the new 50mm lens is specially developed for MFT mirrorless camera users. It can be used on Panasonic, Olympus, BMPCC 4K, etc.

6) Pricing & Availability

The lens is currently available to order in authorized resellers and in Venus Optics official website (http://www.venuslens.net/). Shipping starts immediately. The ex-VAT retail price in the US is USD 399/pc. Pricing may vary in different countries.

Specifications

Format MFT
Focal length 50mm
Angle of View 24°
Aperture f/2.8-22 (Automatic aperture)
Optical Structure 14 elements in 10 groups
Aperture Blade 7 blades
Closest focusing distance 13.5cm
Max. Magnification 2X
Focus Manual
Filter thread ø49mm
Dimensions ø53.5mm x 79mm
Weight 240g

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on The Laowa 50mm F2.8 is the first 2x macro lens for MFT systems

Posted in Uncategorized

 

Venus Optics is now offering six of its most popular Laowa lenses for L-mount cameras

25 Jul

Venus Optics has announced it’s now offering six of its most popular Laowa lenses for L-mount camera systems. The new lenses feature the same optical designs as their respective DSLR and mirrorless equivalents but are designed specifically for use with Leica CL, Leica SL, Panasonic S1 and Sigma fp cameras.

The six ‘new’ L-mount lenses are as follows:

  • Laowa 10-18mm F4.5-5.6
  • Laowa 12mm F2.8 Zero-D
  • Laowa 15mm F2 Zero-D
  • Laowa 15mm F4 Wide Angle Macro
  • Laowa 65mm F2.8 2X Ultra-Macro
  • Laowa 100mm F2.8 2X Ultra Macro APO

Aside from dimensions and weight, which vary only slightly, the specifications for each of the lenses are the same as the other mirrorless-mount versions of each lens. As a refresher though, Venus Optics has provided the following specification overview chart.

As noted in the above chart, each lens retails for the same price as their other mirrorless mount equivalents. You can find out more about each of the lenses by going to Venus Optics’ website.

Press release

Press Release

Venus Optics add L-mount options on 6 of their Laowa Lenses

Anhui China, Jun 24, 2020 – Venus Optics, the manufacturer specialized in making unique photo and cinema lenses, add the L-mount option on six of their existing Laowa wide angle & macro lenses. These L-mount lenses can currently be used on Panasonic S1 series , Sigma FP and Leica SL/CL cameras.

Wide Angle

  • Laowa 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6
  • Laowa 12mm f/2.8 Zero-D
  • Laowa 15mm f/2 Zero-D

Macro

  • Laowa 15mm f/4 Wide Angle Macro
  • Laowa 65mm f/2.8 2X Ultra-Macro
  • Laowa 100mm f/2.8 2X Ultra Macro APO

Laowa 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6

Laowa 10-18mm is currently the widest rectilinear zoom lens available in the market for full frame cameras. With the small form factor, the lens is extremely handy for landscape and travel photographers. A rear filter slot is designed for using ND filters.

Laowa 12mm f/2.8 Zero-D

Laowa 12mm is the flagship model of Venus Optics and is currently the widest rectilinear f/2.8 lens in the market for full frame cameras. The lens features a close- to-zero distortion as well as a ultra-fast aperture. It is extremely popular among astro and landscape photographers.

Laowa 15mm f/2 Zero-D

Laowa 15mm f/2 Zero-D lens is another flagship model of Venus Optics and it features an extremely fast f/2 aperture. Unlike other wide angle lenses with bulgy front element, the 72mm filter thread is an extremely convenient feature for landscape and astro photographers. The lens is good for both photographers and videographers. Similar to the 12mm f/2.8, this 15mm can also cover the full frame sensor as well as having a close-to-zero distortion.

Laowa 15mm f/4 Wide Angle Macro

Laowa 15mm f/4 lens is currently the widest 1:1 macro lens in the market. The combination of deep depth of field and 1:1 magnification enables photographers to take photos like nobody else. Not only can small subjects appear huge in the photos, its background information (e.g. habitat) can also be visible in the photos. This lens can cover full frame sensor and is equipped with a simple +/- 6mm shift mechanism.

Laowa 65mm f/2.8 2X Ultra-Macro

Laowa 65mm f/2.8 2X Ultra-Macro is a 2:1 macro lens that Venus Optics have designed specially for mirrorless APS-C cameras. The extended macro range is extremely welcomed by macro photographers who was having difficulty in shooting small subjects. The compact and lightweight lens body matches balance with the camera really well.

Laowa 100mm f/2.8 2X Ultra-Macro APO

The award winning 100mm macro lens is one of the flagship macro lens offered by Venus Optics. Apart from the 2:1 magnification, the lens also features an extremely good control of chromatic aberrations control. The lens is able to focus from 2:1 magnification till infinity focus and cover full frame sensor.

Pricing & Availability

The new L-mount lenses are currently available to order in Venus Optics official webstore and their authorized resellers. Pricing is the same as the other available mounts and they vary in different countries. Shipping will start from August onwards.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on Venus Optics is now offering six of its most popular Laowa lenses for L-mount cameras

Posted in Uncategorized

 
« Older Entries