Laowa’s Argus T1 Cine Series Promises Affordability and Speed
Venus Optics has announced the Laowa Argus T1 Cine Series, including what Venus Optics claims are the world's first ultra-fast T1 aperture 28mm and 35mm T1 lenses for full-frame cameras.
Laowa’s New Ranger S35 Lenses Are Compact and Lightweight Cine Zooms
There was so much news unveiled at NAB 2024 last month that a few things slipped through the cracks, including Venus Optics' new Laowa Ranger S35 cinema zoom lenses. After being teased in Las Vegas, the compact cine lenses have officially launched.
The Best Lenses for Micro Four Thirds Cameras in 2024
While most of the attention in the photography world is focused on full-frame and APS-C products -- hardly surprising since those are what most companies focus on -- Micro Four Thirds is still one of the best systems on the market.
Venus Optics Brings Two Wide-Angle Laowa Lenses to DJI Drones
While many of DJI's most popular and affordable drones have built-in camera modules, some of the company's higher-end offerings have interchangeable camera systems and lens mounts. Zenmuse, Ronin, and Inspire series products, including gimbals and Inspire drones, accept DL lenses -- a proprietary DJI mount system.
Chinese Lenses Don’t Always Seem Like Cheap Toys Anymore
I have to admit that I haven't given enough time to review the many, many lenses that are coming to us out of China. The only thing harder than knowing which Chinese camera companies belong to which other camera companies is knowing how to pronounce the often strange naming conventions given to the brands.
Laowa’s New 1.5x Anamorphic Zooms Have a Special, Unique Design
Venus Optics, maker of Laowa photo and cinema lenses, has announced two new anamorphic zoom lenses, the Laowa Nanomorph 1.5X Anamorphic 28-55mm T2.9 and 50-100mm T2.9.
The Full-Frame Laowa 10mm f/2.8 Zero-D is Laowa’s First AF Lens
Venus Optics has announced its first autofocus lens ever, the Laowa 10mm f/2.8 Zero-D FF. The full-frame lens weighs just 0.93 pounds (420 grams) and is available for multiple mirrorless camera systems, including Canon RF, L-Mount, Nikon Z, and Sony E-mount.
Laowa 8-16mm f/3.5-5 Zoom CF is a Compact, Ultra-Wide APS-C Lens
Venus Optics has announced the Laowa 8-16mm f/3.5-5 Zoom CF lens for APS-C cameras.
Laowa Makes Microscopy Affordable with 10-50x Aurogon Lens
Venus Optics announced the Laowa Aurogon 10-50x Supermicro APO lens set this summer, although details were extremely scarce at the time. Now Venus Optics has completely revealed the lens, including full specs and many incredible sample images.
New Laowa Anamorphic Lenses Include Interchangeable Flare
Venus Optics and Keslow Camera have jointly announced an interchangeable flare version of the Laowa Proteus 2X Anamorphic Lens series, the Proteus Flex.
Laowa Expands Its ‘Most Compact’ Anamorphic Lens Series
Venus Optics has launched a pair of new compact Laowa Nanomorph anamorphic lenses on Indiegogo.
Totally Tubular: Hands-on with Laowa’s 24mm T8 2x Pro2be Macro Lens
Ahead of today's announcement, I tried the Laowa 24mm T8 2x Pro2be lens alongside a Panasonic S1R full-frame camera. The unusual macro lens is challenging but rewarding to use.
Laowa’s 24mm T8 2x Pro2be Macro is a Very Unusual Tube Lens
Venus Optics has announced the Laowa 24mm T8 2x Pro2be lens set designed for distinct cinematic and photographic applications. It takes the weird look of tube lenses and goes even further into the unusual.
Laowa 65mm/85mm T2.4 Anamorphic Lenses are Coming This Month
Venus Optics will launch a crowdfunding campaign for a set of Laowa Nanomorph anamorphic lenses alongside a 1.33x anamorphic adapter at the end of August.
The Venus Optics Laowa Aurogon is a 10-50x Microscope Lens
Venus Optics has announced a new Laowa super macro lens for a diverse range of full-frame cameras. The Aurogon FF 10-50x NA0.5 Supermicro APO lens has thus far only been announced in China, so information comes from translated sources, primarily information shared by Venus Optics on the Chinese social media network Weibo.
The Laowa Ranger Series is a New Set of T2.9 Compact Cine Zooms
Venus Optics has announced the Laowa Ranger Series of compact, full-frame cinema zoom lenses. The series currently includes the 28-75mm and 75-280mm T2.9 lenses, with the promise of a 16-30mm T2.9 coming next.
Laowa Argus 28mm f/1.2: Trash or Treasure? A Little Bit of Both
When I reviewed the Laowa Argus 35mm f/0.95 I was struck by how bad it was, but also how good it could be. Normally, I rate a lens based on how well it handles flare, how sharp it is, and how well it controls chromatic aberrations. Going by the above criteria, the Argus should have failed spectacularly.
Laowa’s Four New Anamorphic Lenses Include Widest-Ever for Super35
Venus Optics launched its new line of high-end Laowa Proteus 2x Anamorphic lenses in January with 35mm, 45mm, 60mm, and 85mm T2 primes. The company has now announced another quartet of Proteus 2X lenses, adding 20mm, 28mm, 100mm, and 135mm focal lengths to its cinema lens series.
The Laowa 15mm f/2 Zero-D is a Compact, Ultra-Wide Lens for Leica M
Venus Optics has announced the Laowa 15mm f/2 Zero-D LM lens for Leica M mount users. The manual focus lens includes rangefinder coupling and promises excellent results for landscape, architecture, interior, street, and astrophotography.
The New Laowa 28mm f/1.2 is a Super-Fast and Compact Travel Lens
Venus Optics has announced a new Laowa Argus 28mm f/1.2 prime lens for full-frame cameras. Billed as the fastest 28mm for full-frame on the market, the new lens is available for Leica L, Nikon Z, Sony E, and Canon RF mounts.
Laowa Goes High-End With Proteus Line of Pro-Level Anamorphic Lenses
Venus Optics is aiming at professional filmmaking production with the launch of the Proteus line of anamorphic lenses, what it is calling the most accessible professional anamorphic lenses with a constant 2x squeeze ratio for Super35 sensors.
Laowa Unveils the 6mm f/2 Zero-D: The Widest-Ever Rectilinear MFT Lens
Venus Optics has announced the Laowa 6mm f/2 Zero-D MFT rectilinear lens, the "Photo Version" of the previously released 6mm T2.1 Cine Lens that offers the same image quality as the cine version but finally adds electronic components for in-camera controls and proper EXIF information recording.
The Laowa 19mm f/2.8 is a Distortion-Free Manual Lens for Fujifilm GFX
Venus Optics has announced the Laowa 19mm f/2.8 Zero-D GFX, a manual-focus prime lens for Fujifilm's medium format camera system that promises a 110-degree field of view with close to no distortion.
Venus Optics Unveils Laowa Argus 18mm f/0.95 MFT, 25mm f/0.95 APS-C
Venus Optics today announced two new ultra-fast Laowa lenses in the Argus lineup. They are the Laowa Argus 18mm f/0.95 APO lens for Micro Four Thirds cameras and the Laowa Argus 25mm f/0.95 APO lens for APS-C crop sensor cameras.
Laowa’s Two New Macro Cine Lenses are the First with 2x Magnification
Venus Optics has announced two new macro cinema lenses, the Laowa 65mm T2.9 2X Macro APO Cine and Laowa 100mm T2.9 2X Macro APO Cine, which it claims are the first cinema lenses with 2x magnification.
Laowa 58mm f/2.8 Macro Lens Review: Impressive, Affordable, Versatile
Hot off of the heels of the 90mm f/2.8 2x Macro APO lens, Venus Optics has released another Laowa macro lens for mirrorless cameras in the 58mm f/2.8 2x Ultra Macro APO, which is arguably more versatile and therefore more appealing to general shooters.
Laowa 12-24mm f/5.6 C-Dreamer Review: Not Quite a Dream
Venus Optics has continued to expand on an already extensive list of ultra-wide-angle lenses with the addition of the Laowa 12-24mm f/5.6 C-Dreamer for full-frame mirrorless systems. Where many ultra-wide lenses can be big, bulky, and incredibly pricey, this new "slow" lens becomes even more impressive with its relatively small $649 price.
Laowa Argus 25mm f/0.95 APO Review: Excellent Lens with a Caveat
Venus Optics has introduced yet another unique lens to the market: the Laowa Argus 25mm f/0.95 APO for Micro Four Thirds. As a long-time user of the Micro Four Thirds system, I jumped at the opportunity to test drive this lens after I heard “0.95” and “APO” in the same sentence.
Laowa 10mm f/4 ‘Cookie’ Lens Review: Great Glass with Lackluster Usability
Venus Optics recently released the $299 Laowa 10mm f/4 "Cookie" lens, a super-compact prime for APS-C cameras that is practically small enough to fit in your pocket even when mounted on a camera.
The Laowa 10mm f/4 Cookie is World’s Widest APS-C Rectilinear Pancake
Venus Optics has announced a new ultra-compact 10mm f/4 pancake lens for APS-C camera platforms. The company says that the new Laowa 10mm f/4 makes an APS-C camera compact enough to be kept in a pocket without sacrificing performance.