venusoptics

A close-up of a black camera mounted on a drone, with a blurred bridge structure in the background. the camera lens has a visible brand name.

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 Lens Showcase

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 10-50x Supermicro APO lens

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.

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 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 Review

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.