The Laowa 15mm T2.1 Zero-D Cine
The Laowa 15mm T2.1 Zero-D Cine

Venus Optics Presents 3 new Compact, Zero-Distorted, and Affordable Ultra Wide Cine Lenses

2020-06-22
3 mins read

Venus Optics unveiled 3 new ultra-wide cine lenses (7.5mm, 9mm, and 15mm) for Micro Four Thirds, Super 35, and Full-frame cinema cameras respectively. The main characteristics are Compact size, zero-distortion, and affordability. Read more below. 

Venus Optics 3 new Compact Zero-Distorted Ultra Wide Cine Lenses
Venus Optics 3 new Compact Zero-Distorted Ultra Wide Cine Lenses

New ultra-wide cine lenses

Venus Optics presets three new ultra-wide cine lenses for cameras with different sensor sizes. Meet the Laowa 7.5mm T2.1 Cine for Micro Four Thirds cameras, Laowa 9mm T2.9 Zero-D Cine for Super35 cameras, and the Laowa 15mm T2.1 Zero-D Cine Lens for large format (full-frame) cameras. All three lenses feature the same optical system as their popular photography version (rehoused) and offer solid optical performance.

Venus Optics Presets 3 new Compact, Zero-Distorted and Affordable Ultra Wide Cine Lenses
Venus Optics Presets 3 new Compact, Zero-Distorted, and Affordable Ultra Wide Cine Lenses

Ultra-wide FoV & fast aperture 

All three Laowa cine lenses feature an ultra-wide angle of view and fast aperture. The Laowa 7.5mm T2.1 features a 110° FoV on MFT while the 9mm T2.9 features a 113° on Super35 sensors. The 15mm T2.1 instead features a 110° FoV on cameras with full-frame sensors.

Laowa 15mm T2.1 Zero-D Cine
Laowa 15mm T2.1 Zero-D Cine

Close-to-zero distortion 

Both the 9mm and 15mm feature the distinguishing Laowa close-to-zero distortion (Zero-D) design where the optical distortion at infinity distance has been compressed to the minimal. This is extremely important for motion picture recording when shooting indoor, architecture, or footage with straight lines included. This also saves a tremendous amount of time in distortion correction in post-processing. Explore the slide below that demonstrates the advantages of minimal-zero distortion when shooting wide-angle. 

Zero distortion of wide angle lens
Zero distortion of the wide-angle lens

Compact & lightweight 

All three wide-angle prime lenses are compact and lightweight. Both 7.5mm and 9mm weigh close to 0.5 lbs (226g). The 15mm is a little bit heavier due to the larger coverage (around 1.2 lbs – 540g). On the contrary to the huge and heavy wide-angle lenses in the market, the new Laowa cine lenses are extremely handy for run-and-gun productions, shooting with gimbals, in-car shots, indoor scene, etc. 

The Laowa 7.5mm T2.1 Cine
The Laowa 7.5mm T2.1 Cine

Close Focusing Distance – Shallow DOF on wide-angle shots

All three Laowa cine lenses possess an extremely close focusing distance. This provides a great deal of flexibility for directors to compose shots at any distance. Filmmakers can also take advantage of this close focusing to create some wide-angle shots with shallower depth of field. Both the Laowa 7.5mm and 9mm can focus as close as 4.7” (12cm) from the sensor to subject while the 15mm can focus up to 5.9” (15cm). 

Laowa 7.5mm T2.1 Cine
Laowa 7.5mm T2.1 Cine

Rehoused photo lens: Click-less and enhanced build

Those lenses are rehoused version of their photo twins. Both the aperture and focus rings have been built with industry-standard 0.8 mod pitch gears for pairing up with follow-focus motors. The aperture ring is now click-less for smooth iris control. Every one of Laowa cine lenses comes with a filter thread for filmmakers to use screw-in filters and mini matte-boxes. The entire lens body is made by premium grade aluminum and build for usage in an extreme environment. 

Laowa 15mm T2.1 Zero-D Cine lens
Laowa 15mm T2.1 Zero-D Cine lens

Future compatibility: RED Komodo and Canon R5

According to Venus Optics, new Nikon Z, Canon RF, and Leica L mount will be introduced later this year to be compatible with RED Komodo, Canon R5, Nikon Z6/Z7, Sigma FP, Panasonic S1H and more to come. 

Pricing & Availability 

All three cine lenses are currently available to purchase via Venus Optics’ official website and authorized resellers. The US price for 7.5mm T2.1 and 9mm T2.9 is $599/pc (ex-VAT) and 15mm T2.1 is $1,199/pc (ex- VAT).

Picture quality

Check out the video below which demonstrates the potential of the full-frame option. Shot with the 15mm cine lens on the Sony a7iii. 

Wrapping up

That’s a piece of great news for filmmakers, especially those who like the super-wide full-frame look and cine options without breaking the bank. The new Laowa wide-angle cine lenses are made mainly for indie shooters that use mirrorless cameras on a gimbal and want to control their focus with a dedicated engine. Furthermore, the close focusing and zero distortion characteristics allow wide-angle and cinematic shots followed by a beautiful bokeh. 

What are your thoughts about the new Laowa wide-angle cine lenses? Share with us your insights in the comment section below!

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Yossy is a filmmaker who specializes mainly in action sports cinematography. Yossy also lectures about the art of independent filmmaking in leading educational institutes, academic programs, and festivals, and his independent films have garnered international awards and recognition.
Yossy is the founder of Y.M.Cinema Magazine.

2 Comments

  1. Excellent lenses and the video I love. Everything’s all right, transitions, colour grading, camera gestures. Will a follow focus system use the stabilizer on this manual focus lens?

  2. Just an FYI.. the “other wide angle lens” image shown, while actually, yes, another wide angle lens, is from a smartphone. That’s a shot, I believe, from a LG G6 ultrawide camera, which is about an 11mm in full-frame terms, and not a rectilinear lens. Most recent smartphones do software de-fisheye of their ultrawide shots, but LG was with the first with this kind of camera on a phone.

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Get the best of filmmaking!

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Subscribe to Y.M.Cinema Magazine to get the latest news and insights on cinematography and filmmaking!

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