Laowa has announced another affordable glass, which is the new Ranger full-frame cine zooms. For now, the focal lengths are 28-75mm T2.9 and 75-180mm T2.9 (16-30mm T2.9 in the future). The price is $3,000 USD. Test shots are below.
Ranger Compact Cine Zoom
As we’re waiting for the shipping of the intriguing Proteus 2X Anamorphic glass, which was Laowa ’s star at Cine Gear Expo 2023, the company unveiled its latest zoom lens series – “Ranger”. The new compact Cine Zoom series comes with a 28-75mm T2.9 and 75-180mm T2.9 (And there will be a 16-30mm T2.9 joining the series soon). “Covering a full-frame sensor, the series is meticulously designed to meet the demands of different production sizes from small run-and-gun filmmakers to larger production houses” Laowa stated. Despite the Ranger covering a long zoom range from 28mm to 180mm, each of the lenses weighs only around 3 lbs (1.4kg). Check out the commercial below:
Main characteristics
The Ranger series has been designed to be parfocal, ensuring precise focus control while zooming in and out. Furthermore, the Rangers have a constant T2.9 aperture. Both 28-75mm and the 75-180mm can focus at close distances (0.49m/1’7” on 28-75mm and 0.89m/2’11” on the 75-180mm) and are well-controlled with almost no focus breathing, as Laowa promises. Moreover, the Rangers provide a quick back focus adjustment mechanism. These are the key features of the Ranger series:
- Light and compact
- Long and versatile zoom range
- Constant T2.9 aperture
- Extremely close focus distance
- Parfocal design
- Well-controlled with almost no focus breathing
- Exceptional image quality
- Quick back focus adjustment mechanism
- Interchangeable PL/ EF mount
- Additional mirrorless mounts available (E/ RF/ Z/ L)
A zoom range of 28 to 180mm
The lenses come with a popular and versatile zoom range from 28 to 180mm with more than a 6.4x zoom ratio in total. As mentioned above, there will be a 16-30mm addition to the series soon.
Interchangeable PL/EF mount
The lenses come with a native PL mount and an interchangeable EF bayonet. Moreover, Laowa offers additional mirrorless mounts (which can be purchased separately) such as RF / E / Z / L for filmmakers with mirrorless systems.
Professional cine housing
According to Laowa, the Rangers are designed to fit a professional production setup. They both come with 0.8 mod gears, threads for mounting lens support, and other utilities. Dual scales with Feet and Meters are both displayed on the lenses. Both the 28-75mm and 75-180mm have a 77mm filter thread and 80mm outer diameter. Filmmakers can choose from using screw-in filters or a matte box.
Pricing and availability
Laowa Ranger Compact Cine Zoom Lenses are currently available to purchase via Venus Optics’ official website and authorized resellers. The US price for the Laowa Ranger Compact Cine Zoom Lenses is USD2,999 each and USD5,799 for a 2-lens bundle set. Additional mirrorless mount price is USD100 each. Pricing varies in different countries.
Sample footage
And now for the most important part — sample footage. Explore the test footage below:
Ranger Compact Cine Zoom Series Lens Test | RED V-Raptor 8K VV + Sony A7IV:
Shot with Laowa Ranger 28-75mm T2.9 FF:
Car Racing | Shot with Ranger 28-75mm T2.9 FF:
Photo Hike (ASMR) | Shot with Ranger 28-75mm T2.9 FF:
Cycling Documentary | Shot with Laowa Ranger 28-75mm T2.9 FF:
“What are you afraid of?” | Shot with Ranger 28-75mm T2.9 FF:
For the Love of Filmmaking | Shot with Laowa Ranger 75-180mm T2.9 FF:
