Laowa 65mm f/2.8 2X Macro APO Lens For Canon EOS M (and other mounts) Announced

Laowa 65mm F/2.8 2X Macro APO
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Venus Optics released another interesting lens at an affordable price, the Laowa 65mm f/2.8 2X Macro APO.

The Laowa 65mm f/2.8 2X Macro APO will be available for Canon EOS M, Fujj X and Sony E camera systems. The price of this manual lens is $399. Laowa lenses are listed at B&H Photo and Adorama.

Laowa 65mm f/2.8 2X Macro APO MFT and specifications:

Laowa 65mm f/2.8 2X Macro APO
Format CompatibilityAPS-C
Focal Length65mm
Angle of view24.4°
Aperturef/2.8 – 22
Lens Structure14 elements in 10 groups 
Aperture Blades9
Min. Focusing Distance17cm
Max. Magnification2:1
Filter Thread52mm 
DimensionsΦ57mm×100mm
Weight335g
MountFuji-X/ Canon EOS-M / Sony E

Press release:

Venus Optics announce pricing and availability of Laowa 65mm f/2.8 2X macro lens, a compact macro lens with 2:1 magnification and invisible CA

Anhui China, Jan 24, 2020 – Venus Optics, the Chinese camera lenses manufacturer endeavoring in crafting unique manual lenses that no two alike, unveil the pricing and availability of the highlighted product in 2020: Laowa 65mm f/2.8 2X macro APO. It is the first macro lens that Venus Optics specially design for mirrorless cameras with APS-C sensors. Looking at market offerings which can focus up to 1:1 at most, the Laowa macro lens is the only APS-C mirrorless lens in the market that is capable of achieving a 2:1 magnification. Despite its unique specifications and features, Venus Optics has decided to keep the lens reasonably affordable at US $399 (ex-VAT) only. Pricing varies in different countries. It comes with Fuji X, Sony E & EOS-M mounts.

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Laowa 4mm f/2.8 Fisheye Lens For EOS M Announced

Laowa 4mm F/2.8 Fisheye
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The Laowa 4mm f/2.8 Fisheye lens as launched back in August 2019 for the MFT system.

Now Venus Optics announced the Laowa 4mm f/2.8 Fisheye for three more mount types, Canon EF-M (EOS M), Sony E, Fuji. And the best thing? It sells for $200.

Specifications:

Laowa 4mm F2.8 Fisheye 
Focal length4mm
Max aperturef/2.8
Min aperturef/16
Angle of view210°
FormatMicro Four Thirds
MountMicro Four Thirds
Focus typeManual Focus
Lens typeFisheye
Optics7 elements in 6 groups
Aperture blades7
Min focus distance8cm (3.15″)
Dimensions25.5 x 45.2mm
Weight135g

This new lens from Venus Optics has an ultra-wide field of view (210°) and obviously a lot of distortion. It almost sees behind itself, and it can be used or 360° panorama photography.

Laowa 4mm f/2.8 fisheye
Venus Optics 4mm f/2.8 fisheye
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Venus Optics Adds RF Mount Versions To Three Popular Laowa Lenses

Rf Mount
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Venus Optics announced they will soon release Canon RF mount and Nikon Z mount versions of three of their popular Laowa lenses.

The Laowa 12mm F2.8 Zero-D, Laowa 25mm F2.8 2.5-5X Ultra Macro and Laowa 100mm F2.8 2X Ultra Macro are the three lenses that will be released for Canon and Nikon’s full frame mirrorless systems.

Laowa 12mm f/2.8 Zero-D

World’s Widest f/2.8 Lens with close-to-zero distortion.

Featuring the widest angle of view (122°) ever offered from a f/2.8 lens, this is an ideal lens for a wide variety of shooting situations. From landscape, architecture, interior, travel to the most important, astro photography.  The lens is the lightest and most compact lens in its class. Ideal for everyday shooting. It also features close-to-zero optical distortion, allowing photographers to take landscape/architecture shots with straight lines retained. Our exclusive water and dust repelling “Frog Eye Coating” is added to the front element of the lens. For maximum creativity, you can use CPL or ND filters by adding an optional Laowa 100mm filter holder system.

Laowa 25mm f/2.8 2.5-5X Ultra Macro

The most compact and versatile high magnification macro lens.

This lens is optimized for macro shooting between 2.5X – 5X life-size. The lens is specially designed with an extended working distance (45mm at 2x & 40mm at 2.5x) and small lens barrel. This allows sufficient lighting on the object for easier shooting in the field. The lens is much more compact and lighter than other macro lenses. This lens also provides a greater depth of field compared to other extreme macro lenses in the market. The Laowa 25mm f/2.8 2.5-5X is developed for both professional and leisure macro photography, to be used in the field or indoor set-ups. An optional LED Ringlight and Tripod Collar are available for added control and precision operation.

Laowa 100mm f/2.8 2x Ultra Macro APO

Followed by the success of the Laowa 60mm f/2.8 2:1 Macro, the 100mm f/2.8 2:1 Macro is the 2nd member of Laowa 2:1 macro line-up. It features an apochromatic (APO) characteristic that chromatic aberration at both ‘in-focus’ & ‘out-of-focus’ is both invisible. This new 100mm lens can cover full frame sensor size and focus from 2:1 magnification to infinity. The lens has a similar physical size to other 100mm Macro lenses in the market but its wider magnification range allows macro photographers to capture subjects at any sizes. This 100mm f/2.8 lens can also focus to infinity and serve as a portrait lens with exceptional optics quality.

Canon RF mount version is equipped with a CPU chip and motor for aperture control via the camera. The lens is not currently compatible with electronic adapters. For people using on Sony FE mount cameras, please select the Sony FE option instead.

Laowa 15mm f/2 Zero-D For Canon EOS R Announced

Laowa 15mm F/2 Zero-D
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Venus Optics announced the Laowa 15mm f/2 Zero-D lens for Canon EOS R systems (and others).

The Laowa 15mm f/2 Zero-D can be preordered at Adorama for $849.

Product description:

The ultra wide, fast & compact prime for your full frame mirrorless cameras (Sony FE / Canon RF / Nikon Z).

This lens is currently the fastest in its class, offering superior optical quality for full-frame mirrorless cameras. It features close-to-zero distortion with a 110° angle of view. The ultra-fast f/2 aperture enables photographers to capture impressive astro shots very easily. The 72mm filter thread allows quick attachment of filters for creating unique and inspiring landscapes. This lens can easily become an everyday lens for most shooters, given its compact size (82 mm/3.23 in. long) and weight (only 500 g/1.1 lb.).

Full-size sample images can be found in our Flickr gallery here.

The Laowa 15mm f/2 Zero-D is currently the widest f/2 rectilinear lens in the market with a native E mount (it does not require additional adapters). It is an ultra-wide & ultra-fast prime lens which covers both 35mm full-frame & APS-C sensors. The extreme 110° angle of view and ultra-fast f/2 aperture allow photographers to create impressive astro-photography shots with ease. It also gives photographers a fast wide angle option for landscape and low-light photography.

The Laowa 15mm f/2 Zero-D is the second member of the Close-to-Zero distortion series from Venus Optics, following the launch of the Laowa 12mm f/2.8 Zero-D last year. Zero-D lenses are specially designed to remove the optical distortion commonly associated with wide angle lenses. Any straight lines will be retained.

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Venus Optics Laowa 100mm f/2.8 2x Ultra Macro APO Announced and Available For Preorder

Laowa 100mm
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At a glance:

  • EF-Mount Lens/Full-Frame Format
  • Aperture Range: f/2.8 to f/22
  • Two Low Dispersion Elements
  • Maximum Magnification: 2:1
  • Minimum Focusing Distance: 9.7″
  • Manual Focus Design
  • 9-Blade Diaphragm

Venus Optics announced the Laowa 100mm f/2.8 2x Ultra Macro APO lens. The Laowa 100mm f/2.8 2x Macro sells for $449 and can be preordered at Adorama | B&H Photo | Amazon

Press release:

Venus Optics announces availability and pricing for Laowa 100mm f/2.8 2:1 Ultra Macro APO

Featuring a 2 times life-size reproduction with no visible CA, the new Laowa Macro is a high quality and versatile macro and portrait lens.

China, 7 May 2019 – Venus Optics, the camera lenses manufacturer who had previously launched a number of unique Laowa camera lenses, is proud to announce the availability and pricing of the new Laowa 100mm f/2.8 2X Ultra-Macro APO lens.

Followed by the success of the Laowa 60mm f/2.8 2:1 Macro, the 100mm f/2.8 2:1 Macro is the 2nd member of Laowa 2:1 macro line-up. This new 100mm lens can cover full frame sensor and focus from 2:1 magnification to infinity. 100mm is a more popular focal length for macro photographers. However, all of the current 100mm macro lenses in the market can only achieve 1:1 (life-size) or even smaller magnification. Shooting with smaller bugs is usually a challenge for macro photographers. The wider magnification range of the new Laowa Macro allows photographers to capture subjects at any size, making it one of the most versatile macro lens in the market. Despite having the wider range, Venus Optics manage to compress the size of the lens to the minimal and it is similar to other 1:1 macro lens in the market.

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