With Panasonic introducing the LUMIX GH6 and confirming it’s still behind the Micro Four Thirds format, Venus Optics makes its own announcement, introducing four cine lenses and two bundles for Micro Four Thirds.
The first of the new lenses is the Laowa 6mm T2.1 Zero-D MFT Cine, introduced as the widest rectilinear MFT lens. Exclusively designed for Micro Four Thirds cameras, the lens provides the widest rectilinear option for MFT shooters. With a 121.9° angle of view, users are able to shoot in tight space and capture more details in the shot. The closest focusing distance is 9cm/ 3.54”, creating shallower depth-of-field when shooting close-ups and that helps create stronger background bokeh effect. The constant maximum t-stop T2.1 is also favorable and flexible to shoot under low-light conditions, says Venus Optics.
The newly devised optical design contains 13 elements in 3 groups with two aspherical glasses, controlling distortion while keeping it ultra wide, according to the company. This lens is awarded the “Zero-Distortion” badge that is one of the best choices for filming in tight space and buildings. Moreover, it saves the time of correction in post-production.
Laowa 6mm T2.1 Zero-D MFT Cine is a tiny and light lens suitable for several uses, like with gimbals, handheld, FPV drones etc. The lens weighs around 180g/ 6.35oz and it has the following dimensions: ~Φ61 x 53mm/ 2.40 x 2.08”. The standard 58mm filter thread for mounting screw-in filters brings convenience and places less burden on outdoor filming.
Small and compact (Φ56 x 47mm / 2.20 x 1.85” and 150g / 5.29oz) is the conspicuous character of the Laowa 10mm T2.1 Zero-D MFT Cine lens, which is the smallest in the range. Despite the tiny size, the lens, notes Venus Optics “is still able to use a Φ49mm screw-in filter which allows quick installation and remain lightweight. The size makes it handy to film with a gimbal and become the favorite of many drone pilots.”
The Laowa 17mm T1.9 MFT Cine, announced as a handy lens with versatile focal length, is a high-speed compact lens with a 65° field of view on a Micro Four Thirds sensor. Constant T1.9 maximum t-stop allows users to shoot in low light conditions. You can easily separate your subject from the background. Apart from the aperture, a 15mm/5.9″ minimum focus distance is also very useful for shooting close-ups and creating a shallow depth of field.
Small and compact, it weighs around 175g /6.17oz with a tiny body size with the dimensions of Φ56 x 53mm (2.20 x 2.08”), making it ideal to pair with smaller MFT cinema cameras for any style of shooting.
The final lens in the MFT quartet introduced by Venus Optics is the Laowa 50mm T2.9 Macro APO MFT Cine, a lens equipped with 2x magnification that can be rarely found in the market. More details and objects with even smaller sizes can be easily captured. It can also focus from 2X macro to infinity which can serve as a portrait lens. Very useful for shooting b-rolls and products commercial as well.
With an apochromatic (APO) design that controls the color fringing to the minimum and greatly improves the sharpness and clarity of images, the Laowa 50mm T2.9 Macro APO MFT Cine is small and compact. With a weight around 289g/ 10.19oz with a tiny body size with the dimensions of Φ58 x 83mm (2.28 x 3.26”), this lens is super light and handy compared with other macro lenses in the market.
All lenses now announced are molded with mod 0.8 gear. The aperture ring and focusing ring of each lens have the same position so filmmakers can quickly switch between lenses without readjusting. Both imperial and metric scales are printed on the lens body.
Laowa 6mm T2.1 Zero-D MFT Cine, 10mm T2.1 Zero-D MFT Cine, 17mm T1.9 MFT Cine and 50mm T2.9 Macro APO MFT Cine are currently available to purchase via Venus Optics official website (http://www.venuslens.net/) and authorized dealers. It is priced at $699, $549, $399 and $549 respectively. Laowa MFT Cine Prime 3-Lens [Wide + Macro] and Laowa MFT Cine Prime 3-Lens Wide Bundle are priced at $1,350 and $1,450.