The long-awaited Laowa OOOM 25-100mm T2.9 Cine lens is finally available, three years after it was first revealed. The US (ex-VAT) price is $5,000 for lens only and $6,500 for a bundle with the 2 adapters.

“Out Of Our Minds”. That’s what the OOOM in the Laowa OOOM 25-100mm T2.9 Cine lens means. Venus Optics, the camera lenses manufacturer specialized in making unique photo and cinema lenses, announced the project in 2018, and it took the company three years to develop and improve the new OOOM 25-100mm T2.9 Cine lens with the aim to deliver a budget par-focus cine zoom lens with a comprehensive zoom range and unique look.

Venus Optics says that “unlike some of the other cinema zoom lenses in the market, the OOOM was designed for cinematography purposes from the beginning and therefore it exhibits the imperative features including parfocus and little-to-none focus breathing. Venus Optics had also spent quite a lot of time into develop an unique ‘OOOM look’ with characters from vintage lenses as well as good sharpness of modern optics.” That’s what the Laowa OOOM 25-100mm T2.9 Cine lens brings to the table now!

Here are the key features of the new Laowa lens, provided by Venus Optics:

• Comprehensive 4x zoom range
  The OOOM is a versatile, all-in-one lens which is able to focus from ultra-wide (25mm) to telephoto (100mm) distances and has an uncommon 4X zoom factor. From narrative to documentary, from one-man-band to a film crew, the OOOM is designed for any types of gigs.
• Super35+ coverage
  A bigger Super35 design allows it to be used with no vignetting on Alexa Mini 4k UHD (& opengate), 8k HD on Red Helium and 5k HD on Red Gemini. The coverage can even be expanded to FF by using our 1.4x expander.
• Parfocal design
  The focus will remain the same no matter zooming in or out. The subject will remain sharp and in focus.
• Extremely low focus breathing
  Unlike rehoused cinema zoom lenses in the market with serious focus breathing, our lens was designed for cinematography in the first place and the breathing is thereby controlled to the minimal in its class. The composition will remain the same when pulling focus.
• Constant T2.9 with super close focus
  The large constant T2.9 allows you to shoot in low light situation throughout the whole zoom range. The lens can focus as close as 60cm (~2 feet from the sensor) which gives cinematographers more flexibility for framing.
• Full Frame Compatible via 1.4x Expander (To be released in 3 months)
  A 1.4X FF Expander is tailor designed for the OOOM to expand the coverage into full frame without degradation on image quality. Unlike other expanders in the market, the Laowa 1.4x Expander is designed to offset the aberrations found on the OOOM and retains its characters and performance. There will be a 1-stop light impact and 1.4x impact on the range, making it a 35-140mm T4 lens. A quick switch button is designed on the lens to allow easy conversion of focal length & t-stop scale.
• Rear 1.33X Anamorphic Adapter (To be released in 3 months)
  A new 1.33X rear Anamorphic Adapter is also designed to create cinematic 2.35:1 widescreen ratio when paired up with the OOOM. The rear anamorphic design behaves differently than front anamorphic design and has a unique character that cannot be paralleled by spherical lenses. There will be a ½ stop light impact on the lens when the anamorphic adapter is used.
• The Look
  Venus Optics are trying to deliver a zoom lens which blends in the characters of both modern and vintage optics. The OOOM is designed to offer a beautiful vintage look in its colour and bokeh. The image is not overly contrasty nor flat but with a very good sharpness of modern lenses. It also renders a natural healthy skin tone and silky smooth transition.
• User-interchangeable PL/EF/E mounts
  It comes in a hard case in default PL mount. A separate EF and E mount bayonet are included into the package where users can change it easily. A package of shims and tools are included for users to fine-tune the lens to the flange distance of their own cameras.
• Industry-grade mechanical design
  Both zoom, aperture and focus rings are designed with 0.8mod gears for motor engagement. The front outer diameter can be stepped up to 114mm via the included step-up ring and a 95mm filter thread is also equipped for easy filter installation.

 Pricing and availability

The new Laowa OOOM 25-100mm T2.9 is currently available to order via Venus Optics new website for cinema lenses and authorized resellers. The US (ex-VAT) price is $5,000/pc for lens only and $6,500 for a bundle with the 2 adapters. The standalone price of the 1.4x FF expander as well as the 1.33x rear anamorphic adapter is $999 respectively. Pricing varies in different countries.