The number of mount options from Venus Optics is growing. On the heels of introducing four of its lenses in L-mount, they have now added Canon RF mount for the full-frame Laowa 11mm F4.5 FF RL lens and Nikon Z mount to the Laowa 65mm F2.8x Ultra-Macro APO. Both still lenses are manual focus and produce some stunning images. Let's take a look.
Laowa 11mm F4.5 FF RL
Credit: Venus Optics
The Laowa 11mm F4.5 FF RL is a compact rectilinear (RL) wide-angle lens for full-frame mirrorless cameras. It touts a 126° angle of view with a 7.4" (19cm) minimum focus distance. Ideal for wide-angle work, optically it includes two aspherical elements and three extra-low dispersion elements to reduce chromatic aberration and distortion while providing edge-to-edge sharpness.
The lens is only 2.5" (6.3cm) in height and weighs 254g (8.9oz) allowing it to fit into smaller places for video work. The lens has a 62mm filter thread, or 100mm filters can be used. A 5 blade aperture creates alluring 10 point sunstars.
The lens is available in Sony FE, Nikon Z, Canon RF, and L-mount for $699 and Leica M for $799.
Laowa 65mm f/2.8 2x Ultra-Macro APO
Credit: Venus Optics
The Laowa 65mm F2.8 is compatible with mirrorless cameras with APS-C format, allowing it to take advantage of Nikon DX shooting mode. The 2x macro lenses have been designed to suppress chromatic aberration at both in-focus and out-of-focus areas to deliver clean images detailed in rich contrast.
Optically, the lens is comprised of 14 elements in 10 groups with three extra-low dispersion glass elements, touting a 9 blade aperture. The manual focus prime lens is fairly light and compact too, weighing only 335g (11.8oz).
The lens is available in Canon EF-M, Fuji X, Sony E, and Nikon Z mounts for $399.
We expect Venus Optics to continue its trend of adding more native mount options to its still and cinema lens this year, and in particular, Canon RF, which is a good thing as the list of third-party lens options isn't very long.
