If you shoot Panasonic, Sigma, or Leica, Venus Optics has added an L-mount option to four of its Laowa lenses, including the 4mm F2.8 Fisheye, 9mm F2.8 Zero-D, 24mm F14 2X Macro Probe, and the 25mm F2.8 2.5-5X Ultra Macro.
The still lenses are popular among videographers and photographers for their image quality, unique focal lengths, compact size, and price point. All four lenses are already available in multiple mounts like Sony E, MFT, and Fujifilm X. With L-mount as an option, shooters can capture images naively on L-mount cameras without needing to use an adapter.
All four lenses previously launched, so let's detail them briefly.
Laowa 24mm F14 2X Macro Probe
Credit: Venus Optics
Laowa 24mm F14 2X Macro Probe is the world’s first consumer-grade probe lens which focuses from 2:1 macro to infinity and with a compelling wide-angle "Bug Eye" perspective. The wide-angle design means much greater depth of field at close distances than possible with a conventional telephoto macro lens, so more background details can now be seen. The front barrel of the lens is waterproof, and an LED ring light is mounted at the tip of the lens. It can cover both standard 35mm full-frame and Super35 image sensors and is super lightweight to carry. Price: $1,499.
Laowa 4mm F2.8 Fisheye
Credit: Venus Optics
The 4mm F2.8 Fisheye lens features a 210° Angle of view with a circular fisheye perspective on Micro Four Thirds (M4/3) cameras. On the contrary to the Laowa ‘Zero-D’ wide-angle lenses, the 4mm fisheye lens is designed to create an extremely distorted circular fisheye perspective. Price: $199.
Laowa 9mm F2.8 Zero-D
Credit: Venus Optics
The 9mm F2.8 Zero-D provides an extreme 113° angle of view, and the ultra-fast f/2.8 aperture allows photographers to create impressive astrophotography shots and low-light shooting. Two aspherical elements plus three extra-low dispersion elements successfully correct chromatic aberration, realize close-to-zero distortion, and deliver excellent corner-to-corner sharpness. It comes with Fuji X, Sony E, Canon EF-M, DL, MFT, and L-mount. Price: $499.
Laowa 25mm F2.8 2.5-5x Ultra Macro
Credit: Venus Optics
The 25mm f/2.8 2.5-5X Ultra Macro is optimized for macro shooting between 2.5x and 5x life-size. The lens is specially designed with an extended working distance (45mm at 2.5x and 40mm at 5x) and a small lens barrel. This allows sufficient lighting on the object for easier shooting in the field. 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 for indoor set-ups. An optional LED ring light and tripod collar are available for added control and precision operation. Price: $399.
With the addition of these four lenses, Laowa offers 12 different focal lengths for L-mount.
Wide Angle
- 4mm F2.8 Fisheye -$199 (Adorama, Laowa)
- 9mm F2.8 Zero-D - $499 (Adorama, Laowa)
- 9mm F5.6 FF RL - $799 (Adorama, Laowa)
- 11mm F4.5 FF RL - $699 (Adorama, Laowa)
- 14mm F4 FF RL Zero-D - $549 (Adorama, Laowa)
- 10-18mm F4.5-5.6 Zoom - $849 (Adorama, Laowa)
- 15mm F4.5 Zero-D Shift - $1,199 (Adorama, Laowa)
- 15mm F2 Zero-D - $849 (Adorama, Laowa)
Macro
- 100mm F2.8 2X Ultra Macro APO - $449 (Adorama, Laowa)
- 24mm F14 2X Macro Probe - $1,499 (Adorama, Laowa)
- 25mm F2.8 2.5-5X Ultra Macro - $399 (Adorama, Laowa)
- 15mm F4 Wide Angle Macro - $499 (Adorama, Laowa)
The four new L-mount lenses are available to pre-order now and will start shipping in March 2021.
