Venus Optics Laowa 7.5mm f/2 MFT Lens for Micro Four Thirds, $399

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1337244-REG/venus_optics_ve7520mftstblk_laowa_7_5mm_f_2_mft.html

PR

Venus Optics, the camera lens manufacturer, who has been endeavouring to invent innovative lenses, is proud to announce Laowa 7.5mm f/2 MFT (auto aperture). The addition of the control chip provides metadata in EXIF and allows aperture control over the camera. With the same optical structure as the standard version of 7.5mm f/2, the lens reduces the number of aperture blades to five which renders stunning 10-points sunstars.

Ultra-wide tiny lens for MFT cameras

Laowa 7.5mm f/2 MFT is the widest prime lens for Micro Four Thirds (MFT) in the market for the time being, with a 35mm equivalent focal length of around 15mm.

Its 110° ultra-wide angle of view and its compactness wins the heart of many MFT users. It consists of 13 elements of 9 groups optical design which delivers superior image quality. The standard version of this lens weighs only approx. 6oz (170g) and it is measured to be 55mm long. The auto aperture version is compassed to be even lighter to approx. 5.29oz (150g). With the 46mm filter thread, photographers are able to screw in a circular filter directly on the lens for extra convenience. This lens is perfect for doing photos and vlogging, landscape photography or daily use for every purpose.

Ultra-fast aperture

Ultra-wide-angle lenses equipped with fast aperture are rarely found in the market. The extra-large aperture f/2 adds more flexibility to the lens, especially under dim-lit conditions. Photographers can maintain a faster shutter speed and lower ISO to prevent generating too much unwanted noise. Moreover, it brings a shallower depth of field to separate the subject from the background. The 12cm extremely short minimum focusing distance facilitates close-up photographs which also generates creamy and smoother bokeh with f/2 aperture.

Automatic Aperture

Following by Laowa 10mm f/2 Zero-D MFT and 50mm f/2.8 2x Ultra Macro APO, Laowa 7.5mm f/2 MFT is the third MFT lens assembled with a CPU chip and motor. The focus magnifier will be triggered for easier focusing when rotating the focus ring. It also allows the adjustment of aperture via the camera body and a no aperture ring design. With the control chip, DJI Inspire owners can benefit by avoiding complicated mounting process. Moreover, the metadata will be stored on EXIF and remote aperture adjustment can be realised.

10-point sunstars

The existing standard version has 7 aperture blades which generates 14-point sunstars. The number of blades of the new automatic aperture version has been changed to 5, providing an alternative to photographers.

Original Optics but better functionality

Venus Optics always strives for additional features in pursuit of better functionality and convenience. With the CPU chip and motor installed, it provides photography enthusiasts a different shooting experience.

Recommended Retail Price in the US (without tax) is USD 549/pc. Pricing may vary in different countries.

The Laowa 7.5mm f/2 MFT – automatic aperture version is now available to pre-order on the official website of Venus Optics (http://www.venuslens.net/) and their authorized resellers. Shipping starts immediately .

Venus Optics, the camera lenses manufacturer specialize in making unique camera lenses, unveiled three new ultra-wide cine lenses for cameras with different sensor sizes. They are the Laowa 7.5mm T2.1 Cine for Micro Four Thirds cameras, Laowa 9mm T2.9 Zero-D Cine for Super35 cameras and the Laowa 15mm T2.1 Zero-D Cine Lens for large format (full frame) cameras. All three lenses feature the same optical system as the their popular photography version and offer premium optical performance. They have also been built with robust cinema lenses housing with design up to the industry standard.

Ultra-wide FoV & fast aperture

All three Laowa cine lenses feature an ultra-wide angle of view and fast aperture. The Laowa 7.5mm T2.1 feature a 110° FoV on MFT while the 9mm T2.9 features a 113° on Super35 sensors. The 15mm T2.1 instead features a 110° FoV on cameras with full frame sensors. The fast maximum t-stop is well suited for filming under low light condition. It also allows filmmakers to have more flexibility in depth of field control.

Close-to-zero distortion

Both the 9mm and 15mm feature the distinguishing Laowa close-to-zero distortion (Zero-D) design where the optical distortion at infinity distance has been compressed to the minimal. This is extremely important for motion picture recording when shooting indoor, architecture or footage with straight lines included. This also saves tremendous amount of time in distortion correction in post processing.

Compact & lightweight

All three wide angle prime lenses are extremely compact and lightweight. Both 7.5mm and 9mm weigh close to 0.5 lbs (226g). The 15mm is a little bit heavier due to the larger coverage but Venus Optics still manage to compress it to around 1.2 lbs (540g). On the contrary to the huge and heavy wide angle lenses in the market, the new Laowa cine lenses are extremely handy for run-and-gun productions, shooting with gimbals, in-car shots, indoor scene, etc.

Close Focusing Distance

All three Laowa cine lenses possess an extremely close focusing distance. This provides a great deal of flexibility for directors to compose shots at any distance. Filmmakers can also take advantage of this close focusing to create some wide angle shots with shallower depth of field. Both the Laowa 7.5mm and 9mm can focus as close as 4.7" (12cm) from sensor to subject while the 15mm can focus up to 5.9" (15cm).

Industry standard cinema lens housing

The major difference between the new cinema version and the still version is the improved housing. The new cinema lens housing have been designed with details to facilitate filmmakers to shoot with ease. Both the aperture and focus rings have been built with industry standard 0.8 mod pitch gears for pairing up with follow-focus motors. The aperture ring is now click-less for smooth iris control. Every one of Laowa cine lenses comes with a filter thread for filmmakers to use screw-in filters and mini matte-boxes. Entire lens body is made by premium grade aluminum and build for usage in extreme environment.

Hassel-free transportation

An authentic hard case made by Pelican will be included with the lens to allow filmmakers to travel around for shooting with ease.

A variety of Current & Future mount options

The Laowa 7.5mm T2.1 Cine is available in Micro Four Thirds mount and it is a perfect companion to cameras like Blackmagic Pocket 4K, Panasonic GH5 and Z-Cam E2

The 9mm T2.9 Zero-D Cine is available in Fuji X, Sony E mount and Micro Four Thirds mount. The Micro Four Thirds mount can cover the same cameras as 7.5mm and serve as an not-as-wide alternative to MFT users. The Fuji X mount is extremely popular among XT-4 or XH-1 shooters. The Sony E mount works really well with Sony cameras with Super35 sensors including FS5, FS7, A6500 series, etc.

The 15mm T2.1 Zero-D Cine is designed for large format sensor with Sony FE mount available. It is best suited with Sony full frame cameras like Sony A7 series and FX9.

New Nikon Z, Canon RF and Leica L mount will be introduced later this year and they will certain be interesting wide angle options for cameras like RED Komodo, Canon R5, Nikon Z6/Z7, Sigma FP, Panasonic S1H and more to come.

Laowa Wide Angle Cine Lenses line-up

Together with the Laowa 12mm T2.9 Zero-D Cine released earlier for EF and PL cinema cameras, Venus Optics currently offer four wide angle cine lenses for cinema cameras with different sensor sizes.

Pricing & Availability

All three cine lenses are currently available to purchase via Venus Optics official website (http://www.venuslens.net/) and authorized resellers. The US price for 7.5mm T2.1 and 9mm T2.9 is $599/pc (ex-VAT) and 15mm T2.1 is $1,199/pc (ex-VAT). Pricing varies in different countries.

I shooted this with Laowa 7.5mm + GH5.

Finally decided to get it and did some scenes at the 4th of July event in Boston using different settings and to see if theirs any defects in the lens. It can also be a pain shooting with a lot of people around you. I'm not trying to win any academy awards with this video either. Just having some fun. I actually paid $350 since I got it used off B&H. I took a gamble doing that. I'll going to the Azores and Portugal real soon and would like to shoot the scenery with it. Most of the shots are from the lens although a few are from my Panasonic Leica 12-60mm lens.

I'm not entirely sure I want to keep it yet but Ill still take it with me overseas.

What pissed me off is that since I shot it in 4K 60p, it's harder for Google to take the audio off in just portions of the video that has copyrighted sound. It failed the first time and I'm trying for a second time.

Nice that it will balance on the X5/X5R!

Review

F4 to F8 was sweet spot of the Laowa 7.5mm F2 lens. Image detail in the center is pin sharp and corner detail at these settings is quite sharp too. Image sharpness across the entire frame is where the Laowa lens shines. As expected, outside the sweet spot of the lens, detail across the entire image loses a bit of its contrast and clarity, especially at F2 and not quite so bad at F2. You can still happily use the widest F2 aperture setting.

http://www.photographyblog.com/reviews/laowa_7_5mm_f2_mft_review/

I have been really interested in this lens but a little confused about the standard and lightweight versions. So I asked the manufacturer based on the intent to mostly use hand held (potential Drone usage later) and wanting the most durable product. I got this response below. Considering the answer and small premium I would have only made the light weight version IMO.

The main difference of the 7.5mm lens Standard vs Lightweight is the weight. Lightweight version is a bit lighter than standard version. The savings in weight is mainly for the drone usage.

For the durability, both of the standard and the lightweight version have similar durability as both of them are made of metal.

In your case, we suggest you to use the lightweight version.

Thanks,
Ming