Venus Optics Announce 3 New Ultra Wide Cinema Lenses for Canon RF Mount

Venus Optics added the Canon RF mount option to 3 of their new ultra-wide cinema lenses; the Laowa 9mm T2.9 Zero- D, Laowa 15mm T2.1 Zero-D Cine Lens, and Laowa 12mm T2.9 Zero-D. All three lenses feature the same optical system as the rest of the mounts and with the same close-to-zero distortion (Zero-D) design. They are also built with robust cinema lenses housing. The new RF variants will be a very interesting wide-angle option for Red Komodo, Canon EOS R5 / R6, and the new Canon C70 cinema cameras.

Ultra-Wide FoV & Fast Aperture

All three Laowa cine lenses feature an ultra-wide angle of view and fast aperture. The 9mm T2.9 features an approximate 113° FoV on Super35 sensors while the 15mm T2.1 and 12mm T2.9 feature a 110° and 122° FoV respectively on cameras with full-frame sensors. The fast maximum t-stop is well suited for filming under low light conditions. It also allows filmmakers to have more flexibility in depth of field control.

Close-to-Zero Distortion

All 3 lenses 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 a tremendous amount of time in distortion correction in post-processing.

Compact & Lightweight

All three wide-angle prime lenses are extremely compact and lightweight. The 9mm weighs only 0.5 lbs (226g). The 15mm is around 1.2 lbs (540g) and the 12mm is around 1.49 lbs (675g). 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, FPVs, in-car shots, aerial videography, underwater videography 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. The 9mm can focus as close as 4.7” (12cm) while the 12mm can focus up to 7.09” (18cm), from sensor to subject. The 15mm instead 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 has 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. The entire lens body is made by premium grade aluminum and build for usage in an extreme environment.

Hassle-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 Mount Options

The 9mm T2.9 Zero-D Cine is also available in Fuji X, Sony E mount, and Micro Four Thirds mount.
The 15mm T2.1 Zero-D Cine is also available in Sony FE mount.
The 12mm T2.9 Zero-D Cine is also available in EF, PL, Sony FE mount.

Laowa Wide Angle Cine Lenses line-up

Venus Optics currently offers 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 (https://www.venuslens.net/) and authorized resellers. The US price for 9mm T2.9 is $599/pc (ex-VAT), $1,199/pc (ex-VAT) for 15mm T2.1 and $1,499/pc (ex-VAT) for 12mm T2.9. Pricing varies in different countries.

Adorama | B&H | Amazon

Product Shots

9mm T2.9 Zero-D