Venus Optics is on a roll. Last month, they unveiled the 20mm F4.5 lens with zero distortion, and now they’re going even wider with a Laowa 15mm F4.5R version. And the bokeh is simply delicious.
Designed with seventeen lens elements in eleven groups, including two aspherical elements and three ED elements, the Laowa 15mm F4.5 enjoys a field of view of 110 degrees.
The design completely suppresses distortion and offers nearly zero vignetting from corner to corner at +8 shift, and a maximum shift of +11 on full-frame cameras.
Image Credit – Venus Optics
By shifting the lens, perspective distortion can be fixed, straightening the lines that appear to converge in the distance. Shifting the lens also lends to expanding the image through stitching images together while shooting panoramas.
Thanks to a 360° rotation function on the lens, shooters can unlock the lens and shift in 15°increments, hearing a gentle click every step of the way. Moreover, with an extremely close-up focusing distance of 20mm, the 15mm Zero-D lens is extremely versatile for close-up and macro shots.
Image Credit – Venus Optics
Furthermore, the Laowa 15mm lens is compatible for use in full-frame and even medium format cameras with an effective image circle of 65mm. This could make it great for shooting land and cityscapes on cinema cameras, as well.
Venus has also nearly tripled the number of Iris blades to 14 iris in the red ring model, to round out the background bokeh to a more pleasing shape, especially at night. The iris blades also craft a nifty 14 point sun star lens flare which can make images with a direct light look more interesting.
Image Credit – Jimmy Chan/Venus Optics
Other key features include:
- 14-Pointed Sunstars
- World’s Widest Shift Lens for Full Frame Cameras
- ±11mm Shift Amount
- Ready for Medium Format
- “Zero” Distortion
- Extremely Close Focusing Distance
- 360° Rotation
The Laowa 15mm Zero-D is also compatible with Venus’ rotating lens support accessory. This device is a great aid in shooting multiple images to be stitched together for a gigapixel style or panoramic image in post.
The price of the red-ringed Laowa 15mm F4.5R Zero-D lens is $1199 US for all mounts, and it is available now. For more information, visit VenusLens.net.
[source: Venus Optics]
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