Venus Optics announces three Cinema lenses for the Canon RF mount

Perfect wide angle options for Red Komodo, Canon R5/R6 and Canon C70 

Anhui China, Sept 28, 2020 – Venus Optics, the camera lenses manufacturer  specialized in making unique camera lenses, added the Canon RF mount option  to 3 of their new ultra-wide cinema lenses. They are 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. 

© Phil Holland

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 condition. It also allows filmmakers to have more  flexibility in depth of field control. 

© DSI Pictures 

© Juan Melara 

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 tremendous amount of time in distortion correction in post processing.

© Alan Caudillo 

© DSI Pictures 

Compact & lightweight 

All three wide angle prime lenses are extremely compact and lightweight. The 9mm weigh 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.  

© Philip Grossman

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 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 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 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  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. 

Product Shots & Sample Images  

More marketing materials, product shots & sample images can be found from  below Google Drive link.  

https://bit.ly/3n27mmy

Specifications  

9mm T2.9 Zero-D 15mm T2.1 Zero-D 12mm T2.9 Zero-D 

Focal Length 9 mm 15mm 12mm Max. Aperture T2.9 T2.1 T2.9 T-Stop 2.9-22 2.1-22 2.9-22 

Angle of View 

(Approx.) 113o(Super35) 110o 122 o Format Compatibility Super 35 Full Frame Full Frame Image Circle 28mm 43.3mm 46.7mm Lens Structure 15 Elements in 10  

Groups 12 Elements in 9 Groups 16 elements in 10 Groups 

Iris Blade 7 5 7 

Min. Focusing  

Distance 12 cm 15 cm 18 cm Filter Thread 55 mm 77 mm 95 mm Front Diameter 58 mm 80 mm 100 mm Focus Mode Manual Focus Manual Focus Manual Focus Dimension (W x H) 62.4 x 54 mm 84.8 x 91.2 mm 105 x 100mm Weight 247 g 540 g 675g Mount Canon RF, M43,  

Fuji X, Sony E Canon RF, Sony FE Canon RF, Canon EF, PL,  

Sony FE 

Price (Ex. VAT) US $599 US $1,199 US $1,499 

Product Page 

9mm T2.9 Zero-D Cine: https://www.venuslens.net/product/0929cine/
15mm T2.9 FE Zero-D Cine: https://www.venuslens.net/product/1521cine/
12mm T2.9 Zero-D Cine: https://www.venuslens.net/product/laowa-12mm-t-2-9- zero-d-cine/

Sample Footage (Some footages were NOT taken with the RF mount) 

9mm T2.9 Zero-D Cine:  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQB9jBaMj98 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCkDFC2UFkk 

15mm T2.1 FE Zero-D Cine:  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJL3WeTPiDM 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enFxwbEB6tg 

12mm T2.9 FE Zero-D Cine: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLf9OIsBgN4 

About Us  

Anhui ChangGeng Optical Technology Company Limited (Venus Optics) is a  new Chinese camera lens manufacturer based in Hefei, Anhui. We currently  manufacture and distribute camera lenses under the brand name of ‘Laowa’.  

For more information about Anhui ChangGeng Optical Technology Company  Limited and our products information, visit http://www.venuslens.net/ 

For review request or other enquiries, please kindly contact us at  [email protected]