Venus Optics Release More Lenses for Nikon Z and Canon RF Mounts

Any day that the new mirrorless systems can get access to more lenses is a good day in my book! Recently, Venus Optics (Laowa), have added the Nikon Z and Canon RF variants to 3 of their existing lenses; the Laowa 12mm f/2.8 Zero-D, Laowa 25mm f/2.8 2.5-5X Ultra Macro, and Laowa 100mm f/2.8 2X Ultra Macro lenses.

While camera sales as a whole may be declining, mirrorless full-frame cameras are rising in popularity and more incredible lenses are being added to their rosters every day from the native brands as well as 3rd party manufacturers. With that, Venus Optics is embracing the growing hype by adding the Canon RF and Nikon Z variants to 3 unique Laowa lenses.

The Laowa 12mm f/2.8 Zero-D provides the new world’s widest angle of view and fastest f/2.8 aperture on Canon & Nikon’s mirrorless systems. The 100mm f/2.8 ultra-macro creates 2X magnified close-up shots without chromatic aberration. And the 25mm f/2.8 ultra-macro revolutionizes macro photography between 2.5X – 5X life size. The best news is the price of these lenses will stay the same as their predecessors.

Technical Specifications For The 3 Lenses

[Related Reading: Venus Optics 25mm f2.8 Ultra-Macro 5:1 Full Frame Lens]

Laowa 12mm f/2.8 Zero-D

Laowa 12mm f/2.8 Zero-D is the world’s widest f/2.8 rectilinear lens with close-to- zero distortion. It is also the widest prime lens with native Canon RF & Nikon Z mount in the current market.

Featuring the widest angle of view (122°) ever offered from a f/2.8 lens, this is an ideal lens for landscape, architecture, interior, travel and astrophotography. On top of its versatile build quality, it incorporates close-to-zero optical distortion feature which keeps the straight lines and shapes of object retained from corner to corner. It is widely known as one of the fastest & sharpest lens that professional landscape and architecture photographer love to work with. Moreover, exclusive water and dust repelling “Frog Eye Coating” has been added onto the front element of the lens, favoring intensive outdoor shootings in harsh conditions.

It is now available in 7 mounts: Canon EF, Nikon F, Pentax K, Sony A, Sony FE, Canon RF & Nikon Z mounts. MSRP in US is US $949 – Adorama | B&H

Laowa 12mm f 2.8 Zero D © Frank Leinz

Laowa 12mm f 2.8 Zero D © Jose Ramos 1

Laowa 12mm f 2.8 Zero D © Jose Ramos 2

Laowa 25mm f/2.8 2.5-5X Ultra Macro

Laowa 25mm f/2.8 2.5-5X Ultra Macro is the most compact and versatile high magnification macro lens. It is optimized for macro shooting between 2.5X – 5X life size.

The lens is specially designed with an extended working distance (45mm at 2x & 40mm at 2.5x) and small lens barrel. It allows sufficient lighting on the object for easier shooting in the field. Comparing to other extreme macro lens in the market, this lens is a lot more compact and lighter. It also provides a greater depth of 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 indoor set-ups. An optional LED Ring Light and Tripod Collar is available for easier lighting control and precision operation.

There are 6 mounts currently available for this lens: Canon EF, Nikon F, Pentax K, Sony FE, Canon RF & Nikon. MSRP in US is US $399 – Adorama | B&H 

Laowa 25mm f 2.8 2.5 5X Ultra Macro © Alberto Ghizzi Panizza

Laowa 25mm f 2.8 2.5 5X Ultra Macro © Gil Wizen

Laowa 25mm f 2.8 2.5 5X Ultra Macro © Shawn Palmquist 1

Laowa 25mm f 2.8 2.5 5X Ultra Macro © Shawn Palmquist 2

Laowa 25mm f 2.8 2.5 5X Ultra Macro © Shawn Palmquist 3

Laowa 100mm f/2.8 2x Ultra Macro APO

Laowa 100mm f/2.8 2:1 Macro is the 2nd member of Laowa 2:1 macro line- up. It features an apochromatic (APO) characteristic that both longitudinal and lateral chromatic aberration are invisible. This new 100mm lens can cover full frame sensor size and focus from 2:1 magnification to infinity. The lens has a similar physical size to other 100mm Macro lens in the market but its wider magnification range allows macro photographers to capture subjects at any sizes. This 100mm f/2.8 lens can also focus to infinity and serve as a portrait lens with exceptional optics quality.

Currently, Canon EF, Nikon AI, Sony FE mounts are available. The New Canon RF mount & Nikon Z mount will start shipping in Mar 2020 tentatively. MSRP in US is $499 – Adorama | B&H 

Laowa 100mm f 2.8 2X Macro © Sean Sauer

Laowa 100mm f 2.8 2X Macro © Jie Ge

Laowa 100mm f 2.8 2X Macro © Emanuele Biggi

As mentioned in each of the lens sections, these three lenses will be available tentatively in March of 2020 with a retail price that will match the current versions of these lenses for their other mounts which is great news for anyone in the market. The only “downside” that I can see of these 3 lenses is the manual nature of them. It’ll be interesting to see how they behave on the Canon RF and Nikon Z systems, and just how good the focus assisting will be on them. Honestly i’m kind of excited to get hands on and test out these macro lenses. How about you? Do these lenses have any appeal to you? Have you used any Laowa lenses before? Let us know in the comments below.