Venus Optics has just produced the World's widest macro lens, the Laowa 15mm f/4
By
Venus Optics has just produced the World's widest macro lens, the Laowa 15mm f/4
Chinese lens maker Venus Optics has just announced the world’s first ultra-wide angle lens that has 1:1 Macro capability, the Laowa 15mm f/4 Wide Angle 1:1 Macro lens. It has an ultra-wide angle field of view of about 110 degrees, and a minimum focusing distance of just 12cm (measured from subject to sensor).
The Venus Optics website lists the minimum working distance (measured from subject to front element) as just 0.47cm, meaning you can literally get right up to your subject to achieve 1:1 Macro reproduction. For cameras with APS-C sensors, there’s even a built-in lens shift mechanism that lets you get shift adjustments of up to 6mm in either direction, allowing you to compensate for distortion.
It features 12 lens elements in 9 groups with 3 pieces of High Refractive elements and 1 piece of Extra-low Dispersion lens, and multi-layer low-reflective coatings are used on the lens elements to control flare. 14 aperture blades are used to form a close-to-circular aperture, and the lens body is made of metal for further durability. What’s interesting here, is that unlike most ultra-wide angle lenses, the Laowa 15mm actually has a flat front element surface, meaning you can use regular filters on its standard 77mm diameter filter thread.
The lens also focuses to infinity, so you can use it as a standard ultra-wide angle for Full-frame cameras, though you may wish to note that it only supports manual focus. It’s currently available for pre-order off the Venus Optics website and the B&H website for US$479 to US$499 (depending on the mount selected), with a 3-year warranty included. Shipping is set to start from mid/end July, and international shipping seems to be free for the pre-order period at least.
Some sample pictures from the website below:
And a video taken using the lens:
Source: Photo Rumors.com, Venus Optics
