| 7.5mm |
$399 average price |
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Micro Four Thirds - Black
(From Venus Optics / Laowa lens literature) Venus Optics, the camera lens manufacturer that previously launched a number of unique Laowa camera lenses, is proud to announce the world's widest rectilinear f/2 lens for Micro Four Thirds cameras, Laowa 7.5mm f/2 MFT.
The Laowa 7.5mm f/2 MFT is currently* the widest f/2 rectilinear lens ever designed for Micro Four Thirds cameras. It is an ultra-wide & ultra-fast prime lens with a 35mm equivalent focal length of 15mm. Despite the extreme specifications, Venus Optics has successfully minimized the weight of the lens to less than 200g (0.44 pounds) and the length to 55mm (2.2 inches). This compact and light lens is comprised of 13 elements in 9 groups with 2 aspherical elements and 3 Extra-low dispersion elements. The optical design successfully minimizes distortion and chromatic aberration but at the same time, delivers a superb optical performance from corner to corner.
The extreme 110° angle of view and ultra-fast f/2 aperture allows photographers to create impressive astro-photography shots with ease. It also gives photographers a fast and wide-angle option for landscape photography and low-light shooting. The lens also features a 46mm filter thread for screw-in filters.
Venus Optics also introduces a lightweight version of this lens and reduced the weight to merely 150g. The feather-light weight opens up new opportunities for photographers and pilots to shoot wider footage with gimbals and drones.
Availability
The Laowa 7.5mm f/2 MFT is available to pre-order on the Venus Optics (http://www.venuslens.net/) website and from authorized resellers. It comes in two colors: black and silver. Shipments will start in late May for the standard version and from July for the ultra-light version. Suggested retail price is US$499 for standard version and US$519 for the lightweight version. Pricing may vary in different countries.
* As of April 28 2017
Laowa 7.5mm f/2 MFT
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Micro Four Thirds - Black
Laowa 7.5mm f/2 MFT User Reviews
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Size, weight, sharpness, contrast.Vignetting. Flare isn't well-supressed. Linear distortion isn't at all high for this type of lens but it is there.
I finally decided I had to try one of these a few years after they were launched...the combination of focal length, optical speed, size and weight had become irresistible as I was shooting M4/3 more and more.
reviewed October 6th, 2024 (purchased for $470)
The sharpness is outstanding from F2. There is a small drop-off in the extreme corners but I wouldn't call them soft. It just gets better after that and is pretty much perfect, for an ultra-wide, anyway, at F4.
Vignetting is high enough to be obvious in many circumstances at F2 and, unfortunately continues to be on the high end of acceptable as you stop down. But at 5.6 it's just about under sufficient control to forget about. You get a characteristic flare signature against bright sun and there's no getting around it if the sun is in shot....so you just have to learn to like it if you shoot this lens into the sun :) And yes, linear distortion isn't perfectly corrected.
The sum total of what you get with this lens is, to me, fantastic. It quickly became one of my most-used lenses. To have this field of view, this optical speed and quality in something so tiny and light. It's magnificent and forces me to look past its compromises and imperfections. To cap it all, it's beautifully made. The manual focus ring is so beautifully judged that I don't miss having AF.
This lens made itself indispensable to me and represents the final stage in my almost-complete liberation from full frame gear. -
Small Light Affordable High image qualityMaybe too small
For ultrawides for my Oly EM1.2, I had an old-but-good Oly 7-14 Four Thirds lens, a modern PanaLeica 8-18, and this very small Laowa 7.5. This summer I decided to complete my comparisons and choose one keeper. I immediately rejected the Oly 7-14 as being too heavy and hard to use filters on. I shot the two of them on a sturdy tripod and head. The Laowa surprised me with superior image sharpness at both F4 and F5.6 and no visible distortion (in landscapes). This one I'll be carrying happily in my rolling case.
reviewed April 16th, 2018
