Another New Laowa Lens by Venus Optics Hits the Market

Venus Optics has released another new Laowa lens for full-frame sensor cameras. This time, it’s a compact, yet wide Constant Aperture Zoom.

The lens offers an ultra-wide 84°-121.9° field of view, with a minimum focusing distance of just under six inches (15cm).

Made of 15 elements in 11 groups, including 2 aspherical elements and 3 ED elements, the 12-24mm constant F5.6 aperture zoom offers a 5-bladed iris, which creates 10-point Sunstar bokeh.

With a constant aperture of f5.6 iris, the lens maintains a consistent lens speed up and down the focal length, giving photographers one less thing to manage when shooting manual. Users can step down the lens to F22 if desired.

The 12-24mm F5.6 doesn’t enjoy the addition of Laowa’s popular Zero-D anti-distortion lens coatings, however, but the company says that even without them, the overall performance keeps distortion to an absolute minimum.

The lens does have a water and dust repelling “Frog-eye” coating, however, for all-weather protection against the elements.

Compact and light in construction, the lens measures about 2.73 inches by 3.30 inches, and weighs just over a pound (497g), making it a solid option for runners and gunners looking for an easy-to-carry lens out in the field.

The filter size is 77mm, and in a rare instance, Venus Optics has made the lens accept screw-on filters, with an adapter ring that also acts as a small lens hood.

The 12-24mm F5.6 is a completely manual affair, however, with three rings for focusing, a zoom ring that is measured in 2mm increments from 12mm-24mm, and an aperture ring that enables users to select from F5.6 to F22.

The focusing ring measures in both imperial (feet) and metric ranges.

The 12-24mm F5.6 constant aperture zoom lens is available for Leica M mount, Sony E mount, Nikon Z mount, and Canon RF mount platforms.

The retail price is listed at $649 for most mounts, with the Leica M mount getting a $50 bump to $699 because … well, it’s Leica.

Available for purchase via Venus Optics’ official website and authorized resellers like B&H and Adorama.

[source: Venus Optics]