Laowa Expands Cine Lens Lineup for M4/3 – 6mm, 10mm, 17mm and 50mm Macro

March 1, 2022

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Laowa Expands Cine Lens Lineup for M4/3 – 6mm, 10mm, 17mm and 50mm Macro

Venus Optics has just announced not one, but four new Laowa prime lenses to expand its lineup of manual “cine-grade” lenses: the existing 7.5mm T2.1 is joined by the new 6mm T2.1, 17mm T2.1, 17mm T1.9 and 50mm T2.9. Also new are two dedicated bundles with three lenses each.

So it’s nearly impossible to get a decent wide angle option for the micro four thirds system for filming, you say? Well, think again as the Laowa 6mm T2.1 prime lens has just received the cine treatment, as have the 10mm, 17mm and 50mm.

All four new Laowa cine primes are fully manual, cover m4/3 sensors (like the all-new Panasonic Lumix GH6 one for example), feature 0.8mod geared rings and impressively low minimum focus distances, which is always a good feature.

New cine prime lenses

Let’s talk about all four new Cine Primes, starting with the Laowa 6mm T2.1 Zero-D MFT Cine. All four new lenses share some features that identify them as Cine Primes: The aperture ring and focus ring on each lens are in the same position, allowing filmmakers to quickly switch between lenses without having to readjust them. Both imperial and metric scales are printed on the lens body.

Features of the 6mm T2.1 include:

Focal length: 6 mm
T-Stop range: T2.1 – T16
Angle of view: 121.9°
Image circle: 21.6 mm

Lens structure: 13 elements in 3 groups
Aperture blades: 7
Min. focusing distance: 90 mm
Max. magnification: 0.18x
Filter thread: Φ58 mm
Dimensions: ~Φ61 mm * 53 mm
Weight: ~180g excluding hood and front and back caps

Since this is a Micro Four Thirds lens, this lens (and the others) is surprisingly small and light, although having pretty decent specs. I like the fact that the minimum focusing distance is only 9 cm, which can come in handy in many situations.

Laowa 10mm T2.1 Zero-D MFT Cine

Next, we’ll skip the already available 7.5 mm T2.1 and explore the new 10 mm T2.1 Zero-D MFT cine lens. This lens is even smaller than the previously reviewed 6mm lens! Here is a brief overview of the technical specifications:

Focal length: 10 mm
T-Stop range: T2.1 – T22
Angle of view: 96°
Image circle: 21.6 mm

Lens structure: 11 elements in 7 groups (2x ED, 2x asph.)
Aperture blades: 5
Min. focusing distance: 120 mm
Max. magnification: 0.15x
Filter thread: Φ49 mm
Dimensions: ~Φ56 mm * 47 mm
Weight: ~150g excluding hood and front and back caps

10mm MFT Cine — image credit: Venus Optics

Like the 6mm, this one carries the Zero-D badge, which in Laowa’s terminology stands for zero distortion.

Laowa 17mm T1.9 MFT Cine

Focal length: 17 mm
T-Stop range: T1.9 – T22
Angle of view: 65°
Image circle: 21.6 mm

17mm MFT Cine — Laowa 17mm T1.9 MFT Cine. Image credit: Venus Optics

Lens structure: 9 elements in 7 groups (1x ED)
Aperture blades: 7
Min. focusing distance: 150 mm
Max. magnification: 0.2x
Filter thread: Φ49 mm
Dimensions: ~Φ56 mm * 53 mm
Weight: ~175g excluding hood and front and back caps

Laowa 17mm MFT Cine — image credit: Venus Optics

50mm T2.9 Macro APO MFT Cine

An apochromatic (APO) design was chosen for this lens, which reduces color fringing to a minimum. According to Laowa, this significantly improves the sharpness and clarity of the images.

Focal length: 50 mm
T-Stop range: T2.9 – T22
Angle of view: 24°
Image circle: 21.6 mm

50mm MFT — Laowa 50mm T2.9 Macro APO MFT Cine. Image credit: Venus Optics

Lens structure: 14 elements in 10 groups (3x ED)
Aperture blades: 7
Min. focusing distance: 135 mm
Max. magnification: 2x
Filter thread: Φ49 mm
Dimensions: ~Φ58 mm * 83 mm
Weight: ~289g excluding hood and front and back caps

This lens is the heavyweight among Laowa’s Cine Primes. But since it is a dedicated macro lens, this compromise seems very reasonable, and to be honest, 289 g is not exactly heavy – thanks to Micro Four Thirds.