The Sony E mount LAOWA 12mm T/2.9 ZERO-D Sony FE CINE Lens provides a wide, 122° angle of view well suited for outdoor and landscape shots and in tight interior locations, and it is optimized for digital cinematography. It is so lightweight and compact that it can be used not only with handheld shooting, it is also light enough for use on gimbals. The lens produces an image circle that will cover full-frame, VistaVision, and ARRI ALEXA LF sized sensors or smaller.
The 12mm cine lens features a maximum aperture of T2.9 with 16 elements in 10 groups. Its 7-blade aperture provides a soft, pleasing bokeh, a shallow depth of field with little to no distortion, and a 18cm close focus distance. The focus and aperture rings feature industry-standard 0.8 pitch gearing that will accommodate standard cine follow focus motors. The 102mm front diameter can be stepped up to 114mm with the included adapter to fit industry-standard matte boxes to prevent glare and reflection, as well as to add filters. Focus, aperture, and depth of field markings are in feet on the side of the lens to aid focus pullers.
In addition to the 114mm step-up adapter ring, a shim set is included for calibration, and a hard-shell Pelican case with custom foam is included to protect and transport the lens.
The image circle allows cinematographers to use not only on full frame sensors (Size = 43.14mm), but also able to fill the Vista Vision sensors on RED Monstro and the sensor on Arri Alexa LF (Size @ open-gate = 44.7mm) fully. The lens is also ideal for Super35-sized camera owners with the ultra-wide 17mm equivalent field of view and its future-proof decision when cinematographers need to upgrade to large format cameras.
This 12mm lens is extremely compact and lightweight despite of the extreme specifications. It measures 3.4” (87mm) long and weighs less than 1.5 lb (675g). It can be easily fitted onto any sorts of stabilizations system including handheld gimbals.
The optical distortion of ultra-wide angle lens will never be a nightmare for DoP. The distortion rate of good wide angle lenses in the market ranges from 2-4%. Venus Optics, however, are able to compress the distortion to a close-to-zero level. In fact, the ‘Zero-D’ claim had been validated by many existing Laowa lenses owners from all around the world.
The lens able to focus at an extremely close focusing distance. It can focus anywhere from 18cm away from sensor (10cm from front element) all the way to infinity. No diopter will be needed in this case. Wide angle lenses usually create a ‘flat’ image with very deep DOF but with this close focusing ability and a fast t-stop, Laowa 12mm is able to create some unique wide & shallow DOF look with pleasing bokeh.
Designed with standard 0.8 mod gears on both aperture and focusing rings for easy installation of follow-focus system. An extended 270° smooth focus throw is designed for accruate focus pulling. The entire enclosure of the lens is made up of aluminum alloy.
A 114mm step-ring is included in the package to expand the front diameter to fit with industry sized matte box. Venus Optics have tested with a number of matte boxes in the market and it is still free of vignetting on VV sensor with the matte box installed.
Focal Length | 12mm |
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Lens Mount | Sony FE |
Format | Full Frame |
Image Circle | 44.7 mm |
Maximum T-Stop | T2.9 |
Minimum T-Stop | T22 |
Horizontal Angle of View | Super35: 122° |
Minimum Focus Distance from Image Plane | 7" / 17.78 cm |
Optical Design | 16 Elements in 10 Groups |
Iris Blades | 7 |
Gear MOD & Pitch | Focus: 0.8 MOD / 32 Pitch |
Front Diameter | 102 mm |
Filter Thread | None |
Focus Scales | Imperial |
Focus Rotation | 270° |
Length | 3.43" / 87 mm |
Weight | 1.49 lb / 675 g |