Laowa Ranger FF Zooms: Compact Zooms
Venus Optics & Cine Visuals Present: Laowa Ranger FF Zooms
Cinematic Heritage
Venus Optics is the parent company behind the genius of Laowa brand lenses. Founded in 2013, they have found themselves dedicated to innovating specialty lenses that are ergonomic and affordable without compromising cinematic quality. They have been incredibly innovative in the spheres of ultra-wide and macro lens technology. Something they’ve been working on is another type of specialty lens – zoom lenses.
Though zoom lenses are perhaps more common than fisheye, ultra-wide, or probe lenses (other specialty lenses Venus Optics excels at), they are still usually not used as a main lens on set due to their cumbersome weight and length in comparison to primes. Part of the difficulty in crafting zoom lenses is balancing the quality of the glass with the size and weight of the lens. Bigger focal ranges require more glass which make the lens heavier and harder to operate without additional gear. The sheer technology is more difficult to manufacture and therefore more expensive. Even smaller focal ranges can still be bulkier than primes and their added focal range may not overcome their decreased ergonomics.
In June of 2023, Venus Optics introduced the Laowa Ranger FF Zooms. Compact, lightweight zooms with precise design. Addressing the aforementioned issues, Venus Optics created the 28-75mm and 75-180mm zooms. Broad enough focal ranges to cover wide to telephoto with ergonomic usage. However, as with Venus Optics commitment to design they knew they could push further. By October of 2024, they released the 16-30mm that adds that additional wide angle for tough corners and epic wides. From 16-180mm focal range covered in three lightweight lenses, the Laowa Ranger FF Zooms are designed to accommodate any situation, ask, or need.
Image Fidelity & Focus
As with Venus Optics commitment to high quality design, the lenses have edge-to-edge sharpness. With aspherical elements put into an incredibly lightweight design, the Laowa Ranger FF Zooms are able to mitigate edge distortion for a crisp rectilinear appearance from 16mm all the way to 180mm. Medium contrast and precision to detail allow these lenses to be flexible. With beautifully balanced color rendition, the glass has neutral tones that leave generous room for look modification via filtration, LUTs, or in-depth post production color grading. Their well-crafted design lends well to a wide and versatile range of projects.
Handling & Adaptability
Large format has now become a standard in the modern era of filmmaking. Crafting lenses for Full Frame can be a challenge. More coverage for a larger capture format requires more glass and designs that project on a greater plane. However, the balance to make Full Frame lenses user friendly is tricky as too much weight makes handheld or steadicam operating cumbersome, restricting the types of shots that can be taken. Three focal lengths come in this kit. 16-30mm, 28-75mm, and 75-180mm. Each lens is compact, lightweight, and crafted for quick on-set needs. Both the 28-75mm and 75-180mm weigh about 3 lbs (3.12 lbs and 2.95 lbs respectively). The 16-30mm weighs a measly 1.76 lbs and stretches from end-to-end 4.22 inches. Stretching just a little longer at 7.06 inches for the 28-75mm and 7.46 inches for the 75-180mm, they maintain impeccable cinematic quality in a small design. With 22 glass elements squeezed inside the 28-75mm, 17 elements in the 75-180mm, and 18 elements inside the 16-30mm, these lenses have beautiful character and yet fit all this glass for a lightweight design. Perfect for fast-paced shoots and ease-of-use. Each lens has a front diameter of 80mm, a standard but compact design that makes mattebox usage easy for either clamp-on or rod attached swing-away matteboxes. For documentaries or high-speed productions, these lenses give cinematographers the on-set flexibility they crave and allow camera operators to perform their craft all day without a sweat.
Image Circle
Full Frame digital sensors nod back to an age of VistaVision – horizontally exposed 35mm film that had an 8-Perf size (as opposed to Academy and Super 35mm’s traditional 4-Perf size). For instance, the ARRI Alexa LF was created by taking two Alexa XT sensors, flipping them 90 degrees and stitching them together. Almost the same idea but reworked for digital. However, the difficulty in VistaVision cameras and expense caused them to fall out of fashion. Now that Full Frame can be achieved digitally, this capture format size has risen to prominence again. Venus Optics stays in touch with filmmakers and their needs. They’ve designed the Laowa Ranger Zooms to cover Full Frame, while still crafting the glass to pair excellently with S35mm sensors. Each lens easily covers Full Frame with an image circle of 43.2mm across the set. This includes the ARRI Alexa LF, ARRI Alexa Mini LF, Sony Venice 1 & 2, Blackmagic URSA 12K, and a variety of Full Frame mirrorless cameras. With a native PL mount, the lenses have a wide selection of interchangeable mounts making it versatile for many formats.
Flare & Bokeh
Venus Optics attempts to create a baseline in their glass. Something that can be flexible and malleable so that cinematographers aren’t restrained to certain characteristics and can bring the lens to the look they need. In doing so, Laowa glass is sharp, clean, and precise. Flaring is minimized so that the lens at its base captures images without halation and aberrations. By containing the flares, the Laowa Ranger FF Zooms can focus on their strengths while easily being modified to exaggerate those features for expressionistic design via filtration or post-production workflows. Bokeh is smooth and crisp. With an 11 blade aperture, the bokeh is circular and controlled from edge-to-edge of the frame. Adding an artistic appeal without drawing attention to itself, so that the subject can be the focus of the shot.
These lenses are available for rent at Cine Visuals. For inquiries or testing appointments email info@cinevisuals.com or call (323) 244-2552.
