Venus Optics announces availability of its new Micro Four Thirds Laowa 4mm f/2.8 Circular Fisheye lens

 

 

Venus Optics has announced pricing and availability for their latest fisheye lens, the Laowa 4mm f/2.8 Circular Fisheye. This lens has been designed for Micro Four Thirds cameras and can capture a 210-degree field of view. The lens is an 8mm equivalent fisheye prime and unlike Laowa's Zero-D lenses, the new fisheye is designed to create a very distorted perspective.

With the 210-degree field of view, you can capture a 360-degree panorama image in as few as two images. Venus Optics also states that the new 4mm f/2.8 Circular Fisheye is well-suited for VR photography, such as when shooting a virtual tour. The lens can also be mounted on DJI Inspire X5 cameras, allowing an interesting aerial perspective and field of view.

 

Laowa 4mm f/2.8 Circular Fisheye lens for Micro Four Thirds. Image credit: Venus Optics

Given its maximum aperture of f/2.8, the lens can also be used to capture fisheye images of the night sky. For photographers interested in interesting close-up perspectives, the Laowa 4mm f/2.8 Fisheye can focus as closely as 3.1 inches (8 centimeters) from the sensor, which results in a maximum magnification ratio of 1:9.

 

Laowa 4mm f/2.8 Circular Fisheye lens mounted an Olympus Micro Four Thirds camera

Optically, the lens has seven elements across six groups. In terms of its physical size, the lens is a mere 1.77 inches (45 millimeters) long and weighs 4.7 ounces (135 grams). The Laowa 4mm f/2.8 Circular Fisheye is now available to preorder ahead of an expected August release. The suggested retail price is $199 USD. For full specifications, click here. To view many sample images and videos, click here.