Venus Optics announced the Laowa 4.5-10mm f/2.8 CF Zoom Fisheye, a manual focus lens designed for APS-C and Micro Four Thirds mirrorless cameras. The lens covers a focal range that produces two distinct fisheye renderings: at 4.5mm, the image circle does not fill the sensor and the result is a circular fisheye with a pronounced dark border around the frame; advancing through the zoom range brings the image to a diagonal fisheye that fills the frame edge to edge, reaching 180 degrees along the diagonal at 10mm.

The behavior of the lens differs according to sensor size. On Micro Four Thirds bodies, the circular fisheye effect is complete at the minimum focal length, and the transition to a full diagonal fisheye occurs before reaching 10mm. On APS-C sensors, the image circle is considerably smaller relative to the frame at the wide end — the dark border is already evident at around 5mm — while at 10mm the lens delivers the full 180-degree diagonal coverage. Users shooting on full-frame bodies with mounts that are shared with APS-C systems (Nikon Z, Canon RF, and Leica L) would need to activate the camera’s crop mode to obtain the intended results.

The optical construction consists of 13 elements arranged in 9 groups, with a 7-blade diaphragm and an aperture range of f/2.8 to f/22. The maximum aperture of f/2.8 is constant across the entire zoom range, and the lens has a true parfocal design, meaning the point of focus does not shift when the focal length is adjusted. This characteristic is relevant for video use, where it allows zoom moves without requiring refocus. The minimum focusing distance is 10 centimetres, which at the wide end produces pronounced foreground distortion and close-up compositions that would be impractical with conventional lenses. The maximum reproduction ratio is approximately 1:3.7.

Physically, the lens measures 68.9 by 59.3mm and weighs 338 grams. It has no filter thread and no provision for a lens hood, which is typical of fisheye optics given the extreme angle of view. The absence of autofocus means that photographers shooting at short distances need to be aware of their own hands or other body parts entering the frame, which the field of view at 4.5mm makes an easy occurrence. Venus Optics notes that the distortion can be partially corrected in post-production software, and that doing so from a fisheye starting point can yield a wider rectilinear result than a standard 10mm prime would provide.

Here are some sample pictures, courtesy of Venus Optics: