Venus Optics announced the launch of the Laowa Sunlight 2x FF Anamorphic Zoom Series, which offers new versatility for full-frame anamorphic filming.

Following on from the highly acclaimed Laowa Proteus series, the Sunlight zoom offers excellent value for money and performance, aiming to bring the anamorphic effect to a wider audience while maintaining professional quality.

With its unique design, the Laowa Sunlight series features a sophisticated front anamorphic structure to achieve the distinctive 2x anamorphic characteristics while maintaining a compact and lightweight body.

This technology allows filmmakers to experience the creative possibilities of front anamorphic lenses without the burden of bulk and weight, bringing new options to handheld filming, gimbal work and dynamic camerawork.

What is the LAOWA Sunlight 2x FF Series?

Key features of the series include a versatile zoom range, a fixed T4.5 aperture, parfocal design, expressive anamorphic effects, low focus breathing, a short minimum focus distance, ergonomic cinema housing, and back focus adjustment. Anamorphic effects include a fixed 2x squeeze, four cinematic flare options (amber/blue/silver/clear), natural focus roll-off, and a distinctive elliptical bokeh.

Covering versatile focal lengths from 40mm to 135mm, the Laowa Sunlight series meets a wide range of creative needs for filmmakers. With a total zoom ratio of over 3x, it allows for a seamless transition from wide-open landscape shots to close-up portraits.

This flexibility eliminates the need for frequent lens changes, streamlining on-location workflow and allowing filmmakers to focus on their work.

Fixed T4.5 Aperture

A fixed T4.5 aperture throughout the entire zoom range eliminates light falloff as you zoom, maintaining consistent brightness. This reliability maintains even exposure, making it ideal for shoots that require seamless focal length adjustment. The T4.5 aperture also makes it possible to shoot in low-light environments.

The LAOWA Sunlight 2x FF also features a precisely adjusted parfocal design to ensure the focus position remains constant throughout the entire zoom range. This feature allows dynamic shots to be executed without re-adjusting the focus, from crush zoom to dolly zoom, helping filmmakers enhance creative storytelling and produce more compelling footage.

2x Anamorphic Squeeze

Another major feature of this product is its expressive anamorphic look. The fixed 2x squeeze makes it easy to achieve a consistent, classic widescreen look. This maintains the characteristic anamorphic characteristics across the entire focal length range, eliminating unwanted distortion and providing a consistently stable, cinematic image.

Four cinematic flare options offer filmmakers greater freedom of expression. Choose from futuristic blue, warm amber, color-matching silver, or clear for pure light transmission. The selected flare color is displayed on the lens barrel, facilitating creative adjustments on location.

Focus and Bokeh

Another feature is the natural focus roll-off. The gradual transition from sharp focus to smooth blur creates a natural shallow depth of field and enhances the image quality. This, combined with the unique elliptical bokeh, adds impact to each frame and creates a visually rich world.

The distinctive elliptical bokeh is a unique effect only anamorphic lenses can produce. Thanks to a precise 2x squeeze ratio and optical design, it transforms out-of-focus highlights into elongated ovals, creating depth and drawing the viewer into the scene. This effect adds a sense of immersion to the image.

LAOWA Sunlight 2x FF Stability

The design minimizes focus breathing, ensuring stable composition even with large focus shifts. This reduces changes in the angle of view, giving filmmakers precise control over visual expression and creating seamless transitions, maintaining audience immersion, especially in scenes where compositional consistency is crucial.

The LAOWA Sunlight 2x FF also offers excellent close-up shooting capabilities, with a minimum focusing distance of 0.61m (40-80mm) or 0.78m (70-135mm). This capability allows you to capture detailed close-up shots. This capability enhances storytelling in confined spaces and close-up situations, allowing the audience to connect more deeply with the characters and emotions.

Ergonomic cinema housings are designed to seamlessly integrate into any professional workflow. A Ø77mm filter thread allows for easy filter attachment, and the industry-standard 0.8 mod gear ensures compatibility with follow focus systems for intuitive operation. Dual-scale distance indicators, both metric and imperial, provide added convenience. The Ø105mm front diameter allows for easy rigging with a wide range of cinema accessories, making this series a versatile and reliable tool for any filmmaking project.

Precision

The back focus adjustment function allows precise adjustment of focus accuracy, ensuring optimal performance with a variety of camera systems. This feature simplifies setup and improves reliability on professional shoots.

The mount is equipped with an ARRI PL mount as standard, and optional bayonets for Canon RF, Nikon Z, Sony E, and L mounts can be purchased from the official website, making it easy to adapt to different camera systems.