Laowa expands full-frame Ranger lineup with the ultrawide 16-30mm T2.9 Cine Zoom

Venus Optics has announced a third lens in its full-frame Laowa Ranger cinema lens range. It’s the Laowa Ranger 16-30mm T2.9 FF Compact Cine Zoom ($2,999), weighing only 799g. The “Lite” version ($3,499) knocks this down even further, weighing 738g.

Available for EF or PL mounts, the new parfocal lens brings a much-needed wide-angle view to the lineup. It gives the Ranger set a focal length range from 16mm up to 180mm, offering more than 11x total zoom.

Laowa Ranger 16-30mm T2.9 FF Compact Cine Zoom

Like the other two lenses in the Ranger lineup, the new Laowa Ranger 16-30mm T2.9 FF Cine lens is available in two versions. There’s the standard black version and a “Lite” version. The Lite versions of the ranger lenses are essentially identical to the standard models, but a magnesium alloy design shaves off a significant amount of weight.

The company says that the addition of the 16-30mm lens brings the Ranger lineup to a zoom range of more than 11x with a consistent look and feel throughout the whole focal length range. And from looking at some of the sample images, they do look pretty consistent.

The wide field of view clocks in at 107° on a full-frame body, and you get a consistent maximum T2.9 aperture at all focal lengths. This allows you to zoom in and out or even swap to other lenses in the Ranger lineup without having to constantly adjust your exposure settings.

It has a parfocal design, allowing you to zoom in for more detail, focus, and then zoom back out again without losing that focus. Its short minimum focus distance of only 33cm allows you to get up close and personal to your subjects for some surreal looks while still throwing the background out of focus.

Venus optics says the Ranger 16-30mm T2.9 has almost invisible focus breathing artifacts, for a smooth and seamless shift in focus from one subject to another. And even at its shortest focal length, straight lines still look straight.

It looks like a great trio of lenses now if you want maximum your options at the lowest weight. You’re still looking at a good 3.6kg for all three lenses in the standard black – or around 3.2kg for the Lite ones – but that’s really not that heavy for the range and versatility they offer.

Laowa Ranger 16-30mm T2.9 FF Compact Cine Zoom Specs

Focal length	16-30mm	28-75mm	75-180mm
Format	Full-Frame	Full-Frame	Full-Frame
Mounts	PL, Canon EF (Canon RF, Nikon Z, Sony E w/adapters)	PL, Canon EF (Canon RF, Nikon Z, Sony E w/adapters)	PL, Canon EF (Canon RF, Nikon Z, Sony E w/adapters)
Angle of view	107°-71.6°	75.4-32.2°	32.2-13.7°
T-Stop	T2.9-22	T2.9-22	T2.9-22
Optics	18 elements in 12 groups	22 elements in 18 groups	14 elements in 14 groups
Aperture blades	11	11	11
Min focus distance	33cm	49cm	89cm
Max magnification	0.145x	0.23x	0.217x
Filter diameter	77mm	77mm	77mm
Outer diameter	80mm	80mm	80mm
Dimensions	80 x 107.4mm	80 x 179.3mm	80 x 189.5mm
Weight	~0.8kg	~1.4kg	~1.4kg
Focus Throw	100°	270°	270°
Zoom Throw	100°	270°	100°
Aperture Throw	42°	42°	42°

Price and Availability

The Laowa Ranger 16-30mm T2.9 FF Compact Cine Zoom is available to pre-order now for $2,999 in the standard black or $3,499 for the lighter-weight “Space Grey” version. A new 3-lens kit is also available to pre-order now for $8,699 in standard black or $10,199 in Lite versions.

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