DIY Photography

Your one stop shop for everything photo-video

  • News
  • Inspiration
  • Reviews
  • Tutorials
  • DIY
  • Gear
Search

Submit A Story

Laowa has released an automatic aperture version of their 7.5mm f/2 lens for Micro Four Thirds

Jun 11, 2021 by John Aldred Add Comment

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Third-party lenses are wonderful things. They prevent us from being locked those manufactured solely by the company that makes our cameras. It provides us with options that the camera manufacturers don’t even offer. For some systems, though, they don’t always offer the same feature set as OEM lenses. For Micro Four Thirds, that sometimes means no automatic aperture.

Laowa’s original 7.5mm f/2 lens for MFT was one such lens. So, they’ve now announced a new 7.5mm f/2 lens for MFT which updates the old one with automatic aperture capability, allowing you to control your aperture from the camera itself and have that setting stored in the EXIF data of your images.

Introduced in September 2016, the Laowa 7.5mm f/2 lens has proven to be quite popular. The new update brings this lens up-to-date with aperture control, although it seems that Laowa is now selling three different versions of this lens. There’s the Standard (original) version, a “Lightweight” version for drones and the new Automatic Aperture version – which could essentially replace both of them for most users.

Standard/Lightweight versionAutomatic Aperture version
Focal length7.5mm7.5mm
Max aperturef/2f/2
Min aperturef/22f/22
Aperture typeManualAutomatic
Aperture blades75
Angle of view110°110°
FormatMicro Four ThirdsMicro Four Thirds
MountMicro Four ThirdsMicro Four Thirds
Optics13 elements in 9 groups13 elements in 9 groups
Focus typeManual FocusManual Focus
Lens typeRectilinearRectilinear
Min focus distance12cm12cm
Filter thread46mm46mm
Dimensions50x55mm53x48mm
Weight170g (Standard) / 150g (Lightweight)150g

Optically, all variations of the lens appear to be identical. Same elements and groups, same minimum focus distance and filter thread. The only thing that’s different really different is the aperture. In one, it’s automatic and in the others, it’s not. It’s also only got five blades in the automatic aperture version instead of 7. Laowa says this is to offer an alternative to photographers that presents 10-point stars, as opposed to the 14-point stars of the other lenses, when shooting with bright light sources in the scene.

Other than that, you get that same wide f/2 aperture, with a 110° field of view, Laowa’s Zero-D design for the least distortion possible, and control from the camera itself – which can be vitally important for those photographers and filmmakers controlling their cameras remotely. This is particularly useful on DJI drones that use Zenmuse cameras.

There is a slight price increase with the new lens over the old one. The new Laowa 7.5mm f/2 MFT Automatic Aperture version is available to pre-order now for $549. The previous, manual aperture version sells for $499, so it’s not too significant of a change for the benefits it offers.

FIND THIS INTERESTING? SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS!

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Related posts:

Kamlan 7.5mm f/3.2 is a $230 fisheye lens for Micro Four Thirds cameras Yongnuo to release the YN450M – A Micro Four Thirds version of their Android-powered mirrorless camera Mitakon has finally released the Speedmaster 35mm f/0.95 II for Micro Four Thirds Yongnuo, Mediaedge and Venus Optics (LAOWA) have joined the Micro Four Thirds System Standard Group

Filed Under: Gear Tagged With: 7.5mm f/2, Gear Announcement, Laowa, Lens Announcement, micro four thirds

John Aldred: from diyphotography.net

About John Aldred

John Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

« Watch the solar eclipse’s shadow on Earth as seen from space
These are the five top tools and features Photoshop needs that Affinity Photo has »

Submit A Story

Get our FREE Lighting Book

DIYP lighting book cover

* download requires newsletter signup

Recent Comments

Free Resources

Advanced lighting book

Learn photography

Recent Posts

  • This year’s Nature TTL POTY winner puts global warming right in our faces
  • TTArtisan announces super-low-budget 500mm f/6.3 super telephoto lens
  • NASA reveals five photos of space objects invisible to human eye
  • Tamron’s 17-50mm f/4 Di III VXD lens ships in October
  • Facebook now lets you (legally) have multiple profiles

Udi Tirosh: from diyphotography.netUdi Tirosh is an entrepreneur, photography inventor, journalist, educator, and writer based in Israel. With over 25 years of experience in the photo-video industry, Udi has built and sold several photography-related brands. Udi has a double degree in mass media communications and computer science.

Alex Baker: from diyphotography.netAlex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe

David Williams: from diyphotography.netDave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.

John Aldred: from diyphotography.netJohn Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

Dunja Djudjic: from diyphotography.netDunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

Copyright © DIYPhotography 2006 - 2023 | About | Contact | Advertise | Write for DIYP | Full Disclosure | Privacy Policy