The New Laowa 15mm f/4.5 0.5x Macro Lens

credits: Venus Optics

Venus Optics has introduced the Laowa 15mm f/4.5 0.5x Wide Angle Macro, a compact manual-focus lens designed for full-frame cameras. It offers a unique combination of ultra-wide perspective and close-up capability, enabling 0.5x macro magnification with a minimum focus distance of just 129mm and a working distance of 36mm. This lets photographers capture detailed close-ups while still including the surrounding environmen, making this ideal for creative nature and also product shots.

The lens features 16 elements in 11 groups, including aspherical, high-refractive, and extra-low dispersion glass for sharpness and minimal distortion. Despite this complex design, the lens is just 48mm long and weighs just over 300 grams. It has a five-bladed aperture that creates 10-point sunstars and a 62mm front filter thread.

The Laowa 15mm f/4.5 is manual focus only, but aperture control depends on the mount: Sony E, Nikon Z, and Canon EF versions support electronic aperture, while Nikon F, Canon RF, and L-Mount are fully manual. It’s available for $399.

You can see full details and sample shots on Venus optic’s website here