Venus Optics introduces its Laowa Argus 25mm f/0.95 MFT APO

Chinese lens maker, Venus Optics, has unveiled a $399 superfast f/0.95 prime 25mm ‘standard lens’ for Micro Four Thirds cameras, the Laowa Argus 25mm f/0.95 MFT APO.

Classic standard lens

A 25mm focal length on Micro Four Thirds offers the same classic field of view as a traditional, 35mm or ‘full frame’, 50mm lens.

The Laowa Argus 25mm f/0.95 is a sophisticated 14 elements in 8 groups apochromatic design and the body is mostly metal. One aspherical element is use, plus one ED and 3 UHR (ultra high refractive index) elements.

For such an ambitious specification – f/0.95 is two thirds of stop brighter than f/1.2 – the $399 price tag seems remarkable. However, this is because it’s a manual focus lens.

As there is no electronic communication between the lens and the camera body this also means the aperture mechanism is manual. A 9-blade aperture iris combined with its very wide aperture design should mean great bokeh.

Venus Optics Argus 25mm f/0.95 MFT APO product shot gallery:

For video and stills

Venus Optics mentions that the lens design minimises focus ‘breathing’, which suggests the lens has been designed with videographers in mind. The focus ring has a long 300 degree throw to facilitate precise adjustment, which is just as well because depth of field at f/0.95 is very narrow.

The aperture ranges to f/11 only, which is interesting because Micro Four Thirds lenses often offer settings as low as f/16 and f/22. On the other hand it’s recommended not to go much below f/5.6 in order to avoid diffraction softening.

Minimum focus distance is 25cm (9.8 inches). The lens weighs 570g and is 86mm long and 71mm wide. The filter thread is 62mm. There is no mention of environmental sealing.

Sample images

Venus Optics have kindly supplied some sample images taken by a variety of photographers, using Olympus and Panasonic bodies. Presumably, they were all taken at f/0.95. There is a gallery of selected images below.

For more information, the Laowa brand website can be found here. The UK distributor’s website is here.

Below is a gallery of sample images provided by Venus Optics: