Laowa - Lente Venus Optics 4.5-10mm f/2.8 CF Zoom Fisheye (MFT Mount)

The Laowa 4.5-10mm f/2.8 CF Zoom Fisheye Lens, manufactured by Venus Optics, is a revolutionary compact zoom fisheye lens designed for APS-C and Micro Four Thirds mirrorless camera systems. This innovative lens delivers two distinct fisheye perspectives in a single, palm-sized body—transitioning from a dramatic 180° circular fisheye at 4.5mm to an immersive diagonal fisheye at 10mm. With a constant f/2.8 aperture throughout the zoom range, true parfocal design, and an exceptionally close 10cm minimum focusing distance, this lens opens up limitless creative possibilities for photographers and videographers alike. 

Key Features
Dual Fisheye Perspective in One Lens
The Laowa 4.5-10mm f/2.8 CF delivers two unique fisheye looks without the need to swap lenses. At 4.5mm, the lens produces a full circular fisheye image with a dramatic 180° angle of view, perfect for crystal-ball compositions, immersive astrophotography, and 360° panorama stitching. Zoom toward 10mm, and the projection fills the APS-C or MFT frame, delivering a classic diagonal fisheye effect with edge-to-edge distortion ideal for action sports, skateboarding, and surf photography.

Constant f/2.8 Aperture
The lens maintains a bright f/2.8 maximum aperture across the entire 4.5-10mm zoom range. This constant aperture ensures consistent exposure while zooming—essential for seamless video production—and provides excellent low-light performance for indoor, nighttime, and astrophotography applications.

Parfocal Design
Engineered as a true parfocal lens, the Laowa 4.5-10mm maintains critical focus throughout the entire zoom range. This eliminates the need to refocus when adjusting focal length mid-shot, making it particularly valuable for video production, dynamic action sequences, and one-take social media content.

Extreme Close Focusing – 10cm Minimum Distance
The “CF” in the lens name stands for Close Focus, and with a minimum focusing distance of just 10cm (3.9 inches), this lens allows photographers to get incredibly close to their subjects while keeping the vast background in frame. This creates an exaggerated perspective with bold foreground emphasis, resulting in highly dynamic and immersive compositions.

Compact and Lightweight Design
Despite its ultra-wide zoom capability, the lens remains exceptionally compact at just Ø68.9 x 59.3mm and weighs only 338g (11.9oz). About the size of a small muffin, this lens is perfect for travel, handheld shooting, daily content creation, and balances effortlessly on gimbals and drones.

Superior Optical Construction
The optical design features 13 elements arranged in 9 groups, delivering excellent image quality across the zoom range. The 7-blade aperture diaphragm produces smooth, rounded bokeh, while the 2.2x zoom ratio provides exceptional compositional flexibility.

Manual Focus with Precise Control
The lens features a manual focus design with a 77° focus ring travel, giving photographers and videographers precise control over their focus point. This makes it ideal for deliberate, creative focusing techniques.

Use Cases
Action Sports Photography
The diagonal fisheye at 10mm is perfect for skateboarding, BMX, surfing, and other action sports, delivering the characteristic edge-to-edge distortion that has long been associated with these genres.

Astrophotography
The 180° circular fisheye at 4.5mm is ideal for capturing the night sky, star trails, and Milky Way panoramas, offering an immersive view of the cosmos.

Immersive 360° Content
The circular fisheye projection makes this lens an excellent tool for 360° panorama stitching and virtual reality content creation.

Vlogging and Content Creation
The compact size, lightweight design, and wide field of view make this lens perfect for vloggers and social media content creators who need to capture themselves and their surroundings in a single frame.

Creative and Experimental Photography
The lens allows for both natural and experimental storytelling, enabling photographers to exaggerate motion, amplify emotion, and capture the world through their imagination.

Architectural and Interior Photography
By “de-fishing” the 10mm output in post-production, photographers can achieve a wider effective field of view than a standard 10mm rectilinear prime lens.