Laowa - Ultima FF 25-180mm T3.8 Zoom - Arri PL

The Venus Optics Laowa Ultima FF 25-180mm T3.8 Zoom Lens is a professional full-frame cine zoom lens engineered for demanding broadcast, documentary, and cinema productions. Featuring an expansive 7.2x zoom range covering ultra-wide 25mm to telephoto 180mm, this ARRI PL-mount lens delivers exceptional optical performance with a constant T3.8 aperture throughout the entire zoom range. Designed to support 8K resolution video capture, the Laowa Ultima FF 25-180mm T3.8 offers full-frame sensor coverage, making it an ideal choice for cinematographers and broadcast professionals who require versatility, image quality, and reliability in fast-paced shooting environments.

Key Features

Full-Frame 8K Broadcast Zoom Performance – The Laowa Ultima FF 25-180mm T3.8 supports up to 8K resolution video capture, delivering the sharpness and detail required for high-end productions. Its 7.2x zoom ratio provides the flexibility needed for ENG, reality TV, documentaries, live events, and other fast-moving shooting environments.

Constant T3.8 Aperture – Maintains a consistent T3.8 aperture across the entire 25-180mm focal length range, ensuring uniform exposure and depth of field control throughout the zoom. The aperture range extends from T3.8 to T22, offering extensive control over light and depth of field.

Full-Frame Sensor Coverage – The lens covers a full-frame compatible image circle throughout its entire zoom range, enabling high-resolution image capture on a wide variety of professional ARRI PL-mount cinema cameras.

Parfocal Design with Minimal Breathing – Engineered as a true parfocal zoom, the Laowa Ultima FF 25-180mm T3.8 maintains sharp focus throughout the zoom range. The design also suppresses focus breathing, ensuring that the composition remains stable when adjusting focus – a critical requirement for professional cinematography.

Cinema-Standard Control Layout – Features geared focus, iris, and zoom rings with 0.8 MOD gearing, compatible with industry-standard follow focus systems, wireless lens controllers, and lens control motors. The focus ring offers 180° of rotation for precise focusing, while the iris ring provides 36° rotation and the zoom ring delivers 110° rotation.

Dual Focus Scales – Equipped with focus marks in both imperial (feet) and metric (meters) units, simplifying focus adjustments for camera operators and focus pullers in any production environment.

11-Blade Iris for Natural Bokeh – The 11-blade iris creates smooth, natural-looking background blur and rounded out-of-focus highlights, contributing to a refined cinematic aesthetic.

Professional Build Quality – With a front diameter of 118.4mm (4.7 inches), a length of 300mm (11.8 inches), and a weight of 4.04 kg (8.91 lb), this lens is built to withstand the rigors of professional use. The robust construction includes a 110mm filter thread and a support foot with a 3/8"-16 mounting thread.

Optional Servo Drive Integration – The lens can be paired with a separately available Movcam servo drive for ENG-style operation, providing smooth powered zoom control for news gathering, live productions, and sports coverage.

Use Cases
Broadcast Television and ENG – The 25-180mm focal range covers everything from wide establishing shots to tight close-ups, making it ideal for news gathering, live sports, and studio productions where rapid framing adjustments are essential.

Documentary Filmmaking – The parfocal design and minimal breathing allow documentary cinematographers to zoom in and out without losing focus, capturing spontaneous moments with cinematic quality.

Reality TV Production – The constant T3.8 aperture ensures consistent exposure in unpredictable lighting conditions, while the 7.2x zoom range provides the versatility to capture both wide group shots and intimate close-ups.

Live Events and Concerts – Full-frame coverage and 8K resolution support deliver the image quality needed for large-screen projection and high-resolution broadcast.

Commercial and Corporate Video – The smooth bokeh and professional build make this lens suitable for high-end commercial productions and corporate video content.