Laowa Cine/Broadcast Lenses Announced – Including Sword FF Macro Cine Series

Lens News

by Alexandra ThompsonSeptember 11^th, 2024

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Laowa will showcase a range of new cine and broadcast lenses at this year’s IBC Expo 2024, including the Ultima 12-120mm T4 8K S35 Broadcast Zoom and the Sword Macro Full Frame Cine Series, among others. Also featured will be the debut of their first full-frame 1.5x anamorphic lineup and the Nanomorph 60mm Macro Anamorphic Lens. Plus, they’ll display their most popular cine lenses, so you can have a look.

Laowa has previously brought us notable lenses like the Proteus 2X Anamorphic Series and the 24mm T8 2X Macro Pro2be Lens. While details on the new lenses and sets they’ll unveil at the Expo are limited, here’s what we know about them so far.

Ultima 12-120mm T4 for S35 – 8K broadcast zoom lens

This lens marks Laowa’s first step into the 8K high-definition broadcasting market. It’s an 8K S35 10X Broadcast Zoom lens featuring a constant T4 aperture and can be paired with an optional MOVCAM Servo Unit for control of focus, zoom, and aperture, which would work well for fast-paced or studio ENG/EFP work. It is initially available in ARRI PL mount with the possibility of a B4 mount version in the future if there is a demand.

Nanomorph LF 1.5X Anamorphic Series

This series of lenses builds on the success of its S35 version, featuring 32mm, 42mm, 55mm, and 85mm lenses with a constant T2.9 aperture. Mount options include ARRI PL, optional Canon EF, and various mirrorless mounts. These lenses cover the Alexa LF sensor in Open Gate format, which should offer low distortion and high image quality. Weighing about 1kg/2.2 lbs each, they come in blue, silver, and amber flare versions. In addition, some of the wider lenses can focus as close as 49cm/1.7 in, making them a good choice for capturing bokeh.

Sword Full Frame Cine Macro Series

This series includes six focal lengths (15mm T4.1 1X, 25mm T2.9 1X, 35mm T2.9 1X, 60mm T2.9 2X, 100mm T2.9 2X, 180mm T4.6 1.5X) with ARRI PL mount, with optional Canon EF and mirrorless bayonets available. These lenses excel in close focusing, offering up to 2X magnification, and should provide high levels of detail.

Macro Anamorphic Lens – Nanomorph 60mm for S35

This lens expands the S35 1.5X anamorphic series, producing 1.5x squeezed images at a close focusing distance of 24cm/9.4 in. up to a 0.5X magnification ratio. It comes in ARRI PL mount with optional Canon EF and mirrorless bayonets available and offers blue, amber, and silver flare options.

Price and availability

We don’t have information yet on the pricing, but according to the company, the lenses will be available Q3/2024 – Q1/2025. If you are attending the IBC2024 in Amsterdam, you can visit their booth (12.G72) to see the lenses for yourself. Otherwise, follow their social media or visit their website to stay updated, and, of course, we will keep you informed as we learn more!

What do you think about Laowa’s new cameras? Are you going to check them out at IBC2024? Let us know in the comments!