Laowa Nanomorph 20mm T2.2 1.5x Anamorphic Lens for Micro Four Thirds Announced

Lens News

by Jakub HanOctober 9^th, 2023

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Laowa Nanomorph 20mm T2.2 1.5x anamorphic lens is now available as a stretch goal in the Venus Optics Indiegogo campaign starting at $949. Designed for Micro Four Thirds sensors, the lens offers compact size and weight, a 43cm close focus, three flare colors to choose from (amber/blue/silver), and a 55mm front filter thread. Additionally, there will be a larger PL/EF mount version.

Last year, the Chinese lens manufacturer Venus Optics entered the world of anamorphic glass with its Nanomorph series of lenses. While the company currently runs an Indiegogo campaign for the Laowa Nanomorph 65mm T2.4 and 80mm T2.4 anamorphic lenses, they recently announced the campaign’s funding hit the target. A new stretch goal for the campaign is this lens – the 20mm T2.2 Nanomorph lens for Micro Four Thirds cameras. Let’s take a look at the details.

Laowa Nanomorph 20mm T2.2 1.5x

The most interesting thing about the 20mm Nanomorph lens is perhaps the compact size – its dimensions are ø2.36″ x 3.35″ (ø60mm x 85mm) and the weight is 0.67lbs (304g). These dimensions apply to the standard MFT version, but Venus Optics will also offer the lens in a larger housing with an ARRI PL (and Canon EF) lens mount. Both versions are optically the same and only cover Micro Four Thirds sensors.

The iris features 13 blades that can open up from T16 to T2.2. Even though the lens only covers MFT sensors, with 1.5x anamorphic even the 20mm focal length offers a wide horizontal field of view.

The lens has a constant squeeze ratio of 1.5x and a close focusing distance of 1’4″ (43cm). The anamorphic flare is available in 3 versions – amber/blue/silver. I hope this 20mm lens will also work with the Laowa 1.33x anamorphic front adapter to get even more squeeze.

The lens offers both foot & meter (dual scale) markings, geared rings, and 55mm front filter thread. The focus throw is 271.5° and the iris ring throw is 73.7°.

Price and availability

The Laowa Nanomorph 20mm lens is available now via the Indiegogo campaign. In fact, the lens is only a part of the campaign for the 65mm and 80mm Nanomorph lenses (as 1D and 1E perks).

The price has been set to $999 for the MFT lens mount version and $1,499 for the PL mount version. There is currently a 5% discount on Indiegogo ($949 for the MFT mount lens and $1,424 for the PL mount version).

At the end of every crowdfunding-related article, we remind you to please be aware of the risks when backing a project on a crowdfunding platform. Also, please read the platform’s use and remember there can be significant delays when delivering the product. Some projects don’t get delivered at all.

Do you have any experience working with any of the Laowa Nanomorph lenses? How do you like the look and the build quality? Let us know in the comments section underneath the article.