Laowa is Developing a Parfocal 15-35mm Zoom Probe Lens

Venus Optics announced that it is developing a new “groundbreaking” zoom probe lens that will be released later this year: a parfocal, 15-35mm lens.

Under the Laowa brand, Venus Optics was the first to create the probe lens concept when it launched the 24mm f/14 Periprobe lens in 2018 and followed it up with the 24mm f/8 Pro2be in 2023. This new lens builds on what it learned from those optics and, according to the company, integrates feedback from users. The result is what it claims “pushes the boundaries of innovation” to deliver a probe lens that is not only wider than what it has made in the past, but also provides a broad focal range to unlock other creative possibilities.

“Laowa’s previous probe lenses revolutionized macro videography by capturing intricate details in hard-to-reach places, while also offering a unique, bug-like perspective that plunges viewers into a new and immersive world. Laowa is grateful that the probe lenses have been widely used and appreciated by professionals across the industry for decades,” the company says.

Exact details on this lens weren’t shared with the development announcement and the focal range wasn’t even specified. All Venus Optics shared was that the lens will be 15mm at the wide end and provide a “2.3x zoom range for greater framing flexibility.” Easy math makes that an approximately 15-35mm zoom lens. Venus Optics didn’t share the speed of the lens either, although to be useful for filmmaking and to comply with the expectations of parfocal, it’s likely to be a fixed aperture.

The new zoom probe lens also integrates the interchangeable parts that lets the lens work as a periscope, 35-degree tilted view, or direct probe that the Pro2be debuted. Venus Optics says the coming Laowa probe zoom lens will have up to 2x magnification, “unrivaled sharpness” to capture fine details, and will feature a waterproof tubular barrel that will allow it to be submerged, just as the Pro2be is.

Venus Optics says that the forthcoming Laowa Zoom Probe lens will be officially announced, which will include more details on its design, specifications and pricing, but did not provide a timeline for the announcement. However, the company did say that it intends to ship the lens sometime in Q2 2025.

Image credits: Venus Optics