The Laowa 24mm f/14 2x macro probe lens is the most unique lens from the Venus Optics portfolio. Ever since the company teased the lens prototype at Photokina 2016, it gained a lot of attention and interest. Today the company has announced the Laowa 0.7x Focal Reducer for its 24mm f/14 2x Macro Probe lens that reduces the crop factor when using it on APS-C, Super35, or Micro Four Thirds, which helps retain the lens’s perspective.

The Laowa 0.7x Focal Reducer is optimized specifically for the company’s popular 2x Macro Probe lens and reduces the crop factor from 1.5x to 1.05x on Super35 cameras and from 2x to 1.4x on Micro Four Thirds. Venus Optics says this reduction preserves the original perspective of the probe lens and boosts the aperture by one stop, making it a brighter lens with an f/10 maximum aperture. However, the focal reducer does not provide any communication between the lens and the camera. The glass, therefore, has to have its own focus and aperture rings.

The reducer allows users to mount Arri PL/Canon EF probe lenses onto different cameras, and Venus Optics specifically notes the Canon EOS C70, RED Komodo, any Sony APS-C camera, all Fujifilm X series cameras, the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K, the Panasonic Lumix GH5, the Leica CL, and many others.

The Venus Optics Laowa focal reducer is designed for use in cinema and is available for 10 total mount conversions that either use the Canon EF or Arri PL version of the probe lens:

Canon EF/Arri PL to Canon RF
Canon EF/Arri PL to Sony E
Canon EF/Arri PL to Fuji X
Canon EF/Arri PL to Micro Four Thirds
Canon EF/Arri PL to L-mount