Venus Optics is a Chinese company that was founded back in 2013 by a group of photographers and optical experts. I’ve always been impressed by their ability to ‘think different’ and to dream up new types of lenses as well as reinventing some exotic old favorites. For me, recent highlights include the Laowa FFII TS 100mm f/2.8 Macro 1X, which combines full 1.0x macro magnification with tilt & shift dynamics. Then there’s the Laowa 8-15mm f/2.8 FF Zoom Fisheye, which delivers both circular and diagonal fisheye effects in one package, much like the now obsolete Canon EF and Nikon F mount forerunners. The new Laowa 200mm f/2 AF FF that I’m reviewing here also takes its design cues from sadly obsolete Canon EF 200mm f/2L IS USM and Nikon AF-S 200mm f/2G ED VR II lenses that were launched back in 2008 and 2010 respectively.
The Laowa is mostly reimagined for the mirrorless era, although with Canon RF approval being hard to come by, the lens is available in Nikon Z and Sony E mount editions, plus a Canon EF version that you can use on DSLRs or on mirrorless EOS cameras via an EF-EOS R mount adapter. Either way, it’s little more than half the weight of the Canon and Nikon lenses, and between a third and half the price to buy. A more direct competitor in new lenses is the Sigma 200mm f/2 DG OS Sports, which is available in Sony E and L-mount versions, and is only about 250g / 8oz heavier. Whichever way you look at it, the Laowa aims to be one of the best telephoto lenses on the market, as well as one of the fastest.
