Anhui, China—Venus Optics is a camera lens manufacturer that specializes in unique camera lenses. The company unveiled the pricing and availability of “the world’s widest rectilinear lens for the Fujifilm GFX camera system”: the Laowa 17mm f/4 Zero-D GFX lens.
Laowa 17mm f/4 Zero-D GFX Specs 
The Laowa 17mm f/4 Zero-D GFX is a 13.5mm-equivalent ultrawide-angle prime specially designed for Fujifilm’s GFX camera system. The 113° ultrawide perspective makes it an option for landscape and architecture photography.
Comprising 21 elements in 14 groups, the G-mount lens is the fourth member of the Laowa Zero-D product lineup. Venus claims the line exhibits a close-to-zero optical distortion rate. This feature is useful for architecture and interior photographers, as all the straight lines are retained.
Similar to other Laowa wide-angle lenses, the 17mm f/4 has close-focus capability; it can focus up to 7.9 inches from the object to the sensor. It also allows photographers to get closer to the subject but still include background information in the frame.
Moreover, Venus Optics compressed the size of the Laowa 17mm f/4 Zero-D to approximately 4.9 inches in length and 1.8 pounds. It has a diameter of 88mm and also features a five-blade aperture system to create a pleasing 10-point sunstar rendering.
In addition, as filters are an essential part of landscape photography, the 17mm f/4 lens incorporates an 86mm filter thread for quick attachment of filters. Photographers can also choose to purchase the optional magnetic filter holder for use with 100mm-wide slot-in filters.
The medium-format lens is currently available for preorder at all authorized resellers and at Venus Optics’ website. It has a retail price of $1,199. In addition, it will ship mid-August 2019.
