Tasty treat: Laowa announces ultra-compact 15mm f/5 Cookie lens

Venus Optics, makers of Laowa lenses, has officially announced its new 15mm f/5 FFⅡ Cookie ultra-wide angle, full-frame pancake lens.

Available for Sony E, Canon RF and M, Nikon Z, and L mounts, the new lens earns its Cookie nickname by measuring just 32 x 53mm and weighing in at a featherweight 160g (depending on mount version). It takes equally small 39mm filters, yet despite its diminutive dimensions, Laowa has still managed to squeeze in 13 lens elements arranged in 9 groups, including extra-low dispersion, aspherical, and ultra-high refraction glass.

Specifications

Naturally, some compromises have been made to create a lens this compact: focussing is manual only, there are no electrical contacts to enable lens-body communication, and the maximum aperture is a relatively slow f/5. But if used on a modern camera with IBIS and clean high ISO performance, a narrow aperture needn't be a deal-breaker. The 5-blade diaphragm will also likely not be particularly well rounded.

Judging by the press images circulated by Photo Rumors, the lens will come in black and silver finishes, and pricing looks to be around $729 for the E-mount version of the lens. The Laowa 15mm f/5 FFⅡ Cookie is said to be available soon from Laowa's own web shop, as well as retailers such as B&H.

Story credit: Photo Rumors