The Venus Optics Laowa Sunlight 40-80mm T4.5 2x FF Anamorphic Zoom (ARRI PL, Silver) is a compact, lightweight anamorphic zoom designed for professional cinema productions seeking classic anamorphic aesthetics with full-frame coverage. Featuring a 2x anamorphic squeeze and distinctive blue lens flares, the lens delivers cinematic widescreen imagery, oval bokeh, and enhanced visual character for narrative filmmaking, commercials, music videos, and high-end content creation.
Covering a versatile 40-80mm focal length range, the lens provides flexibility for a variety of shooting scenarios while maintaining a relatively compact form factor compared to traditional anamorphic zooms. The constant T4.5 aperture ensures consistent exposure throughout the zoom range, making it well suited for professional production workflows.
When paired with the separately available Laowa Sunlight 70-135mm T4.5 2x FF Anamorphic Zoom, filmmakers gain continuous coverage from 40mm to 135mm with an approximate 1.93x zoom ratio, creating a versatile anamorphic lens package capable of handling a wide range of cinematic applications.
Expressive 2x Squeeze Ratio
Thanks to its unique anamorphic design, this Laowa Sunlight 2x zoom lens provides a dramatic, more pronounced widescreen look, usually 2.39:1 or wider when de-squeezed. This expressive look creates elongated highlights and adds a dreamy, organic depth to your images, drawing viewers into the scene.
Compact and Lightweight
- The Laowa Sunlight 40-80mm weighs just 5.7 lb and measures 9.5" long.
- This zoom provides a highly portable option compared to similar 2x full-frame anamorphic zooms.
Versatile Zoom Range
With coverage of 40 to 135mm when used with the 70-135mm zoom, the Laowa Sunlight series can capture anything from tight portraits to wide landscapes using just two lenses.
Constant T4.5 Aperture
The Laowa Sunlight zoom duo maintains a T4.5 maximum aperture across the entire zoom range, ensuring optimal exposure even in challenging lighting conditions.
Expressive Anamorphic Look
- This zoom produces crisp, clear images, even when used wide open at T4.5, and it maintains its iconic 2x squeeze across the zoom range for a consistent widescreen look.
- Smooth focus roll-off and minimal distortion with excellent corner sharpness help to maintain a classic cinematic look.
- This lens produces adaptable silver flares, one of a choice of four flare looks.
Minimal Breathing
Minimal focus breathing ensures that your frame size remains stable during focus pulls, lessening any distractions for your viewers.
Short Focus Distance
A relatively short close-focus distance of 23.6" lets you create sharp, immersive close-ups for an intimate feel.
Front Anamorphic Elements
- The Laowa Sunlight zooms feature anamorphic elements placed at the front of the lens, rather than the back, as with most other lenses.
- This produces a more pronounced 2x squeeze ratio, more oval bokeh, and increased flare effects.
Cine-Style Housing
This zoom lens' cine-style housing incorporates 0.8 MOD gearing, a 105mm front outside diameter that is compatible with most matte boxes, 77mm filter thread, 305° focus barrel rotation, and focus marks in both feet and meters.
Interchangeable ARRI PL Mount
The included ARRI PL mount can be interchanged with separately available Canon RF, Leica L, Nikon Z, and Sony EF mounts, letting you use this lens with a wide variety of cameras. The PL mount features back-focus adjustment for optimal focus accuracy.
