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We received the following information (third party summary) about an upcoming new lens from Laowa, a 105mm f/2 that will be available for Canon's EF mount:
After the Laowa 60mm f/2.8 Macro 2:1 and the Laowa 15mm f/4 Shift Macro 1:1 lenses, the Chinese company Anhui Changgeng Optical Technology Company Limited, better known as Venus Optics (see http://www.venuslens.net/about), will announce shortly a new 24×36 lens: the Laowa STF 105mm f/2 (T/3.2).
It is a portrait lens with an apodization filter that gives a more progressive and velvety bokeh than an ordinary lens (STF stands for Smooth Trans Focus). This is the same principle as for the Minolta AF / Sony 135mm f/2.8 [T/4.5] STF and close to that of the Fujinon XF 56mm f/1.2 R APD.
The Laowa has the advantage over the Sony of being one EV brighter. Hereafter its main features:
- 11 elements, including the apodization filter, 1 element made of glass with high refractive index and 3 elements made of low dispersion glass, in 8 groups
- Manual focus (the apodization filter is hostile for phase-detection autofocus)
- Minimum focusing distance: 90cm
- Maximum magnification: 0.16x
- Filter diameter: 67mm
- Dimensions: 76 mm (maximum diameter) x 98.9 mm (length) (depending on lens mount)
- Weight: 745 g (depending on lens mount)
- Available mounts: Canon EF, Nikon F, Pentax K, Sony A and Sony E
- Available in black and silver
- Launch date: January 18, 2016
- Price in China: the equivalent of €500-550 (probably more in Western countries)
You can find more details and many pictures taken with the lens on two threads from the Chinese forum Xitek:
http://forum.xitek.com/thread-1533456-1-1-1.html & http://forum.xitek.com/thread-1444928-1-1-1.html
You will also find a number of images (pictures of the lens, optical formula, MTF curves and a dozen of sample images as full-resolution jpeg files) in the dedicated Flickr album I have set up: https://flic.kr/s/aHsksPyYgn.
