Laowa Debuts World’s First Shift Lenses for Full-Frame, VV Cine Cams

Mar 26, 2025

Kate Garibaldi

Venus Optics announced the world’s first cinema shift lenses, the Laowa 15mm T4.8 and 20mm T4.1.

Through its new 15mm T4.8 and 20mm T4.1 Zero-D Shift Cine lenses, Laowa promises to bring perspective and distortion control to high-end cinematographers. Standard tilt-shift lenses correct for optical distortion for popular subjects like architecture and interior photography. The Cine Shift lenses by Laowa are fine-tuned especially for cinema with enhanced features for photo and video enthusiasts and professionals alike. It is worth noting that Laowa’s new lenses offer shift, but not tilt.

A modern building with a green and yellow patterned facade and a black top section. It has large windows at the base and is set in an urban environment with surrounding tall buildings and a pedestrian walkway. — Left: Photo without Cine Shift. Right: Photo with Cine Shift.

The leading feature of the Laowa Cine Shift lenses is the lens’s huge image circle diameter of 65.2 millimeters. This enhanced form factor allows them to cover large cinema sensors such as the RED V-Raptor 8K Vista Vision 17:9, Blackmagic URSA Cine 17K 65, and Arri Alexa 65. The 15mm T4.8 and 20mm T4.1 lenses have a maximum shift of ±11mm for full-frame sensors and ±9mm for Vista Vision sensors.

For close-up action, a 7.8 inch (20 centimeter) minimum focusing distance enables both intricate macro-like detailed shots or creative shallow depth of field footage.

A large house in a garden setting, with trees and bushes surrounding it. Colorful outlines are overlaid, labeled "ARRI ALEXA 65," "RED V-RAPTOR 8K VV," and "BLACKMAGIC URSA CINE 17K," indicating different camera aspect ratios.

Tall urban buildings in the background with overlaid rectangles showing different camera frame sizes: Arri Alexa 65 Open Gate, Red V-Raptor 8K VV, and Blackmagic Ursa Cine 17K 65 Open Gate.

Regarding image quality, Laowa promises that the Cine shift lenses feature “top-notch optical design” and deliver “exceptional sharpness.” The company also says the lenses effectively minimize chromatic aberrations. Precision and consistency are also displayed through their design, as each lens features standard 0.8 mod gears for focus, aperture, and shift rings.

The Cine Shift lenses ship Arri PL mount by default and utilize an interchangeable mount bayonet to suit Canon EF, Sony E, Nikon Z, Canon RF, and L-mount kits. Additionally, both metric and imperial scales are printed on the lens.

The Laowa 15mm T4.8 Zero-D Shift Cine has 17 elements in 11 groups, while the 20mm T4.1 design has 16 elements in the same number of groups.

Two black camera lenses with blue accents are placed side by side on a white background. Both lenses have various numerical markings and silver mounts, indicating focal lengths of 14mm and 20mm respectively.

The 15mm Cine Shift’s dimensions are 4.69 by 3.67 inches (119.2mm by 93.4 millimeters). It weighs in at 41 ounces (1,150 grams). The lens’s angle of view on full-frame is 110 degrees normally and 130.4 degrees when shifted. The 20mm lens is 4.9 by 3.9 inches (114 by 100 millimeters) with a weight of 40 ounces (1,140 grams). On full-frame, the 20mm has a 94.4-degree angle of view, with a shifted angle of view of 117 degrees.

Close-up of camera lens mounts displaying the text "EF, RF, E, Z, & L MOUNTS." The image features two lenses with visible metal and black components, showcasing different mount types used in photography equipment.