Laowa has announced two new full-frame lenses. At least, they’re sort of new. They’re the Laowa Ranger Lite, available in 28-75mm T2.9 (buy here) and 75-180mm T2.9 (buy here) varieties. They’re identical to the Laowa Ranger lenses, except in weight.
The two lenses combined shave 300g off their regular Ranger counterparts. Laowa says they also offer greater durability thanks to a new magnesium alloy housing.
Laowa Ranger Lite 28-75mm & 75-180mm T2.9
Laowa says new Ranger Lite lenses offer “the same exceptional image quality” but in a new “space-grey professional housing”. The new housing isn’t just aesthetic, though. It’s made from magnesium alloy. This both reduces weight and increases durability.
The original rangers are aluminium alloy. The change to magnesium shaves around 100g off the weight of the 28-75mm T2.9. The 75-180mm T2.9 Ranger Lite cuts around 200g from its regular Ranger weight. Combined, they save 300g, or a little over 10%.
It’s a good job that the change is more than just colour. Each Ranger Lite version of the lens costs $500 more than the regular Ranger. And, unless you’re Leica, that’s a big premium to pay for just a paint job. So, nice work, Laowa.
Same optics, same parfocal design
The two lenses are essentially identical to the Laowa Ranger lenses in every respect other than the housing. This means they share the same parfocal design, providing identical image quality.
They both have the same quick-back-focus adjustment mechanism. This can save a lot of time on set. No longer do you need to mess around with shims. Just put it on, adjust (if needed) and go.
It’s also available in the same PL/EF mount options. And the lenses are easily adaptable to other systems. Laowa offers mount adapters in RF, E, Z and L mounts.
A quick recap
We saw the original Laowa Ranger lenses at NAB back in April for a quick hands-on. Here’s our chat with Laowa if you need a quick refresher.
Laowa Ranger Lite 28-75mm & 75-180mm T2.9 Specs
| Focal length | 28-75mm | 75-180mm |
|---|---|---|
| Format | Full-Frame | Full-Frame |
| Mounts | PL, Canon EF (Canon RF, Nikon Z, Sony E w/adapters) | PL, Canon EF (Canon RF, Nikon Z, Sony E w/adapters) |
| Angle of view | 75.4-32.2° | 32.2-13.7° |
| T-Stop | T2.9-22 | T2.9-22 |
| Optics | 22 elements in 18 groups | 14 elements in 14 groups |
| Aperture blades | 11 | 11 |
| Min focus distance | 49cm | 89cm |
| Max magnification | 0.23x | 0.217x |
| Filter diameter | 77mm | 77mm |
| Outer diameter | 80mm | 80mm |
| Dimensions | 80 x 179.3mm | 80 x 189.5mm |
| Weight | ~1.3kg | ~1.2kg |
| Focus Throw | 270° | 270° |
| Zoom Throw | 100° | 100° |
| Aperture Throw | 42° | 42° |
Price and Availability
The Laowa Ranger Lite 28-75mm T2.9 will be available to pre-order soon for $3,499. The Laowa Ranger Lite 75-180mm T2.9 will also be available to pre-order soon for $3,499. The two lenses will be available to buy together as a pair for $6,799.