Laowa Proteus Flex Series Released – 2x Anamorphic with Swappable Flare Options

Lens News

by Nick TaylorToday

There has been a lot of lens news recently, but I don’t believe I’ve seen anything quite like this. Chinese manufacturer Venus Optics hits the market with a new type of modular lens unlike anything else out there. The creators of the Laowa Probe lens have already proven themselves revolutionaries of the lens medium, and I think we may be seeing another dramatic shift in lens technology with the Laowa Proteus Flex Series Anamorphics. Let’s take a closer look at these cool lenses.

Choose your focal length, choose your flare type

The Laowa Proteus Flex Series is all about variety. Coming in 28, 35, 45, 60, 85, and 100mm focal lengths, those front lens bodies may then be paired with one of four rear flare modules: amber, silver, blue, and clear. The “clear” flare type is a new lens coating meant to minimize horizontal lens flares if a cleaner look is desired.

Using an anamorphic lens usually means you are stuck with the characteristics of whichever lens you choose. This means focus breathing, falloff, and flare characteristics. These Laowa lenses offer true flexibility in the look and feel of your film without having to decide on one specific flare type. As Venus Optics puts it:

Most of the anamorphic lenses in the market have fixed lens flare color; it often has to be
decided at the time of purchase. With the flexibility and versatility to change the flare color, the
new Proteus Flex effectively turns a set of Proteus anamorphic lenses into 4 different sets.
Filmmakers can swap between blue, amber, silver and clear flare options to bring aesthetic
impact to the scenes.

Who are these for?

Several years ago, finding anamorphic lenses for under $1K was impossible. Companies like Laowa, SIRUI , and Rokinon have made professional-grade quality accessible to the more modest budget filmmaker. Having said that, these lenses are not really for those modest-budget filmmakers. Venus Optics says each lens is $9,999 or $24,999 for a 3-lens set. I’m not sure if this is a temporary price drop, but you can currently find them on B&H for $4,999 each.

I think these lenses are more for rental houses to rent out to filmmakers, not necessarily for filmmakers to buy independently. This is really a shame because if they were a tad cheaper, this could be the only set of anamorphic lenses you would need to buy. With the versatility options, you could make multiple types of films with just one set. And having a modularity of tools as a filmmaker is an invaluable asset.

Specs and availability

All lenses in the Laowa Proteus Series start at T2.0 and stop at T22. The 28, 35, and 45mm lenses all measure 119.3 x 182.8mm / 4.7 x 7.2in, while the 60mm is slightly longer at 119.3 x 198mm / 4.7 x 7.8in. The 85 and 100mm lenses are slightly skinnier and longer at 116.8 x 238.7mm / 4.6 x 9.4in. So it’s worth noting that not all the lenses are the same size, if a “cinema lens kit” is what you’re going for.

The lenses all come with a PL mount, although it seems a Canon EF bayonet also comes with the kit. They only cover a Super 35 sensor, which is slightly disappointing at this price point. Minimum focus distance is kind of all over the place, but starts at 0.5m / 1.7ft for the 28mm and ends at 0.97m / 3.2ft for the 100mm.

Here are a few more specs and features from Laowa:

• Constant 2X squeeze ratio
• T2 Large Aperture
• Outstanding sharpness
• Close-focusing distance
• Pleasant oval bokeh
• Interchangeable amber, blue, silver & clear flare
• Low focus-breathing
• User-friendly cine housing
• Full-frame coverage with 1.4X expander

The lenses are available for purchase at authorized retailers, such as B&H. You can find additional information on the lenses on Laowa’s site here.

I’m kind of fascinated with the possibilities of this lens and would love to try them out on a future project. What about you? Do you think these lenses are useful for future projects or just a gimmick that will die out? I’d love to hear your thoughts about the Laowa Proteus Flex Anamorphics!