The Laowa Sword FF Macro Cine Series features full-frame cine prime lenses from Venus Optics, tailored for filmmakers seeking strong macro capabilities and cinematic usability.

There are six focal lengths in the Laowa Sward FF Macro Cine Series: 15mm, 25mm, 35mm, 60mm, 100mm, and 180mm. The 15mm has a T4.1 aperture, the 180mm has a T4.6 aperture, and the rest are T2.9. All are full-frame with optional mounts, PL, EF, RF, E, Z, and L. The macro magnifications for the 15mm, 25mm, and 35mm are 1:1. The 60mm and 100mm are 2:1, and the 180mm is 1.5:1.

Venus Optics sent me the 60mm, 100mm, and 180mm lenses to test out. I wanted to test the lens I’d like to see in macro. I didn’t want to shoot something boring, so I set up outside next to our butterfly bushes and captured what I could with these lenses on the Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K LF. You can see that review of the Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K LF here.

I also shot a more traditional scene of my family reading a book, or at least acting like they are reading a book. My daughter decided to ham it up for the camera, which made us all smile and laugh.

What Works Well

In those tests, and other material I shot for fun earlier in the review process, I saw that the lenses let me get very close. That closeness was clearly because of the 2:1 magnification in the 60mm and 100mm. I found the lenses produced fine detail. You can see this in the butterfly video, where you can see the individual hairs on the butterfly. So much to see in those butterfly shoots.

I found the Laowa Sword FF Macro Cine lenses, the 60, 100, and 180 I had on hand, were pretty sharp wide open, but that sharpness improved quite a bit once I stopped down. I don’t know if you’ve tried shooting macro footage of butterflies, but one better stop down as far as you can, because you will need as much depth of field as you can get. Those butterflies move much quicker than one thinks. I tended to prefer the 60mm and 100mm over the 180mm. The first two seemed to show off the sharpest image to me, especially when I stopped down.

I noticed that when I shot at the widest apertures, the butterfly image had lower contrast and the edges were a touch soft. Stopping down improves this, sharpens the edges, and snaps the contrast back.

Chromatic Aberration

I didn’t see an ounce of chromatic aberration. I didn’t see any color bleed when I had a bright sky or light falling behind a subject. This is impressive for a series of lenses priced as affordably as the Laowa Sword FF Macro Cine series.

Consistency

The whole Laowa Sword FF Macro Cine series set has a consistent build. For those who may buy or rent the series, this consistency helps with lens changes and keeps the shoot workflow running smoothly. Plus, all the lenses I tested were pretty lightweight. I’d be more than comfortable filming on a gimbal with any one of these lenses. The cine-style gears and good focus and iris throws show me that Laowa has these lenses primed for any shoot, big or small.

Filming A Non-Macro Scene

The Laowa Sword FF Macro Cine series of lenses are, as stated in their name, macro lenses. The Swords will shine best when shooting macro scenes. That’s not to say one can’t use these Laowa Sword FF Macro Cine lenses in another way, I certainly did.

Like any cine-style lenses, the Laowa Sword FF Macro Cine series did well for me. I like how the 60mm flared when I had the lights pointing at the lenses. That may not be what you want, but I liked it. So, yes, you can use the Laowa Sword FF Macro Cine as traditional prime lenses. No need to reserve them for macro filming only.

Laowa Sword FF Macro Cine Series Price

The Laowa Sword FF Macro Cine series prices are $1,499 for a single lens, $5,699 for a 4-lens set, or $7,999 for the entire series. You can buy optional bayonets for $50. If you buy the whole series, you save $165.83 per lens —about $1,000 compared to purchasing the lenses one by one. That is a pretty good price for a dedicated macro lens set. There are competitors on the market, but the Laowa Sword FF Macro Cine series seems to be a more complete set, with stronger magnification ratios in the 60mm and 100mm models.

If you film a good amount of macro cinematography, then the Laowa Sword FF Macro Cine series may be the right kit for you. I film a lot of hospital footage and research footage. The idea of a macro kit of cine-style lenses is something my creative team might need to explore further.

Add in the fact that the Laowa Sword FF Macro Cine series could work well on a gimbal and give us the extreme close-ups, which could give us quite the tool in our toolbox.

Thoughts on the Laowa Sword FF Macro Cine series

Overall, the Laowa Sword FF Macro Cine series gave me the impression of a cine lens set that is both strong in macro capability and usability as cine primes. I like that the Sword FF Macro Cine Series offers a single macro lens without an accessory, or as a super-specialized lens, because one can use any lens in the series for non-macro scenes. It’s the flexibility I like the most.

If I were picking a few lenses from the set, the 60mm and 100mm would be my favorites. Those two lenses gave me more than enough reach for macro, good sharpness, and are reasonably sized. Though I will say, since I didn’t get to test the wider lenses, I’m more than interested in the unique shots they may allow.

All in the Laowa Sword FF Macro Cine series delivered great detail, contrast, and a wonderful image, whether I shot macro or traditional scenes. The fact that these lenses are not expensive is mind-blowing to me.