Venus Laowa Argus 33mm f/0.95 CF APO
Summary
The Venus Laowa Argus 33mm f/0.95 CF APO is a solid optical performer — a standard prime (50mm equivalent) with f/0.95 maximum aperture. The lens is priced at approximately ~$750 USD. Please check the official product page for sample images, manuals, and firmware updates.
Genre Suitability
- Excellent for: Street
- Adequate for: Landscape, Architecture, Travel, Portrait, Sport, Wildlife
- Avoid for: Nightscape, Macro
Strengths
- Smooth, pleasant bokeh
Weaknesses
- Noticeably soft corners wide open
- Noticeable astigmatism in the corners
- Noticeable coma in the corners wide open
- Noticeable spherical aberration wide open
- Noticeable vignetting wide open
- Poor flare resistance — ghosting and veiling flare with backlight
- Low macro capability (0.125x magnification)
Specifications 19/20
| Optical construction | 14 elements in 9 groups (1 aspherical, 1 ED, 3 UHR) |
| Coating | multi-coating |
| Focal length | 33mm |
| Max aperture | f/0.95 |
| Sweet spot | f/2.8 |
| Aperture blades | 9 |
| Sunstar points | 18 (sharp — straight blades) |
| Max magnification | 0.125x |
| Min focus distance | 350mm |
| AF motor | Manual focus |
| OIS | No |
| Weather sealed | No |
| Aperture ring | Yes |
| Clickless aperture | Yes |
| Focus ring | Yes |
| Focus by wire | No |
| Distance scale | Yes |
| Rotating front | No |
| Tripod mount | No |
| Weight | 590g |
| Diameter | 72mm |
| Length | 83mm |
| Filter thread | 62mm |
| Year | 2021 |
Optical Quality 14/14
| Center (wide open) | 1.0 |
| Corner (wide open) | 0.5 |
| Center (stopped) | 2.0 |
| Corner (stopped) | 1.0 |
| Coma | 0.5 |
| Astigmatism | 0.5 |
| Spherical aberration | 0.5 |
| Longitudinal CA | 1.0 |
| Lateral CA | 2.0 |
| Distortion | 1.0 |
| Vignetting (wide open) | 0.5 |
| Vignetting (stopped) | 2.0 |
| Bokeh | 1.5 |
| Flare resistance | 0.0 |
Sharpness
- Acceptable center sharpness wide open
- Noticeably soft corners wide open
- Outstanding center resolution stopped down
- Acceptable corner sharpness stopped down
Aberrations
- Moderate longitudinal CA, correctable in post
- Negligible lateral chromatic aberration
- Noticeable coma in the corners wide open
- Noticeable astigmatism in the corners
- Noticeable spherical aberration wide open
Rendering
- Smooth, pleasant bokeh
- Noticeable vignetting wide open
- Vignetting essentially gone by f/5.6
- Poor flare resistance — ghosting and veiling flare with backlight
Distortion
- Moderate distortion, handled by camera profiles
All optical scores are based on lab measurements and field tests from trusted review sources. For details on how we score lenses, see our scoring methodology.
Genre Fit
✗ Nightscape Photography 2/5
Nightscape Photography prioritizes coma control, astigmatism correction, and a fast aperture for short star exposures.
- Noticeable coma in the corners wide open
- Noticeable astigmatism in the corners
- Fast f/0.95 aperture
- Negligible lateral chromatic aberration
- Acceptable center sharpness wide open
- Noticeably soft corners wide open
- Moderate longitudinal CA, correctable in post
- Noticeable vignetting wide open
- Noticeable spherical aberration wide open
~ Landscape Photography 3/5
Landscape Photography prioritizes corner-to-corner sharpness at stopped-down apertures and good flare resistance.
- Acceptable corner sharpness stopped down
- Outstanding center resolution stopped down
- Moderate distortion, handled by camera profiles
- Negligible lateral chromatic aberration
- Moderate longitudinal CA, correctable in post
- Vignetting essentially gone by f/5.6
- Poor flare resistance — ghosting and veiling flare with backlight
- Noticeable astigmatism in the corners
- Noticeable coma in the corners wide open
~ Architecture Photography 3/5
Architecture Photography prioritizes geometric precision with minimal distortion and even corner sharpness.
- Acceptable corner sharpness stopped down
- Outstanding center resolution stopped down
- Moderate distortion, handled by camera profiles
- Negligible lateral chromatic aberration
- Vignetting essentially gone by f/5.6
- Poor flare resistance — ghosting and veiling flare with backlight
✓ Street Photography 4/5
Street Photography prioritizes sharp stopped-down performance and a fast enough aperture for low light.
- Outstanding center resolution stopped down
- Fast f/0.95 aperture
- Acceptable center sharpness wide open
- Poor flare resistance — ghosting and veiling flare with backlight
- Moderate longitudinal CA, correctable in post
- Noticeable coma in the corners wide open
~ Travel Photography 3/5
Travel Photography prioritizes balanced image quality in a lightweight package.
- Outstanding center resolution stopped down
- Heavy at 590g
- Fast f/0.95 aperture
- Poor flare resistance — ghosting and veiling flare with backlight
- Moderate longitudinal CA, correctable in post
~ Portrait Photography 3/5
Portrait Photography prioritizes smooth bokeh and critical center sharpness wide open for subject isolation.
- Smooth, pleasant bokeh
- Acceptable center sharpness wide open
- Moderate longitudinal CA, correctable in post
- Noticeable spherical aberration wide open
- Noticeable vignetting wide open
~ Sport Photography 3/5
Sport Photography prioritizes sharp wide-open center performance to freeze action at fast shutter speeds.
- Acceptable center sharpness wide open
- Fast f/0.95 aperture
- Moderate longitudinal CA, correctable in post
- Negligible lateral chromatic aberration
~ Wildlife Photography 3/5
Wildlife Photography prioritizes center sharpness across apertures for distant subjects.
- Acceptable center sharpness wide open
- Outstanding center resolution stopped down
- Fast f/0.95 aperture
- Moderate longitudinal CA, correctable in post
- Negligible lateral chromatic aberration
✗ Macro Photography 1/5
Macro Photography prioritizes stopped-down center sharpness and high magnification for close-up detail.
- Outstanding center resolution stopped down
- Low magnification (0.125x)
- Moderate distortion, handled by camera profiles
- Negligible lateral chromatic aberration
- Moderate longitudinal CA, correctable in post
- Noticeable spherical aberration wide open
- Smooth, pleasant bokeh