DZOFilm Catta vs Laowa Ranger | Which Full-Frame Cinema Zoom?

Available from ProAV: proav.co.uk/dzofilm-catta-lao...
We compare two of our most popular new full-frame cinema zoom lens ranges, the DZOfilm Catta's and new Laowa Ranger's.
‪@DZOFILM‬ ‪@LaowaByVenusOptics‬
Chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:50 Focal Lengths
02:07 Physical Features
04:04 Parfocal
04:21 Overall Image
05:55 Sharpness
06:58 Flaring
07:37 Chromatic Aberration
08:00 Focus Breathing
08:37 Close Focus
09:01 Conclusion
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[@ianallardyce4222]

I wish Sony would bring out an f2.8 version of the old powerzoom 28-135mm with autofocus.

[@samuellegrys5130]

Thank you for putting the work in, so I don't have to! Clear, clean tests with the major caveats covered? Perfect. Subscribed.

[@timdanyo898]

I wonder if the Ranger's magenta shift would help with the Sony FX cameras that tend to shift green?

[@HiddenOaksMedia]

Subbed, thank you so much

[@jammusique]

Great info!

[@ciinelog]

I am definitely choosing the laowa ranger, it's superior in all tests vs dzofilm catta's, thank you for this test, it's definitely help us to decide which one to choose and buy, also proceed making this kind of videos for s35 cine zooms from this brands)

[@carlyates2487]

Glad it helped. Thanks for watching!

[@evetsiksatu]

Big kudos for NO CHARTS. Actual faces and objects, like what we actually shoot for a living.

[@sbsheep]

Excellent video, thanks guys! I prefer the look of the Cattas, but objectively the Ranger standard zoom with its wider end and closer working distance should be better for most users.

[@Shauny_D]

How closely do the zooms match the primes? Especially the DZO's.

[@theseventh2609]

Thank you

[@wenjun_n]

Would be interested to see the new Laowa anamorphic adapter on these babies

[@CaseyPreston]

The one test that I wish was done was how well the transmission and color match between the lenses in each series. I would tend to use the lenses on multicamera interviews and exposure and color matching is my most important issue. It looks like the Ranger may have either some transmission loss on zooming or the transmission isn't as high as on the Catta.

[@carlyates2487]

That’s a good point, we didn’t test that.

[@boys264]

I think Ranger is not a constant aperture design especially 28-75 and the same for its ooom 25-100.

[@CaseyPreston]

@@boys264 Yeah, I noticed some noticeable loss in transmission while watching the tests, but I haven’t seen anybody directly measure it yet.

[@boys264]

@@CaseyPreston Compared the Bokeh size from 4:56 and 7:08 these two time points, if Catta is T2.9, I think the Ranger would be T3~T3.3, and 75mm loss more transmission then 35mm. Hope more tests.

[@samuelpinel-roy2368]

Catta’s and DZO in general don’t color match. Vespid seems neutral, 35-80 more warm than vespid and 70-135 even more warm than 35-80. Love my Catta’s and Vespid for the price but changing WB everytime in multicam doc shoot is a pain.

[@RigittyRoo]

I have tested the Cattas and found they already have quite a large shift towards magenta. The Ranger's must have a gigantic shift to magenta when compared to more "neutral" lenses. Would be interesting to see the Ranger's side by side with say an Arri Master Prime.

[@JulioBHJ]

Pretty simple choice for me - DZOFilm rules. I would have loved for the 18-35mm Catta to be included in the test as well, just for color matching reference. Still, a nice comparison.

[@carlyates2487]

Glad it was helpful to you! Thanks for watching

[@Nathan_Thompson]

Excellent test! Very timely. So well done. Thank you! The rangers are hard to beat for the focal lengths. Those are incredible ranges from wide to tight for such compact lenses. Impressive! But for image quality it seems like the Cattas have slightly more character. Almost like DZO is the cheap Cooke and Laowa is the cheap Zeiss.

[@shaggysk8r1]

Thoughts on the best option for wildlife and outdoor adventure work? For what I do raw gritty detail is preferred to the vintage or soft look that seems to be very popular lately.

[@shaggysk8r1]

??? 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@Phil-is8fy]

I havent seem the ranger 16-30 anywhere. Is it tba?

[@ciinelog]

Also would like to see a test video for CHIOPT XTREME ZOOM 28-85mm T3.2 & 75-250mm T3.2 Lens Kit

[@carlyates2487]

I don’t know the Chiopt lenses. I will look into them.

[@reefcreative3341]

Fully agree, the 28-85 is good, little soft on the end wide open but a great set of glass

[@ciinelog]

@@reefcreative3341 the other downside is that they are way much bigger and heavier that Ranger or even Catta.

[@reefcreative3341]

@@ciinelog Very true, but also as of right now its the only 70-200mm kinda lens for full frame at its price range.

[@ciinelog]

@@reefcreative3341 Anyway Ranger is the best choice, more lightweight, more mm, but for your type of shoots CHIOPT 75-250mm T3.2 is the best option

[@shuailuo8637]

Ranger's color just looks so "modern photo lens" to me...The focus breathing seems far more visible on Rangers, as well as color aberration. At 6:25, I have a strange feeling that if Catta is T2.9, that the Rangers don't have the actual T 2.9, to me it's near half stop darker than the Catta's image... Is there some way to verify ?

[@notmyforte88]

I love the more neutral look of the Rangers. The Cattas are just too yellowish for my taste. They might be good for some specific projects but I can't use them in most gigs. My mate tested the Cattas back in June but he didn't like them. The lenses were not color-matched. Thats deal breaker for me. Not sure if DZO had fixed that or not.

[@shuailuo8637]

@@notmyforte88 I have used Catta and Angenieux a lot, warm tendency is not a problem for me though, if you use some Angenieux’s zoom a lot. I’m quite interested in testing Ranger’s but seems they loose light quite a lot when zooming to a certain focal length. That’s my main concern.

[@kilikdudley]

Having rented both, I prefer the Rangers. The look is more neutral and works for larger variety of shoots. You're right though - The Ranger must not be 2.9 and they didn't change the ND filter to compensate, so they look darker here

[@SteadyRolling]

What about the Zeiss 28-80mm CZ.2?

[@mattknight533]

Not full frame

[@ianallardyce4222]

And price!

[@jonathancortizo9098]

I own the 28-80. It’s incredible. It’s full frame but heavy and very expensive. Also the focus ring has a massive throw so you really need a manual follow focus or FIZ control. I use it on commercial shoots and use the Rangers for smaller videos, or shoots where the camera has to be small and light

[@obarovft314]

comparison without price?

[@christianrobinbright3211]

The lack of sharpness in the longer lens of the Ranger is quite concerning. Were you able to focus in sharp at all? Your test @ 5:49 made it look too soft to use as if the lens has a flaw.

[@SeanDaPaulSeh]

Catta zooms are on sale right now for only $1670

[@JohnnieButtersonline]

Off topic but Olivia is gorgeous, definitely use her more in the future lol

[@Cre8tvMedia]

For me, the Ranger set is the better choice with the extended zoom length on the long end, the extra 2mm width and the more natural skin tones.... always nice to have a few more options to use if needed. especially if I'm handing off footage to the client at the end of the day.

[@carlyates2487]

True, often people who hand off footage prefer as neutral a look as possible.

[@smallbrownfox594]

Catta looks too yellow. Ranger more natural on skin.

[@carlyates2487]

Yes the Rangers definitely have a more neutral colour palette which I really like. Some customers prefer the character of the Catta’s though. It’s definitely a personal preference thing.

[@Nathan_Thompson]

These hues can be adjusted with white balance and in post color. Not every lens performs the same under the same lighting conditions. It's up to the operator to respond and tweak to get the look they want.

[@Gandu.Bacchu]

Love From India Bro 🤍