Sirui 20mm T1.8 1.33x Anamorphic vs Laowa Venus Ranger Super 35 17-50mm T2.9

Buy the Sirui 20mm T1.8 if you want anamorphic widescreen, autofocus and a fast T1.8 aperture on a Super 35 or near-full-frame body. Buy the Laowa Venus Ranger 17-50mm if you shoot on ARRI PL or L-mount and need one zoom to cover a range of focal lengths. The Sirui is the more specialized lens: its 1.33x squeeze, 11-blade aperture and STM autofocus with eye tracking are rare in anamorphic glass, but the 37mm image circle means full-frame coverage is partial. The Laowa is a constant-aperture T2.9 zoom with no autofocus and no anamorphic squeeze, so it is the practical workhorse and the Sirui is the look-driven choice.

• Choose the Sirui 20mm T1.8 if you want anamorphic flare and 2.35:1 framing with autofocus and eye tracking, and you shoot Super 35 or a full-frame camera that tolerates some vignetting.
• Choose the Laowa Venus Ranger 17-50mm if you need one lens to cover wide to normal focal lengths on a PL or L-mount cine camera and can work with manual focus.