Venus Optics has opened orders for the Laowa ACRIS AF 35mm f/2.8 1X Macro APO for Nikon Z-mount, confirming the lens that had circulated as a rumor for weeks. The Laowa online store is taking orders now; B&H Photo lists the lens as coming soon. The company has not yet published pricing through the retailer, so budget planning for working macro shooters remains open until B&H posts its listing.

The headline specification is the claim of a first: Venus Optics positions the ACRIS as the world's first full-frame autofocus 35mm lens offering true 1:1 magnification. Magnification actually extends to 1.5x for detail work beyond life-size. Minimum focusing distance sits at 30cm — a working distance that matters for product, food and nature photographers who need light between the front element and the subject.

On Fujifilm X APS-C bodies the lens behaves as a 270mm full-frame equivalent, effectively giving crop-sensor shooters a telephoto-macro in a compact, lightweight housing. That dual character is unusual: one lens covering both wide-angle environmental macro on full frame and a tighter telephoto-macro perspective on APS-C.

The autofocus implementation is a hybrid two-mode system, and the details deserve scrutiny before purchase. AF operates from 1.5m to infinity for general shooting. For close-up work, the lens provides autofocus assistance aimed specifically at macro focus stacking — not full AF at macro distances. Photographers running automated stacking workflows on Z bodies should verify how this assistance mode interacts with their preferred stacking software and camera-driven ramping before committing.

Venus Optics describes the optical package as an APO design to suppress chromatic aberration, with edge-to-edge sharpness, what the company calls a fast f/2.8 aperture, smooth bokeh, and a weather-resistant all-metal body.

"The Laowa ACRIS 35mm f/2.8 1X AF Macro APO redefines wide-angle macro photography as the world's first full-frame autofocus 35mm lens to offer true 1:1 magnification," the company states. "Its dual-mode hybrid focus system combines responsive autofocus for everyday shooting with tactile macro focus assistance for precision close-up work and focus stacking. With APO optics, edge-to-edge sharpness, a fast f/2.8 aperture, smooth bokeh, and a rugged weather-resistant all-metal body, the ACRIS captures intricate detail while preserving the character and depth of the surrounding environment."

That framing — capturing subject detail while keeping the surrounding environment in the frame — is the practical pitch to commercial and editorial shooters who sell environmental macro work rather than isolated subject studies. A 35mm field of view at 1:1 produces a very different background story than the 90-105mm macros most professionals already own.

Some claims still require measured verification. "Fast" for an f/2.8 macro is marketing language, not a low-light specification. Edge-to-edge sharpness and APO correction are exactly the kinds of claims third-party makers' MTF charts rarely settle; independent testing on high-resolution Z bodies will determine whether the optics hold up at 1.5x, where aberration control is hardest. Weather resistance claims also typically lack an IP rating — treat this as sealed-adjacent until proven in field use.

The lens joins a growing Z-mount lineup from Venus Optics, which announced the Laowa 35mm f/2.8 Zero-D tilt-shift 0.5x macro for Z-mount in November 2025. That lens was manual focus; the ACRIS adds autofocus to a similar focal-length macro concept, signaling the company's push toward electronically coupled Z-mount optics rather than adapted or manual designs.

For Nikon Z shooters weighing the purchase decision, the calculation is straightforward: this is a specialized wide-angle AF macro in a market segment no first-party manufacturer currently serves at 35mm. The trade-offs — f/2.8 rather than faster, AF limited to 1.5m and beyond, stacking-assist instead of true close-range AF — will decide whether it earns a slot in a working bag.

B&H's formal listing, with pricing and ship dates, should follow the Laowa store's order opening; watch for that listing and early independent sharpness tests before the lens ships in volume.