Laowa 85mm f/5.6 2x Ultra Macro APO lens review with samples

No video

Laowa 85mm f/5.6 2x Ultra Macro APO lens review with samples

Рет қаралды 35,087

2 жыл бұрын

Price: US$449. Here we go with yet another 2x macro lens from Laowa - although you can't say they don't know what they're doing in that category :)
Support me on Patreon! / christopherfrost
Equipment I use to make my videos (Amazon affiliate links):
Canon EOS R5: geni.us/CanonE...
Canon EF-RF Adaptor: geni.us/CanonE...
Sigma 50mm f/1.4 'Art': geni.us/Sigma5...
Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 IS STM: geni.us/CanonR... Marumi Fit and Slim CPL Filter: geni.us/Marumi... AudioTechnica AT2020USB+ Microphone: geni.us/AT2020...
Rode Smartlav+ Microphone: geni.us/RodeSm...
Rode SC3 adapter: geni.us/RodeSC...
Zoom H1n Recorder: geni.us/ZoomH1...
DJI Mini 2 Drone: geni.us/DJIMin...
All images shot by me on a Sony a7R III and an a5100 camera.
Music: 'Opportunity Walks', Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 creativecommons....

Пікірлер: 87

@Simoneister 2 жыл бұрын

When shooting macro, f/2.8 is usually too shallow a depth of field anyway. This is a great idea for a lens, and I'm glad Venus Optics has made it!

@robinehrenhofer8202 2 жыл бұрын

The 2.8 aperture mostly comes in handy for focusing on a dslr. Most mirrorless cameras by default use depth of field preview and close the aperture down while composing and focusing already.

@closeshot7161 2 жыл бұрын

I wouldn't shoot @ 2.8, but I'd sure appreciate the extra light for focusing if I did.

@fwiffo 2 жыл бұрын

I shoot flat objects like coins, so f/2.8 (or at least f/4) can sometimes be useful. When you're using magnifications as high as 2:1 on high-resolution sensors diffraction becomes an issue surprisingly early! (at 2:1 magnification f/5.6 is equivalent to almost f/17)

@robinehrenhofer8202 2 жыл бұрын

@@fwiffo really, I knew, that diffraction kicks in far wider open, but I did not expect it to be that extreme.

@fwiffo 2 жыл бұрын

@@robinehrenhofer8202 Yeah, the simple formula is aperture * (1+magnification). Technically, that's not the exact value all the time, as it depends on some more obscure properties of the lens, but it's correct for most lenses, and close enough for the remainder. That's why there is a lot of value in focus stacking at high magnifications. If you start getting to very high magnifications with extension tubes or microscope objectives (5x, 10x...) it gets insane.

@NAG3V 2 жыл бұрын

What most manual macros (and some camera manufacturers) don’t show - the effective aperture which actually affects depth of field, brightness and diffraction changes with focusing distance. That change is slight for normal lenses, but very apparent when focusing at macro distances. So this lens is f/5.6 at infinity, but likely gets closer to f/9 - f/11 at 1:1 magnification and f/13 - f/17 at 2:1. Accordingly using at aperture ring to reduce aperture closes it further from those values, so it’s unsurprising that diffraction is visible at “nominally more open” aperture at closer focus. The change in brightness from focusing is another giveaway.

@drtod 2 жыл бұрын

I want to thank companies for sending you evaluation products for review. Without videos like this, I would never consider (or even know about) products such as this type of lens. This is an excellent advertising platform even if the product does not receive a 'full-recommendation', because at least we the buyer can set expectations (especially based on price) before a purchase and actually consider these non-OEM (Canon/Nikon/Sony/OMD/Fuji/Panasonic/Leica) brand lens for our camera system.

@myrmecofourmis 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the useful review, two things missing though: -the small size is convenient to get closer to bugs in small spaces, not just to save space in the bag -most of us who shoot at 2X or higher magnification don't use tripods, but strong flashes with double diffusion

@OccultDemonCassette 2 жыл бұрын

I love Laowa. They're always coming out with so many unique and interesting lenses at incredibly reasonable prices. I hope they make another Smooth Trans Focus lens in a different focal length sometime in the future.

@christopherfrost 2 жыл бұрын

Price: US$449

@telechivictor 2 жыл бұрын

Looks good, but I have the laowa 100mm and that lens is superb. Interesting that the price is similar 🤔

@cotomaznaczyc 2 жыл бұрын

Great review, although I don't think I've ever shot a macro lens wider than f4, and rarely wider than f5.6... especially on a full frame. Most serious macro photographers use flash and a diffuser for macro, so the loss of light is not a big deal unless you're doing hand held stacks.

@Adventure_Together 2 жыл бұрын

I love the look of this one. I use a flash and rarely go as wide with the f/2.8 I already own because depth of field at that aperture is tiny when shooting macro. I'm usually around f/5.6-f/8. This will be easier to fit in the kit bag and I like the weight savings.

@jeroenvdw 9 ай бұрын

Bought this lens last week and it's amazing, even on a 60MP A7RV. I mainly used it in combination with focus stacking indoor as it's raining all week, results are amazing.

@billy9506 2 жыл бұрын

Turned on captions. First line - "Show my pulp" 🤣

@fwiffo 2 жыл бұрын

From the long-CA test, it looks like it's actually an APO, which is an excellent feature in macro lenses, and one at which most first-party macro lenses fail pretty badly. It's not the first true APO from Laowa either.

@simonp8088 2 жыл бұрын

Since you really have to stop down macro lenses for dof, this lens is more than good at such a small max aperture. Also, it’s not just tripod shooting for this lens. I suggest always using a good flash. Preferably a ring flash- something close to the front of the lens. This will help you get better quality macro shorts as well. And

@winstonpx 2 жыл бұрын

Laowa are seriously great optics designers.

@marc5279 5 ай бұрын

i'm sure if you focused at 1:1 magnification, the image wouldnt suffer from softness at f16 and above. I've got a sigma 105mm 2.8 for macro and at closer focsusing distances it's impressive the detail you can get out of appertures like f32. At closer distances and macro ranges things get messed up and numbers stop meaning what they always meant in normal photography. Also, when doing macro, people generally preffer to use a flash instead of a tripod, that way you can freeze stuff with lower isos and the widest depths of field possible

@emkayjeong 2 жыл бұрын

Another excellent macro from laowa. The design looks clever, it's small, but the magnification and close up image quality are exceptional. I hope there were electronic connection, though.

@ArteUltra1195 2 жыл бұрын

Hey Christopher Frost, I know it’s not really related to this review, but I decided to go small and light and bought a Canon M6 II together with a 11-22 and a 32 1.4, also thanks to your reviews. I would love to adapt a 55-250 IS STM, as it is faster and has more reach than the 55-200 native lens, plus it seems to be a great performer. My question would be how it performs on a high megapixel sensor. A lot of people are still interested in buying this lens, and maybe you could do a quick update and test it on the M6 II. :)

@jg101988 2 жыл бұрын

Great video as always!

@shang-hsienyang1284 2 жыл бұрын

I hope Laowa would make a 300mm f/11 macro. I have been using a diopter on a 70-300mm but I wish I could focus to infinity.

@johnz5359 Жыл бұрын

How do you even do that, I'm impressed. I feel like having such a large focal length would be great to be able to stay further away from bugs and not disturb them, but it would be extremely difficult to even find subjects that are a few millimeters in size. Do you have any links to photos you've taken with this setup, I'm really interested.

@douglasstemke2444 6 ай бұрын

I'm new to the Canon Universe (coming from Pentax) and recently was gifted an R5 which I am just starting to learn. One of my passions is macro so I have a question with this combo with a dumb lens. With my Pentax system I use a lot of diffused flash for macro. I was wondering if I use this lens that lacks contacts and a dedicated flash, will the camera be able to handle the flash electronically and get the exposure correct or will all my flash have to be purely manually determined? That isn't a big deal, but it would complicate my macro photography.

@rock3times 2 жыл бұрын

Looking forward for a review of TTArtisan 50mm f0.95 for FF

@eliseogermanstenta 2 жыл бұрын

I like seeing serius macro lenses with a smaller aperture and size. I mean, we are going to use f8 or f11, so make it 2.8 and super big isn't that necessary.

@macdandy1972 2 жыл бұрын

On a full frame 33 megapixel camera would this 85mm Laowa lens be sharper than the Laowa 65mm on a 35 megapixel apsc camera, in your opinion?

@muttishelfer9122 2 жыл бұрын

@silversulu 2 жыл бұрын

So many macro options @christopher - if I have none, where do I start for my Sony FF (A7S III, and soon A7 IV)

@messylaura 2 жыл бұрын

Christopher, is it possible to include resolving power figures with the lens reviews? thanks

@michaelk6957 2 жыл бұрын

For a Sony aps-c camera like the a6400 what macro lens from Laowa would be ideal to achieve 100mm macro with a 1:1 magnification? I am going to use it for dental photography. Thanx

@paulcooper8818 2 жыл бұрын

$450 seems high for this lens

@ConsumerFanatics 2 жыл бұрын

In my opinion, Venus Optics needs to really start putting electronic contacts on all their lenses. For me, it’s a non-starter despite the lens looking fantastic otherwise.

@martinrosen9742 2 жыл бұрын

Yes if only for exif data

@Tzadeck 2 жыл бұрын

Why? AF is almost useless on macro lenses, if you're actually doing macro photography.

@ConsumerFanatics 2 жыл бұрын

@@Tzadeck Not for AF, for EXIF data.

@Tzadeck 2 жыл бұрын

@@ConsumerFanatics Why is EXIF data a non-starter for you? Just curious.

@ConsumerFanatics 2 жыл бұрын

@@Tzadeck I find it valuable when culling, sorting, and finding my images based on data.

@tszleung 2 жыл бұрын

1:54 This is the time clean your sensor

@jordanlaine7412 2 жыл бұрын

😂😂😂

@flaviomarchi 2 жыл бұрын

Can someone explain to me why it performs worse on aps-c? I thought that would be a good idea because it automatically crops the image and you esentially get more focal length in comparison. Which both are great for macro.

@mauiuaui 2 жыл бұрын

christopher when the review of sigma 500mm f4 sport

@khandam7709 2 жыл бұрын

looks cool

@SomeonewithaSony 2 жыл бұрын

Not sure what the point of this lens is? Laowa already has the 100mm 2x… 🤷‍♂️

@ShirazHansen 2 жыл бұрын

The size is an obvious plus. Would've made even more sense if the price was lower, though. I own the Laowa 100 f2.8, and while it's fantastic optically, its size and weight make it stay on the shelf most of the time.

@viceblast Жыл бұрын

Me looking at compatible lenses for a phone that still is not confirmed to be sold to the public. If Xiaomi finally launches the Xiaomi 12s Ultra Concept to the public I'll buy it and with this lens. If you were wondering that phone has a 1" exposed sensor built by Leica with mount M

@rusko7 2 жыл бұрын

For almost the same price, would you get this over the Venus Laowa 100mm f/2.8 macro lens?

@joetrent4753 2 жыл бұрын

The main advantage of this 85mm is it's much smaller and lighter than the 100mm f2.8. Depends on whether the size is a dealbreaker over the extra f-stops.

@Linteria 2 жыл бұрын

4:16 I know a whole nation which would challenge that claim... ;)

@igorivanov4421 2 жыл бұрын

Focus breathing ! KEK

@winstonpx 2 жыл бұрын

ohhhh. I was seriously interested in this because I thought it would be quite cheap, especially since it is a slow lens and made by Laowa, but it's a heckin' 450 bucks. I have to pass on that.

@jorgemosajabejarano82 2 жыл бұрын

awesome

@quite1enough 2 жыл бұрын

they made it even for Leica M, but not for Fuji X :(

@michaeltsui3435 2 жыл бұрын

Leica M is for those who use AF adaptors

@DavidGBlair 11 ай бұрын

Fuji x is not full frame. The 65mm is perfect on apsc

@quite1enough 11 ай бұрын

@@DavidGBlair Laowa known for making lenses for full frame and aps-c in one model, like for Sony E mount, L-mount, and Fuji X. A lot of Chinese manufacturers doing just that today, like recently released TTartisan 100mm f.2.8 macro with tilt-shift

@chrisdwyer1477 2 жыл бұрын

Wooo first!

@svvdm 2 жыл бұрын

dude! how do I learn to narrate like you?

@bar_288 2 жыл бұрын

Damn it just a month ago I bought 100mm ....

@muhammadobaid7500 2 жыл бұрын

I wonder why u didn't say it s highly recommend!! It s really unfair to consider the tight aperture as a con ! No professional photographer shoot wide open at that extreme shooting distance.

@cirmothe9 2 жыл бұрын

I'd rather get the laowa 65mm since it's cheaper.

@nh-ss5pw 2 жыл бұрын

thumbs up

@JamesClark1991 2 жыл бұрын

Think you went a bit light on this seemingly poor lens Chris!

@christopherfrost 2 жыл бұрын

Looking in the comments section it seems to be a lens that really divides opinion - a few people seem to think I was too hard on it!

@igorivanov4421 2 жыл бұрын

When you are tired of shooting macro, with f2.8 you can still proceed to city and shoot street.

@joetrent4753 2 жыл бұрын

I shoot street photography at around f8-f16 on a small Voigtlander 40mm lens. f2.8 (and 85mm) will be more useful for portrait photography but this 85mm lens is a dedicated macro and the lower aperture allows it to be much smaller and lighter than Laowa's other FF macro lenses. Great for handheld macro with a defused flash.

@bobhandal 2 жыл бұрын

price?

@possisvideos 2 жыл бұрын

they forgot the exif data chip for Sony. stone age. otherwise i would buy immediately to have an always-in-the-bag macro. maybe laowa make a v2 with chip.