Venus Optics has just announced the release of the Laowa 90mm f/2.8 2x Ultra Macro Apo lens for Micro Four Thirds cameras (MFT) – and macro photographers should be buzzing.

Originally created for full frame cameras, the MFT-specific f/2.8 2x Ultra Macro Apo lens takes the reproduction ratio to new heights and brings some welcome digital updates.

The shouting point of this announcement is, of course, the overall 4x full frame equivalent magnification – a result of the 2x crop factor of the format, which doubles the native reproduction ratio, enabling microscopic details and textures "invisible to the naked eye" to be captured.

Laowa has crafted the MFT version of the 90mm f/2.8 2x Ultra Macro with the apochromatic (Apo) technology its predecessor benefitted from. According to the brand, this suppresses longitudinal and lateral chromatic aberration to "nearly zero".

Chromatic aberration, or color fringing, is an unwanted purple or green casting around the edges of objects in a photo. It usually happens at wider apertures such as f/2.8 and below.

If the Apo performance is as good as Laowa claims, then headache-inducing analysis for unwanted color artifacts in post-production is a thing of the past.

Unlike the full frame version of the f/2.8 2X Ultra Macro Apo lens, the new MFT version features electronic contacts. These enable you to control aperture directly from the camera body.

This digital upgrade makes using the lens just that little bit easier, as does the internal focusing system and fixed length – which also boost image sharpness.

Beyond the impressive 4x magnification equivalent and Apo technology, the new MFT-specific 90mm f/2.8 2x Ultra Macro lens combines sturdy build quality in a compact design.

The lens weighs just 540g and measures 115mm in length, making it one of the most stowable pieces of macro kit on the market.

The Laowa 90mm f/2.8 2X Ultra Macro Apo for MFT goes on sale from February 29 for $449 (approximately £326 / $642).

You may also like…

Take a look at the best Micro Four Thirds lenses from all brands, along with the best macro lenses on the market.

Venus Optics, the company behind Laowa lenses, has launched a new tilt-shift lens. The Laowa 35mm f/2.8 Zero-D Tilt-Shift 0.5× Macro.

This full-frame optic has been designed to combine wide-angle perspective, tilt-shift functionality, and macro capabilities into a single, compact lens. It offers ±10° of tilt for precise plane of focus manipulation, along with ±12mm of shift for advanced perspective correction.

Mount options include full-frame Sony E, Nikon Z, Canon RF and L-mount cameras, but there are also variants available for medium format Fujifilm GFX and Hasselblad XCD cameras, on which ±8mm of shift is available without noticeable vignetting. The Zero-D label denotes that the lens should produce virtually no optical distortion - a must when shooting geometric subjects like interiors and architecture. Furthermore, the lens's APO (Apochromatic) design is said to reduce chromatic aberration while improving edge-to-edge sharpness.

In addition to its tilt-shift ability, the 35mm f/2.8 Zero-D also boasts a 0.5x maximum magnification and a minimum focusing distance of just 22.8cm, which Venus Optics says is the closest in its class for a tilt-shift lens. This opens up close-up macro shooting options, while the relatively fast f/2.8 maximum aperture makes the lens suitable for low light and night-time shots.

The optical path is comprised of 14 elements arranged in 12 groups. The front element features what Venus Optics calls a 'Frog-Eye Coating' that resists water, dirt and smudges. A 15-blade aperture diaphragm should provide smooth background bokeh when shooting close-ups, while a 77mm thread enables the fitment of front filters. A nice touch is the integrated Arca-Swiss lens foot that enables quick and easy tripod attachment, which is very handy for the precision work that the lens is designed for. The lens measures 148.9mm long by 104.9mm in diameter and weighs 1,350g. Focussing is manual only, regardless of mount option, but this needn't be a deal-breaker given the slower, more considered nature of architectural and macro photography.

The Laowa 35mm f/2.8 Zero-D Tilt-Shift 0.5× Macro is available to buy now, priced at USD $1,249.

Also read our guide to the best tilt-shift lenses

A new lens leak has surfaced and, if it's accurate, this could be one of the most exciting releases of the year.

Venus Optics appears to be preparing to launch a Laowa AF 200mm f/2 lens, and early images and rumors suggest it may be both compact and powerful; a rare combination in this focal length. For many photographers, especially those using a mirrorless camera or medium format camera, this could quickly become a go-to lens.

Two images have emerged as the main sources of the story. The first is a silhouetted promotional-style image labelled "Laowa AF 200mm f/2.0". It mentions compatibility with Nikon Z, Sony E and Canon EF mounts and the fact that it's coming soon:

The second image offers much more detail, showing the lens in-hand and revealing some of its design features. From this photo you can see a function button, an AF/MF switch, a focus limiter and what looks like a drop-in filter slot with a rotating dial, suggesting support for circular polarizers, variable ND filters and other creative tools.

What’s perhaps most intriguing is how compact the lens appears, especially given its specs. A 200mm f/2 lens is traditionally large and heavy, but early information claims this one will weigh under 1.6kg. If true, that would make it impressively portable, especially for a lens in this class.

Although Laowa has yet to make any official announcement, several rumor sites have published a preliminary spec list. The lens will reportedly launch in EF, E, and Z mounts, with Fujifilm X and GFX versions in development.

If accurate, this would make it the first third-party autofocus lens for the Fujifilm GFX medium format system. An important milestone that adds even more excitement to this leak.

For GFX users like myself, this leak is particularly exciting. Third-party options for GF lenses are still extremely limited and the idea of a fast, autofocus, compact telephoto prime like this, especially with Laowa’s recent history of delivering high-performing lenses at relatively affordable prices, makes this feel like a dream lens.

If this lens turns out to be real, and if it lands anywhere near Laowa’s usual price point, it’s an easy day one purchase for me. The brand's recent releases have consistently delivered optical punch and unique characteristics for both stills and video work.

A 200mm f/2 this compact, with autofocus and thoughtful features like drop-in filter support, could easily become a modern classic.

you may also like

Check out our guide to the best GF lenses and our page of top camera rumors.

I’ve been impressed with Laowa lenses in the past. They tend to be well built and deliver impressive image quality, if you don’t mind focusing manually, and often setting your aperture manually as well.

There have been a number of 15mm ultra-wide-angle primes, including the fast Laowa 15mm f/2 Zero-D, the perspective-changing Laowa 15mm f/4.5 Zero-D Shift, the diminutive Laowa 15mm f/5 Cookie FF, and the Laowa 15mm f/4 Wide Angle Macro.

The last of these claimed to be the world’s widest full 1.0x macro lens, but is difficult to use and is arguably out of date and out of touch. It was only ever available in two mount options for Canon and Nikon DSLRs, along with optional additional mount adapters for mirrorless cameras sold separately.

The replacement 15mm macro lens that I’m reviewing here sets its sights at a more modest 0.5x maximum magnification, and is available in a number of dedicated mount options straight out of the box. Quite the two-trick pony, it aims to be one of the best macro lenses on the market, as well as one of the best wide-angle lenses.

Laowa 15mm f/4.5 0.5x Macro: Specifications

Laowa 15mm f/4.5 0.5x Macro: Price

At the time of writing this review, Laowa only stated a selling price in US dollars, the lens being available from the company’s website for $399. That translates to about £299 in the UK and AU$619 in Australia, based on the exchange rates of the day. I feel that’s a very competitive price for a full-frame lens that combines an ultra-wide-angle perspective with a 0.5x macro capability, along with a solid metal build. As I’ll come to next, however, some versions of the lens are smarter than others.

Laowa 15mm f/4.5 0.5x Macro: Design & Handling

The design and handling of this lens vary depending on what mount option you buy. All of them are manual-focus lenses and the Canon RF, Nikon F and L-mount versions are manual-aperture as well. You therefore need to set the aperture via the control ring on the lens itself, which operates in click steps.

The Canon EF, Nikon Z and Sony E mount versions of the lens have built-in electronics and communication with the host camera, so that you can set the aperture from the camera body, as well as using the full range of PASM shooting modes. These versions of the lens don’t have an aperture control ring, just a focus ring, as per the Sony E mount edition that I used for this review.

As a full-frame compatible 15mm prime lens, the Laowa delivers an ultra-wide viewing angle of 110.5 degrees. There’s nothing particularly unusual in that, but the combination of such a wide perspective with 0.5x macro magnification makes this lens something rather special and out of the ordinary. It’s main party trick is that you can get in really close and shoot tiny objects in the context of their surroundings. I often like to use ultra-wide lenses to exaggerate perspective, lengthening the apparent distance between foreground subjects and background, and this lens takes this possibility to the extreme, and then some.

Not just for close-ups, the lens focuses all the way from 0.13m to infinity. That puts plenty of other shooting scenarios within its remit, including landscapes and cityscapes, architectural interiors, real estate photography and more besides. You could also include astrophotography but the f/4.5 aperture rating is a little slow for this. Conversely, stop the aperture down on a bright sunny day and the 5-blade diaphragm will give you 10-point sun stars.

The throw of the focus ring equates to just under 45 degrees, or a quarter of a full turn. The net result is that even a slight adjustment of the focus ring can make a big difference. Manual focusing is often preferred for macro photography but, even so, it can be a real challenge. There’s also the matter of the very short working distance between the front of the lens and the subject when you’re using the shortest focus setting. I’ll come back to these points in ‘performance’ below.

The 5-blade aperture diaphragm that I mentioned earlier gives an operating range of f/4.5 (wide-open) down to f/32. Narrower apertures are often preferred in macro photography to give anything more than a marginal depth of field, but you run the risk of degrading sharpness due to diffraction at very narrow apertures. Some might prefer the manual aperture control ring of some variants of this lens. I prefer the camera-driven control enabled by the electronics in other versions.

The optical layout of the lens is based on 16 elements arranged in 11 groups. These include 2 aspherical elements, 3 ED (Extra-low Dispersion) elements and 3 HR (High Refractive index) elements. The overall aim is to optimize sharpness and clarity while minimizing color fringing and other aberrations.

Laowa 15mm f/4.5 0.5x Macro: Performance

I found that levels of sharpness where pretty good on the whole. That said, it’s best to avoid shooting wide-open, or stopping down too far if you want to make the most of the sharpness on offer. The lens is a little soft wide-open and diffraction impairs sharpness at very narrow apertures, so you’re best off sticking to apertures of f/5.6 down to f/11. Even at medium aperture settings, sharpness tends to drop off towards the edges and corners of the frame.

Sharpness in practical terms depends mostly on two factors – the accuracy of manual focusing and the absence of camera-shake. Let’s start with focusing. You might think that the focus peaking option of mirrorless cameras will enable consistently accurate manual focusing. Forget it. Focus peaking is simply too vague, and the throw of the focus ring can be a little too course to enable the kind of ultra-precise focusing required for macro shots. Where possible, I found it better to use the magnified preview option in mirrorless cameras, and to make tiny forward/backward movements of the camera itself, to really nail focusing.

Most but certainly not all full-frame mirrorless cameras have the benefit of IBIS (In-Body Image Stabilization). For mount options of the lens that feature built-in electronics, IBIS should be able to pick up the necessary vital statistics automatically. For fully manual lenses, you can typically dial in the relevant focal length and aperture of the lens as a menu option to enable IBIS. Either way, it can work fairly well, even at the lens’s maximum 0.5x macro magnification.

Speaking of that maximum 0.5x macro magnification, it can be a challenge to use. The minimum focus distance is quoted as 0.13m / 0.43ft but, as always, that’s measured from the focal plane of the camera, which corresponds to the position of the image sensor within the body. The actual working distance between the front of the lens and the subject shrank to about 25mm or just 1 inch in my tests with the Sony E-mount version of the lens. And that’s with the petal-shaped lens hood removed.

The very short working distance means you have to get uncomfortably close to subjects to make the most of maximum magnification, and the lens can often cast a dark shadow over what you’re shooting, unless you’re able to use an artificial light source that you can fire in from a very shallow angle.

Laowa 15mm f/4.5 0.5x Macro: Sample Images

The following gallery of sample shots was taken at Bristol Floating Harbour in the UK, along with some extreme close-ups of garden flowers captured at or near the minimum focus distance of the lens.

Laowa 15mm f/4.5 0.5x Macro: Lab Results

We run a range of lab tests under controlled conditions, using the Imatest Master testing suite. Photos of test charts are taken across the range of apertures and zooms (where available), then analyzed for sharpness, distortion and chromatic aberrations.

We use Imatest SFR (spatial frequency response) charts and analysis software to plot lens resolution at the center of the image frame, corners and mid-point distances, across the range of aperture settings and, with zoom lenses, at four different focal lengths. The tests also measure distortion and color fringing (chromatic aberration).

Sharpness:

In our lab tests, levels of sharpness in the central region of the frame turned out to be good rather than entirely great and they’re relatively poor towards the edges and corners of the frame.

Fringing:

There’s a little color fringing which can be slightly noticeable towards the edges and corners of the image frame but it’s pretty well controlled overall.

Distortion: -1.45

For such and ultra-wide-angle lens, there’s relatively little barrel distortion. The Laowa scores very well in this respect.

Laowa 15mm f/4.5 0.5x Macro: Verdict

I like that the Laowa 15mm f/4.5 0.5x Macro offers a different shooting experience to the vast majority of ultra-wide-angle lenses and macro lenses, by combining both facets in one package. The killer feature is the lens’s ability to capture extreme close-ups of small objects, complete with a broad expanse of the background to put them into context. The extremely short working distance of around 25mm / 1 inch can make the maximum 0.5x macro magnification hard to use, and manual focusing can be tricky, but with a little patience the lens is capable of delivering very pleasing and even extraordinary results.

Alternatives

Laowa has released a considerable number of new cine lenses this year and has introduced several 'world firsts', in a bid to revolutionize modern cine lenses while making them more affordable.

Keeping up this admirable vision, Laowa has just announced the Laowa Sword Series – full-frame macro cine prime lenses that combine optical quality and affordability, all in a compact and versatile form factor. What more could a budding filmmaker need from a cine lens?

Typically, dedicated cinema equipment such as cinema cameras and cine lenses have always come at a premium, however, the new Sword Series by Laowa is stated to be a collection 'designed for everyone', lowering the entry point and increasing inclusivity. With a reduced price you may expect the lenses to lack performance, however, the lenses facilitate professional features that make them an extremely versatile option.

First revealed at BIRTV 2024, the Laowa Sword Series launches today with a comprehensive set of six primes that cover wide-angle to longer focal lengths for all shooting scenarios. The lenses are a 15mm T4.1 / 25mm T2.9 / 35mm T2.9 / 60mm T2.9 / 100mm T2.9 / 180mm T4.6.

Each lens is designed to cover full-frame formats however, this does not impact their size and weight, as the Sword Series remains light and compact. Light gear is always preferred when kitting out a video rig as every gram is felt when filming over an extended period. Each of the Sword Series weighs under 1kg meaning that the lenses offer versatility and maneuverability when used with stabilizers and gimbals, as well as lightening the load when travelling.

Laowa states that the Sword Series offers 'Superb optical performance with outstanding sharpness and excellent chromatic aberration control'. Typically I would take this with a pinch of salt, however, Laowa has claimed this with other cine lenses it has produced, which have lived up to its hype.

The best way to draw your conclusions, however, is by examining the test footage which you can see in the video above – in my opinion, it looks pretty impressive!

Where the Sword Series sets itself apart from other full-frame cine primes on the market is the macro capabilities, offering up to 2x on some of the focal lengths. The 15mm, 25mm, and 35mm each have a 1x, the 60mm and 100mm have a 2x, and the 180mm offers a 1.5x magnification rate.

Laowa states, "[The magnification rates] allow for incredibly detailed close-up shots, capturing the finest textures and nuances with unmatched clarity. Whether you're focusing on the intricate details of a subject or exploring the micro world, the Sword series' exceptional magnification ensures that every shot is rich with detail and precision".

The Sword Series goes on sale today for just $1,499 / £1,499 per lens. Alternaive you can pay $5,699 / £5,699 for a 4-lens set (25/35/60/100mm), or $7,999 / £7,999 for the full set of 6 lenses (Australian pricing to be confirmed).

The Sword Series are Arri PL mount as default, although additional options for Canon EF, Sony E, Nikon Z, Canon RF, and L mount bayonets can be purchased separately.

If you want to see our take on the best cinema equipment, check out our guides to the best cinema cameras and the best cine lenses.

Venus Optics has certainly been busy this year, launching a number of new cine lens lines and developing several 'world first' innovative lenses. It appears the third-party lens manufacturer has decided to sneak in at least one more before the end of the year by launching a 60mm anamorphic macro lens designed for S35.

The Laowa Nanomorph 60mm T2.9 1.5X S35 Macro 1:2 is a new lens added to the Nanomorph range, a range created to offer more affordable anamorphic cine lenses. The Nanomorph 60mm T2.9 blends macro lens and anamorphic capabilities that enable the user to get creative with their filmmaking, producing an incredibly shallow depth of field that would ordinarily require a diopter to produce.

Priced at just $1,999, Laowa is delivering on its promise to make more affordable anamorphic cine lenses but in addition, the lens is also full of features that make it a unique option for modern-day filmmaking.

The 'world's first' claim regards the lens being the first 60mm 0.5X Macro anamorphic lens for S35 sensors. This combination of elements enables users to capture a 1:2 magnification ratio and a 1.5x squeezed anamorphic image. This results in extremely close details of the subject, enhanced further by the minimum focus distance of just 24cm and the cinematic nature of anamorphic.

This helps to blur out much of the frame using a smaller window of focus to draw attention to the subject, a great compositional tool and one that often requires the use of diopters, filters, or vaseline on the lens.

The T2.9 aperture produces fantastic subject separation, resulting in smooth image fall-off and spherical bokeh thanks to its 13 aperture blades. The wide aperture also facilitates good low-light performance, which is vital in the modern age of filmmaking where versatility and adaptability are key.

Other notable features of the 60mm Nanomorph include a 270º focus throw for precise adjustments, amber/blue/silver color flare options for a more customized style, a 1.5X constant squeeze ratio, and an ergonomic and uniformed design integrating with the rest of the Nanomorph line.

Above: A short film shot entirely on the Laowa Nanomorph 60mm T2.9 1.5X S35 Macro 1:2

Although designed for S35 sensors, the lens can be paired with the Laowa 1.4x full-frame expander to convert it into an 84mm T4 full-frame 1:2 macro anamorphic Lens. This enables the users to create the same level of focus distance and macro abilities on full-frame cameras such as the Blackmagic Pyxis or Sony FX6.

The Laowa Nanomorph 60mm T2.9 1.5X S35 Macro 1:2 is available now in the default PL mount and included EF mount, although adapters are available for use on Canon RF, Sony E, Nikon Z, and L mount. The lens is priced at $1,999 / £1,580 / AU $3,000 (UK and Australian pricing converted from US price at the time of writing).

Black Friday is fast approaching, but the deals have started early. Check out our Best Black Friday Camera Deals hub for the best offers!

One of the biggest draws for using anamorphic cine lenses is the cinematic aesthetic they produce, thanks in large part to the unique horizontal lens flaring. Laowa has targeted and enhanced this feature by creating an innovative modular anamorphic lens series.

The Laowa Proteus Flex series is a flexible and economical alternative to the existing Laowa Proteus series with an innovative interchangeable flare feature.

Above: An introduction video to the new Laowa Proteus Flex 2X Anamorphic Series

The new lens lineup is based on the existing 2x anamorphic Proteus series sharing the same lens body, and many of its renowned features. These features include a constant 2X squeeze ratio, T2 Large Aperture, close-focusing distance, low focus-breathing, and a full-frame coverage with a 1.4X expander.

However, where things get different is with the four additional lens flare modules including amber, silver, blue, and a brand-new clear flare version that reduces flare for filmmakers who require a cleaner image.

For the majority of anamorphic lenses, you have to rely on the natural lens flare color produced by the specific lens, unless you spend a large amount of time manipulating it in post-production. The new modules offer filmmakers versatility by providing four different looks with just one lens.

Changing the color of the flare produced can enhance the genre or aesthetic choices of your production, but it can also reduce it. Lens flares don't always work for certain subjects and can cause a distraction in certain scenes, so having the ability to minimize the effect with the clear filter offers further economic versatility.

The flare modules are quick and easy to install, simply screwing the selected version to the rear of the main Proteus Flex body much like a teleconverter.

Laowa states, "As the flare modules are carefully adjusted to match the specific lens body, no further optical calibration is required after the swap. The process can be done in 10 minutes without the need to ship back and forth to service facilities".

Laowa has upped its cine lens game in 2024 announcing several new lens ranges at events such as BIRTV 2024 – from zooms to fast primes, however, this just might be the most unique yet!

The Proteus Flex 2X Anamorphic Series is available now in 28/35/45/60/85/100mm focal lengths. These come with a PL mount by default, but the package also includes an optional interchangeable Canon EF bayonet.

The US price for the Laowa Proteus Flex 2X Anamorphic Series is $9,999 each. Alternatively, you can spend $24,999 for one of the 3-lens sets (Set A: 28/45/85mm and Set B: 35/60/100mm). UK and Australian prices are yet to be confirmed.

Check out our guides to the best cine lenses, the best cinema cameras, and the best anamorphic lenses.

Venus Optics, maker of Laowa lenses, is expected to release a pair of new tilt-shift lenses on October 14. The Laowa FFII T/S 55mm F2.8 Macro 1:1 and Laowa FFII T/S 100mm F2.8 Macro 1:1 are both full-frame lenses, said to be available in Sony E, Canon RF, Nikon Z, Fujifilm GF, and L-mount options.

Pricing and retail availability are currently unknown, but details reportedly obtained from a prior exhibition where the lenses were displayed state that both lenses will be manual focus only, though there will be electronic contacts to facilitate lens-body communication. Both lenses are also expected to be capable of ±12mm shift, ±10° of tilt movement, 360° revolution in 15° increments, and 90° rotatable tilt/shift.

Story credit: asobinet.com

Fujirumors has shared a Weibo post that claims as many as three Chinese lens manufacturers are developing autofocus zoom lenses. Sadly there are no further details on what these lenses may be. However Fujirumors also spoke to Chinese lens manufacturer Viltrox last year, asking whether it was planning to release zoom lenses for Fuji X-mount. The response from Viltrox's marketing director:

Whether any of these proposed lenses will feature autofocus is uncertain, but if any Chinese lens manufacturer was to release an autofocus zoom lens, we'd bet on it being Viltrox. We've tested and revied numerous Chinese lenses, from the likes of Laowa, Yongnuo, TTArtisan and 7Artisans, but the majority of these have historically been 'dumb' primes with no electronic lens-body communication, and therefore no autofocus. Viltrox, on the other hand, has produced multiple autofocus prime lens, with full electronic communication, and the kind of build and handling to rival the likes of Sigma and Tamron. In fact, the quality and performance of the E-mount Viltrox 16mm f/1.8 AF led Phillip Reeve to assert that:

And having tested the Viltrox AF 13mm F1.4, AF 23mm F1.4, AF 33mm F1.4 and AF 56mm F1.4, we're tempted to agree - they really are superb lenses. Consequently we wouldn't be surprised to see Viltrox leading the Chinese charge to produce autofocus zoom lenses. It also shouldn't come as much surprise that China as a country should be developing autofocus zoom lenses, or that they're likely to be as good as anything Japan or Germany produces. After all, China is the manufacturing center of the world, and if the latest iPhone or electric car can be produced there without issue, then why shouldn't China be able to manufacture another precision object like an autofocus zoom lens?

Story credit: Fujirumors

The Beijing International Radio, TV & Film Equipment Exhibition (BIRTV) is one of the most significant events dedicated to the broadcasting, film, and TV industries in Asia. Laowa was among the brands showcasing new equipment including many exciting new cine lenses, including macro, anamorphic, and tilt-shift options!

Laowa has been releasing some incredible cine lens options of late, and much like its range of photography lenses, covers just about every shooting scenario imaginable. At this year's BIRTV not less than 6 cine lens ranges were on display, including some exciting new offerings.

According to Asobinet, Laowa's new, and to the best of my knowledge first, Ultima 12-120mm 10X S35 Broadcast lens was on show, and although not much is known about the release of the lens, there are a few features that look to impress.

Laowa states that the 10X zoom range lens offers an 'excellent optical design' with 28 lenses in 20 groups, and is ideal for 8K broadcast cameras, especially as it is Equipped with a server and can be connected to a channel system.

Also showcased was the 'soon-to-be-released' Laowa Sword series of full-frame macro cine lenses. The series will feature 6 lenses covering a focal range of 15mm to 180mm, with a maximum magnification of 1X to 2X.

Multiple ED lenses are included to suppress chromatic aberration and a large aperture of T2.9 enables 'excellent' low light performance. Again, there is no further information regarding when these lenses might be available, but I expect later this year.

Laowa is renowned for creating unique lenses, and it certainly maintains this mantle by providing a look at its upcoming tilt-shift cinema lenses. Tilt-shift lenses are of course very common in photography, however, I can't recall any cine-specific tilt-shift lenses.

Potentially still in production, all we know about these two lenses is the focal lengths of 15mm and 20mm, which have a T4.8 and T4.1 aperture respectively. Laowa does state that they will both have a 'unique tilt-shift function that achieves a tilt-shift of ±11mm'.

Ultra-wide prime cinema lenses, 1.5X Anamorphic Macro Cinema lenses, and the Laowa Ranger 16-30mm T2.9 FF were also on display, a statement from Laoea that it means business.

In addition to creating unique lenses, Laowa produces fantastic optical-designed glass at more often than not a competitive price point. As these new cine lenses are ready enough to show off at an event such as BIRTV, I can't imagine it will be too long before we see them released.

You may also be interested in our guides to the best cine lenses, the best cinema cameras, and the best tilt-sift lenses.

Laowa is teasing the launch of the world's first-ever lens that is both a zoom and a shift lens. To date shift lenses have only been prime lenses - and the ability to have a choice of focal lengths in the one zoom will be of huge interest to architectural photographers. 

We don't know much about this lens as yet—we will have to wait until Monday, 08 July, for more information on what this innovative lens actually offers. But the launch has been announced on Laowa's Weibo social media channel, promising a video launch at 7.30pm Chinese time – so 10.30am ET / 3.30pm BST.

From the name and the teaser image, we can tell that this is not a tilt-shift lens and will only offer shift movements. Laowa already offers an attractively-priced 15mm f/4.5 Zero-D Shift wide-angle prime that offers ±11mm on full-frame cameras. This manual-focus lens is available in Canon RF, Canon EF, Nikon Z, Nikon F, Sony FE, L mount, and Pentax K mounts. It also produces a Laowa 20mm f/4 Zero-D Shift lens option.

The shift movements allow the lens to move sideways or vertically relative to the camera, correcting for converging verticals while keeping the image sensor parallel to the surface being photographed.

The launch invitation shows that the lens has a rotating collar at the rear, that allows you to move the lens so that it can shift either vertically or horizontally. And it is also clear that this a manual focus only affair. It also shows that it has a minimum focus of 0.15m (6 inches).

Rumors suggest that it will have a focal length of 12-24mm with a maximum aperture of f/5.6 - but we can't confirm this, although there is an existing Laowa 12-24mm f/5.6. It is also hard to be sure whether this is for full-frame, or solely for APS-C crop sensor cameras.

We will have to wait until next week to have the answers…

Venus Optics has just announced a new super-fast cine lens series that takes its inspiration from the existing Laowa Argus photography range and is available across three sensor size formats. 

On top of producing some of the photography market's best macro lenses, Laowa has also been making some incredible cine lenses offering anamorphic and cine zooms at a great price with superb optical quality. 

Laowa continues to expand its cine lens range further by introducing the Laowa Argus T1 Cine Series available for full-frame, Super35 (APS-C), and MFT. Releasing a range that has the capabilities to cover most cameras is an inspired idea, and will no doubt appeal to a wider range of users.

With these three formats, the Argus cine lenses are available for Canon RF, Sony E, Nikon Z for Full-Frame, Canon RF, Sony E, Nikon Z, Fuji X mount for Super35 (APS-C), and M4/3 for MFT format. 

The focal lengths on offer upon launch do vary between sensor sizes with 28mm, 35mm, and 45mm available for full frame, 18mm, 25mm, and 33mm available for Super35 (APS-C), and 18mm and 35mm for MFT. 

One of the things that distinguishes the best cine lenses is consistency across the range, and all of the Argus Cine lenses have a maximum aperture of T1. This is extremely fast and offers users a remarkably shallow depth of field with smooth bokeh in the out-of-focus areas. 

Shooting wide open with large apertures such as T1 can also provide its own challenges such as chromatic aberration, however, Laowa assures users "the Argus T1 Cine series is meticulously designed to deliver exceptional optical performance. These lenses minimize chromatic aberration, ensuring maintained contrast and sharpness even when shooting wide open at T1 aperture."

The consistency continues with the build design as each lens has professional cine housing incorporating a 0.8 mod gear, an 80mm outer diameter with 77mm filter thread to accommodate most matte boxes, internal focusing, and a lens supporting thread. This is extremely important when swapping lenses as the similarities will mean minimal equipment adjustments and settings changes. 

Laowa also ensures consistent optical performance including color tone and contrast throughout the range. Laowa states, "Every focal length within the Argus T1 Cine Series is meticulously crafted to deliver consistent color rendition and lens performance. This minimizes the requirement for extensive editing in the post-production process after utilizing different focal lengths, ensuring seamless visual consistency across your projects".

Other notable features include low-focus breathing, a short minimum shooting distance (varies across focal lengths), and an average 270-degree focus rotation. 

The Laowa Argus T1 Cine Series is available now. The full-frame lenses are priced at $1499 | £1499 individually or $3999 | £3999 for the 3-lens set. The Super35 (APS-C) lenses are priced at $899 | £899 individually or $2499 | £2499 for the 3-lens set. The MFT $699 | £699 individually or $1259 | £1259 for the 2-lens set. (Australian prices to be confirmed). 

You may also be interested in our guides to the best cine lenses, the best cinema cameras, and the best hybrid cameras.

Laowa is renowned for manufacturing fantastic and affordable photography lens options, and it also produces a well-regarded lineup of cine lenses – and has just added two new cine zooms to its OOOM lineup. 

The OOOM Cine Zoom Series 14-60mm T2.9 MFT Cine and OOOM Cine Zoom Series 20-85mm T4 S35 Cine lenses, are available in Micro Four Thirds and Arri PL mount respectively (where they offer equivalent 28-120mm and 30-127.5mm focal ranges, again respectively). 

These lenses offer an affordable cine zoom option, perfect for aspiring Four Thirds and Super35 filmmakers, and the image quality punches far above its weight. 

The OOOM Cine Zoom series has been left a little sparse over the past four years, with its only lens being 2020's Laowa OOOM 25-100mm T2.9 Cine – a great lens, but odd considering the range was promised to feature "Out Of Our Minds" (OOOM) cine lens options. 

Can the two new lenses deliver on the OOOM promise? At first glance, yes. They offer an impressive zoom range of over 4.2x, offering versatility and reducing the frequency of the need to change lenses. The lenses employ a parfocal design that enables the user to keep the subject in focus while changing the focal length. 

Although the lenses offer a substantial zoom range, they are relatively compact compared with other cine zooms on the market, measuring just 80mm x 172mm. This extends their versatility as lenses that can be packed and carried in a filmmaking kit bag without taking up much of the precious real estate. 

Optical performance has always been present in Laowa lenses, and continues even in the more affordable ranges. "The new cine zooms offer exceptional color rendition and contrast, thanks to its meticulous optical design," says Laowa. 

"With its ability to produce natural-colored images, colorists will save valuable time on color grading during post-production. This is particularly advantageous for interview/documentary projects where a quick turnaround is essential."

Other notable features include low focus breathing, a 56cm minimum focus distance, and compatibility with cine housing. 

Above: A video of the new Laowa cine zoom lenses and sample footage

The lenses are available now from Laowa for the very competitive price of $1,999 / £1,999 each (Australian pricing to be confirmed).

It must be said that we haven't had these lenses in for testing, and can't attest to the statements firsthand. However, looking at the example footage in the video above, the lenses look exceptional and can provide a great affordable cine zoom option for new and established filmmakers.  

You may also be interested in our guides to the best cine lenses, the best cinema cameras, and the best cameras for filmmaking. 

Plenty of manufacturers were showcasing new products at the China International Photograph & Electrical Imaging Machinery and Technology Fair 2024 (China P&E), and Laowa was key among them showing off two new tilt-shift lenses.

Laowa is a third-party lens manufacturer, making some of the best macro lenses and wide-angle lenses on the market. The recently released Laowa 10mm f/2.8 Zero-D FF is the first ever AF lens developed by the company to celebrate its tenth anniversary. Not wanting to stop there with firsts, these tilt-shift lenses are also a first for the brand. 

Tilt-shift lenses are going through a bit of a resurgence of late, thanks to social media, with many drawn to the aesthetic of making everyday scenes look like miniature worlds – and they're also a staple in the kit bags of architecture photographers, for whom they're a standard tool of the trade. 

The two new lenses on display from the Chinese manufacturer are the Laowa FFII T/S 55mm f/2.8 Macro 1:1 and Laowa FFII T/S 100mm f/2.8 Macro 1:1, both to be released for the Fujifilm GF, Sony E, Canon RF, Nikon Z and L Mount. 

Although shown at China P&E, Laowa has yet to announce anything on its channels so information regarding availability, sample images and pricing is sparse. What we do have, however, is a list of specs that provide us with a little more information on the performance expectations. 

Starting with the similarities, judging by the photographs only, both lenses look to follow Laowa's design and build quality. They are both dust and splash-proof and are of course limited to MF, as with all tilt-shift lenses. The aperture ranges from f/2.8 - f/22, and they both offer a maximum shooting magnification of 1x. 

Other notable features included an aperture ring, ±12mm shift, ±10° tilt, 360° revolving in 15° increments, and 90° rotatable tilt/shift (55mm only).

As for the differences between the lenses, the 55mm f/2.8 has a total of 15 aperture blades, and a lens design configured of 14 elements in 11 groups. It measures 168.5 x 85mm, weighs 1,345g and has a minimum focusing distance of just 0.27m. 

The 100mm f/2.8 also has a total of 15 aperture blades but varies in configuration to house 13 elements in 11 groups. The size and weight also differ as the 100mm measures 162 x 85mm and weighs 1,215g, surprisingly lighter and thinner than the 55mm. 

Laowa is a well-respected lens manufacturer and it has been making some exceptional glass of late, so I am looking forward to seeing these in person, especially as they have a large enough coverage to use on the Fujifilm GFX system. 

Fujifilm has recently released two tilt-shift lenses, the Fujinon GF 30mm F5.6 T/S and the Fujinon GF 110mm F5.6 T/S Macro, both ranking very highly in our reviews. The sticking point for many here is, however, the price point, so it will be interesting to see whether the new tilt-shift lenses by Laowa turn out to be great budget alternatives. 

You may also be interested in our guides to the best Fujifilm lenses, the best super-wide angle lenses, and the best lenses for landscape photography.

It's about bloody time. 

As an RF user since the original Canon EOS R launched, back in 2018, this is the day I've been waiting for: Canon has taken the shackles off third-party manufacturers producing autofocus RF lenses. And, in doing so, it has taken the shackles off the RF mount as a whole.

In case you missed it, the two biggest third-party brands have just announced their first RF optics: a wide-angle lens from Tamron and no fewer than six lenses from Sigma – all autofocus, all officially sanctioned by Canon. 

Some big questions still remain, but before I get to those – why is this such a big deal, and why has Canon hamstrung third-party glass makers until now? 

Canon VS third-party brands

To be clear, these are not the first third-party lenses for the RF mount – and nor are they the first autofocus lenses for it, either. They are, however, the first autofocus RF lenses that Canon has allowed to remain on the market.

Companies producing manual focus RF lenses has never been an issue. Indeed, some of the best Canon RF lenses are from the likes of Laowa, Lensbaby, Voigtländer and Zhongyi. 

The problems started when third parties started bringing out lenses with autofocus. I first noticed this in June 2021, when Samyang pulled its RF lenses from sale, followed in August 2022 by Viltrox saying, "we have been told by Canon to stop selling all RF mount products". 

The reasoning was never made clear, as nobody ever commented on the record. My assumption is that the legal reason Canon stopped them is because they were reverse-engineering the RF mount's electronics to produce their AF systems, which is a violation of Canon's technology patents. 

As for the actual reason Canon didn't want third parties making AF RF lenses? It's possible that it wanted the entire market of new EOS R investors to itself, or at least wanted to make money from licensing the RF mount to third parties. 

Personally, I suspect it was as much about protecting the integrity of the fledgling EOS R system. Canon's entire future was resting on the performance of its expensive new cameras, particularly when Dual Pixel AF II was introduced. If the performance was compromised by reverse-engineered lenses not using the proper focusing protocols, that would tarnish the reputation of EOS R bodies.

What changed? 

Whatever the reason, Canon threw down the ban hammer and no third parties were allowed to make RF lenses with autofocus. Even the big boys like Sigma and Tamron, when asked as recently as CP+ this year, had no answers for us. 

However, Tsuyoshi Tokura, head honcho of Canon's imaging unit, told Japan's MyNavi that "Canon is communicating with third-party manufacturers regarding RF mount lenses," noting that "There are no restrictions." 

Which brings us to today, where Tamron and Sigma have both announced their first RF lenses complete with autofocus – and complete with the very clear asterisk, "This product is developed, manufactured, and sold under a license agreement with Canon Inc."

So all is good, now, right? 

Well, maybe. Probably. But there is still something very conspicuous about Tamron and Sigma's announcements: they only pertain to RF-S lenses, designed for Canon's APS-C cameras.

For clarity, these RF-S lenses will work on full-frame RF cameras (such as the Canon EOS R5 and R6 Mark II) but since they don't cover the entire sensor they can only be used in crop mode. 

So, is this just a coincidence? Is Tamron simply transplanting its Tamron 11-20mm f/2.8 Di III-A RXD because it's a proven and popular APS-C lens? Is Sigma bringing out six existing APS-C lenses because it's the easiest way to get in on the act? Or is it possible that Canon is only licensing RF-S lenses, and keeping the full-frame RF lens market to itself?

Because if I'm Sigma, and I've just released a 5-star 50mm f/1.2 lens, I probably want my award-winning new lens available for the RF mount. Except that Canon already makes its own, much more expensive 50mm f/1.2 lens – and it probably doesn't want any competition for it.

Time will tell. Maybe I'm making mountains out of molehills. Either way, I'm just happy that we're finally getting RF glass from Tamron and Sigma – and the RF mount just took a major step toward usurping Sony's E mount dominance. 

Take a look at the best Canon cameras, which includes some of the best DSLRs along with the best mirrorless cameras on the market. 

I enjoy macro photography and, even with a typical macro lens that has full 1x magnification, filling the image sensor with something little more than the size of a postage stamp enables incredible levels of enlargement when viewing the resulting images on screen or in print. This AstrHori lens gives comparatively super-sized enlargement. From one end of its focusing range to the other, it gives from 2x to 5x macro magnification, revealing the tiniest of details with an almost microscopic view. But is it one of the best macro lenses on the market? Read on and see what you think.

AstrHori 25mm F2.8 Macro 2.0x-5.0x: Specifications

AstrHori 25mm F2.8 Macro 2.0x-5.0x: Price & Availability

The concept of this lens isn’t entirely new. The Canon MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5X Macro dates back to the turn of the century, although it’s since been discontinued. Currently, there’s a similar Laowa 25mm f/2.8 2.5-5X Ultra Macro, which costs around $399/£409. The AstrHori 25mm F2.8 Macro 2.0x-5.0x is available from the company’s own website in Canon RF, Fuji X, Leica L, Nikon Z, and Sony E mount options for the relatively inexpensive price of $212/£172, at the time of writing this review.

AstrHori 25mm F2.8 Macro 2.0x-5.0x: Design & Handling

I’m used to current and recent macro lenses being dual-purpose optics. A typical 90mm to 105mm f/2.8 macro lens can focus all the way to infinity and also comes in useful for portraiture and still-life photography, as well as for shooting extreme close-ups. This AstrHori lens is a different kind of beast. The ‘focus ring’ isn’t really for focusing as such, as it sets the magnification ratio at anything between 2x and 5x magnification, and you focus by moving the camera (ideally with a macro focus rail) or by moving the object that you’re photographing. The focus distance itself, as measured from the front of the lens (just for a change) stretches from 37.5mm to 45mm as you sweep through from 2x to 5x magnification. That’s less than 2 inches at best, so you’re forced into a very close working distance.

The lens is full-frame compatible, even though the Fujifilm X-mount version naturally can’t take advantage of the whole image circle, as it’s an APS-C system. I tested the E-mount version of the lens on a Sony A7 II camera body and found that accurate focusing was pretty tricky. The camera’s focus peaking option is some help but a magnified preview is unavailable. That’s because, as a fully manual lens with no electronics, the camera body doesn’t register that a lens is actually attached. Further drawbacks, apart from the lack of autofocus, are that no lens-based EXIF data is stored in image files, and the camera doesn’t know what aperture you’ve set. The aperture itself is controlled by an aperture ring, which forms the entire length of the front extending section of the lens.

There’s a middle extending section as well as the front extending inner barrel, which forms the focus ring (or more accurately, the magnification ring). As such, there’s a lot of physical extensions as you stretch from 1x to 5x magnification. The angle of view shrinks from 20 degrees down to 9 degrees in the process. A magnification scale is printed on the middle extending barrel, shown in 0.5x increments.

The front end of the lens has a small-diameter optical element. There’s no filter attachment thread nor a hood. The latter wouldn’t be practical, considering the very close working distance between the lens and whatever you’re shooting. However, the lens is supplied with a slip-on protective cap.

Build quality feels pretty good, especially for such an inexpensive lens, although the focus ring of my review sample felt pretty stiff. At least it operated smoothly throughout its entire range. At the rear, the lens features a sturdy metal rather than plastic mounting plate.

AstrHori 25mm F2.8 Macro 2.0x-5.0x: Photo Performance

Throughout my testing of the lens, I found the image quality to be a moveable feast, literally. Even at a fairly small aperture of f/11 (the lens only goes down to f/16 anyway) depth of field is incredibly tight. This demands a high degree of precision when it comes to focusing, and a macro rail really comes in handy.

When you nail the focus distance, or at least the distance between the lens and the object you’re shooting, sharpness is very good. I found that the lens can reveal near-microscopic levels of detail for areas of a subject that fall within the depth of field. You can certainly see plenty of detail that’s invisible with the naked eye.

AstrHori 25mm F2.8 Macro 2.0x-5.0x: Sample Images

The example shots in this gallery were taken at f/11, using a small photographic LED lamp for illumination. They feature macro close-ups of color pencils, a small section of a wristwatch face, the inner workings of a pocket watch and the surface of a £1 UK coin.

AstrHori 25mm F2.8 Macro 2.0x-5.0x: Verdict

For times when full 1x macro magnification just doesn’t cut it, this lens gives anything from 2x to 5x magnification. I like that it can reveal incredibly fine detail that I just can’t see with my naked eye or even a magnifying glass. Image quality is convincing but, ultimately, it’s a fiddly lens to use, lacks autofocus or any communication with the camera body, and only works if I can get closer than a couple of inches from a subject (measured between the front of the lens and what I’m shooting). Even so, it’s very good value for money and adds something different to my gadget bag.

Alternatives

We first reported on the Laowa 10mm f/2.8 Zero-D lens back in February, but now we’ve been able to check it out in the flesh. This super-wide lens is pretty special on two counts. First, it’s the first autofocus lens from Laowa, a company that’s made its name with manual focus ultra-wide and macro lenses. Second, it’s the widest f/2.8 rectilinear full-frame lens you can get.

We tried it out on a Sony A7 body, and it feels a good match. Autofocus lenses are typically larger than manual focus optics, but while this lens is fairly big by Laowa standards it’s still very compact compared to the best Sony lenses. It also has a terrific finish and feel, and in our brief tests the autofocus was fast and quiet.

The styling is a bit of a departure from Laowa lenses we’ve used in the past, with a dark gray satin finish rather than black. There’s also no manual aperture ring and no focus distance scale. The 10mm F/2.8 connects to the camera electronically, so the aperture is controlled by the body.

This is one of Laowa’s Zero-D lenses, though Laowa does actually describe its distortion control as "close to zero". That’s still impressive for a lens with an ultra-wide 130.4-degree angle of view. It weighs 420g and does not feel heavy to handle at all. It also has an impressive 12cm minimum focus distance.

The autofocus version of this lens will be available in Sony FE and Nikon Z mounts. You will also be able to get L-mount and Canon RF versions, but these will be manual focus only.

Laowa initially expected to start shipping this lens in March, but due to the level of demand it says  that new orders will be arriving in April. The cost will be $799 (about £628 / AU$1,552). We’re not surprised this lens is in demand! It’s a very good price for an extremely wide lens.

You can still try the new Laowa lens for yourself at The Photography & Video Show which runs at the NEC, Birmingham, UK, until Tuesday March 19.

Editors note: this lens review was first published Jan 8 2024, however after publication, Panasonic informed us the lens used for testing had been damaged in transit affecting its performance. Accidents happen, and we have now retested a new copy of the lens and updated this review accordingly.

Panasonic cameras are going from strength to strength, and in 2023 – were the fastest-growing full-frame camera brand. However, Panasonic’s Lumix S L-Mount lineup still lags a little behind the competition, with one major omission being the lack of a standard macro lens. 

Thankfully, the L-Mount Alliance saves the day here for Panasonic shooters, with fellow members Leica or Sigma stepping in to fill this gap with some superb choices like the Sigma 105mm f/2.8 DG DN Macro, as well as Venus Optics and TTArtisan offering some more budget options.

But what is a camera system without good first-party lenses? Now, Panasonic finally has seen fit to plug this very non-macro-sized hole with the brand new Lumix S 100mm f/2.8 Macro lens – although Panasonic being the company of 'firsts' with its Lumix cameras, of course, it's not your typical macro lens. 

Instead, Panasonic hopes to set a new bar for macro lenses everywhere with the world’s smallest and lightest full-frame autofocus macro lens over 90mm with 1:1 magnification. The lens also has the world’s closest focusing distance for a macro lens of the same description. That is a lot of caveats to being a 'world’s first', but Panasonic's reduction in size here is genuinely impressive. 

Panasonic has achieved this size reduction with a newly developed Dual Phase Linear Motor (the motor used for focusing), which Panasonic claims offers the same performance at a fraction of the size. Eagled-eyed readers will spot fewer elements than rivals and no O.I.S as factors that have also most likely contributed to a much smaller body. But has this size reduction also reduced performance? Let's find out.

Lumix S 100mm f/2.8 Macro: Specifications

Lumix S 100mm f/2.8 Macro: Price & Availability

The Panasonic Lumix S 100mm f/2.8 Macro lens was released on January 8 2024 for $999 / £999, which places it around $50 cheaper than the recommended pricing for the Sony FE 90mm f/2.8 Macro G OSS and Nikon Z MC 105mm f/2.8 VR S, and a pretty substantial $400 cheaper than the Canon RF 100mm f/2.8 L Macro IS USM. 

All the lenses mentioned here are direct equivalents, although rivals do fit in optical image stabilization as well as more glass elements (in varying combinations), more switches, and buttons, and the Canon lens also packs a 1.4x maximum magnification and SA control ring. So you do get what you pay for with the more expensive rivals.

Lumix S 100mm f/2.8 Macro: Design & Handling

There is nothing else to do but give a round of applause to Panasonic’s lens design team, for a standard length 1:1 macro lens designed for full-frame cameras, they have really achieved something special with this lens. At only 82mm in length and 300g in weight, there really is no comparison to the equivalent Canon 100mm, Nikon 105mm, or Sony 90mm – with each of those lenses being 385g, 330g, and 302g heavier respectively, and 66mm, 58mm, and 48.5mm longer.

One undeniable benefit of Panasonic’s Lumix S prime lens lineup is the foresight to design each lens to be the same length and filter thread, which is a huge benefit to anyone balancing a camera for video on a stabilizer or gimbal. Weight is also kept remarkably consistent, with the Lumix S prime lineup from the 18mm all the way to the 100mm lenses only differing in weight by 60g between the lightest (35mm at 295g) and the heaviest (85mm at 355g).

With Panasonic being the hybrid video camera brand to beat right now, it is fantastic to see video-first design running through everything Panasonic puts out, and now seeing its design foresight come to pass like this gives me so much confidence in Lumix going forward.

The lens follows the exact same design language as the rest of Panasonic’s Lumix S lenses. Panasonic lenses are generally very nice, although I do not find them as premium looking or feeling as other brands. The lens is made out of solid plastic and features a rubberized manual focus ring that is easy to find and grip without taking your eye from the viewfinder. The lens is weather-sealed and freeze-resistant, so can brave the elements when shooting outdoors, although should be expected on a lens at this price.

The focus ring offers a good amount of resistance to not be overly sensitive, essential in precise macro focusing. There is a noticeable lack of switches and buttons on the lens, although with no O.I.S in the Lumix S 100mm there perhaps isn’t much need for more switches. But with other brands adding more custom function buttons to their lenses, it is a shame not to see at least one here.

Lumix S 100mm f/2.8 Macro: Performance

Image quality is very good across the frame, especially as you go up through the aperture. Centre sharpness starts strong right out of the gates being pretty close to perfection even at f/2.8. In the corners at f/2.8, it is a little bit soft, but mostly unnoticeable unless you are pixel peeping, and by the time you get to f/4 and beyond, there is no discernable difference between the center and corners to the naked eye. 

Focusing was nice and snappy when used at a distance, with the new Dual-Phase Linear Motor being near silent in operation, the Lumix S 100mm combined with the Lumix S5 IIX body had no issue locking on and tracking subjects across the frame during stills shooting and also in video. Autofocus was also very accurate, very few of my shots I had to discard due to missed autofocus. 

Panasonic has claimed the new lens motor is faster than its previous incarnation – although I didn't notice any dramatic difference in speed driving focus from near to far than with other Panasonic lenses – although this might just be a testament to Panasonic's other lenses.

However, there were occasional struggles when it came to close focusing, with the lens sometimes hunting for focus when used close up to a subject before eventually locking on. This was occasional but unfortunately happened more frequently than I found ideal, although I am not sure how much responsibility to share between the camera and the lens – and this is something that could be improved with firmware down the line.

The Lumix S 100mm on a camera with IBIS like the S5 IIX I am testing on should offer up to 7 stops of correction. Panasonic’s implementation of in-body Image stabilization is absolutely rock solid, unsurprising when Panasonic invented IBIS, and in reality – shooting in low light with the Lumix S 100mm allowed me to stop down to around 1/15 of a second handheld and still get usable shots with care, although your experience might vary depending on how steady your hands are.

Image stabilization is also hugely effective in video, and Panasonic's S5 IIX already provides the most gimbal-like image stabilization system I have used yet, with remarkably less jello-like effects than other brands' cameras. This gets more challenging the longer the focal length, but the 100mm lens performs very well in static handheld shots, and slow pans, although is susceptible to showing up movement more vigorous than that – although nothing unusual there.

There is no optical image stabilization in the lens, however, which is likely a sacrifice made to get the lens down to such a petite size, as incredible as 5-stops of IBIS is, I can’t help wondering if Panasonic's Dual I.S.2 hybrid stabilization system could have achieved even greater heights of handheld steadiness.

Lumix S 100mm f/2.8 Macro: Sample Images

These shots were all taken using the Panasonic Lumix S5IIX camera with its 24MP sensor and the Panasonic Lumix S 100mm f/2.8 Macro lens. All shots are JPEG photos directly from the camera with only minimal editing to correct exposure.

Lumix S 100mm f/2.8 Macro: Lab Results

We run a range of lab tests under controlled conditions, using the Imatest Master testing suite. Photos of test charts are taken across the range of apertures and zooms (where available), then analyzed for sharpness, distortion and chromatic aberrations.

We use Imatest SFR (spatial frequency response) charts and analysis software to plot lens resolution at the center of the image frame, corners and mid-point distances, across the range of aperture settings and, with zoom lenses, at four different focal lengths. The tests also measure distortion and color fringing (chromatic aberration).

Sharpness:

Center and mid-frame sharpness is excellent, throughout the aperture range, though the lens performs particularly well at f/4 to f/8. Corner sharpness isn't quite so impressive, but it's still respectable.

Fringing:

Color fringing is very well controlled and of a low order, across the entire image frame, only becoming slightly noticeable in the corners of frame at f/2.8.

Distortion: 1.9

The lens produces moderate pincushion distortion, though this is a worst-case scenario, as we disable in-camera distortion correction for our testing.

Lumix S 100mm f/2.8 Macro: Verdict

The Panasonic Lumix achieves something special with its diminutive size, for a full-frame macro lens the compactness and lightness achieved are genuinely remarkable and make similar lenses from the other big brands seem almost too big by comparison. The lens also perfectly complements the other prime lenses in Panasonic’s full-frame range, with the nearly same size and weight across the board – making balancing them for video so much simpler.

Performance is excellent, corners are a tiny bit soft wide open, but things sharpen up quickly, with fantastic results across the frame from around f/4. The lens when focused at the near end hunted for focus a little more than I would have liked, although the focus was incredibly silent, and very accurate when locked. The lack of optical image stabilization is actually no issue with Panasonic’s excellent B.I.S., handheld shots and slow pans were held perfectly steady, with only more vigorous movement troubling the stabilization. But I wonder if combination stabilization could have reached even dizzier heights.

If you are a Pansonic shooter then you have been patiently waiting for a Panasonic to release its own Lumix S macro lens – this is a brilliant compact macro lens worthy of running out to add to your system.

Alternatives

Anamorphic lenses have a very special party trick. They squash a wide scene horizontally to fit the width of the camera sensor so that you can stretch the footage on output to get much wider cinematic aspect ratios than native sensor widths are designed for, while still using the full sensor area – so you’re not cropping out large chunks at the top and bottom of the frame.

That’s not all. Their unique construction means they create particular visual effects which are really on-trend right now, including horizontal blue streaks from highlights and oval rather than round bokeh. The anamorphic look is in demand!

But the best anamorphic lenses aren’t cheap, and they usually come as primes, which means lots of lens swapping for different angles. Laowa already solves the first problem with its highly affordable 1.5x Nanomorph and 2x Proteus anamorphic lens ranges, and it also offers a 1.33x front lens adapter for use with regular lenses.

But these new Nanomorph zooms go a step further, combining a 28-55mm T2.9 option with a 50-100mm T2.9. If you get both, you’ve got a combined 3.6x zoom range.

Laowa Nanomorph Zooms – what we know so far

The Nanomorph 28-55mm and 50-100mm are “insanely compact” according to Laowa, though these things are relative, and cinema-grade zooms are chunky beasts. These lenses are a similar size and weight, tipping the scales at around 1.5kg. They will be supplied in PL mount and offer the same 1.5x ‘squeeze’ as Laowa’s existing Nanomorph lenses.

Laowa is promising “exceptional” image quality, low distortion and chromatic aberration and “mesmerizing” bokeh and flare.

That’s as much as we know right now. If you want to find out more you can sign up now to the Laowa Nanomorph Zoom Indiegogo campaign. This will get you a discount of up to 30% when the campaign is officially launched on March 1.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of Laowa, a lens manufacturer that has been pushing boundaries since its beginning, and to celebrate, it is releasing a one-of-a-kind lens. Its AF 10mm f/2.8 will not only be the company's first autofocus lens, it will also be the widest non-fisheye wideangle for full-frame mirrorless cameras.

Laowa lenses are unique in many ways, and they offer specialty options that often appear in our guides to the best macro and the best cine lenses. Laowa has several different lens lineups to cover all photography and video needs, all of which have been manual focus - until now!  

I wrote about the rumors of the new Laowa AF lens last month, and we now have further details and an official sneak peek. Laowa has given us a glimpse at the new lens in a 10th-anniversary promo video which shows how Laowa lenses have made their mark on the imaging world. The Laowa AF 10mm f/2.8 Zero-D FF lens will be officially unveiled on Feb 20 and will not only be its first AF lens but the world's widest full-frame rectilinear lens.

As written previously the lens will be available for Sony FE, Nikon Z, Canon RF, and L mount, but may only provide AF options for Z and FE mounts. There has been no comment on this by Laowa, but if the case it would be a shame for Canon users as this lens looks to feature fast AF and eye-tracking capabilities.

The Zero-D part of the name refers to the lens' ability to produce zero distortion even when shooting wide open. This will excite architecture, landscape, and astrophotographers alike, as distortion is often the number one battle when shooting as wide as 10mm.

The lens design will feature the 10th-anniversary logo in addition to a newly redesigned lens body that looks incredibly sleek and modern, and much like other Laowa lenses, it will come in the classic black and blue colorway.

We are expected to hear more with the official announcement scheduled for next week, on Feb 20, 2024. 

Laowa will also be making an appearance at The Photography and Video Show next month at The NEC in Birmingham, UK ,which may provide the first chance to get hands-on with the new lens. Tickets for the show are available now and can purchased on the show website.

You may also be interested in our guides for the best lenses for landscape, the best tilt-shift lenses, and the best lenses for astrophotography. 

It'd be easy to classify the 'probe' lens as a niche device, or even a novelty, but this isn't stopping the likes of Laowa and now Astrhori from releasing a steady stream of different probe lens models. As recently as November 2023 Astrhori gave us the 28mm F13 2X Macro Periprobe: a full-frame probe lens with a front element angled through 90 degrees, enabling the lens to 'see round corners'. Now the manufacturer has released an APS-C version of this lens: the 18mm F8 2X Periprobe.

As with its full-frame sibling, you get the same rotating barrel tip with its perpendicular viewpoint (relative to the main lens barrel), enabling you to shoot in four different directions. This opens up some intriguing new creative effects, like the ability to point the lens straight down into the undergrowth or a flowing stream, while that 90-degree lens angle captures a horizontal bug-eye view of the scene ahead.

This latest APS-C revision also retains the full-frame version's ability to be submerged in water to a depth of up to 25cm, while the entire lens construction measures 470mm and weighs around 712g. The full lens is comprised of a long, slim probe section, and a shorter, larger diameter barrel containing a 23-element optical stack arranged in 17 groups. The 18mm focal length is said to provide an 80-degree field of view when paired with an APS-C sensor, with a working distance of just 5mm. As with the 28mm, full-frame version of the lens, this APS-C version is capable of a 2:1 magnification ratio.

The Astrhori 18mm F8 2X Periprobe Lens is available for Sony E, Fuji X, Canon RF, Nikon Z, L-mount and MFT cameras, priced at USD $789 / £759 / €1049. Alternatively, the Periprobe lens can be purchased as a bundle with Astrhori's regular, forward-facing probe extension. This package price is USD $1,169 / £1,119 / €1,499.

Check out the best LED light panels and the best tripods which will help you take even better macro photos!

Don't be fooled scrolling through Canon's website, it lists a lot of RF lenses with Macro in the title, but these are not true macro lenses – instead offering only half macro (0.5x) magnification. Canon currently only offers a single 1:1 macro lens for its RF cameras, although if newly uncovered patents are anything to go by – that might be about to change.

Canon wowed us when it released the Canon RF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM, building on what was already an incredible EF version of the lens but managing to make the lens even sharper than before. Not only that Canon managed to make the maximum magnification bigger, the image stabilization even greater, and add clever SA bokeh controls.

That's all great, except the current RF 100mm Macro lens is expensive! Cheaper 0.5x Macro lenses like the Canon RF 85mm f/2 Macro IS STM exist to fill the gap at the moment, but Canon's RF system is crying out for a smaller, lighter, and above all – more affordable 1:1 macro option.

The patents – uncovered by Asobinet – suggest that Canon has been working on designing several other options for RF mount cameras with a 1.0x magnification and floating focus. The lenses are all designed with narrower f/4 apertures, which would allow the lenses to be smaller but restrict their ability to gather light. 

The patents cover lenses with focal lengths of 52mm, 90mm, and 110mm. While two of these focal lengths are quite close to the existing Canon RF 100mm Macro, it wouldn't be unusual to see a cheaper version with nearly the same focal length, as this is the standard length for macro primes – Canon had two similar competing macro lenses for its EF mount.

Canon's RF mount has several great manual focus macro lenses to choose from Venus Optic's Laowa range, but with Canon still locking down its lens mount to autofocus lenses, we have the long wait for Canon to give macro fans without deep pockets more first-party macro options, but hopefully with these patents we won't have too long to wait.

For more, check out our top picks for the best Canon RF lenses, or the best Canon camera.

I started with 35mm film SLRs, where focusing screens were twice the size they are in modern DSLRs, and even then focusing was tricky. Matte focusing screens were a bit coarse for fine focus, while microprisms and split image rangefinders (anyone remember those?) started to black out with lenses slower than f/2.8.

Cut to the present day, and even the best DSLRs have crisper, but smaller focusing screens. You can get in the right ballpark very easily, but the fact is that for critical focus you’re going to rely on the autofocus system. You could switch to live view, of course, and magnify the image, but DSLRs are not really designed for live view and boy, don’t they let you know it.

Mirrorless cameras are different. The design differences are pretty obvious but the operational differences are just as significant. With the best mirrorless cameras you can ‘punch in’ to check the focus under magnification very easily, either with the EVF or the rear screen. On many cameras, simply switching to MF and turning the focus ring will trigger focus magnification.

It’s not just quick, it’s extremely accurate. For a start, you’re seeing the focus exactly as the sensor sees it, not via a separate optical system involving a mirror and a focusing screen. Mainly, though, the degree of magnification and the resolution of the magnified image can show up tiny but significant focus shifts you might never have seen before.

So what’s the point? Why not let the camera’s AF system do all the work for you?

Well there’s a whole separate debate here about manual focus and autofocus that we should probably leave for another time. But the purely practical reason why it matters is that there are some extremely good, extremely desirable lenses out there which don’t have autofocus.

Right now I use four. I have a Laowa 10mm f/2 and 6mm f/2 for Micro Four Thirds and a full frame Voigtländer 35mm f/2.5 Color Skopar. The two Laowas are very small, beautifully made and insanely good optically. The Voigtländer is even more beautifully made, and so small it makes the Sony A7 II I use it with look like a tank. I also shoot with an old Pentax K 50mm f/1.7 from the 1980s which I thought was a bit rubbish on a modern camera. But I found out it wasn’t, and here’s how it happened…

Previously I’d used this Pentax lens on an old Pentax K20 and used the viewfinder for manual focus (a bit vague) or the distance scale (vaguer still, it turns out). Then I bought a cheap Pentax K to Sony E adapter at The Photography and Video show, popped on my Pentax lens and took some shots using manual focus magnification.

Wow. It turns out that this 1980s lens is a lot, lot better than I thought it was. It just needs careful focusing. We forget about that with modern AF systems, but if you want to go back to manual focus you do need to pay a little more attention.

I learned some things about my Laowa lenses the same way. These are very short focal length lenses on a smaller-format camera, so pretty much everything should be in focus anyway, right? No. It turns out that at maximum aperture, both lenses need to be focused carefully even on objects 10-20m away to deliver the sharpness they are capable of. I also learned not to pay too much attention to Laowa’s infinity markers – ahem.

The Voigtländer is the same. Focus it properly and it’s a brilliant lens. Use it carelessly and you will think it’s a dud. But you will only find out how good these lenses can be with a mirrorless camera and the precision these bring to manual focusing.

In fact, I think mirrorless cameras can take the credit not only for resurrecting cupboards full of vintage lenses, but for kickstarting a whole new generation of extremely good manual lenses that can now at last be used properly.

Check out the best mirrorless cameras available today

Laowa has built a reputation for developing specialty manual focus lenses, with attention to extreme macro and cine lenses. It has now announced its first AF lens, set to launch in the coming weeks. 

The Laowa FF II 10mm f/2.8 C&D Dreamer is a full-frame ultra-wide prime lens, which will become available for Nikon Z, Canon RF, Sony E, and L mount. Laowa is renowned for creating excellent glass and this lens looks set to follow suit, with a great selection of features that place it amongst the best astrophotography and best landscape lenses. 

The lens is comprised of 15 elements in 9 groups, including extra-low dispersion glass and ultra-high refraction glass to combat excess aberration and distortion. This brings a weight of approximately 420g depending on the mount option, and despite its ultra-wide design takes a relatively-standard 77mm filter. 

The design of the lens is sleek and modern, much like other Laowa lenses, with one of the most stylish focusing rings I have seen. However, judging by the images, it does appear to lack a focus distance scale/gauge to accompany the focus ring.

The lens provides a large 130.4-degree angle of view and a minimum focusing distance of just 0.12m, enabling the user to get creative and push the limits whether shooting interior or portrait photography. Inscribed on the lens, next to the focal length and the aperture, states 'Zero-D'. This signifies that the lens provides zero distortion, even when shooting wide open.

The f/2.8 aperture promises 'outstanding low light performance', an important specification for those who photograph at night. This also aids in providing high resolution that remains constant from edge to edge.

Because this is Laowa's first AF lens, the autofocus is the most noteworthy feature, and without testing it ourselves we have to extrapolate information based on the released video and images. 

One thing of note that certainly caught my eye, however, was an illustration in the video that states that the AF mount is available for Sony E and Nikon Z mounts, while the Canon RF and L mount fall under the heading MF mount. This means that Laowa's first AF lens is limited to E and Z mounts.

The lens will go on sale in March for $799 and is now available for pre-order from B&H Photo.

You may also be interested in our guides on the best wide-angle lenses, the best camera for astrophotography, and the best cine lenses. 

Sony hit 50 and counting with the freshly announced Sony FE 70-200mm F4 Macro G II. Indeed, the manufacture of 50 different E-mount, own-brand Sony lenses leaves the likes of Canon and Nikon with a lot of catching up to do. The new lens is hotter than July, boasting improved performance a new 0.5x macro capability.

Did we mention that Sony left Nikon with some catching up to do in the lens race for mirrorless cameras? We’d say that Tamron had stepped in to help with the launch of its new Tamron 35-150mm f/2-2.8 Di III VXD, especially as the aperture rating makes it ‘faster’ than any own-brand Nikon Z glass. The only trouble is it’s not that much of a help when Tamron had already launched the lens in E-mount for Sony cameras, earlier in the year.

And what summer madness is this? We also brought news in July of a new Laowa Aurogon FF 10-50x NA0.5 Supermicro APO. It’s definitely not a bird or a plane but, with as much as a 50x magnification factor, it’s hard to decide if it’s a macro lens of a microscope.

As well as reviewing the new Sony FE 70-200mm F4 Macro G II, we also tested the very appealing Sony FE 50mm F2.8 Macro. Naturally, this lens is a lot smaller, lighter and inexpensive but it gives a full 1.0x macro magnification as well as doubling up as a useful standard prime. With a more wide-angle view, equating to 36mm in full-frame terms, we were also impressed by the new Nikon Z DX 24mm f/1.7 for APS-C format Z-system cameras. Again, it’s compact, lightweight and highly effective.

Continuing with Nikon Z-mount lenses, we reviewed the Voigtländer 15mm f/4.5 Super Wide-Heliar Z Aspherical and DX format Voigtländer D23mm f/1.2 Nokton. The 15mm is an ultra-wide-angle prime for full-frame cameras, the 23mm is for DX format cameras and gives an effective 35mm focal length in full-frame terms. Both are manual-focus lenses.

We finished off July’s review schedule with the AstrHori 18mm f/8 2x Periscope Probe Macro. A remarkable lens, it comes as a kit of parts with its own LED lighting array, enabling you to literally take extreme macro shots where in tucked away places where the sun don’t shine.

• 12 lenses of Christmas: April 2023
• 12 lenses of Christmas: March 2023
• 12 lenses of Christmas: February 2023
• 12 lenses of Christmas: January 2023

Sigma’s Contemporary lenses aim for high-end performance packed into a compact and lightweight build, with a modern aesthetic. News of three exciting additions came in April, with the announcement of the Sigma 17mm f/4 DG DN C, 23mm f1.4 DC DN C and 50mm f/2 DG DN C. The 23mm is designed for crop-sensor cameras, available in Sony E-mount, L-mount and Fujifilm X-mount. The other two are full-frame compatible, in E-mount and L-mount versions.

While Sigma went small (at least in the size of its new lenses), Canon went XXL with a new RF 100-300mm f/2.8L IS USM, adding to its ‘trinity’ zooms with a more powerful telephoto lens, ideal for action, sports and wildlife photography. As you’d expect, the big Canon comes with a similarly heavyweight price tag, while rumors circulated of a cut-price Zhongyi Optics 200mm F4 prime for just $600.

At the opposite end of the focal length scale, news broke of a wide-angle Z DX 12-28mm f/3.5-5.6 PZ VR, a video-centric lens with motorized zoom. And if that’s not wide enough, Fujifilm also announced a new Fujinon XF 8mm f/3.5 R WR lens.

Following pretty much exactly in Tamron’s footsteps, the Samyang 35-150mm F2-2.8 for Sony E-mount cameras was announced in April. The combination of moderately wide-angle to telephoto zoom range and fast aperture rating makes it a tempting all-in-one lens for wedding and event photographers. And for the big screen, four telephoto and wide-angle anamorphic lenses broke cover, to complete the Laowa Proteus 2X set for serious filmmakers

Back in the lab, we tested the OM System M.Zuiko 90mm f/3.5 Macro and were impressed with its 2x macro magnification ratio, bumped up to an effective 4x magnification when you take the MFT crop factor into account. The Nikon Z 85mm f/1.2 S came through with flying colors, sailing through our lab tests and real-world tests to earn a 5-star rating. We also went large with the Tamron 50-400mm F4.5-6.3 Di III VXD, which stretches from a standard focal length to super-telephoto territory at the twist of a wrist.

• 12 lenses of Christmas: March 2023
• 12 lenses of Christmas: February 2023
• 12 lenses of Christmas: January 2023

Chinese manufacturer Yongnuo had been hitting headlines with its high-performance yet reasonably priced prime lenses for full-frame cameras. The Yongnuo YN12-35mm F/2.8-4 MFT AutoFocus landed on our news desk in March, packing aspherical, low dispersion, and high refractive index glass elements along with Nano Surface Coatings into a conveniently compact and lightweight package, at a very competitive price point.

And speaking of standard zooms, Canon hinted that it might be serving up yet another option for EOS R system users, in a world-first RF 24-105mm F2.8 lens. There were also rumours of two new Tilt & Shift lenses, namely the Canon TS-R 14mm f/4L and the Canon TS-R 24mm f/3.5L.

In the wide-angle camp, we brought news of two Venus Optics Laowa announcements. First up was the Laowa 28mm F1.2 for full-frame cameras, followed by an additional Leica M-mount version of the Laowa 15mm F2 Zero-D.

March was a busy month in our lab, as we tested and reviewed a veritable barrage of lenses. The latest offerings included the dinky little Nikon Z 26mm f/2.8 – a true pancake lens that’s less than an inch thick, and a hands-on review of the much larger Canon RF 135mm F1.8L IS USM, a practically perfect portrait lens.

We were less impressed by the trio of Tokina SZ 300mmPRO Reflex F7.1 MF CF, Tokina SZ 600mmPRO Reflex F8 MF CF and Tokina SZ 900mmPRO Reflex F11 MF CF Reflex (or mirror) lenses. Sure they pack big telephoto reach into relatively small builds but image quality proved to be unsatisfying.

For a bit of nostalgia, we ran a review of the veteran Fujifilm Fujinon XF14mm F2.8 R and Fujifilm Fujinon XF55-200mm f/3.5-4.8 R LM OIS lenses. Over in the Pentax camp, we tested the HD Pentax-DA Fisheye 10-17mm F3.5-4.5 ED, Pentax DA★ 55mm F1.4 SDM and HD Pentax-DA 70mm F2.4 Limited lenses.

In a money-no-object moment, we reviewed the Leica 50mm Summicron-M f/2 and found it to be a real gem. We also tested the more reasonably priced Lensbaby Double Glass II Optic, as reported in our previous month’s news.

• 12 lenses of Christmas: April 2023
• 12 lenses of Christmas: February 2023
• 12 lenses of Christmas: January 2023

Let’s get festive! We’re celebrating the season with a nostalgic nod to all the lenses that landed on our news desk and in our test lab over the year, month by month. Beating a path through the snow for the first of our ‘12 lenses of Christmas’, here’s what January 2023 had to offer. We’ll be covering a new month every day from here on in.

First up for January’s news coverage, the Panasonic Lumix S 14-28mm f/4-5.6 MACRO promised to take the blinkers off full-frame L-mount photography, with an ultra-wide maximum viewing angle. That’s not all though, as it also boasts a short minimum focus distance, delivering up to 0.5x macro magnification.

Next up, Nikon did a ‘little and large’ act, announcing the heavyweight Z 85mm f/1.2 S and super-skinny Z 26mm f/2.8 pancake lens. The latter was the first pancake prime for the Z system, while the 85mm aimed for perfect portraiture. And speaking of heavyweights, Sigma launched a new version of its super-tele superzoom for mirrorless cameras, as the Sigma 60-600mm f/4.5-6.3 DG DN OS Sports.

Ramping up the speed, Cosina announced four new Voigtländer lenses, including the super-fast Voigtländer Nokton 50mm f/1 in Nikon Z mount, along with the Voigtländer Super-Weide Heliar 15mm f/4.5 Aspherical. There was also news of the Voigtländer Ultron 75mm f/1.9 SC and MC versions for Leica M Mount. Meanwhile, the rumor mill ran rife with suggestions of Canon RF 200-500mm F4L 1.4x and RF 500mm F4L ‘great whites’.

In other ‘future’ news, we also heard that Sony was developing the Sony FE 300mm F2.8 GM OSS, but that it wouldn’t hit the shelves until 2024. With a shorter lead time, Sony also announced the Sony FE 20-70mm F4 G as a ‘new concept’ in standard zooms.

They’re not new lenses but Nikon gave them a refresh, announcing telephoto firmware updates for the  Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S, Z 600mm f/4 TC VR S, Z 400mm f/2.8 TC VR S and Z 400mm f/4.5 VR S.

The first lens we reviewed in 2023 was the Laowa 90mm F2.8 2x Ultra Macro APO, a manual lens with an impressive 2x macro magnification. That was closely followed by two wide-angle lenses, the Sony FE 14mm F1.8 G Master and Sigma 14mm f/1.8 DG HSM Art, along with the Sony FE 100mm F2.8 STF G Master OSS.

One lens that really caught our eye was the Tamron 35-150mm F/2-2.8 Di III VXD, with its intriguing zoom range and fast aperture rating, making it ideal for wedding and event photography. Other lenses in our January testing schedule included the fun-size Tamron 20-40mm F2.8 Di III VXD,  the also fun Lensbaby Edge 35 Optic and a trio of Samyang V-AF 24mm T1.9, Samyang V-AF 35mm T1.9 and Samyang V-AF 75mm T1.9 cine primes.

Returning for the first time since 2019, the Royal Society Publishing Photography Competition 2023 showcases fascinating photographs that capture 'scientific phenomena happening all around us'.

The competition is made up of 5 categories, Astronomy, Behavior, Earth science and climatology, Ecology and environmental science, and Microimaging. Some seriously impressive images give viewers a glimpse into worlds that are all around us but often go unnoticed. The winning image is just that, capturing a scene that would usually be stepped over.

• See our guide for the best macro lenses

This year's grand prize winner was awarded to Irina Petrova Adamatzky for her image titled Martian Landscape, which presents viewers with a glimpse into a micro world. The photograph was taken using the Laowa 25mm f2.8 2.5-5x Ultra Macro lens on her Sony A7R IV and depicts 'steel-blue iridescence of the plasmodial slime mold, Lamproderma scintillans, populating the surface of a decomposing autumnal leaf'.

Microimaging category and overall prize winner Adamatzky states, “I unintentionally captured this scene while collecting samples of slime molds in a field near my home in Somerset,” Irina said. “I noticed them the evening before and had intended to gather samples to measure their electrical activity for our research. However, my attention was diverted by a simple autumn leaf that, although seemingly ordinary, held something intriguing within. I gathered it, along with my samples, and the following day I was amazed to discover what appeared to be another world within the confines of that unassuming leaf.”

The runner-up for microimaging goes to Shyam Ulhas for their image titled Beacon of Crystals in a Wild Forest. 

The Astronomy category was dominated by photographer Imran Sultan, who was awarded both category winner and runner-up. The winning image titled The Western Veil Nebula is the result of "four hours of total imaging time and is a stack of 52 individual 300-second sub-exposures"

Dr. Tom Shlesinger wins the Behavior category for his image Nightly Elevator, which shows a small fish hitching a ride on a jellyfish as it returns to the surface of the ocean for food after sundown. Shlesinger also won the category, Ecology and Environmental Science, for an equally impressive underwater scene titled, Star of the Night. 

The Earth Science and Climatology category was won by Dr. Chia-Hsin (Wendy) Tsai, for her image A Crack in Time, which depicts 'showcasing normal faults within extensional tectonics setting'. The image shows a vast scene and the layers of earth, recently excavated representing millennia - check out the surveyor for scale! 

The Royal Society Publishing Photography Competition was launched in 2015 by the Royal Society’s journals to celebrate the 350th anniversary of the oldest continual scientific journal in the world. The full list of this year's winners can be found on the official webpage, along with insights from the judges and winners. 

See our guides for more information on the best telescopes for astrophotography, the waterproof camera, and the best microscopes. 

Laowa has just released a brand new super-wide angle zoom lens for a host of mirrorless camera mounts. 

Teased earlier this year, Laowa continues to add to its mirrorless lens lineup by adding a new super wide zoom. The Laowa 8-16mm f/3.5-5 Zoom CF is a manual focus super-wide zoom that provides an excellent choice for beginners who want to explore the world of ultra-wide photography and videography at an affordable price level. The lens is available on Sony E, Fujifilm X, Nikon Z, Canon RF, and Canon EF-M mounts.  

Covering an APS-C sensor size, this is a manual focus lens that offers a lightweight and easily portable option for wide shooting versatility. Weighing in at just 1.02lb and with a lens length of just over 3in makes this lens a great lightweight and compact option for shooting photos and videos on the move.

The lens also boasts an array of exciting features such as the wide angle of view spanning from 82.8 degrees to 120.9 degrees, enabling you to capture expansive scenes and diverse perspectives. Furthermore, the 8-16mm lens offers a unique sunstar effect with its 5-blade aperture, which creates a pleasing starburst in any area of light (Spotlight, Streetlight).

Other notable features include a removable 86mm filter thread, a 20cm close focusing distance, and a de-clicking focus ring. The ability to activate the de-click function on this manual focus lens is a useful addition when working in quiet environments, but it also reduces camera shake when using the lens for video.

Laowa produces a long list of lenses from probe to anamorphic but has been increasingly creating with mirrorless camera users in mind. The lenses produced by Laowa fit nicely with the modern mirrorless hybrid cameras, with features that benefit both video and stills.

The Laowa is available to order today at the price of just $549 | £448 | AU $858.

Laowa's developed quite the reputation for high-magnification macro lenses, but now it's made even its weird and wonderful probe lenses look positively mainstream. Enter the Laowa Aurogon FF 10-50x NA0.5 Supermicro APO: a full-frame lens set containing one 'objective lens', to which a choice of four different extension tubes can be attached, enabling 10x, 20x, 35x and a incredible 50x magnification.

Each lens tube facilitates the same 20mm working distance for ease of use, allowing you to standardise your lighting set-up regardless of the lens magnification being used. The objective lens measures 167mm long with a 50mm maximum diameter and weighs in at 447g. The length of each extension tube varies between 112mm and 253mm, meaning the combined objective lens + tube length ranges from 279mm up to 420mm. The focal length of the combined lens and extension tube is 18.8mm for the 10x tube, reducing to 5.56mm when the 50x tube is used. The lens uses Laowa's Apochromat (APO) design to control chromatic aberrations and improve overall image quality. Aperture range is measured numerically rather than in conventional F stops, and Laowa quotes a range between 0.15 and 0.5.

Of course with magnifications this high, mounting the set-up on a stable base is essential. To that end, Laowa also offers and optional Slip Ring set that can be used in a similar fashion to a tripod collar on a long telephoto lens, connecting the lens in two places to a solid base like a rail platform. With the correct placement and plenty of patience, it's then possible to capture macro images with the kind of magnification previously only possible with the aid of a microscope, revealing a level of detail completely invisible to most macro lenses, let alone the naked eye.

The Laowa Aurogon FF 10-50x NA0.5 Supermicro APO will be available for Canon EF and RF, Nikon F and Z, Sony E, L mount, PL mount and GFX, priced at USD $1,500. Considering this is roughly equivalent to Laowa's existing probe lenses, you're getting a heck of a lot of macro magnification for your money. The add-on Slip Ring set will retail for USD $150.

Read more: 

Best macro lenses
Best pancake lenses
Best cine lenses
Best anamorphic lenses
Best tilt shift lenses

Digital lens corrections are a fact of life with modern day optics and camera systems. Many older lenses and traditional primes from makers like Laowa, say, still rely completely on optical corrections for distortion, corner shading and chromatic aberration, but the modern approach is to combine optical lens corrections with digital corrections, typically for corner shading and distortion, applied in-camera, so that you might never be aware it's happening

I don't have a problem with this. I've tested and shot with many modern lenses that give much better results (no, really, much better) by combining optical and digital corrections than older lenses relying on optical corrections alone. This is especially true with zoom lenses, especially those which are inexpensive, have a long zoom range or a retracting design. 

Some of the best Canon RF lenses, best Sony lenses and others rely heavily on digital corrections and are none the worse for it, in my opinion. In-camera corrections are fine by me.

But it's a different story if you shoot raw, and this is where two distinct strategies emerge. Some mirrorless camera/lens makers who use digital corrections will embed correction profiles directly in raw files. As far as I can tell, this includes Nikon Z, OM System (Olympus), Panasonic, Fujifilm and Sony.

Some do not, notably Canon.

So is this a problem? It does mean that software publishers need to source or create their own correction profiles to apply during raw processing. It's not an issue for Lightroom users, as Lightroom seems to have a correction profile for just about every lens that needs one, especially from these two big brands.

But it could be an issue if you use a program like Capture One Pro, which personally I much prefer to Lightroom, and which has profiles for the more premium lenses in these ranges, but not necessarily lower-grade 'consumer' optics. Capture One, for example does not currently have a profile for the Canon RF 24-105mm STM lens or the RF 24-50mm retracting kit lens, both of which have corner shading that renders them unusable at their widest focal lengths without correction.

On the other hand, with brands that embed correction profiles in the raw files, Capture One is perfectly happy – it simply uses the embedded profile.

Now you could blame Capture One for not having a lens profile for every lens, but I'm going to turn it around. If you make lenses that depend upon digital corrections, then surely the least you can do is embed the correction data in the raw files?

More Rod Lawton opinion pieces:

• Micro Four Thirds cameras get no respect
• I finally accepted camera metering systems are past their use-by-date
• I can't understand how taking photos got so complicated!
• I'm told the optical viewfinder is dead. We did that. It's our fault

The Laowa Argus 28mm F1.2 FF from Venus Optics follows in the confident footsteps of several predecessors in the Argus range, designed for both full-frame and crop-sensor mirrorless cameras. Previous lenses in the series have all shared an ultra-fast 0.95 aperture rating, but the 28mm is about an f/stop slower at f/1.2. That’s still super-fast in our books and an upside is that the lens is surprisingly compact and lightweight for such a speedy, full-frame compatible prime. Engineered for mirrorless cameras, it’s available in Canon RF, Leica L, Nikon Z (FX) and Sony E (FE) mount options, the L-mount version also hitting the marque for Panasonic and Sigma bodies.

Specifications

Mount: Canon RF, Leica L, Nikon Z (FX), Sony E (FE)
Full frame: Yes
Image stabilization: No
Autofocus: No
Lens construction: 13 elements in 7 groups
Angle of view: 75.4 degrees
Diaphragm blades: 13
Minimum aperture: f/16
Minimum focusing distance: 0.5m
Maximum magnification ratio: 0.07x
Filter size: 62mm
Dimensions: 69x106mm
Weight: 562g

Key features

That fast f/1.2 aperture is the standout key feature but, as with other dubiously titled ‘dumb lenses’ the Laowa lacks a CPU (Central Processor Unit) so there’s no electronic communication with the camera body. As such, it’s a fully manual lens and neither autofocus nor camera-controlled aperture adjustment is available and no EXIF data is stored in image files. That’s not a deal-breaker, as we’ll come to later in ‘build and handling’. In the Nikon Z-mount version that we tested, it proved easy to input the lens’s vital statistics in cameras that feature IBIS (In Body Image Stabilization), beating the shakes in handheld shooting.

Up-market glass includes one aspherical element and two HR (High Refractive index) elements, aiming to boost sharpness while reducing the overall size and weight, along with two ED (Extra-low Dispersion) elements to enhance clarity and minimize lateral chromatic aberration, or color fringing.

The aperture diaphragm is particularly well-rounded, based on 13 curved blades. This helps to improve the quality of bokeh when stopping down a little, giving a more circular shape to bokeh discs derived from defocused lights and other bright spots in a scene.

To reduce ghosting and flare, the lens is supplied complete with a bayonet-fit hood that has a rectangular profile. It works very effectively but is a bit impractical for use with the likes of screw-in circular polarizing filters that require rotational adjustment.

Build and handling

Although very lightweight for a full-frame compatible f/1.2 lens, the Laowa feels very sturdy and robust, with a full-metal build that stretches to the mounting plate, barrel and even the hood. The only constructional downside is that the lens isn’t weather-sealed. That’s no real surprise, given the budget-friendly selling price for an f/1.2 prime.

An essential of any manual-focus lens is that the focus ring operates smoothly and enables fine precise adjustments. That’s certainly the case with this Laowa. Further bonuses include a focus distance scale that’s calibrated in feet and meters, along with depth of field markers for apertures of f/1.2, f/4, f/5.6, and f/11. Both the focus distance scale and DOF markers serve as a guide but you’ll still need to keep an eye on sharpness in the viewfinder or rear screen when composing shots. 

Accurate manual focusing is typically much easier with mirrorless cameras compared with DSLRs, as the exposure preview option gives a viewfinder image that remains bright at narrower apertures, and ‘focus peaking’ is generally available to highlight the edges of objects as they come into focus. A magnified preview can also be a big benefit for pinpoint manual focusing.

As a fully manual lens, you’ll also need to adjust the aperture using the onboard control ring rather than from the host camera body. Again, that’s generally no major hardship but it does mean you can’t shoot effectively in Program AE or Shutter-priority modes. On the plus side, the lens has the handling benefit of a click/de-click switch, making the aperture ring more suitable for stills and video shooting respectively. It’s not all top news though, as click steps are only implemented for full f/stops, rather than the more usual one-third f/stop increments.

Performance

Manual focusing works pretty painlessly, even for the uninitiated, and the fairly generous depth of field at medium to narrow apertures makes life easier in general shooting. On the other hand, generously wide apertures deliver a tight depth of field for close-ups, where the lens gives a pleasantly smooth bokeh. Focus breathing is very minimal so the focus distance stays fixed as you sweep through the aperture range, which is a bonus for videography.

Outright sharpness is impressive overall. In the central region of the image frame, sharpness remains good even when shooting wide-open at f/1.2, although you need to stop down to f/2.8 before edge/corner sharpness gets into its stride. From f/2.8 right through to f/16, center-sharpness is excellent.

While sharpness improves at medium to narrow aperture settings, color fringing becomes slightly more noticeable towards the edges and corners of the frame. Even so, it’s still quite well controlled and the lens performs well in terms of axial chromatic aberration or ‘bokeh fringing’, which is always a challenge for fast lenses at their widest aperture settings. This displays as color fringing around high-contrast edges in a scene that falls just in front of or behind the plane of focus, across the whole image frame. But there’s negligible axial aberration to be seen even at the widest aperture of f/1.2, where vignetting is pretty well restrained, especially considering the lens’s bright aperture and downsized construction.

Unlike many recent lenses designed for mirrorless cameras, there’s no reliance on automatic in-camera correction for distortion. The lens gives only minimal barrel distortion rarely requiring a software fix at the editing stage. And when needed in the likes of architectural photography, an editing fix is easy to apply thanks to the uniform nature of the slight barrel distortion. Resistance to ghosting and flare is also very good.

All in all, performance is very pleasing, making the Laowa a desirable super-fast prime lens with a refreshingly modest size, weight, and price tag, and a smart buy.

Sample images

Lab results

We run a range of lab tests under controlled conditions, using the Imatest Master testing suite. Photos of test charts are taken across the range of apertures and zooms (where available), then analyzed for sharpness, distortion and chromatic aberrations.

We use Imatest SFR (spatial frequency response) charts and analysis software to plot lens resolution at the center of the image frame, corners and mid-point distances, across the range of aperture settings and, with zoom lenses, at four different focal lengths. The tests also measure distortion and color fringing (chromatic aberration).

Sharpness:

Center-sharpness is good at f/1.2 to f/1.4 and excellent from f/2 all the way through to the narrowest aperture of f/16. Mid-to-edge sharpness is less impressive at f/1.2 to f/1.4 but comes on song at f/2.8 and narrower apertures.

Fringing:

Axial chromatic aberration is minimal even at the widest aperture of f/1.2, where lateral chromatic aberration is also fairly slight. The latter ramps up a bit as you narrow the aperture and can be a little noticeable towards the edges of the frame when uncorrected.

Distortion: -0.89

There’s a touch of barrel distortion but, compared with many recent lenses designed for mirrorless cameras that rely very heavily on in-camera correction, it’s very slight. In most cases, distortion will be unnoticeable but it’s uniform in nature and easy to correct at the editing stage, for example in architectural photography.

Verdict

Super-fast lenses aren’t always big, heavy and expensive. This full-frame compatible Laowa wide-angle lens for mirrorless cameras cuts everything down to size with a modest size, weight and selling price, despite having an f/1.2 aperture rating and robust metal construction. It’s a fully manual lens, so you need to set the focus distance and aperture via onboard control rings, but it works and handles well, delivering very pleasing image quality.

Read more:

• Best camera lenses
• Best Canon lenses
• Best Nikon lenses
• Best Sony lenses

Imagine a full frame 24mm 2x macro lens on a stick, with direct view, 35-degree angle and periscope view versions. The Laowa 24mm T8 2X Macro Pro2be is like a cinematic version of an inspection camera, going places where regular lenses can't go but with a much higher level of quality and control than even the best borescopes.

At first glance, this might look like some kind of optical novelty, but the Laowa Pro2be is a unique and specialised filmaking tool aimed at serious productions. This is reflected in the price, which is $8,499 for the three-lens set (about £6680/AU$13300) or $2849-3349 for the individual lenses (about £2240-£2630 or AU$4460-AU$5240).

If you think that's a lot, just imagine the optical complexity of these probe lenses. In fact. you don't need to, because we can tell you. They use an incredible 33 elements in 24 groups (34 elements in 25 groups for the Periscope View lens). That must be some kind of a record.

With regular macro lenses, you're limited by how close you can get a big and bulky camera and lens combo to your subject, and capturing tiny creatures in confined spaces just isn't possible.

That's the problem the Pro2be is designed to solve. It has a longer probe length than the original design, and with up to 36.6cm waterproof length at the business end, so underwater filming is no problem. 

That's not all, even the best macro lenses (though not all) tend to max out at a 1:1 'life size' magnification, but the Pro2be goes up to 2x.

As Laowa points out, it's not just for static macro shots but can also be used for dramatic POV 'fly-through' filming in otherwise impossible spaces. This is something even the best cine lenses can't do when they're fixed to a camera or a bulky rig.

Laowa says its new probe lens isn't just longer than the original, but boasts significant improvements in image quality from its three lenses, and they all offer a T8 maximum aperture almost 2 stops faster than the first version, for more effective high-speed filming and more depth of field control.

All of the lens control takes place at the camera end, thankfully, which also features 360-degree rotation for the probe. Arri PL, Canon EF, Canon RF, Nikon F, Nikon Z, Sony E, L mounts are available, and Laowa says swapping mounts is a simple process, so you can use the Pro2be with different cameras on the same shoot.

Laowa 24mm T8 2X Macro Pro2be specifications

Format: full frame
Lens mounts: Arri PL, Canon EF, Canon RF, Nikon F, Nikon Z, Sony E, L mount
Focal length: 24mm
Aperture range: T/8-40
Diagonal angle of view: 85°
Aperture blades: 10
Min working distance: 4mm
Max magnification: 2x
Focus throw: 150°
Focusing: Manual

Direct View lens: 33 elements in 24 groups, 30.4 x 507mm, 1038g, $2849
35° View lens: 33 elements in 24 groups, 30.4 x 500mm, 1024g, $3149
Periscope View lens: 34 elements in 25 groups, 30.4 x 500mm, 1068g, $3349

We can see the Laowa 24mm T8 2X Macro Pro2be being especially interesting to natural history filmmakers, both as a three-lens set for $8,499 / £8,099 - or as individual direct view, 35° or periscope view versions for $2849, $3149, and $3349 respectively.

Venus Optics, makers of Laowa lenses, looks set to launch a new compact prime lens soon, and will be another entry in its 'Cookie' prime lens line-up. The LAOWA FFII 15mm F5.0 Cookie has already been on display at the recent Photo & Imaging show in Shanghai, and the exact specifications have apparently been published on Venus Optics' Weibo social media account.

They reveal the lens will have full-frame coverage, while still maintaining compact 67.1mm x 42mm dimensions and a low 160g weight. With the lens being so small, filter size is a tiny 39mm. Likely due to this overall compactness, the lens’ maximum f/5 aperture is relatively narrow for a prime wide-angle lens. But this needn’t necessarily be a deal-breaker if the lens is paired with a mirrorless body incorporating IBIS, thereby allowing for slower shutter speeds with lower risk of camera shake. The 15mm focal length translates to a 100-degree angle of view, while minimum object distance is advertised at just 0.12 meters. The optical stack includes two aspherical lenses to improve sharpness, 4 extra-low dispersion elements to reduce chromatic aberrations, and three high-refractive index elements to help reduce the size and weight of the lens.

The lens is likely to come in Canon RF, Nikon Z, Sony E, Leica L and Leica M mounts, and unusually for a simple, multi-mount Laowa lens, it's pictured with electronic contacts, allowing communication with the host camera. Focus is still likely to be manual, however, although focus peaking does make this a relatively painless process.

There's no word yet on pricing or availability, but given the accessible cost of the existing Laowa 10mm f/4 Cookie, the new 15mm F/5 Cookie is unlikely to break the bank.

Story credit: asobinet.com

Read more:

• Best pancake lens
• Lenses for street photography
• Best cameras for travel
• Best wide-angle lenses
• Best standard zooms

Laowa has shown off two brand-new and not yet officially announced wide-angle lenses at an event in China, coming to Sony E, Fuji X, Nikon Z, Canon RF and Canon EF-M mounts.

Quietly unveiled at the Photo & Imaging Shanghai show, thanks to social media users on the Chinese platform Weibo, we have the first pictures and details.

The first new lens will be a super wide-angle Laowa CF 8-16mm f/3.5-5.0 C-Dreamer – although it is designed for use on APS-C cameras, so will have an ever so slightly narrower full frame equivalent of 12-24mm. 

• These are the best wide-angle lenses right now

Other specifications listed for the lens include a construction made up of 16 elements in 12 groups, and a minimum shooting distance of 0.2 meters. The lens will also have a curiously low 5-blade aperture, which is less than much of the competition – although, for a budget super wide-angle lens with not the widest of apertures, this isn't too surprising.

Laowa has always had a good build quality to its lenses despite their usually low pricing, and it sounds like this lens will be no different with a full-metal body that weighs 463g and measures a pretty square 88.3 x 88.54 mm.

The lens will be manual focus only and available for Sony E-Mount, Fujifilm X, and Nikon Z, and slightly surprisingly will become one of the few third-party lenses for Canon's locked down R mount and aging Canon EF-M mount.

The second lens teased by Laowa is a new 15mm f/5.0 Cookie pancake lens. Not much is currently known, with the full specification sheet not being broken down for this one yet. 

From the first images of the lens, however, it looks like it will follow suit with other Laowa glass, with hallmarks including manual focus, metal body and a manual aperture ring. We'd also hazard a guess at it being likely available for the same mounts as the 8-16mm mentioned above. 

Chinese manufacturers are making some of the most interesting and compelling lenses recently that are giving first-party lenses a real challenge – and we can't wait to get our hands on these latest from Laowa and put them through their paces.

Check out our review of the last Cookie lens, the Laowa-10mm f/4 Cookie. For more affordable, Laowa-like optics, take a look at the best cheap lenses.

Laowa has introduced two new lenses to its anamorphic Nanomorph lineup – a new 65mm T2.4 and 80mm T2.4 – alongside a new 1.33x front anamorphic adapter to increase your cinematography creativity.

These lenses – which on looks and pedigree alone look like contenders for our best anamorphic lenses guide – are being launched via an Indiegogo campaign that will begin on August 29 and is currently open for pre-launch subscription. 

The Nanomorph 65mm and 80mm manage an impressive 1.5x squeeze ratio across all focus distances and consist of 3 flare options (blue, amber and a neutral silver), complementing the existing focal lengths of 27mm, 35mm and 50mm. 

Both the 65mm and 80mm remain extremely compact, as is the case with the existing set, making the whole series very handy for almost all types of rigs and setups – including handheld, on a gimbal, slider, or mounted on a drone if necessary. The lenses open up new possibilities for all scales of production.

As well as these new lens additions, Laowa has also announced a 1.33x front anamorphic adaptor. It can turn the Nanomorph into a 2x anamorphic lens, or you may also pair it with other spherical lenses to get the cinematic look, unlocking more creative possibilities for visual storytelling.

By signing up, supporters will be the first to know when the campaign goes live and will have access to earlybird perks and exclusive offers. The official campaign is set to launch on August 29 on Indiegogo. Stay tuned for more updates on the perks pricing and exciting news. 

Editor's note: As with any crowdfunding campaign, there is no guarantee that final products will be the same as pre-release material – or that a finished product will be produced at all. 

You might also be interested in the best cameras for filmmaking, the best cinema cameras and the best cine lenses.

Laowa is doubling down on its commitment to the macro probe lens and has teased yet another variant on the design. In a short YouTube teaser, we can see glimpses of the upcoming 24mm T8 2X Macro Pro2be cine lens. This will join the company's existing Macro Probe and Periprobe lenses, sharing the latter's interchangeable front tubes - a feature that lets you apply a choice of angled lens modules to achieve different shooting perspectives.

By freezing the teaser video at the right point, we can see that the new Pro2be has at least three different interchangeable front modules: a normal, forward-facing 'Direct View Module', a periscope-style module, and an angled 35-degree Module which allows you to shoot with your camera pointed downward at an angle, while the front of the lens captures a conventional, forward-facing perspective.

Like Laowa's existing probe lenses, the new variant as 2x macro magnification, but unlike its predecessors, the maximum T8 aperture is a great improvement over the f/14 rating of previous Laowa probe lenses. The faster aperture will give you more lighting flexibility, thereby reducing the need to resort to higher shooting sensitivities.

Past Laowa probe lenses have incorporated a tiny ring light into the lens tip for illuminating very close subjects, but this feature isn't obviously apparent in the Pro2be. It's possible Laowa has seen fit to delete this feature on account of the faster maximum aperture, but we can't be sure yet.

The teaser video doesn't give away any details about mount options or lens pricing - we'll have to wait until the official launch on August 15 for that information. But assuming the Pro2be is a manual-focus lens like Laowa's other probe lenses, it'll likely be available in numerous mount options.

Read more: 

Best macro lenses
Best pancake lenses
Best cine lenses
Best anamorphic lenses
Best tilt shift lenses

Although niche and rather oddball, the AstrHori 18mm f/8 2x Periscope Probe Macro isn’t a new concept. It’s essentially a newer version of the company’s full-frame compatible 28mm f/13 2X Micro Probe lens, but designed for crop-sensor cameras. As such, it has an ‘effective’ 27mm focal length on APS-C format bodies (28.8mm for Canon) and gives virtually the same field of view as using the preceding 28mm lens on a full-frame camera.

The AstrHori 28mm itself wasn’t a whole new thing. It looked a very close copy of the Venus Optics Laowa 24mm f/14 Probe, which was also designed for full-frame cameras. However, the new 18mm is available in a comparatively wide choice of mount options, including Canon EF, Canon RF, Fujifilm X, Leica L, MFT, Nikon Z and Sony E. Budget-friendly, both of the AstrHori 18mm and 28mm lenses only cost about half the price of the Laowa 24mm optic.

Specifications

Mount: Canon EF, Canon RF, Fujifilm X, Leica L, MFT, Nikon Z, Sony E
Full-frame: No
Autofocus: No
Stabilization: No
Lens construction: 23 elements in 17 groups
Angle of view: 76 degrees
Diaphragm blades: 7
Minimum aperture: f/28
Minimum focusing distance: 0.47m
Maximum magnification ratio: 2.0x (2:1)
Filter size: N/A
Dimensions: 60x457mm
Weight: 704g

Key features

If you’re into shooting bugs, you’ll know they can have an unsociable habit of crawling, jumping or flying away as soon as you get vaguely near enough to photograph them with a regular macro lens. The big idea of this lens is that it has a long probe section that fits to the front of the lens. The probe is comparatively thin and unobtrusive, so you’re less prone to scare things away.

Being long and thin, the probe also enables you to poke it where the sun don’t shine, so to speak. For example, if you’re feeling particularly reckless, you could stick it into a hornets’ nest but, to be clear, we’re absolutely not suggesting that you do that.

Naturally, a downside is that if you extend the probe into small, dark places, there’s generally not enough light to take a photo anyway. Typical of probe lenses (not that there are many), this one therefore features an LED lamp array built into the business end at the front. We’ve seen built-in LED lamps in a number of conventional Canon macro lenses, which are powered directly from the battery in the host camera. Again, typical of probe lenses, that’s not the case here. The LED array is USB powered, so you need to plug it into a mains adapter if you’re shooting at home, or a USB power bank if you’re out and about.

You’d think that 2x (2:1) magnification should be enough for anyone, but the crop factor gives you an extra bonus. For APS-C format cameras, you not only get a focal length multiplier of 1.5x (1.6x for Canon), but you also get a similar ‘effective’ boost in macro magnification, to 3x or 3.2x, respectively. The Micro Four Thirds edition of the lens gives you an effective 4x macro magnification at the shortest focus distance.

Another bonus of crop-sensor cameras is that depth of field is more dependent on actual rather than effective focal length. As such, you can get a bit more than the wafer-thin depth of field that’s typical when shooting macro images on a full-frame camera.

Serious macro photographers usually prefer to focus manually, which is just as well as this lens has no autofocus capability. In fact, it has no built-in electronics at all apart from the LED light, so there’s no data communication with the camera body. As such, you’ll need to set the aperture as well as the focus distance via the lens’s onboard control rings, which takes Program AE and shutter-priority shooting off the menu. Naturally, no lens-based EXIF information will be saved in image files, as the camera has no way of knowing what lens is fitted, let alone its settings.

Build and handling

The AstrHori feels very much a ‘me too’ lens, following in the footsteps of the Laowa probe in terms of build and handling characteristics. It comes as a kit of parts, supplied in a hard case with cutout foam inserts. 

A full set of front and rear caps is supplied for both the main section of the lens and the probe, along with microfiber pouches for both components. There’s also a USB-A to USB-C cable for the LED lamp array built into the front of the probe. Again, like the Laowa, the cable includes a module that hosts an on/off button and up/down buttons for controlling the intensity of light.

Let’s talk ‘working distance’. The very nature of the probe lens gives you a comparatively relaxed working distance between the camera and the subject, of just over 46cm (18 inches), even at full 2x macro magnification. That’s more than twice as much as with the more conventional Laowa 90mm F2.8 2x Ultra Macro APO lens, which has a working distance of about 20cm (8 inches) at its maximum 2x magnification.

It's not all good news, however. The downside is that the front end of the AstrHiori’s long probe comes to just 5mm (1/5 of an inch) from the subject at its shortest focus distance. In practice, you can often find that the front of the probe casts a shadow over what you’re trying to shoot, so the LED lamp array definitely comes in handy.

Manual focusing with autofocus macro lenses can be a real pain. The rotational travel is often quite small and it can be easier to move the camera slightly in pursuit of accurate focusing for extreme close-ups. The AstrHori is very different. We love the long rotational travel of the focus ring and that it operates with silky smoothness. This makes highly accurate macro focusing comparatively easy. Switch to a magnified preview in the viewfinder or rear screen of mirrorless cameras and pinpoint focusing is a doddle. The same goes for using a magnified preview in Live View mode on a DSLR.

Performance

The f/8 aperture rating is pretty fast for a probe lens. Although narrower apertures are generally preferred in macro photography, for getting more than a marginal depth of field, the f/8 rating gives greater versatility.

For a probe lens, we really liked the sharpness and clarity that we were able to get from the AstrHori when shooting extreme close-ups. It’s capable of delivering ultra-fine levels of detail that are virtually invisible to the naked eye. Color quality and contrast are very good too. Suffice it to say that all-round image quality is very convincing.

Although the lens is clearly a specialist macro optic, it can nevertheless focus all the way to infinity. That’s a bit of a moot point, as performance at longer focus distances is poor, as demonstrated by our lab-tests. Unlike most regular modern macro lenses, it’s really a one-trick pony.

Sample images

Lab results

We run a range of lab tests under controlled conditions, using the Imatest Master testing suite. Photos of test charts are taken across the range of apertures and zooms (where available), then analyzed for sharpness, distortion and chromatic aberrations.

We use Imatest SFR (spatial frequency response) charts and analysis software to plot lens resolution at the center of the image frame, corners and mid-point distances, across the range of aperture settings and, with zoom lenses, at four different focal lengths. The tests also measure distortion and color fringing (chromatic aberration).

Sharpness:

Lab-test results for sharpness are frankly dire. But bear in mind, these are based on shooting full-sized test charts at a regular focus distance, much longer than what this lens is intended for. When shooting extreme close-ups, we found it was able to resolve very fine detail across the whole APS-C format image frame.

Fringing:

Color fringing can be very noticeable away from the central region of the frame in general shooting but, again, we found this to be less of a problem when shooting extreme close-ups, as shown in our example images.

Distortion: 6.57

As with sharpness and color fringing, distortion is less of an issue when shooting at very close range, although the lab-test result shows heavy pincushion.

Verdict

Taking a leaf out of Laowa’s book and building on its own 28mm full-frame compatible probe macro lens, this 18mm optic is designed specifically for crop-sensor cameras. The idea is that you can poke your nose (or rather the front of the long, thin probe) into tight spaces and take macro shots like never before. The front section is waterproof too, so you can even explore rock pools or get up close and personal with aquatic life. It’s a great idea that translates into a really neat lens, and at a very competitive price.

Read more:

• Best camera lenses to get
• Best Canon lenses
• Best Nikon lenses
• Best Sony lenses

Laowa, possibly the world-leader in producing weird and wacky lenses, seems to have yet another optical oddity to add to its portfolio. The company already produces several macro 'probe' lenses with high magnification ratios, but the new Laowa Aurogon FF 10-50x NA0.5 Supermicro APO is on another level.

Currently specific details are restricted to a Chinese spec sheet, but as far as we can make out, this is a single lens that's supplied with four extension tubes. The focal length of the lens itself is unclear, but the supplied extension tubes enable 10x, 20x, 35x, or an incredible 50x magnification. The lens appears to be 167mm long with a 50mm maximum diameter and weighs in at 447g. Minimum object distance is as close as 20mm, seemingly regardless of which tube is attached. The length of each of the extension tube varies between 112mm and 253mm, meaning the combined lens+tube length ranges from 279mm and 420mm. The focal length of the combined lens and extension tube is 18.8mm for the 10x tube, reducing to 5.56mm when the 50x tube is used.

As we've come to expect from Laowa's fully-manual lenses, the Aurogon FF 10-50x NA0.5 Supermicro APO looks as though it'll be available in a variety of mount options, including: Canon EF and RF, Nikon F and Z, Sony E, L mount, Fuji G mount, and ARRI PL mount.

The lens+tube set is expected to retail for 8999 Yuan, which converts to around USD$1250, £960, or AUD$1,840. That compares well to Laowa's existing probe lenses which are all over $1400. However, as anyone who's used conventional macro extension tubes will know, the greater the extension length and corresponding magnification, and the shallower the depth of field available at a given lens aperture. We'd imagine that with the 50x extension tube fitted to the Laowa Aurogon FF 10-50x, depth of field will be wafer-thin, while image quality is likely to only be sharp in the center of frame. But regardless of these potential limitations, a macro lens with such huge magnification opens up new possibilities for extreme, microscope-level close-ups.

Story credit: mirrorless rumors

Read more: 

Best macro lenses
Best pancake lenses
Best cine lenses
Best anamorphic lenses
Best tilt shift lenses

Laowa, the innovative lens manufacturer, is introducing the Ranger Compact Cine Zoom Series, specifically designed for the full-frame market. 

Comprising the FF Ranger 28-75mm T2.9 and FF Ranger 75-180mm T2.9, this two-lens set caters to the needs of both independent filmmakers and production houses. With exceptional features and providing great performance, these lenses empower filmmakers to create cinematic stories with ease.

The Ranger lenses offer an impressive zoom range of over 6.4x, providing filmmakers with exceptional versatility. From wide-angle shots to close-ups, these lenses cover a wide spectrum effortlessly. Furthermore, weighing in at a mere 1.4kg/3.08lbs, they are incredibly lightweight, making them ideal for one-man-band filmmakers. 

The lightweight design also ensures that capturing breathtaking shots with exquisite detail is no longer a burden, but rather an effortless experience. One standout feature of the Ranger lenses is their parfocal design, which allows for consistent focus throughout the zoom range.

Filmmakers can effortlessly transition from one focal length to another without worrying about losing focus. Moreover, the lenses exhibit minimal focus breathing, providing a smooth and seamless focus experience. 

Whether you're capturing action-packed scenes or intimate moments, the Ranger lenses ensure that your focus remains precise and consistent, enhancing the overall cinematic quality of your footage. The Ranger lenses offer an extremely close focus
distance of 0.49m/1'6" and 0.89m/2'9" respectively. This proximity allows filmmakers to capture captivating close-up shots, revealing intricate details and adding depth to their storytelling. 

Additionally, these lenses are crafted with professional cine housing, incorporating a built-in back focus adjustment system. This feature enhances on-site usability, providing a smooth and reliable shooting experience. With the Ranger cine zoom lenses, filmmakers can focus on their craft and capture stunning cinematic masterpieces without being hindered by technical limitations.

The Laowa Ranger Compact Cine Zoom Series is a game-changer for new filmmakers. With their versatility, lightweight design, precise focus transitions, captivating close-up capabilities, and compatibility with multiple camera systems, these lenses provide a user-friendly and powerful toolset for capturing breathtaking cinematic shots. 

Each lens is priced at $2,999 or you can have the two for a reasonable $5,799, but you should also keep an eye out for the upcoming FF 16-30mm T2.9 lens which would complete this set of lenses offering every focal length for every filmmaker to use throughout their career.

See our guide to the best cinema cameras, and our run-down on some of the best cinema lenses

When it comes to camera lenses, many of us likely hold the opinion that the best quality optics are made in Japan, or in the case of Leica and Zeiss, Germany. Surely the heritage of precision engineering long established in these countries means lenses produced there are a cut above rival optics produced in other regions?

You could also argue that, at the other end of the scale, are lenses produced in China. Mass produced, potentially with cost-cutting prioritised over no-compromise quality, resulting in a cheaper lens, but one with inferior build and performance. Of course all this is pure speculation and stereotyping, with little basis in actual reality, at least not in the present day.

Which leads us to a review on phillipreeve.net of the Viltrox 16mm 1.8 AF lens for full-frame Sony E-mount cameras. Bastian, the reviewer, is impressed with the lens, and not just because it costs around one third that of equivalent lenses from Sony and Sigma. The lens has excellent all-round image quality, good build quality, and, unlike many cheap lenses, it's also fully-featured with electronic communication and autofocus. 

Chinese lenses from the likes of Laowa and Yongnuo have long been capable of excellent image quality, but fell short of more esteemed rivals due to their handling difficulties, as they generally lack autofocus, or indeed any electronic communication between host camera and lens. The latest Viltrox lenses have no such compromises.

All this leads the reviewer to make a potentially controversial statement: "it was only a matter of time before the Chinese lens manufacturers start to outdo the Japanese ones and this lens might be where it begins".

We've also tested several Viltrox lenses - the AF 13mm F1.4, AF 23mm F1.4, AF 33mm F1.4, AF 56mm F1.4 - and have awarded them at least 4.5-star ratings: they really are impressive optics in their own right, irrespective of price. 

Whether they actually "outdo" Japanese lenses is harder to quantify. If we're to assume a significant price difference between the Viltrox lens and a competing Japanese lens, then in terms of sheer value for money, the Chinese lens is clearly superior. But what about in terms of outright lens quality, performance and features, irrespective of price? There's an argument to be made that some Chinese lenses – at least the current crop of Viltrox lenses - are now equal to those made in Japan. They can match Japanese lenses in performance, usability and build quality, so what else is there to distinguish the Japanese lens, other than heritage and perceived superiority?

Really this shouldn't come as much of a surprise. China is the manufacturing center of the world, and if the latest iPhone can be produced there without issue, then why shouldn't China be able to manufacture another precision object like a camera lens to the same standard as one from Japan?

So if you did have any negativity towards Chinese-made camera lenses, it's well and truly time ditch those preconceptions. Chinese lenses can be every bit as good as lenses made in Japan, or anywhere else.

Story credit: phillipreeve.net

Read more:

• Which is the best Sony camera right now?
• The best Sony lenses
• These are the best mirrorless cameras today
• We list the best cameras for professionals

We were blown away in 2018 when Laowa launched its 24mm f/14 2x Macro Probe lens - a macro lens like no other. Then in 2022, AstrHori gave us its 28mm f/13 macro probe lens, offering similar specs to the Laowa lens, but costing around half the price. And just when you thought there were enough probe lenses in the world, AstrHori announced it has another offering waiting in the wings - this time a dedicated APS-C probe lens. The crop-sensor lens will be available in Sony E, Fujifilm X, Canon RF, Canon EF, Nikon Z, L-mount and Micro Four Thirds mounts.

As you'd expect from a lens with such a range of mount options, it is a manual focus-only optic, likely lacking any electrical contacts to communicate with the host camera. The lens offers up to 2x magnification and has a minimum focus distance of 0.47m - but due to its long length actually has an effective working distance of just 5mm.

The beauty of a probe lens is that you can stick its snout right into the action to capture a bug-eye perspective in the depths of the undergrowth, while its wide-angle field of view also maintains a greater depth of field to record more background context. The front section of the probe is waterproof, allowing you to use it for underwater images in streams or fish tanks.

The lens's unusually narrow barrel keeps it (and you), fairly inconspicuous to your subject, and judging by the leaked lens images, the AstrHori 18mm probe lens features a tiny LED ring light around the front lens element to illuminate close-up subjects – a feature shared with the 28mm version.

Specifications

Mounts: Sony E, Nikon Z, Canon RF, Canon EF, Leica L, MFT, Fujifilm X
Full frame: No
Autofocus: No
Image stabilization: No
Lens construction: 23 elements in 17 groups
Angle of view:  76 degrees
Diaphragm blades: 7
Minimum aperture: f/28
Minimum focusing distance: 0.475m
Maximum magnification ratio: 2:1
Filter size: 62mm
Dimensions: 60x457mm
Weight: 704g

Pricing and availability

The AstrHori 18mm f/8 APS-C periscope probe macro lens is on sale from today for $719 / £879.

Read more: 

Best macro lenses
Best pancake lenses
Best cine lenses
Best anamorphic lenses
Best tilt shift lenses

Lens maker Meike has announced a new 85mm f/1.4 autofocus lens that will come in Sony E, Nikon Z, and Leica L mounts, and do our eyes deceive us – Canon RF mount!

The Canon has a well-documented history of blocking any third-party lens manufacturer from making autofocus lenses for the RF mount, after getting its lawyers to step in when Samyang/Rokinon and Viltrox both tried their luck. In those cases, both companies were forced to cease production of their respective RF mount lenses before they got into the hands of consumers.

• Read More: best Canon portrait lenses

Meike thinks it might have a better chance, and is claiming that its 85mm f/1.4 lens is "approved" by Canon. Canon has no official approvals labels or markings, so at the moment, we are not sure what Meike is using to back up its claim. Canon has also chosen to so far not publically comment on the Meike lens, for better or for worse. 

The only other third-party lens that Canon has publically "approved" so far is the Cosina Voigtlander Nokton 50mm f/1 Aspherical, however, this is a manual focus lens. There are other manual focus lenses from third-party brands such as Venus Optics, it's Laowa lenses have managed to skirt past Canon's legal team, although neither have they been officially endorsed by Canon.

Meike is not the most well-known lens brand, but the Hong Kong based company has been steadily releasing cine and stills lenses for cameras for the past several years, where it rose in the public consciousness with its affordable Mirco Four Thirds glass. It is not the first company you would think would get official "approval" from Canon, but maybe they believe they have less to lose by Canon scuppering their plans.

With the recent news that Sigma and Tamron are outselling first-party lens makers, there is definitely a booming market for a broader range of options for camera glass. Canon is the only major manufacturer to hold out on not allowing third-party manufacturers to make lenses for its mirrorless mount. Nikon was the latest to give in the last few months, and now a surge of new lenses has started to appear for the Z mount, it will be interesting to see how long Canon can hold out.

Canon previously let third-party manufacturers make glass for its EF DSLR mount and for its first attempt at mirrorless, the EF-M mount. It is unclear why Canon is so resistant to other companies making lenses for its RF-mount cameras. Some have suggested it is a financial strategy to protect its own lens revenues, while others have suggested that Canon is seeking to protect consumers from shoddy third-party lenses.

However, when some third-party lenses are as good or even better than first-party efforts, and camera companies like Fujifilm praising third-party lenses for improving their camera systems and pleasing customers, it is getting harder for Canon to justify its position.

Find out more about the latest from Canon with our guides to the best Canon lenses, the best Canon RF lenses, and the best Canon cameras.

Early this year we reported that Venus Optics  launched the Laowa Proteus 2X Anamorphic Series to the market. The company is now officially announcing the addition of four more focal lengths to the series on top of the existing 35mm, 45mm, 60mm, and 85mm, making it a total of 8 high-performance prime lens series, each with a maximum aperture of T2.

These four new focal lengths consist of 20mm, 28mm, 100mm, and 135mm, covering a much wider focal length scale to enhance the versatility and practicality of the lens set. The 20mm will also be the widest 2X anamorphic lens ever designed for Super35+ sensors, these new lenses are expected to be ready to ship in late 2023.

For those who have already pre-ordered the existing focal lengths, shipping will begin in May this year. Each individual lens sells for $4,999 each, or $18,998 for the set of the existing four lenses.

If this has been helpful why not take a look at the best cinema cameras on the market, if anamorphic is your thing check out our best anamorphic lenses. When you think you know what you want, why not check to see what the best Netflix-approved cameras are so you can be in the clear when submitting your documentary to the streaming giant

Nikon Netherlands and several other European countries have leaked a brand new Nikkor Z DX 12 - 28mm f/3.5-5.6 PZ VR lens on their website but with no further details or official information. 

Unsurprisingly, the best Nikon lenses are the perfect accompaniment to some of the best Nikon cameras such as the Z7 II or the Z9. The latest lens leak however is designed for cropped sensor cameras such as the recently announced Nikon Z50 or the vintage-looking Nikon Z fc. 

• Check out the best Nikon cameras in 2023 

As things stand there a currently give Nikon Z lenses available for APS-C bodies includng the Nikkor Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 VR and the Nikkor Z DX 50-250mm f/4.5-6.3 VR and over from third party manufacturers such as Voigtlander, Pergear, Viltrox and Laowa. If the rumor is true, it will come as welcome news to those who shoot on cropped Nikon bodies as there aren’t very many wide-angle zooms available.

In full-frame terms, it will be equivalent to an 18-42mm lens which is perfect for interiors, architecture, landscapes, or even street photography. The Nikkor Z DX 12 - 28mm is listed on the Nikon Z lens roadmap so we know it is on the way, we just don’t know when Nikon will make the official announcement we can only assume it will be relatively soon. 

An earlier leak posted to the Nikon rumors website suggests the lens will have a maximum aperture of f/3.5 - 5.6, a minimum aperture of f/16 - 25, an internal focusing system, will be made of 12 elements in 11 groups including one ED lens and one aspherical lens, and 7 diaphragm blades. It’s said to weigh just 205g which is pretty light, have a filter size of 67mm and a diameter of 72mm x 63.5mm. 

As more information is released such as the lens's RRP and an official release date, we will keep you up to date but it’s a promising sign that Nikon is continuing to strengthen its lens lineup and focus more on cropped sensor systems. 

• The best Nikon Z lenses
• Nikon Z lens roadmap: full schedule for Z5, Z6, Z7, Z6 II, Z7 II, Z9

Venus Optics has revealed a Leica M-mount of its super-wide Laowa 15mm f/2 Zero-D LM, allow Leica rangefinder cameras to take breathtaking 110° ultra-wide-angle with a wide maximum aperture of f/2.

This isn't the first time this lens has appeared on Digital Camera World, in fact, we recently reviewed the Laowa 15mm f/2 Zero-D in a different mount and we found that The Laowa 15mm f/2 Zero-D is a fantastic optic, offering a fast, superwide lens at an affordable price – making it a bit of a unicorn lens for architectural and landscape photographers. 

For videographers, the ability to de-click the aperture by sliding a switch makes this an essential lens for shooting wide. It's an all-manual lens, but the image quality and distortion control are impressive.

But now in the Leica M-mount and with a custom 6-bit coding option for photographers to do their own code marking. The lens can then be recognized by Leica M cameras and recorded in the EXIF information of your images, this lens will also allow Leica users to take vast landscapes, interiors of abandoned buildings, and everything else in between. However, you will have to pick up an external viewfinder for your Leica to use this lens, or at least see what you might be capturing on your camera. 

The lens comprises 12 elements in 9 groups with 2 aspherical elements, controlling distortion to the minimum for photographers to do satisfying architecture and landscape shootings. It also comes with a lens hood that is equipped with a 72mm filter thread, this brings convenience and places less burden on outdoor shooting.

Filters can be directly screwed on the lens for photographers to shoot in extreme situations. Images can be captured with specific effects effortlessly, which is often quite a challenge with Leica-branded lenses.

If this has been helpful why not take a look at our best wide-angle lens guide, or why not take a look at our Leica M11 review if you're in the market for a new Leica camera.

Laowa is teasing us yet again with the promise of a 28mm f/1.2 L-mount lens which was first showcased at CP+ 2023. With an official release date confirmed for the end of the month, those wanting to get their hands on a wide-angle super-fast lens won't have much longer to wait. 

The Laowa 28mm lens is a versatile lens well suited to landscape, street, and documentary photography. Available for full-frame Sony E-mount, Canon RF, Nikon Z and Panasonic L mount, at just $599 it’s well priced with very few other lenses to compete with at that specific focal length and aperture. 

For the last decade, Laowa lenses (produced by Venus Optics) have specialized in making premium lenses for photo and video. Combining affordability with excellent optical quality and a distinguishable design, Laowa has created its own place in the lens market targeting both professional and amateur photographers and videographers who are after top-spec lenses at low cost to them. 

• Check out the best lenses for landscapes 

If you’re after a relatively wide-angle lens that will perform well in dark conditions, the Loawa 28mm’s wide f/1.2 aperture will let plenty of light in and even when shooting wide open, it's said to maintain sharpness in the corners (though we’d have to test it to be sure). 

It’s constructed of 13 elements in 7 groups and has 13 aperture blades which combine to deliver ultra-smooth out-of-focus areas and sharp areas of focus. Since it’s strictly a manual focus lens, it wouldn’t suit someone who shoots very quickly and relied on AF but if you’re used to shooting on an older film camera manual focus will come very naturally. 

With a minimum focusing distance of 50cm, you have to stand quite a way from what you’re shooting but since it's designed mostly to shoot landscapes chances are you’d be much further away anyway. At 562g it isn’t the lightest lens but when attached to something like the Panasonic Lumix S5 II, it would feel well-balanced. With a clickable aperture ring that can be turned off and on, it would also be well suited for video as it could be used silently. 

There's been no announcement from Laowa about when the lens will start shipping but a reliable source told L Rumors it would be officially announced on March 28.

These are the best cameras for landscape photography or why not check out our top picks cameras for street photography

Launched back in 2012, the Fujinon XF14mm F2.8 R is one of the very oldest lenses left in the current Fujifilm X-mount lens line-up - and almost as old as this interchangeable mirrorless system itself. 

Despite this the XF 14mm is still the widest lens currently made by Fujifilm - although there are wider options in terms of zooms with the XF8-16 f/2.8 mm & XF10-24mm f/4. It won't hold this distinction much longer, however, as Fujifilm has announced that an 8mm f/3.5 lens will be available this year (see the latest XF lens roadmap) .

Of course, there are also wider (non-fisheye) options available from independent lens manufacturers - such as the autofocus Zeiss Touit Distagon 12mm f/2.8, and manual-focus-only options that include 10mm, 12mm and 14mm options from Samyang, and the Laowa 9 mm f/2.8 Zero-D. 

Specifications

Mount: Fujifilm X
Full frame: No
Autofocus: Yes
Stabilization: No
Lens construction: 10 elements in 7 groups
Angle of view: 90.8 degrees
Diaphragm blades: 7
Minimum aperture: f/22
Minimum focusing distance: 18cm
Maximum magnification ratio: 0.12x
Filter size: 58mm
Dimensions: 65mm x 58.4mm
Weight: 235g

Key features

The Fujfilm XF14mm offers an equivalent focal length of 21mm (in full-frame terms) making it appealing for landscape and architectural photography. It is also just fast enough with a maximum aperture of f/2.8 to feature in Fujifilm's ultra-fast range - but for lowlight and restricted-depth-of-field applications, the XF16mm F1.4 R WR has a clear two stops advantage.

The lens has a metal mount and body - but is still small and light enough not to make a noticeable increase to the bulk of your camera bag.

The lens gives you a manual aperture ring with one-third-of-a-stop clickable detents - which will make it appeal more to stills photographers than videographers. This is partnered with a depth of field scale behind the filter ring - sadly not a feature often seen on lenses nowadays, but invaluable if seeking out the hyperfocal distance. This scale is only fully revealed when shifting into manual focus mode which is engaged by pulling the wide manual focus ring back towards you. This clutch mechanism, although seen on other lenses, still feels like a really neat bit of engineering.

A petal-shaped plastic lens hood is supplied as standard.

Sample images

Lab results

We run a range of lab tests under controlled conditions, using the Imatest Master testing suite. Photos of test charts are taken across the range of apertures and zooms (where available), then analyzed for sharpness, distortion and chromatic aberrations.

We use Imatest SFR (spatial frequency response) charts and analysis software to plot lens resolution at the center of the image frame, corners and mid-point distances, across the range of aperture settings and, with zoom lenses, at four different focal lengths. The tests also measure distortion and color fringing (chromatic aberration).

Sharpness:

Center-frame sharpness is very good wide open at f/2.8, becoming excellent at f/4 through to f/8. Move out to the mid-frame/corners and sharpness inevitably drops of a bit, although one possible reason for this is our large sharpness test chart which has to be shot at close range when testing a wide-angle lens. This in turn means the corners of the chart are much further away than the center, and the resulting limited depth of field then compromises the corner sharpness scores.

Fringing:

Color fringing is impressively well controlled and never reaches noticeable levels, regardless of the aperture you shoot at.

Distortion: -0.31

Thanks largely to the automatic distortion correction baked in to Fujifilm camera bodies (which cannot be disabled), any optical distortion is almost entirely corrected.

Verdict

This is a lens that has held its own over 10+ years of the Fujifilm X-mount. But its days are undoubtedly numbered. Its crown as the widest prime for the X-T and X-H series of mirrorless camera will be broken in 2023. But perhaps, more tellingly, Fujifilm has not put the XF14mm on its list of 20 Fujinon lenses that are capable of delivering the resolution from its latest high-cameras, such as the X-H2 and the X-T5.

It is still a useful lens - giving you extra range to your shooting, without adding much bulk to your camera bag. But it is probably a lens that will be updated by Fujifilm before too long.

Also check out our guides to the best Fujifilm lenses and best Fujifilm cameras. 

Other Fujifilm lens reviews
Fujinon XF 16-80mm F4 R OIS WR review

Fujinon XF27mmF2.8 R WR review

Fujinon XF23mmF1.4 R LM WR review

Fujinon XF33mmF1.4 R LM WR review

Fujinon XF18-120mm F4 LM PZ WR review

Fujinon XF150-600mm F5.6-8 R LM OIS WR review

Fujinon XF 10-24mm F4 R OIS review

Fujinon XF18mmF1.4 R LM WR review

Fujinon XC35mm F2 review

The Laowa 90mm F2.8 2x Ultra Macro APO comes three years down the road from the TIPA award-winning Laowa 100mm f/2.8 2x Ultra Macro APO. The older lens was available in two broadly similar versions, one for Canon and Sony DSLRs, the other for Canon RF, Nikon Z and Sony E mount mirrorless cameras, all of them being full-frame compatible. The newer 90mm is designed purely for mirrorless cameras, adding Leica L to the line-up of mount options while still supporting the previous RF, Z and E threesome.

Quite compact for a 90mm macro lens, the Laowa is nearly one and a half inches shorter than the previous 100mm mirrorless lens, but only about a fifth of an inch shorter than the DSLR version. As with its predecessor, the it has a fixed physical length so there’s no externally telescoping inner barrel that protrudes forwards at shorter focus distances.

Specifications

Mount: Canon RF, Leica L, Nikon Z, Sony FE
Full frame: Yes
Autofocus: No
Image stabilization: No
Lens construction: 13 elements in 10 groups
Angle of view: 27 degrees
Diaphragm blades: 13
Minimum aperture: f/22
Minimum focusing distance: 20.5cm
Maximum magnification ratio: 2.0x
Filter size: 67mm
Dimensions: 74x120mm
Weight: 619g

Key features

Naturally, the key feature of any macro lens is its extreme close-up capability. The Laowa goes further than most, with 2.0x macro magnification being available at the shortest focus distance of 20.5cm, or about 8 inches. As always, that’s measured from the focal plane of the camera (equating to the active surface of the image sensor) rather than from the front of the lens.

The fact that the lens focuses internally, rather than physically extending at shorter focus distances, avoids it from cutting down the working distance between the front of the lens and the subject when you’re shooting close-ups. In practice, while the front element remains fixed in place, the inner elements are deeply recessed at the infinity focus setting, and move forward right up to the front end as you focus down to the closest setting.

An absence from the feature list is any form of electronics. As such, there’s no autofocus and you have to set the aperture manually, using the aperture control ring on the lens itself rather than making any adjustments from the host camera body. This effectively takes Program AE and shutter-priority shooting modes off the menu, and no lens-based EXIF data is recorded in image files, including the chosen aperture setting.

Build and handling

The construction of the lens feels robust and well-engineered although the Laowa lacks any weather-seals, either on the mounting plate or around any of the barrel joints. Even so, it handles very nicely. There are metric and imperial distance scales on the focus ring, as well as a macro magnification scale. Depth of field markers are on hand for apertures of f/5.6, f/11, f/16 and f/22. They’re of some use for zone focusing in general shooting but of little value for macro photography, where extremely precise focusing is critical.

Speaking of accurate focusing, the manual focus ring has a long rotational travel and smooth operation, making ultra-fine adjustments much easier than with the vast majority of autofocus lenses. The lack of autofocus certainly isn’t a deal-breaker when it comes to the bulk of macro photography, where manual focusing in generally preferred.

Performance

The lens delivered excellent levels of sharpness in our tests, along with impressive contrast and clarity. As promised for an ‘apochromatic’ lens, lateral and axial chromatic aberrations are minimal, and image quality is effectively boosted by the inclusion of three ED (Extra-low Dispersion) elements in the optical path.

Like pretty much any modern macro lens, the Laowa can focus to infinity and is useful for general short telephoto photography. In particular, the combination of a 90mm focal length and fairly nippy f/2.8 aperture make the lens useful for portraiture, although the lack of autofocus is more of a chore in for this type of photography. At least the focus peaking option available with most mirrorless cameras comes in useful for accurate manual focusing with a decent level of consistency, resulting in a pretty good hit rate.

Further performance plus points are that the lens retains very good sharpness and clarity at narrow apertures right down to its minimum f/22 setting, suffering comparatively little from the diffraction that’s generally associated with shooting at narrow apertures. That’s good news for macro photography, where you’ll often try to eek out anything more than a wafer-thin depth of field to retain sharpness throughout more of three-dimensional subject matter. After all, shooting perfectly flat objects head-on is of limited appeal unless you’re a postage stamp collector.

Outright sharpness isn’t the only factor to consider. When it comes to blur, the Laowa’s quality of bokeh is soft and creamy, and remains of very pleasing when stopping down, helped by a particularly well-rounded 13-blade aperture diaphragm. All in all, premium overall performance and image quality make this a highly desirable and relatively affordable macro lens.

Sample images

Lab results

We run a range of lab tests under controlled conditions, using the Imatest Master testing suite. Photos of test charts are taken across the range of apertures and zooms (where available), then analyzed for sharpness, distortion and chromatic aberrations.

We use Imatest SFR (spatial frequency response) charts and analysis software to plot lens resolution at the center of the image frame, corners and mid-point distances, across the range of aperture settings and, with zoom lenses, at four different focal lengths. The tests also measure distortion and color fringing (chromatic aberration).

Sharpness:

The Laowa is super-sharp across the entire image frame, even when shooting wide-open at f/2.8. More importantly for a macro lens, levels of sharpness are retained very well indeed at narrow apertures, which you might often want to use in extreme close-ups to gain even a little depth of field.

Fringing:

Color fringing is negligible at all aperture settings, both in terms of lateral chromatic aberration and axial chromatic aberration, the latter of which can cause color fringing across the whole image frame at wide apertures, just in front of and behind the plane of focus.

Distortion: 0.14

It’s virtually a zero-distortion lens. Technically, there’s the merest hint of pincushion distortion but it’s practically impossible to spot in images.

Verdict

If you feel that bigger is better when it comes to macro magnification, you’ll be delighted that this lens can reproduce small areas at up to twice life size on a camera’s image sensor. That gives the scope for humungous enlargement on-screen or in print, and thanks to the Laowa’s excellent sharpness, it can capture near-microscopic levels of fine detail and texture. It’s a fully manual lens designed for mirrorless cameras but has great handling and all-round performance. All in all, it’s a sound choice for mirrorless cameras, at a very attractive price.

Read more:

• Best camera lenses to get
• Best Canon lenses
• Best Nikon lenses
• Best Sony lenses