Venus Laowa 25mm f/2.8 2.5-5x Ultra-Macro Lens with Laowa 60mm f/2.8 2x Ultra-Macro Lens for Nikon F

2023-05-28T10:15:35

This is an amazing lens IF you understand how to use it. I've had it about 2 weeks so let me share my observations. First, I knew this was a manual lens but I (wrongly) assumed it had some electronics and a manual focus ring. It does not. The only way to focus is to change the distance to the subject. Also, without electronics your camera doesn't even recognize a lens is installed and you have to change your settings to "Fire Without Lens" otherwise if won't work. Because of the magnification, it's nearly impossible to hand-hold any shots. Some sort of tripod is really essential. Also, it requires a lot of light so a strobe or bright LED is important. The DOF is very very small (Less than 0.5 mm) so you're not going to get those amazing shots of insect eyes without using stacked focus. A single image has a DOF so narrow you can't even get the insect's eye sharp in a single picture. (I've attached a comparison of a single shot vs 100 shots in stacked focus) I had a manual tripod rail which I planned to use but I quickly discovered that it doesn't move with enough accuracy. I've found the at f8, each shot needs to move about .05 mm and the manual rail just can't consistently achieve that kind of precision. I ordered the MIOPS Slider+ and it works great. Just punch the information you need into your phone, and this rail does the rest. There are several good YouTube videos on the MIOPS Slider+. Also, use your electronic shutter to avoid camera shake. Prior to getting this lens, I used Photoshop for stacked focus but there are better programs out there. Check out Helicon Focus and Zerene Stacker. Each has a 30 day free evaulation and both are faster and more accurate than Photoshop. I picked Zerene but both are solid. As a comparison, I added about 100mm of extension tubes to my Canon RF 100 macro lens hoping I could duplicate the results. The Laowa was much sharper to my surprise. It's a great lens once you figure out the best way to use it.

Tom B.

2022-09-07T06:31:18

This is THE lens I've been looking for. Right out of the box, it's clear that the build will stand the test of time. The magnification control is a twist and is firm so it will hold its position without any surprises while in use. The narrow barrel is a bonus as you can track and see very well, exactly what you're trying to focus on. I find the clarity to be superb, particularly at f8. Since I'm shooting moving/live subjects, I need f8 or deeper for that depth of field. The samples I'll post are at f8 so you can see what a thin depth of field that produces. Matched up perfectly with my Z-Body and there is no play in the mount. No jiggle, no movement, and that's critical if you go to a focus stack series. Considering what this lens will do for my portfolio and insect series, it's just plain inexpensive. If there was a better lens, I'd own it. I also have the Laowa 100mm F2.8 CA-Dreamer Macro 2X 067mm and that's going to remain parked on the shelf now that this 25mm is here. Would I recommend it? Without hesitation.

Frederick D.

2022-07-08T23:08:22

First off, let me say, I LOVE this lens. That being said, it is not a beginners lens and is very difficult to use. This lens requires a lot of light, or a tripod and has a very narrow focus depth, but when mastered, will give you a whole new vantage point of the world. It is a very sturdy metal build and a smooth feeling zoom function. Nothing on this lens feels cheap. It?s simple construction makes it easy to focus on the more difficult parts of using this lens. (Pun intended) The working distance is a little bit closer than I had hoped making it a little hard to capture certain subjects that are easily scared. Shooting handheld almost for certain will require a flash of some type. This lens is one of the most difficult to use lenses I own, but also a favorite. For those who want a challenging game changer, this is the lens for you.

Bryan L.

2021-07-11T08:37:14

An amazing special purpose lens for sure. Very well made all metal lens with great resolution. There is no focus control and because of its high magnification it must be used on a focusing rail with a solid mount. Fits my Nikon Z7 perfectly. Nicely made lens caps on both ends. Click stop on the f/stop ring. The zoom/magnification adjustment is stiff yet smooth. I am using mine mostly to photograph Super-8 film frames. Sharp corner to corner over a DX field. You must appreciate that even at its highest magnification, the lens maintain a working distance of 40mm allowing light to reach the subject and end of the lens is relatively small.

CHRISTOPHER C.

2021-05-19T08:30:09

Sharp. Zoom is very stiff. Trust me that is a good thing, especially at this magnification.

David B.

2021-05-14T08:41:07

Ultimately this lens did not end up serving my purpose of photographing tiny flaws in precision tools as I was unable to get a sharp shot while hand-held. The magnification is magnificent, but I returned the lens so that I could get a Canon with IS.

MARC M.

2021-01-28T19:42:55

Great macro lens! The lens itself gets 5 out of 5. It's a sturdy metallic build, compact and takes pretty sharp pictures. The pictures are of my first day test run. The potato chip bag ingredients is at 2.5x and 5x to give a sense of magnification. To the human eye the bag appears tan, but at 5x you can see the dot printing. In the Adorama box picture you can see the fibers of the cardboard box. You can get great details from tiny flowers and even pollen on slightly larger flowers. All pictures were handheld with a Sony full frame and with lots of patience. Make sure to have a clean sensor. I really saw the specs with this magnification. Make sure to take the time to learn macro lenses before giving up on it. I have read some reviews were they could not get their macro lens to focus. I removed 1 star because Adorama shows this with a tri-pod collar in the pictures but this is a separate purchase - shame on you Adorama. Also, the lens does not come with a lens case; the lens is a unique slender and tall shape which doesn't fit any of the typical neoprene lens cases sizes. My 60mm Lawoa lens came with a case. I wish Laowa did the same for this lens.

DILIAN R.

2021-01-08T10:26:28

Mechanically, this Laowa 25mm lens is very well built. It is rather stiff when changing magnifications, but I consider this a good thing, as there is no lens creep when aimed up or down. Focus is changed by moving the whole lens/camera forward or back. The aperture ring rotates smoothly with satisfying clicks at each f-stop. I also like that the lens has a small diameter (especially at the tip), which makes it easier to get close to the subject without bumping into the surroundings and also makes lighting easier. Optically, this lens is very sharp at 2.5x. At 5x, however, the lens is soft even in the center, with very strong green and magenta chromatic aberrations in areas that are slightly out of focus (bokeh fringing). For anyone who's skeptical of poor technique, I'm using a sturdy tripod with a focusing rail, mirror-up, electronic front curtain shutter, 1/250 sec, diffused flash, wireless shutter release, and stationary subjects (mostly slime molds and tiny fungi). Diffraction is a major concern at 5x, and I've found that the sweet spot is somewhere around f/3.4 (20.4 effective aperture), though there's really not much difference in sharpness between f/2.8 and f/4. At 5x, I consider f/5.6 and beyond unusably soft on my Nikon D810. Depth of field is of course razor thin at this high magnification, but I was really hoping that the tiny sliver that was in focus would be tack sharp. It is okay at best. The good news is that focus-stacking mostly eliminates the CA since I'm only using the in-focus portion of each exposure. And I always shoot at ISO 64 or 100, so I am able to apply a ton of sharpening to key areas without adding too much noise. Yes, I wish this lens were sharper at 5x, but at the end of the day, I am able to produce usable photos with a lot of very careful processing. Also, there's really no good alternative to this lens for Nikon, and as much as I may gripe about the IQ at 5x, it's still much, much better than using a standard macro lens plus extension tubes and supplemental lenses (diopters). A 5x Mitutoyo microscope objective with a 200mm tube lens would undoubtedly produce sharper pictures, but you'd be spending about twice as much, you wouldn't have the flexibility of adjusting magnification, and you'd have even less working distance. All-in-all, this Laowa is a great lens at 2.5x, a decent lens at 5x, and a really great value. Just don't expect the sharpness at 5x to knock your socks off.

TIMOTHY B.

2020-10-03T12:09:10

This is my first dedicated macro lens. Before this lens I've only used extension tubes and the macro reverse ring so it's nice to have a lens that I can change the aperture on. So far I've only tried hand held macro shots which are hard. There is no focus ring, you have to move the camera for focusing. The lens is surprisingly heavy and feels very well built. Twisting the lens to change magnification feels stiff/hard to twist. I'll need a macro focusing rail and lighting to be able to use this to it's fullest potential. I'm looking forward to winter and trying to capture snowflakes and frost.

Matthew H.

2020-09-10T09:23:19

Fantastically sharp lens, but not meant for a novice. First manual everything and that includes aperture so if you’re not equipped with some sort of macro lighting (modeling light) you’ll have a tough time ensuring your subject is in focus. If you’re not accustomed to stacking images you’ll find the razor thin DOF difficult to manage. If you’re an experienced macro shooter you’ll find this lens razor sharp and the price point is hard to beat. If you’re experienced pick it up, you won’t regret it. If you’re a novice get used to using artificial lighting and focus stacking multiple images before you dive into this one.

CHRISTOPHER K.

2020-08-05T17:04:57

A great tool for photographing a world most people will never see. With my table top tripod and focus rail it's a lot of fun to use too.

Robert H.

2020-06-16T08:39:31

For the money this has been a generally disappointing lens to use. Stacking using a manual rail is very difficult to impossible to pull off and honestly even the in focus areas are not all that sharp. Being able to set the aperture to f22 would have made the lens a lot more usable. Image quality issues aside, the lens is very well built. The zoom is heavy but smooth. It's easy to dial in the field of view and once set, it isn't going anywhere.

Jason A.

2018-07-02T10:16:53

This is a great lens for the money. I like the design with the small front element. The only thing that's lacking is a way to mount a ring light. Otherwise, super lens!

RONN M.

2018-06-27T05:23:36

This fully manual ultra-macro lens yields a true 2.5X-5X macro magnification. Best used on static subjects and mounted on a stable platform with a motorized macro rail system (such as a Stackshot) due to its extremely small depth-of-field (~0.1 mm at f/2.8 and ~ 0.7 mm at f/16) and a ring LED light/flash around the lens barrel. Hand held images in the field are next to impossible. As normal with macro lenses, focusing is typically performed by moving the camera/lens.

Michael M.