Laowa 100mm f/2.8 2X Ultra-Macro APO lens Followed by the success of the Laowa 60mm f/2.8 2:1 Macro, the 100mm f/2.8 2:1 Macro is the 2nd member of Laowa 2:1 macro line-up. This new 100mm lens can cover full frame sensor and focus from 2:1 magnification to infinity. 100mm is a more popular focal length for macro photographers. However, all of the current 100mm macro lenses in the market can only achieve 1:1 (life-size) or even smaller magnification. Shooting with smaller bugs is usually a challenge for macro photographers. The wider magnification range of the new Laowa Macro allows photographers to capture subjects at any size, making it one of the most versatile macro lens in the market. Despite having the wider range, Venus Optics manage to compress the size of the lens to the minimal and it is similar to other 1:1 macro lens in the market. Laowa 100mm 2:1 Macro lens also features an apochromatic (APO) characteristic that chromatic aberration is invisible. Chromatic aberration (CA) is one of the most challenging topic for optics designer as it can usually ruin a perfect image. Some of the macro lenses in the market controls the chromatic aberration at the "in-focus" area really well but the CA is uncontrollable in "out-of-focus" rendition. The Laowa 100mm, however, delivers an exceptional performance on chromatic aberration suppression, both at the "in-focus" area as well as "out-of-focus" area. The subject in the image will not be polluted of any unwanted color fringing. Not only it is an exceptional macro lens, the Laowa 100mm f/2.8 is also a very decent portrait lens when focus to infinity. The 12 elements in 10 groups optics design delivers a crystal sharpness image in both macro and infinity distances. The bright f/2.8 and circular aperture renders softly diffused bokeh and isolates the subject from its background. The lens has an internal focusing structure that will not extend when focus is changed. A multilayer coating has also been applied to reduce lens
| Maximum Aperture | 2.8 Millimeters |
| Minimum Aperture | 22 |
| Zoom Ratio | 1:1 |
| Image stabilization | Optical |
| Compatible Camera Models | Nikon D200, Nikon D5000, Nikon D4S, Nikon D7100, Nikon D3100, Nikon D50, Nikon D7500, Nikon D5200, Nikon D3300, Fujifilm FinePix S2 Pro, Nikon D3500, Nikon Df, Nikon D90, Fujifilm Finepix S5 Pro, Nikon D5600, Nikon D750, Nikon D3S, Nikon D6, Nikon D5, Nikon D4, Nikon D3, Nikon D3X, Nikon D810A, Nikon D40, Nikon D500, Nikon D300S, Nikon D300, Nikon D80, Nikon D700, Nikon D100, Nikon D7200, Nikon D5100, Nikon D7000, Nikon D780, Nikon D800E, Fujifilm FinePix IS Pro, Nikon D2X, Nikon D2Hs, Nikon D1, Nikon D40X, Nikon D610, Nikon D3000, Nikon D5500, Nikon D70, Nikon D850, Nikon D5300, Nikon D3200, Nikon D3400, Nikon D810, Nikon D2Xs, Nikon D600, Nikon D60, Nikon D70s, Nikon D800 |
| Lens Mount | Nikon F |
| Number of Diaphragm Blades | 9 |
| Minimum Focal Length | 100 |
| Lens Design | Prime |
| Focus Type | Manual Focus |
| Lens Fixed Focal Length | 100 Millimeters |
| Lens Coating Description | HD Coating |
| Focal Length Description | 100 mm |
| Lens | Telephoto |
| Compatible Camera Mount | Nikon F |
| Maximum Focal Length | 100 |
A**M
Great MANUAL lens.
Ok it is a manual macro lens. It is very solidly constructed. For the 2x it needs a lot of light. Depth of field can be a very thin, but I really like the lens. Amazing. Was worried at first, having read other peoples bad experiences. Their QC must have gotten a lot better.
K**J
I found the perfect lens
I found the perfect lens for macro photography. I use it with a Nikon D610 and D7000. Lens has an aperture control lever which allows the camera to keep the aperture open at 2.8 until you press the shutter button. It's super sharp, no chromatic abberation. It's cheaper at B&H Photo Video, but I bought it from here.
D**S
High end image quality for a third of the price, but with the price comes compromise
For the price, the optics of this lens are unbelievable. I think if you’re doing tripod stuff on static subjects this is one of the best macro lenses money can buy at any price point, but don’t expect versatility or easy shooting otherwise. Not ideal for portraiture on a DSLR unless you’re extremely practiced with manual focus on a long lens. If you’re shooting on a film SLR or a mirrorless camera with focus peaking you might do fine. I have concerns about the build quality. It feels really nice and solid in your hand, but the aperture lever is a bit loose on mine and gives the lens an audible rattle when detached from the camera and sounds a little strange and fragile when stopping down when I hit the shutter button. The aperture ring is not stiff enough and is easy to accidentally adjust without knowing while handling the lens, and the (appropriate) stiffness of the focus ring amplifies this problem. The lens cap and lens hood also do not smoothly and satisfyingly clip on. I usually have to fiddle and try a few times to make sure they’re attached, and sometimes I’ll think the lens hood is on correctly only to notice that it’s crooked or have it fall off. But I might have just gotten a bad copy of this lens and am still considering an exchange if it turns out that the looseness of the aperture lever is not common. I also have seen how prone this lens is to flaring and veiling, as mentioned in reviews, but this can be easily avoided if you are in control of your lighting conditions and know what you are doing. For more technical work or studio work on a tripod I cannot recommend this lens enough, just know that it will not work in automatic modes on a camera, it will not autofocus, and it has no image stabilization. The image quality is matched only by some of the most expensive macro options at this focal length, but for most uses I think you could buy a 20 year old tamron for half the price and get results that are good enough for most professional applications, so whether or not this lens is for you will depend on your specific needs. Get yourself a sigma or a tamron if you want to keep it under $1k and want a flexible autofocusing lens with great image quality. If you need that extra barely-there image quality upgrade and want to save some money and don’t mind the limitations, this is your answer. If you want 2x magnification without a teleconverter, this is the only option on the market at this focal length, but I don’t even see needing the 1x magnification for my own photos. Still, having no aberration and no distortion and with excellent sharpness and contrast this lens has performed nicely for me for product photography in the studio.
T**S
Amazing MANUAL Macro Lens!
Please note this is a MANUAL lens. This picture was hand held shot on a Nikon D850, 1/250 sec, 100 ISO
A**I
Excellent lens
So far it is an excellent 2x macro lens.All functions Aperture, focus etc are manual,( of course I can’t rate it for Auto focus and image stabilizatio).User manual should have enough informations..!!!Note: I add it as Non CPU Lens to my Nikon D850 camera Set up.
J**O
So far Impressed
Off to a good start, this fly is one of the first pictures I took with it at 2:1 on my Z6. It's a pretty barebones lens but it feels solid. I replaced my Tamron 90mm G2 with this, so that I didn't have to use extension tubes to get a greater than 1:1 magnification. No complaints at all!
D**K
Steady She Goes
Not impressed. I own a Nikkor 105 and Tamron 90mm Macro, this lens is for those macro photographers who have patience and a tripod for the 2X, otherwise, find a modern stabilized macro.
J**N
Great lense
Works great, and is a fantastic lens with amazing capabilities from infinity focus to 2x macro. This is my new daily lens because of it's incredible features.
Trustpilot
4 days ago
3 weeks ago
