Venus Optics has announced that the Laowa 100mm F2.8 macro lens it first showed at Photokina last year will cost $ 449 and will begin shipping at the end of this month. The 100mm Ultra-Macro APO lens can achieve 2:1 magnification and joins the company’s 60mm F2.8 with the same magnification ratio to create a unique line-up of macro optics.
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| The version designed for Canon EF mount has electronic contacts to drive aperture control and EXIF data |
The lens will be available for Canon EF, Nikon F and Sony FE mounts, and will come with slight variations depending on the mount version. The Canon model is chipped and has an aperture motor to enable body-controlled aperture changes and for EXIF data to be stored in the image. The Canon version will also has a nine-bladed iris, while the Nikon model features a seven-blade aperture diaphragm. The Sony FE version of the lens will has a 13 blade aperture diaphragm.
Below are a few sample photos provided by Laowa:
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Laowa says it has worked hard to suppress chromatic aberrations, not only in focused areas but also areas not covered by the depth-of-field – which it points out is a problem for many other lenses.
A tripod collar is available for an additional $ 30. For more information see the Venus Optics website.
Press release:
Venus Optics announces availability and pricing for Laowa 100mm f/2.8 2:1 Ultra Macro APO
Featuring a 2 times life-size reproduction with no visible CA, the new Laowa Macro is a high quality and versatile macro and portrait lens.
China, 7 May 2019 – Venus Optics, the camera lenses manufacturer who had previously launched a number of unique Laowa camera lenses, is proud to announce the availability and pricing of the new 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.
The Canon version of the Laowa 100mm f/2.8 2:1 Macro lens is integrated with a CPU chip and aperture motor. Photographers can now control the aperture and exposure through the camera itself and record the EXIF data into the photos. A focus indicator will also be shown in the camera to assist focus. This new feature also benefits macro photographers when composing at smaller f-stop as the aperture will only close when shutter is released, making the viewfinder so much brighter.
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 multi-layer coating has also been applied to reduce lens flare and ghosting for increased contrast. Canon EF, Nikon F and Sony FE mounts are currently available.
Pricing & Availability
The suggested retail selling price in US of the new Laowa 100mm f/2.8 2:1 Ultra Macro APO lens is USD 449/pc (ex-VAT). Pricing varies in different countries.
The lens is now available to order from Venus Optics authorized resellers and official website (http://www.venuslens.net/) . Shipping is expected to start from late May onwards.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
