Laowa 65mm f/2.8 2x Macro Lens Review + Sample Photos
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- Опубликовано: 12 сен 2024
- This lens is available for Fujifilm X, Sony E-mount and for Canon EOS M mount. More info and buy it at Venus Optics website: bit.ly/mwlaowa65 (I always buy Laowa lenses from their website - fast and free shipping worldwide)
Equipment used to shoot the photos in the video:
- Camera: amzn.to/360ILEM
- Flash (mounted with an adapter to fit my Sony camera): amzn.to/2XMhHou
I filmed this video with my trusty action camera from Sony: amzn.to/2XGF2bf
Mic used for voiceover: amzn.to/2UBZb1i
I get all my background music from this awesome service: bit.ly/mwepidemic
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I took my first photo of a moth 3 days ago (the first click with the 65mm laowa on the a6000) - Amazingly it appears on Flickr's Explore today. Thanks Micael, the lens is fantastic - I just need the butterflies to stay still
Certainly looks like a great lens! Thanks for the review. One thing to note - another reason to want an autofocus lens isn't necessarily for the initial focus, but for focus stacking. Many newer cameras have a setting for automatically adjusting the focus and taking a batch of shots which can be stacked in post.
Yours was the first review I looked for when I heard of this lens. Now I can't wait to get one on my Fuji X-H1. Thanks for your insights!
Hi Micael, thank you for the review. I bought this lens on your recommendation to pair with my Sony A6400 almost a year ago now, and I am very very happy with it. I notice you don't use the lens hood. I agree it tends to project a shadow when used in macro with a flash/diffusor, especially at high magnification. I like your RUclips content on macro a lot, keep them coming!
Thanks :) yes I seldom use lens hood because it is mostly in the way. I don’t recommend shooting macro in sunlight anyway, I always try to create some shade by blocking the sun
@@MicaelWidell I learned a lot watching your videos. Thanks, you are the best!
Wonderful clip on this amazing lens, Micael. I don't do much macro photography, but I enjoyed your review so much I subscribed.
Glad it was helpful!
Adding this lens to my wish list for sure! Thanks for the excellent review. P.S. I love your high tech flash diffuser!
The coffee bubbles are cool, gonna try that!!
The way you are using your flash is cool
Hi Micael!
First of all thank you for your videos!
I really do enjoy the simple, calm and still very profesional way of your videos!
Nearly bought a Sony 90mm for my Sony alpha 6500.
Thought this might be the best solution for both worlds! Portrait & Macro,
but the size and weight is not very convenient. Also the price is very high and I own a 85mm 1.8.
So, after watching your and some other reviews, i ordered the Venus 65mm!
The size factor, weight, the 2time magnification and the price is unbeatable, I think!
I´m very looking forward to this lens!
Thanks again for all your work!!! Keep creating!
I think you made a great purchase. This lens is incredible value for money.
Truly excellent review and thank you. Will definitely get this lens.
bought it ✌️
This company delivers I must say
I have the 100mm 2x FE. it's a nice lens but this one is so much more compact! There are always trade-offs... I wish I could have that quality on full-frame with this size!
Thanks to you, I bought this lens with my X-Pro3. I'm learning a lot from your videos.
Good choice!
Excellent photos although the bubbles in the coffee was setting off my trypophobia hehe… the lens is great, i'm thinking of getting the 100mm Z mount version for Nikon. Good review bro :)
Looks like a great lens. My only concern would be that due to the lack of auto-focus, focus stacking would be quite hard to do. At 2x magnification any touch on the lens would have a big effect on the frame, so trying to change the focus would probably be futile.
And at that magnification the DOF must be paper thin as well, like you said after f11 it loses its sharpness so focus stacking would be necessary to get a deeper DOF.
Hehe good luck using autofocus to do focus stacking 😅
@@MicaelWidell Fuji cameras have focus bracketing shooting, which requires autofocus. How else do you recommend doing focus stacking?
@@MicaelWidell it always amuses me when many do not explore different macro capabilities of cameras or workarounds,particularly when your main focus appears to be macro.Heres one example of autofocus stacking:-
ruclips.net/video/SHGmKy2AMwI/видео.html
I also wonder why I never appear to see reverse lens macrophotography?- I had a very capable auto-focus reverse lens adaptor from viltrox supporting lens stabilisation too.
To be honest I find these manual focus lenses to be way over priced,when I can use extension tubes or the reverse method I spoke of.Sure you might lose stops of light,but you are still using flash anyway!
Autofocus and macro don't go hand in hand.
@@paddyola1 Your sample video is on a tripod, hilarious
Excellent !
I've got the Fuji XF60 (half)macro lens, I was wondering if it's better to buy an 11mm extension tube (Fuji/JJC/Meike) to work with, or sell my lens and get this one...
Do you have some advice about this ?
Thanks a LOT for your great videos, Micael.
Wonderful video! I really liked the lens buying guide as well.
Great review mate :)
Hi Micael, thanks for the review! I do have a question that hopefully you can answer..... On the fuji xt3, its this lens able to take advantage of the focus peak feature? Many thanks, Alex
My Sony a6000 is looking forward to meeting the new arrival
What macro lens would you recommend with autofocus? Great video definitely buying this lens!
Great video as always and Interesting diffuser too. Would love to see a video from you on diffusion methods.
Yeah I would love to dive deeper into that, will probably make some videos about it in the coming weeks.
Hi Micael. Could you please tell me , is it better to set on the macro lens a polarizing filter or an UV filter? Thanks
Hi Micael. I liked all these series you made about the laowa lenses. I even reached out to them with a specific question and some months ago they told me this lens was about to be released and maybe I should wait, which I did.
However I am still on the fence and maybe you could help me decide. How does this lens compares to their 100mm, you also tested ? (I use Fuji but don't mind having and adapter.). I was mostly wondering about the working distance at max magnification, and of course output quality. Do you think they're otherwise equivalent or is one more useable (size, weight) ? I remember in your test you did prefer the 60 over the 100.
Thanks.
That lens is sharp!
@Mr Tech Got any proof? Lens sharpness is suggestive (to a degree) and I found it doubtful that you can make a conclusion between the two without a direct comparison.
@Mr Tech What magnification are those other macros. DoF is shallower at 2x than at 1x. Again, sharpness is a difficult thing to judge without a direct comparison as there are several aspects that contribute to sharpness, like lighting.
I think you mean diffraction, when you talk about the decrease in sharpness at f8 and upwards. I get why people mix it up though. English isn't my native language either. Great review. Can't wait to get one myself!
correct :)
Considering Laowa is using your review on their website, do you get some referral link so we can buy the lens and you benefit?
Excellent video 😊!
Thanks Mike, Greetings from Spain.
This lens is next on my list
Nice review Micael, it looks a great macro lens. I was thinking of getting one for my Fujifilm X-S10 but do you know if you would lose the focus peaking feature with it being completely manual. I bought a manual dumb lens adapter so I could use my f-mount Nikon lenses on the X-S10 but I can't seem to use the focus peaking, wonder if this would be the same?
It's part of your camera settings. You need to go to AF/MF Page 2, MF Assist. I've used vintage lenses via dumb adapters and focus peaking works perfectly
Btw, focus peaking uses contrast to show the outlines and doesn't require communication. So any lens that can fit onto any mirrorless can use focus peaking.
I tried to do it today at the store, but seems unable to. Will try again tomorrow
Fantastic review 🙃. Was curious what the light modifier you were using was?
Check the end of this video: 7 Macro Photography Ideas to try at Home ruclips.net/video/zJQ6_d5WCwY/видео.html
@@MicaelWidell thanks 👍
Wooh, apparently you're the only one with this lens, is not yet on Amazon us. Or any other RUclips video. Do you know when it will hit the market. I'm definitely buying this lens, I have been waiting for this. By the way great video
It is already for sale at Laowas website. Probably in other places soon.
Hey, another great lens-review and now definitely on my buy-list.
I was wondering how you managed to shoot at a shutter speed of 1/200s since the a6000 (and up models) cap the shutter speed at 1/160s when a flash is attached/active.
Keep up the great videos! (:
I didn’t even know of that limitation. Probably because I used a cheap canon flash and a cheap adapter, so chances are the camera didn’t even know I used a flash 😂
I have the same camera and I use to have that problem until I discovered that you have to put the flash on synchronize mode, them you can shoot over the 1/160s
@@Emos-Relaxing-Music
Thanks for the reply,
as far as I know the MK300 only has three flash modes though - TTL, M and RPT. Every mode is capped at 1/160s.
What flash are you using? If you don't mind.
@@meffmeffmeff I didn't know what type of flash you use , I use the godox v350s for Sony
Thank you for this review. I waited a long time for a lens like this one to use on my Fujifilm camera. The fujinon 60 mm macro is only 0,5 x and the 80 mm macro is too heavy in my opinion. Manual focussing is very easy with Fujifilm.
Fujifilm 80mm beat most of the macro lenses out there, has AF, stabilization, WR and can be paired with TC1.4 and MCEX macro rings. I use it on XH-1 and Xpro-2 and have no issues with a bit weight.
@@eagleeyephoto8715 All those features are nice but aren't of any use if I decide not to bring it with me due to the size and weight. For those who shoot macro handheld the AF and OIS are a big deal though.
Hi Micael,
First of all thanks for your awesome and honest videos, you do a really great job for those who want to start macro (or just keep improving).
I’m a MFT user and this 65 mm. is what I’m looking for, but as you may have guessed Laowa doesn’t sell it for MFT, so my question are these:
Would you recommend me to buy it with some kind of adapter for MFT?
If not, would you recommend me something very similar, apart from the 7 artisans?
Thanks in advance and again, CONGRATS :)
Hi. If you just wait a few weeks, Laowa will release a 2x macro lens for MFT. I will publish a review of it when it is released.
Micael Widell AWESOME Micael, thanks for the info! I’ll wait definitely to see what they make and how’s your review. You made my day with this new! Thank you :)))
You could also look into the Olympus 60mm macro lens, which is probably the best MFT macro lens right now. It has autofocus but only goes to 1x magnification.
@@MicaelWidell I use Panasonic, so as long as Olympus doesn't share info with Panasonic cameras and as I don't need AF... I think I'll opt for the 2x of Laowa. Let's wait a little bit more hehe, thanks a million!!
Would you say this lens is a good starting point for macro?
I'm looking into getting a mecro lens for my Fuji, and this seems to be the best option out there, aside from the 80mm that is way outside my price range
Yes for Fuji this is probably the best value for money. I think this is a great starting point.
How does corner sharpness compare to center sharpness (in macros)?
how about the working distance from the lens for 1x and 2x
Hmm I didn't really test that, as I don't find it very important. You can probably google it.
"The lens offers a 2:1 maximum magnification ratio along with a minimum focusing distance of 6.7”(17cm)."
per Venus Optics web site
lovely!
Hi there! How do you manage the manual aperture? I mean... when you close it, all becomes dark? How can you focus?? How can the camera know what to comunicate to the flash?
You can use a small light mounted to your camera for focusing. For flash just use manual settings.
I just want that!
Me too! 😊
Thanks Micael for this comprehensive review. What material is your flash diffuser made of? It does a pretty decent job!
See the end of this video. It is just packing material: ruclips.net/video/zJQ6_d5WCwY/видео.html
i enjoyed so much your old video review of 60mm one ,and this episode is presented even better with more information and more object
do you take a request sir.? i wish a side by side test review of the old 60mm vs this newer 65mm adapted on MFT sensor BC i shoot MFT and i consider to buy a manual focusing macro lens and i see this lineup from laowa are so interesting
*forgive me for my bad english
I don't think the 65mm comes for MFT. But I heard that Venus Optics is working on a similar lens designed for MFT. Might be worth waiting for. Otherwise just buy the Olympus 60mm which is the best MFT macro lens at the moment.
I am torn between this or the 100mm. I currently have a a6400, but I'll likely get a full-frame e-mount in the future. Would you recommend for now 65mm or should I just shoot for 100mm? Keep in mind, this would be my only choice in terms of macro.
okay what is that on your flash and what video can i watch that explanation on?
Can it work on a sony a7r3 full-frame?
I want to buy you a beer or cup of coffee? Anyway to do that? Enjoy your reviews, bought the 60 meter 2X heavy, but liking it.
Thanks! Not sure how you could buy me a coffee at the moment, but I will look into ways for people to support this channel in the future :) For now, just commenting and leaving likes is appreciated, and telling your friends about the videos.
Thanks a lot for inspiring videos. Btw what your opinion about using raynox for macro , have you ever using one ? so far i've never seen it in your videos.
Raynox can be a great option, but I'm not using it much because I have high magnification macro lenses. Check this video: ruclips.net/video/bH5M-DVYMZs/видео.html
Do you think the Laowa 65 has advantages over the 100mm? Which would you recommend for a macro novice? Thanks. Could be tOpic for a comparison video? Eric
In your experience, which system has the best (most usable/accurate) focus peaking?
Tnx for the vids!
Best one I tried yet is Fujifilm. Sony’s is quite bad unfortunately, hard to trust it.
The Nikon Z50 has very nice focus peaking. Four color choice. Red, Blue, Yellow, White. The red and blue work well outside or inside as the other two get sort of lost in the subject outside.
Thanks for this!
Good day, I'm a wildlife (bird) photographer but I recently wanted to try macro photography. I own both an APSC A6600 and a full-frame A7iv. I've grown tired of the full-frame size and weight and was wondering if I purchase the 65mm instead of the 100mm FF, what is the trade-off? If we are always shooting at ISO100 I don't see why the apsc will lose the the FF (except for the fact that the FF is 33MP while apsc is 24MP).
Micael, I am very happy with this lens, I bought the diffuser and a godox tt350f. All work ok but when I have to approach to use 2:1 macro the light of the flash doesn’t reach to the object and the photo comes out black... what am I doing wrong??
Nice lens.. hope to get it.
Hi tell me please Laowa 60 mm macro is suitable for Sony A6400 or this lens is for full-frame cameras?
hi im considering to buy this lens but my camera a6000 dont have IBIS :( and must have tripod or flash for better image. still worth to buy?
Thanks for the review.. Do you consider that the focus ring (which turns only around 200-270 degrees) is good enough to make sensitive adjustments in the focus plane? How does this limitation affect the macro photography capabilities of this lens as well as its versatility?
This was not anything I thought about at all. In general I just use the focusing ring to make broad adjustments, and then move the camera back and forth to nail the perfect focus. The focusing ring was perfectly adequate both for portraits and macro.
@@MicaelWidell I also started thinking about that after reading a comment complaining about the impossibility of focusing on the model from some distance (during a portrait shoot, I suppose) due to lack of sensitivity of the focus ring. As you know, most lenses have larger travel distance in focus rings, arguably, making them more "sensitive" during manual focusing. Thanks a lot for your reply!
I managed to get sharp photos wide open of a 2 years old kid and it wasn’t harder than with any other manual lens I used :) don’t worry 🙂
Ordered for my fuji
Nice video Micael! Does the DÖRR diffuser not work well enough with this lens, or were you just trying something different here?
Dörr works great as well. See my other videos featuring this lens.
Would you still recommend this over the 85mm Laowa macro on an APS-c
Yes
Thanks for the great video. I’m looking at some macro lenses to begin the journey. Would you still recommend this lens? I’m renting a Sony 90 mm this week but it’s too expensive to buy. If mostly we need manual focus for macro, I can go with Laowa. Also what flash would you recommend for beginner? I’m in USA btw if that matters. Finally I like your idea of using common available tools as diffuser. Kudos 😀
Yes I think this is still the best macro lens for aps c cameras. A good flash to look at is Meike mk320. Or Godox v350 if you have more money. See my videos about them.
Thanks for the quick response. I checked both flashes but both seems to be out of stock here. Any idea about Godox v860 iii. Is that too much for macro? I don’t want to spend a lot either.
Why no MFT Macro? Since they already have two ultra wide angles and a semi wide angle specifically for that format, they could do a nifty fifty, a Macro and a Portrait Lens too :-(
I think they are trying to fill gaps in the market. There already exist great MFT macro lenses at good prices. But for mirrorless APS-C there has been lacking a truly great and compact lens.
Yeah, with this being a completely manual lens you would have thought it would be easy to make a m43 version for. Maybe it's down to the flange distance as m43 is longer than the three mounts it's available in (so they can't just add a bit of extra length to the lens). I would definitely buy this if it was available for m43, so it's a shame.
Jättebra att den fungerar också i infinit fokus!
Det heter diffraction förresten.
Ordered!
I really like this lens but i have a full frame canon 5D mark IV camera. I guess my choice is the 60mm.
Hi Michael. I like your review. Would you suggest this lens for product photos of jewelry, or would the 100mm lens be more suitable?
Doesn’t matter. Both are great for jewelry. What matters is what camera you have. The lenses are made for different types of cameras. The 65mm for apsc and the 100mm for full frame.
8:05 *Diffraction
I'm in the market for a macro lens for my Fuji and I'm hesitating between this and the Meike 85mm. The Fujinon 80mm would be the obvious choice but that's just ridiculously exensive.
I would definitely buy the Laowa 65mm lens if Fuji was my system.
Sir, is there any way I can download the raw files to check for sharpness and IQ?
The promo code expired. But thank you so much for this informative video. Very helpful
It will be fine to use on fx Sony A7RIV in APSC mode (26megapixels) or Sony A7RIII (18 megapixels)
Great review, thanks! So this lens can fit to FujiFilm xt-3 without adapter?
Yes, it is available for Fuji X-mount
Is Laowa 60mm macro better than 65mm?
Yes, thanks for nice review ... bye, bye money ... just sold my Fuji 80/2.8 ... but hey, it‘s a 2:1 ... 😉
A lot more macro per dollar with this one :)
@@MicaelWidell I hope so ... ;-)
great review - thanks! As there is no EXIF info, how do you keep a record of the settings you used for the various pics?
This is the main annoyance - I don't get info about aperture or that I used this particular lens. But I have learned to live with it, the upsides with the lens weighs up for it.
At 3:01, you said it can do almost everything. As a beginner who's just about to buy an xt10 or xt20, should i get the 18-50mm kit lens or this laowa macro lens for a first lens? Im unsure.
As your very first camera lens, I would recommend getting a fast prime, such as a 23mm f/1.8 lens or similar. If you are looking to do a lot of macro photography, you can of course get this lens - which is a very very good macro lens, but the focal length is a bit long for general everyday use.
@@MicaelWidell Thanks, that's great, i'll note that down and check it out.
Many thanks for the Information...I am sad that is not fit for Fulframe camera cause I have bought Sony Alpha 7ii ...but maybe I still can added this to my Sony Alpha 5100 its APSC, thanks for all the example too :) great job and send my regards to your wife I am also Asia woman but from Indonesia :)
For a full frame camera you can buy the Laowa 60mm or 100mm, they are just as good but a bit bigger. :) I have videos about both these lenses (I use a A7III)
Hey, I know this video is old, but I’m trying to decide between this and a Fujinon macro. I’m kind of leaning towards this, but just wondering if you have any thoughts?
I would go for this as well. It is so much cheaper, smaller and has double the magnification. Only go for the fujinon if you MUST have autofocus.
Hi Micael, with the Ranox 250 or Nisi give more magnification paired with this lens?
It’s about the same. The NISI +9 filter will give you slightly more in some situations.
Hi Micael, how do you find focusring and overal handling compared to older Laowa 60mm f2,8? For video on A73 to keep 4K would be more convenient older 60mm or new 100mm. What are your thougts? thanks
I don't notice much of a difference in terms of focusing and overall handling. Of course the 65mm is a lot smaller and lighter than the 60mm, and the 60mm is a lot smaller and ligher than the 100mm. For my A7III I prefer to use the 60mm even though it has a bit of vignetting in the corners.
Hi will this work on fujifilm xt200 please?
How do you think this would perform on the Sony AR74 in cropped mode? I'm tempted just because of the size of the lens and still getting a 26Mp out of it.
It would probably work great. Even though I do not have that camera, it should roughly be equivalent to my 24MP APS-C Sony A6000 which I think gave very nice results.
@@MicaelWidell That is exactly what I was thinking. Thank you for your reply!
Nice review! I am now a bit confused about which lens to buy. I'm more interested in pursuing photo-micrography. And would like to start off with Super Macro lenses. I was very impressed by your review of the "Laowa 25mm f/2.8 2.5-5X Ultra Macro" and kind of settling in on that lens when I stumbled upon this. Which one would you recommend?
Hi, I was wondering, if I use this non electronic lens with my Canon R10 (which I think is the best lens to use with my camera as a begginer) will be any problem if I use an adapter EF-RF?
Sorry about my english
Pd: great video, will buy it no doubt
I don't understand how you would use that adapter with this lens, as this lens does not come for EF mount - this lens is only for mirrorless cameras. So I suggest you buy it for RF-mount if it is available.
@@MicaelWidell I am sorry, I said ef-eos ef, I meant ef-m to RF. And I said that because I saw someone selling this lens 150€ cheaper
Great review! I'm planning to buy Sony 6100 and Laowa 65mm. But, Laowa doesn't have electrical connection to camera. So, if I change aperture and shutter speed, does Sony mirrorless preview work? I use milc because it provides preview when I changing aperture or shutter speed. I've never used such type of lens. So, I'm confused. :D
Yes everything works great also with contactless lenses. Preview certainly works. Only thing that doesn't work is that the camera does not know the aperture and cannot change it.
i really want the Laowa 65 mm for my Nikon d7500 ......BUT there not for Nikon (d7500) WTF ! ................. will the Laowa 100mm be a good choice for my nikon d7500 ? ( or does those doesent fit as well ? ) ....... or is the 100mm not good for Cropsensor ?
Get the 60mm or 100mm - both of them works well on your camera.
is there an adapter for canon eos m to canon EF mount
You mean to mount this lens on a DSLR? Sorry that is impossible because mirrorless has a shorter flange distance. No adapter exists. If you have a dslr look at Laowas 60mm or 100mm macro lenses.
Thanks for sharing 🙏🙏🙏🙏
is this 65mm laowa lens recommended for a sony a 7iii camera? or is there another one who revomnds me from the same brand, greetings!
No the 65mm does not work well with full frame cameras. I recommend you to buy the 100mm or the 60mm from Laowa!
Impressive. But did you buy it afterwards or are you going to?
Not sure. I shoot mostly full frame, and for that I already have good macro lenses. But if I start shooting more APS-C I would buy this lens.
Hello Micael. Just found your channel and really enjoy your macro videos!
I'm looking to buy this lens, but it looks like they no longer include the lens hood anymore.
That sounds strange, why wouldn't they? Have you e-mailed Laowa to ask about it?
@@MicaelWidell Not yet. I just noticed on eBay and Amazon that there was no hood.
Hi I was just wondering if you used this lens for film scanning in the end? I'm curious to know how it performed, extension tubes on my fuji 18-55 just isn't cutting it.
Did not use it for film scanning but I am pretty sure it would work great.
@@MicaelWidell great! thank you very much, really helped me make my decision, especially at that price
Do you know if this is coming for MFT/M43? Given it's new, maybe the range of mounts will expand? Cheers.
Yes, 50mm f2.8 2x, about 3 months away. Excellent. :-)
Hello, for food photography, would you recommend this Laowa or the Fujinon 80mm macro?
Both are great, doesn’t matter that much which one you pick
Thank you
lens is Sharp but prone to dust inside the lens its annoying
Used it on a FF camera and cropped out the black - Simple
You can also set the camera in super35 mode so you don’t need to crop
You are the Font of all Knowledge, Micael - I can't get over the results from my last comment - I mean what are the odds, not having attempted to photograph any moth before (which to me was only 80% perfection) and getting my first Laowa click in Flickr Explore?
@@MicaelWidell In SONY full frame cameras, it is called APSC mode !
Haha I bought the Laowa 60mm last week. The 65mm isn't available in the shops yet.
Hi Vince- why not buy from bhphoto online? That's where i got mine from. Shipped all the way to europe in 3days! Insane considering the situation right now!