LAOWA AF 200mm F2 is Coming and This Changes Everything

[Richard CR]

For quite some time, we have seen the rise of Chinese manufacturing in a variety of fields, where when they first started, their products were rather amusing, but then suddenly, if you blink, they caught up in terms of engineering and quality. A good example of Chinese lens manufacturing and optical capability at the beginning would be 7artisans, who made fun lenses, but it was like putting vaseline in front of your lens when you shot with them.

LAOWA AF 200mm F2 is Coming and This Changes Everything - Canon Rumors

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here's how it works. For quite some time, we have seen the rise of Chinese manufacturing in a variety of fields, where when they first started, their products were rather amusing, but then suddenly, if you blink...

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[P-visie]

Interesting read, thank you. I think that it is good that you are back as a regular author on CanonRumors.

 

[el peso]

Those shiny blue accents... Typical China ‍

 

[degos]

Fabulous news, I've been eyeing up second-hand 200IS recently but will wait and see how this performs.

Outside the GAS-obsessed forums there are a huge number of photographers in the real World still shooting on EF bodies so it's great to see Laowa addressing that market, even if it is a workaround for the RF closed-garden. And no worse than Canon's cynical welding of an RF adapter on the back of its big telephoto primes.

 

[Richard CR]

Those shiny blue accents... Typical China ‍

This isn't the first time we've seen blue accents. OM system uses them on their PRO lenses. Mind you, seems Laowa has gotten a little overboard with it.

it could have pink polkadots for all I care if the optical performance is there.

 

[Stig Nygaard]

There's a new US Canon patent with 85/1.4, 85/1.2, 100/1.4 and a 200/2.0 design posted just a couple of days ago.

 

[Exploreshootshare]

A 200mm F2 sounds really intriguing although atm I don't really have a use case for it. A 100mm F1.4 (VCM line-up?!) would really spark my interest as well.

 

[becceric]

I keep thinking that attaching an extension tube to this will create a long desired replacement for the EF 180mm macro lens.
Then I realize how much I'm addicted to the image stabilization on the 100mm macro.

 

[P-visie]

I keep thinking that attaching an extension tube to this will create a long desired replacement for the EF 180mm macro lens.
Then I realize how much I'm addicted to the image stabilization on the 100mm macro.

You would need a lot of extension (tubes) to reach 1:1 magnification with a 200mm lens. With the lens focused at infinity, you would need 200mm of extension to get 1:1 (100%) magnification. If the lens has a .2 magnification at minimum focus distance, you would need 160mm of extension. Adding that amount of extension to a 2kg lens would be highly impractical (i.e. an accident waiting to happen).

The required amount of extension explains the long barrel length of the EF 180mm macro lens.

See: https://shuttermuse.com/ultimate-guide-to-extension-tubes/ or https://www.scantips.com/copycalc2.html for details on using extension tubes.
Or, for entertainment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mi_3cCLOFSU

 

[becceric]

You would need a lot of extension (tubes) to reach 1:1 magnification with a 200mm lens. With the lens focused at infinity, you would need 200mm of extension to get 1:1 (100%) magnification. If the lens has a .2 magnification at minimum focus distance, you would need 160mm of extension. Adding that amount of extension to a 2kg lens would be highly impractical (i.e. an accident waiting to happen).

The required amount of extension explains the long barrel length of the EF 180mm macro lens.

See: https://shuttermuse.com/ultimate-guide-to-extension-tubes/ or https://www.scantips.com/copycalc2.html for details on using extension tubes.
Or, for entertainment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mi_3cCLOFSU

A good point. Multiple extension tubes would make for a poorly balanced setup with precarious electrical contact.

 

[David_B]

What's the black button for? It's under the AF/MF and focal limiting selectors...

 

[Besisika]

As per https:www.youtube.comwatch?v=6PZEwGkrwlg from IBC, the lens will cost 1799USD for the EF version. Good news.