Venus Optics launches the Laowa 24mm T8 2X Macro Pro2be

[Canon Rumors]

Anhui China, 15 August 2023 – Venus Optics is once again pushing the boundaries of probe lens innovation. With the exciting teaser released early this month, Laowa is now proudly announcing the official launch of the 24mm T8 2X Macro Pro2be. The Pro2be represents an impressive evolution from the renowned Probe lens. The cine-ready new

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[Stig Nygaard]

Those macro probe lenses looks interesting to play with.
Looking forward to a comparison with the (also) new AstrHori 18mm f/8 2x Macro Probe which is said to be much sharper than previous probe lenses from both Venus and AstrHori, but very far from the specced 18mm wide at shorter distances.

 

[EOS 4 Life]

 

[Rofocale]

I have the original probe lens and while it mostly stays on the shelf, when I do get a project that requires its use I will admit a guilty pleasure in shooting with it.

That being said, it needs extra stabilization in terms of a dedicated lens support which needs to be purchased from China, and at F14 it gobbles up light. They also have a nasty yellow-green cast and aren’t exactly pin-sharp.

I’m really tempted with the box set, if I can find it at a reasonable price outside Japan. I can see use cases for all three lenses and the enhanced optics make them an attractive investment. Will wait for some longer term reviews, however, rather than taking at face value any YouTube buzz from the usual idiots looking to score extra views by featuring and raving about such an optical oddity.