Anhui China, 13 June 2022 – Three years since Venus Optics launched its award-winning 100mm f/2.8 2X Ultra Macro APO, the brand announced the new 90m f/2.8 2X Ultra-Macro APO lens specially designed for full-frame mirrorless cameras. It is the eighth addition to Laowa’s 2:1 magnification macro lens lineup. The new 90mm lens not only inherited the 2:1 magnification to infinity ability and APO design but also appears much smaller in size. It provides mirrorless systems with superb optical performance and delivers outstanding sharpness. Satisfying photographers’ need for exploring unbelievable details our eyes cannot normally see and offer surprising versatility for capturing wildlife, products and portraits.
Highlights:
- Incredible 2x magnification
- Apochromat APO design
- Specifically designed for mirrorless camera
- Much smaller than equivalents
- Outstanding image sharpness
- Smooth bokeh
- Internal focusing
Incredible 2x magnification
This ultra-macro lens can reproduce 2:1 magnification of life-size images, showing extensive details of the object in high resolution. With a 20.5cm minimum focusing distance, it is ideal for capturing tiny subjects and doing super close-up shots.
The lens magnification ranges from 0.1X to 2X, allowing photographers to capture objects of different sizes conveniently without changing the lens. The extended magnification range and focus to infinity provide more flexibility in framing the image. You can excel in a wide range of settings with this lens from macro to portrait photography.
Apochromat APO design
The lens is engineered with 3 extra-low dispersion glasses, suppressing longitudinal and lateral chromatic aberration across in-focus & out-of-focus areas. Purple fringing and ghosting are controlled to the minimum throughout the aperture range. The APO characteristic is favourable to macro photography because it can reduce the post-editing time substantially and improve image quality.
Specifically designed for mirrorless camera
The optical formula is designed based on the mirrorless system, the shorter flange distance not only improves the image sharpness but also makes the lens more compact and portable. It is more balanced between the size of the lens and the mirrorless camera.
Much smaller than equivalents
This lens weighs only 619g with the dimensions of Ø74 x 120mm, making it one of the smallest options in the market compared to the equivalent lenses. An appealing size for the macro lens for professionals and easily go along as part of their gear set.
Outstanding image sharpness
The lens delivers an excellent level of image quality, sharpness is highly impressive at different magnifications and is maintained from corner to corner. It is crucial for macro photography when things are captured in extreme detail and in a hit-or-miss situation.
Smooth Bokeh
With 13 aperture blades, the lens can create pleasing and creamy bokeh in round shapes.
Internal Focusing
The internal focusing design helps to avoid collision of the lens with the subject. It can also prevent the lens from dusting.
Pricing & Availability
Laowa 90mm f/2.8 2X Ultra Macro APO is currently available to purchase via Venus Optics official website (http://www.venuslens.net/) and authorized resellers.
The US price for 90mm f/2.8 2X Ultra Macro APO is USD499 for all mounts. Pricing varies in different countries.
Product Page
90mm f/2.8 2X Ultra Macro APO: https://www.venuslens.net/product/laowa-90mm-f-2-8-2x-macro-apo/
Specifications
| Laowa 90mm f/2.8 2X Ultra Macro APO | |
| Focal length | 90mm |
| Aperture range | f/2.8-22 |
| Angle of view | 27° |
| Format | Full Frame |
| Lens structure | 13 elements in 10 groups (3 ED elements) |
| Aperture blades | 13 blades |
| Maximum magnification | 2X |
| Minimum focusing distance | 205mm |
| In-focus driving mode | Manual (MF) |
| Dimensions for Filter Thread | Ø 67mm |
| Dimensions | About Ø 74mm * 120mm |
| Weight | About 619g |
| Mount | Canon RF / Nikon Z / Sony E / L mount |
This is a full screen capture on my phone.
It’s literally 99% advertisements.
Why do I even try...
Laowa 90mm f/2.8 2x Ultra-Macro APO - Review / Test Report
I hope Venus Lens could reduce the terrible focus breathing the 60mm is suffering from.
That severely triggers my OCD, which is why I went with the RF100L. I have the MP-E for when I need to go beyond 1:1.4x. If Laowo releases a super macro with electronic aperture in RF or EF-M mount, I'd very strongly consider buying that.
The Laowa probe lens is still on my wish list, its features outstrip my OCD :)
True macro (1:1 or higher magnification) is nearly always done with a tripod, making AF and OIS unnecessary.
BUT, a lot of macro lenses are frequently used for photographing living insects etc, often at reproduction ratios between 1:4 and 1:1, so it's a great pity that the lens doesn't have AF and OIS, which would make it far more usable in those scenarios.
And the RF 85 2.0 is excellent for that.
Laowa 90mm f/2.8 2x Ultra-Macro APO - Review / Test Report
I have the RF 100mm version (ie no AF), and I'm very happy with it optically, hand-held or on tripod. It's a little like driving a manual car after years in automatic - when you get used to it, it feels fine.