Laowa’s new full frame mirrorless macro lens offers double the magnification with a useful everyday focal length
(Image credit: Laowa)
Macro lenses are Laowa speciality, and this latest optic is designed for full frame mirrorless cameras, and can focus right from a 2:1 magnification to infinity. Laowa is pitching the 8mm f/2.8 2x Ultra Macro APO not solely as a macro lens but as a general-purpose walkaround lens too, thanks to its 40.9° near-standard lens angle of view and useful f/2.8 maximum aperture.
• Watch Laowa's promotional video on YouTube below:
The Laowa 58mm f/2.8 2X Ultra Macro APO will come in Sony E, Canon RF, Nikon Z and L-mount versions. It is designed for maximum optical performance, with 3 ED (extra low dispersion) and 3 UHR (ultra high refractive elements in apochromatic (APO) formulation aimed at minimizing chromatic aberration.
Chromatic aberration comes in two forms: lateral chromatic aberration (color fringing around object edges) and longitudinal aberration (bokeh fringing) and the ‘APO’ design of the new lens is engineered to counteract both.
Most macro lenses focus down to a 1:1 ‘life size’ magnfication so that objects are reproduced on the sensor at their actual size. The Laowa 58mm f/2.8 2X Ultra Macro APO goes 2x further, with a minimum focus distance of just 18.5cm (7.29”) that will fill the full sensor width with an object just 18mm wide.
Laowa is well known for its DSLR macro lenses, but this one has been made specially for the shorter flange distances of mirrorless cameras, bringing improved image sharpness and a more compact design.
The 55mm focal length is shorter than the typical macro lens, but while this does shorten the shooting distance to subjects, as Laowa points out, it makes it more useful as a general-purpose lens and also offers a little more depth of field – which is always at a premium in macro photography.
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Rod is an independent photography journalist and editor, and a long-standing Digital Camera World contributor, having previously worked as DCW's Group Reviews editor. Before that he has been technique editor on N-Photo, Head of Testing for the photography division and Camera Channel editor on TechRadar, as well as contributing to many other publications. He has been writing about photography technique, photo editing and digital cameras since they first appeared, and before that began his career writing about film photography. He has used and reviewed practically every interchangeable lens camera launched in the past 20 years, from entry-level DSLRs to medium format cameras, together with lenses, tripods, gimbals, light meters, camera bags and more. Rod has his own camera gear blog at fotovolo.com but also writes about photo-editing applications and techniques at lifeafterphotoshop.com
