Review: Laowa 90mm 2x macro f/2.8 APO

Full frame macro lens for mirrorless cameras

Venus Lens produces several different Macro lenses. This review looks at the Laowa 90mm 2x macro f/2.8 APO. The list price (US) for the 90 is $499
Keith tested it on the Canon EOS RP

Check lens availability/prices at Venus Lens

Keith has also reviewed the very similar Laowa 58mm f/2.8 2x macro lens

Video review:
Laowa 90mm 2x macro

Venus Optics: Laowa 90mm 2x macro f/2.8

The 90mm 2x macro lens is a fully manual lens for mirrorless cameras. The lens weighs only 619g. It’s 74mm diameter and 120mm long (varies slightly with mount option).

Features [via Laowa]

• 2x magnification
• Apochromat APO design
• Specifically designed for mirrorless camera
• Smaller than equivalents
• Smooth bokeh
• Internal focusing

The lens magnification shown on the lens barrel ranges from 0.1X to 2X – The lens works well as a perfectly normal 90mm f/2.8 prime lens too…

Laowa 90mm 2X Macro Specifications

The lens I’m testing is the Canon RF mount – note no electronic connections. The camera does not know there is a lens present.

Here, on the RP [26MP full frame]

Using the lens

The lens is internally focusing which means that the large front element is static, and you can see the internal elements moving as you go from ∞ to 2x magnification.

The aperture is a 13 blade unit with curved blades, giving a round edge to OOF highlights

Focus Throw

The lens has a good smooth manual focus and a throw of ~210º

The aperture ring has fairly soft click stops from f/2.8 to f/22

Focus at close distances is very much easier if making use of focus peaking.

The razor thin DOF at f/2.8 and 2x is clear here.

At 2x the subject to front of lens distance is ~70mm , whilst at 1x it increases to ~100mm

If you use the supplied lens hood at 2x, the subject is just beyond its front edge. Of course, that doesn’t make lighting easy ;-)

Here’s an attempt at photographing a small flower on a cactus, using the Laowa KX800 flash

The view is a bit under 2x magnification.

Using the 90mm 2x macro

It’s very difficult to convey many aspects of image quality from a series of images from just one example of a lens.

Suffice to say, chromatic aberrations are almost absent, field curvature was not something I noticed, sharpness peaked at ~f4-5.6, and corner sharpness and vignetting were good by f/5.6-8

I’ll include a series of sequences of images stepping in aperture or focus.

Click on any image to see it at a larger size.

Close up – aperture f/2.8 to f/22

Gives a good feel for out of focus areas.

Focus breathing

How the field of view changes as you shift the point of focus.

Aperture steps at 2x magnification

Using the lens at infinity

Stepping aperture [followed by 100% centre crops]

Crops at 100% f/2.8 to f/22

Extension tubes

The lens works well with tubes. I’ve a cheapish [metal] pair of tubes from eBay [16mm+11mm] which make this much difference at 2x.

Apart from the diminishing effective aperture and thinner DOF, I don’t see why a bit more extension wouldn’t be OK.

If you are getting the tubes for just this lens, then there is no need for electrical connections like the ones in my own RF tubes.

The 90mm as a useful lens

The 90mm is a good close-up lens I’d be happy using for small product photography.

Two electronic components [diodes] using the lens at it’s closest focus

A USAF signet ring I found in the street in the 1960s [handed in but never claimed]

Photograph for a print

A photo of some dried flowers.

The resulting image, before printing

The print coming out of a large printer [from my Epson P7500 review]

A detail of the print.

Laowa 90mm 2x macro conclusions

The lens is a solidly built fully manual f/2.8 90mm lens which focuses as close as 2x magnification.

Optically, it’s very nice and the only issue I can see many wondering about is its lack of electronics, no autofocus and no IS.

None of these are features I’d be remotely concerned with in my own photography, but some people do fuss about such things – oh and the weight too. I think it’s fine, but some people worry about that as well.

If you fall into these categories, move on ;-) However I suspect that if you did, you’d never have got to this point anyway…

The front of the lens is quite big, so if using a lot at 2x, the short distance between lens and subject could be awkward for some lighting.

Is it for you? Ultimately I suspect that depends on your photography.

The list price (US) for the 90 is $499