Macro “guru” Thomas Shahan got his hands on the brand new Venus 60mm f/2.8 2:1 Ultra-Macro Lens. On the video above he tests the Nikon mount version but the lens also comes for MFT. It is the World’s First 2:1 Magnification Lens with Infinity Focus. Thomas impressions is:
I am amazed by the amount of detail I can pull out of this lens. I can focus on anything from a landscape to a portrait, down to a detail, down to a portrait of a jumping spider.
The lens will be on sale soon on [shoplink 51077 ebay]eBay (Click here)[/shoplink].
79 Responses
Looks like the lens for other frame sizes are going for ~$380 on eBay, I guess it wouldn’t be too bad for that price
Similar to Infiniti
Yes! Infinit logo turned upside down. I knew I had seen that logo somewhere…
Any news on GH4 firmware update??? Please???
Chinese famous macro amateur Laowa designed this len. It is a APS-C len sold in 1680yuan（268$）in China. and in April Laowa will annouce his second product——15mm F4 fullframe 1:1 macro. World first Ultra wide 1:1 macro len with shift ability in APSC camera. The price will be over 2000yuan（320$）in China.
15mm Macro? Very nice. That lens would still be interesting as a moderately wide-angle macro lens on MFT. If it wasn’t for being fully manual.
Thank you very much for this information. I knew that they were developing a 15mm macro lens, but I didn’t know the specfications or the release date. This will be a must have lens for me as I’ve long being interested in wide angle macros. The problem is there has been no specific lenses, just wide angle lenses with a better than normal close up ability. A 1:1 wide angle lenses will be truly revolutionary. I’m almost certain to get the 60mm Laowa even though I have a full set of macro lenses, including a Canon MP-E 65mm.
There are 2 questions I would live to ask. Does it focus to infinity (I don’t need actual infinity, but I would like to be able to frame larger subject i.e. mushrooms, plants, large insects and amphibians)?
When you say shift ability, to you mean actual shift, or tilt? Tilt is more interesting for my needs. Also is this ability native to the lens or via an adapter.
>Comes in MFT mount too
I don’t understand why MFT user would buy this lens in MFT mount rather than SLR mount, because in this case you lose option to use it with speed boosters or tilt adapters and it’s much harder to sell it after you don’t need it
…the venus website mentions you can order the lens with adapter for mft for 399 i.s.o. 379…so no real mft mount anyway…
Get it with a Nikon F mount and buy a $10 Nikon to M4/3 adaptor from Rainbow Imaging.
Ah, I have only a NEX camera and not going to buy this lens yet, cause I spend too much time here instead of working.
It is always a bit of a nuisance to handle lenses with adapters if you are changing lenses on a regular basis, which, after all, is the purpose of an interchangeable-lens camera system. If the decision was for something I need, not for something I fear ending up not needing, I would always prefer a lens with a native mount, even if it was fully manual. I already have too many adapters, converters, speed boosters and extension tubes in my bag. And, personally, I would not even think of using a macro lens with a focal length reducer, and I would probably not think of using a 120mm (equiv.) telephoto lens with a tilt adapter, either…
you’re having it backwards 😀
Tilt is very useful for macro
60/2.8 + SB => portrait lens
MTF version is not native for this lens (at the time of writing this message)
Problem is, that lens is fully manual, and, except for shooting static objects with a tripod, I would never use a manual macro lens (of which I already have some) that doesn’t have a camera-controlled diaphragm.
I agree.
Disagree, When shooting small insects on 1:1 magnification, autofocus and auto aperture is sort of useless(or unwanted).
Only a mm(fraction of an inch) is in focus(even at f11), and autofocus is only useful of a tripod when the subject is static.
Regarding auto aperture, see my reply to SteB1. Autofocus is not so much my concern, I could do without it in a macro lens – it does help with larger insects, though.
I disagree, autofocus with C-AF is great feature with E-M1 for live insect macro photography because it allows to get fast insects like ants captured while they run toward you. A fast autofocus, CDAF and macro… best combination. MF is when you have tripod or large subject that doesn’t move out of focus plane.
I think we’re not talking about the same thing here. This is a high magnification macro lens, and I was talking about that. Let’s say 1:1 or higher. Then you have an ants head in your viewfinder, very shallow DoF. Then AF is useless because it’s impossible to hold the camera still handheld.
I am talking magnifications 1:1-9:1. Handheld 1:1 and then on studio platform higher than that. Autofocus is great feature in those situations, especially on moving subjects. You need CDAF for that, PDAF doesn’t cut it so DSLR are out of the question.
I agree with the others. The lack of an auto aperture is more of a problem for DSLRs because of the dark viewfinder image, but less of a problem with a live view camera i.e. a mirrorless with EVF or LCD gain up, and focus peaking.
I can only speak for what I do myself in macro photography, which is mostly living insects in nature, but I know that it’s not possible without being able to focus with open aperture. Brightness is not the point. It’s that you simply cannot focus precisely with a stopped-down lens, whether it’s an optical or an electronic viewfinder with all its bells and whistles, except perhaps if you use live-view magnification, which is out of the question for hand-held macro photography, though. Stopped down, it is impossible to precisely distinguish what is sharp and what is just not quite sharp. Over the years, I’ve tried it again and again with a NEX and, lately, with one of the best electronic viewfinders there are, the E-M1 – it doesn’t work.
I have used E-M1 with a 9:1 magnification ratio, perfectly fine with lens stoppe down even to f/22. If the light is low (a 100W flash modeling lamp) then the view goes black and white to keep framerate up, but still perfectly capable to do accurate focusing. Sure I need to bring aperture to f/11 to get best sharpness, as old lenses doesn’t give possibility for E-M1 to do diffraction corrections.
And how did I get 9:1 magnification? Bellows and native m4/3 mount and possibility to get any other mount to other side.
But I like to use LCD or tablet, as it is easier just to stand side of the camera or even front of the camera than trying to use any viewfinder because it is difficult to position yourself to difficult positions in tight spaces.
And there using Olympus 60mm f/2.8 Macro with bellows (electronic contacts trough bellows) is a amazing thing because you can just tap tablet screen and camera focus where I want, perfectly with great image quality and sharpness with no problems.
I’m interested. Where can you can an electronic contact bellows for m4/3? I am aware that briefly someone advertised an electronic reverse adapter for m4/3, but I can’t seem locate it now.
Build yourself. Buy a extension tubes with electronic pins, solder a cables from each pin to corresponding and you have it. Do that of course after you have removed the other mount from bellows and glued the extenision tubes on those.
Very cheap and very great way. Just remember to pull cables out of the bellows from a small hole and fill it close. Then you can move bellows without cables coming on the way inside when going close.
Works perfectly.
Very interesting thank, I had no idea it would work that easily.
It is so easy. People often seek a final product to buy. Instead they don’t think “out of the box” and consider that buying a
http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTQ4MFgxNjAw/z/HhYAAOSwk5FUvkDQ/$_35.JPG
You need to seek a model that allows you to get the extension tube tightly flat on the bellows or on existing mount. That can be the challenging as otherwise you need to remove the existing mount (instead just file existing mount pins etc off) and place a metal plate with hole in it where you attach your extension tube.
The other problem is the soldering where needs to be careful enough not to short circuit them as the pins are very close to each other. So before attaching camera or lens, double or triple check that the soldering is well made and there is no copper wires touching each other. When sure, hot glue over the soldering to keep sure there never gets anything between.
A good way is to use as well the heatshrink to join all the cables together.
It is cheapest and easiest way to get very large magnifications and works with any lens!
Sorry can’t help much currently as I have pretty bad hangover and need to get to sleep now.
I shoot mainly living insects in the field, and I’ve been doing it on and off for 30 years or so. I admit I don’t have much experience of using an EVF. However, I have used manual aperture macro lenses, old OM fit macro lenses, on an Olympus E-1. So I appreciate the problems and wrote about on on the Dpreview announcement of this lens.
http://www.dpreview.com/articles/3682094231/venus-optics-60mm-macro-2x-lens-promises-high-magnification-on-a-budget
I linked to a review of this lens by a long time friend on the internet. They include photos of live insects in the field.
http://orionmystery.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/venus-60mm-21-macro-lens.html
Anyone who uses a reversed lens, without a reverse electronic adapter, uses manual aperture stop down. That includes Thomas Shahan or did the review in the video in the article. I believe he uses a reversed Pentax 20mm lenses. Check out his photos taken with one.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/opoterser
Don’t get me wrong, I am not trying to tell you what to do, not by any stretch, but hasn’t manual focus remained popular with macro photography…?
Absolutely.
Manual focus is the way to go when shooting macro.
Some people even use focus rails, but I couldn’t see hiking around carrying something like that.
Actually I sometimes do use a focusing rail in macro photography, but not in the field, because it requires a tripod, too, just as the focus-wide-open-then-stop-down focusing technique does. And that’s when I sometimes use manual lenses, too (like the Minolta MD 50mm f/3.5 Macro or the Minolta MD 100mm f/4 Macro, which both are excellent lenses), while in the field I stick to the ZD 50mm f/2 Macro with and without converters and tubes.
Absolutely! But not with manual aperture, because you can’t focus quickly and precisely with the lens stopped down to something like f/11 or further. That’s one of the reasons why there have been automatic diaphragms since the nineteen-seventies, and why manufacturers offered automatic extension tubes and even automatic bellows kits already back then.
What, you can’t turn an aperture rig to something like f8? Really?
A manual macro lens, or any manual lens for that matter, is just that… MANUAL.
You use them because you WANT full manual control!
Do you ever shoot in M mode?
Of course I do. But have you ever shot macro hand-held? Then I’d like you to teach us how to (1) focus quickly and precisely, for which the aperture needs to be open, and then (2) turn the aperture ring without moving the camera so the object gets out focus again, and without losing precious time which an insect can use to move.
Sure, I’ve shot with my adapted Nikon 60mm f2.8D and 105mm f2.8 AI-S with both my GH2 and GX7 handheld at f8, f11, even f16. Of course, it was in bright sunlight and shutter speeds were fast.
I never do the aperture wide-open then close it. Why would I want to? Also, with Panasonic’s Constant Preview active, there’s no need to. In fact, it’s something I’ve never done.
What is “Panasonic’s Constant Preview”?
I don’t know about the GH2, and I don’t know whether you’ve got x-ray eyes or something, but I know for sure that I, for one, find it impossible to reliably judge focus with the GX7 without magnification, be it fully-open or stopped down. If an image is in focus, it’s perchance.
Constant Preview is available in M mode only. Like the name, it’s full-time live view showing the actual exposure without needing to press a preview button. Adjust aperture, shutter speed or ISO and see what your shot will be. It’s the end of chimping! 😉
Of course, ANY time I use manual lenses (probably 90%), I use magnified view to focus! I can’t imagine not! Focus peaking is sort of helpful as a rough guide, but I don’t trust it. Magnified is the way to go!
I see! Those are probably two things Panasonic does better than Olympus. The E-M1 has, to my best knowledge, no shutter speed preview at all, and its magnified view is full screen, not inside the original frame’s edge, like I know the G1 already did (I had a thorough look at it when it was shown at Photokina when in 2008)… which makes it rather awkward to use shooting hand-held.
The E-M1’s EVF, on the other hand, is really excellent and for the occasional snapshot with a manual lens I sometimes trust it even without either magnification or peaking, and in Macro photography I have to keep relying on focusing manually without EVF magnification, too, but for me that only works with the aperture wide open, i.e. with an automatic aperture.
The newer Panasonics can switch between picture-in-picture magnification and full-screen. PIP is useful in some situations, but it’s not something I use very often.
Yeah, the EM1 and EM5mII both have excellent EVFs.
A question for everyone — most of today’s mirrorless can do at least 5-7 fps, some even more. Why can’t we have camera traverse focus range and leave only picture of best focus?
It could be used for an automatic focus stacking feature, too (altough a tripod would be needed for that).
Did you know, by the way, that the Olympus E-330 used to have a ‘focus bracketing’ function which already did the slightly-change-focus-and-shoot part? Later models didn’t keep the feature, though.
There’s an excellent review here as well, with excellent full resolution field macro images. They were taken with a Canon 70D, but I think this lens probably has advantages with mirrorless camera due to the manual aperture. There are also side by side comparison shots at the same magnification with the Canon MP-E 65mm f2.8 1-5x lens at 2:1 and the Tamron 60mm f2 at 1:1.
http://orionmystery.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/venus-60mm-21-macro-lens.html
For clarity, I don’t think the lens is available in native m4/3 and has to be used with an adapter. Also it is now called “LAOWA” and not Venus. I’m likely to get an E-M5 II in the next month or so just to use with this lens. I think the gain up of the EVF, peaking, the IBIS, and the size of the senor will all be big advantages with this lens. Currently I use a Canon MP-E 65mm f2.8 1-5x lens. The difficulty with it as a general walk around lens is the magnification starts at 1:1 and you can’t frame bigger insects like large butterflies or dragonflies, so you usually have to switch to an infinity focusing macro lens for this. By time the subject has usually flown off.
Olympus 60mm f/2.8 is 4:1 macro when compared to full frame, and 2:1 macro when compared to APS-C.
On m4/3 it is 1:1.
So this Venus 60mm f/2.8 is 1:1 on m4/3 because it is 2:1 on FF.
It is the magnification that counts, not the ratio.
Olympus 60mm f/2.8 Macro gives 1:1 ratio for 17x13mm subject, meaning 17x13mm subject fills the whole sensor, a 16Mpix sensor.
Venus 60mm f/2.8 2:1 gives a 2:1 ratio on FF sensor, that is 22×15 size subject fills the 35x24mm. That is still 2x smaller magnification than Olympus 60mm f/2.8 Macro gives (4:1 vs 2:1) and on APS-C it would be 1:1 meaning the 22x15mm subject fills whole sensor 22x15mm size. And on m4/3 it would be just a 1:2 ratio.
So Olympus 60mm Macro and Panasonic 30mm Macro has much better benefit.
The Oly 60mm macro is 2:1 on m4/3 not 1:1
It is 1:1, not 2:1. You can even read it from your lens, manual and check the subject size on 1:1 ratio and it is 17x13mm. To be 2:1 it should be able to give you 8.5×6.5mm subject on full frame (17x13mm is the full frame on 4/3).
This seems very confused. The Venus (LAOWA) macro lens will give 2:1 on whatever camera and sensor size it is used on. On m4/3 at 2:1 the LAOWA lens would give a frame with of 8.65mm. For the Olympus 60mm to get to 2:1, it would need probably around 45-50mm of extension (all macro lenses reduce their focal length close-up so it would need to be established empirically). I think you are mixing up equivalents with actual reproduction ratios, which are the same regardless of format or sensor size.
On 4/3 or m4/3 in terms of frame filling power 1:1 is the equivalent of 2:1 on FF or 35mm film.
Yeah sorry, made couple bloobers as I am drunk at the moment 😀
I should shut up and close the browser.
The sensor affects to the ratio. Smaller the sensor, easier it is to get high magnification. Optically that is 2:1 but on 4/3 sensor it is just 1:1.
Why? because image circle is cut off.
Not sure if I follow you. Lens gives 2:1. You crop image circle with smaller sensor = you crop FOV. Ratio remains 2:1.
I don’t follow myself now ethier so there are two of us 😀
Just forget everything I said as I am sure there are couple bloobers that means nothing x)
Just save up your money for the Olympus 60mm 2.8. I got mine on sale for $399. It is a great lens. The auto focus really comes in handy.
Sorry, but autofocus, with the accompanying focus-by-wire, can be a real handicap when shooting macro. When focusing on a very specific point is critical, AF, even with Panasonic’s cross-hair, single point focus can be an exercise in frustration.
All my macro lenses are adapted Nikons: 60mm f2.8D, 105mm f2.8 AI-S and 200 mm f4 IF. This Venus 60mm looks fantastic and at a great price, even buying with a Nikon F mount + lens adaptor.
If you’re interested in macro photo/videography with micro four thirds, you should check out our youtube series, CritterSnap. We are four biologists talking about techniques, gear, and science. Two of us are exclusive m43 shooters. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTW6HY3eyd7d9IBdNBvGe1w
thanks for the link, subscribed as I need to watch tommorrow your talk. Quick scroll shown you had nice talk going on about the, what ever you were talking 😀
Awww, the jumping spider is soooo cute~=D
Instead get this!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Asj_hoPaIJQ
And how sharp it is?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLJQAfG2itY
I’ve seen that. Very cool lens! That gets into near-microscope territory.
When you can see individual blood cells in the eyes veins, you are in microscope territory 😀
The reason I am not interested in this lenses, and think it has very little potential for field macro photography, or even studio macro photography is it’s very limited magnification range i.e. 4-5x. This is pretty high magnification and this limited range is only suited for a limited range of subjects and scenarios. I have owned and used the Canon MP-E 65mm f2.8 1-5x lens for quite a few years now. It goes to the same magnification of this lens, but it’s magnification range is far wider. Most of the time I use it at lower magnifications than 3.5:1. This is what tells that this lenses has limited usefulness.
I don’t mean this in a derisory way, but I see this more of a toy for people who want to find small things to photograph for fun. It would only be useful if you main photograph small subjects of a certain size with continuous light sources.
If you have a purpose in wanting to photograph small subjects, it is quite likely you will find the framing too tight. I think someone who photographs small things for a purpose would be much better off with a reversed wide angle lens or englarging lens, and extension tubes, a focusing helicoid, or a bellows. The quality would be as good, it would probably cost less, and be more versatle.
I fully agree with you there, Stephen. To make matter worse, this lens works only on 2x crop sensor! That means the the FOV is only from about 3.5mm to 4.4mm.
WOW!
worlds first 1 : 1 macro for m 43? ahem ……no !!!
actually every legacy macro lens made for full frame and
logically focused manually [ most sucessful macro is done manually rather than af]
acts like a 2 : 1 macro on m 43 we were doing this and discussing this on e-p1 . net
back in 2009 ,…….so welcom to the club dude
No this lens goes from near infinity to 2:1, including on m4/3. In this case in terms of framing, it would be the “equivalent” of a 4:1 lens on FF. No other macro lens on the market goes from 2:1 to near infinity. The reproduction ratio is strictly the same regardless of the format it’s on. So 1:1 is 1:1 on any sensor size, and it just means the frame width is the same dimensions as the sensor at 1:1. This means the small the sensor, the smaller the object that will fill the frame.
plcapeli is cosinaplile on e-p1 . net for the record 🙂
For the same money you better go get Bokina.
Except it doesn’t go from infinity to 2:1 without an addon. From what I remember it only does 1:2 without an adapter. It makes this lens very different from the macro point of view.
With adapter it goes to full 1:1 magnification.
That’s what I said. It only does 1:2 without an adapter, and you need an adapter to cover the range 1:2-1:1. Whereas the Venus lens goes from near infinity (I’m not sure if it focuses to actual infinity) to 2:1 continuously, without an adapter.
If you have any experience with field macro photography, you will be aware that if you have to add on, or take off adapters, that the opportunity is often missed. Similarly constantly changing adapters or tubes between the lens and the body, exposes the sensor more to pollen grains and the like. At the small effective apertures used in macro photography, this debris on the sensor tends to become more visible as dust spots.
Who cares anyway when we have excellent Oly 60 for the same price.
This is a pointless comment. You appear to have no understanding of the needs of macro photographers. The Olympus 60mm macro is an excellent lens, but it does not focus to greater than 1:1 without attachments. If you are a field macro photographer and you need to photograph small objects, you need to be able to get them to fill the frame. This is much easier if the magnification range is continuous.
Currently on a Canon system I use the Canon MP-E 65mm f2.8 1-5x lens, which has a continuous range between 1:1 to 5:1. It is the only lens of its type, and I got a Canon system simply to be able to use this lens. When you are photographing insects etc, in the field, you need to be able to rapidly focus on what you encounter. It is very difficult in field conditions to suddenly put on or take off extension tubes, close up lenses to get the required magnification.
Are you joking right? 1:2 full ratio is a huge magnification already with ultra thin dof even at f12, 1:1 is usable if you shoot full size waterfrops with tripod and flashes @f16. For field macro work honestly what you really need for general insects and flowers shots is a good quality telephoto lens with decent MFD (hi! m.ZD 40-150 2.8’Pro), its just enought. I also own mZD 60 2.8, at 1:2 magnification, you can get fullsize spider eye already, how much more you need?
Why bringing Canons EF mount microscope to the list? Its a very special lens, which 99% of photographers will never use on its full potential.
If you are doing some critical magnification medicine macro work, investigating cancer cells, damged kidneys, brain neurons, go for MP-E 65 microscope, it might be useful for you. Not for me.
I’m sorry, but you are joking. I’m a very experienced macro photographer and I regular shoot at up to 3:5:1 handheld, sometimes 5:1, and I have shot at up to 10:1 – in the field.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/9578475@N02/
What magnification do you think this was shot at?
https://flic.kr/p/nwfqtc
Many other field macro photographers such as Thomas Shahan who did the video review shoot at this sort of magnification. The jumping spider on the video title is probably 5:1. I can see from the reflection in the eyes that it is shot with a concave diffuser which I invented. Google “concave flash diffuser”, and you will notice many of the hit you get reference me.
Why are you so presumptuous? You may not use this type of magnification, but others do, and I am one of them.
Dead beetle with fake green painted backhround. Assassin!
Go away troll. This is the same beetle when feeding. The green background is the leaf rolled over and out of focus. I have videos of the this beetle feeding, and it was confirmed as a first record for the County, by the area recorder for Coleoptera. You have no idea what you are talking about.
All my insect shots are of live insects in the field. You would know that if you had looked at my Flickr photostream I linked to. I have animated GIFs of Hoverflies feeding, and them in flight. I’d love to know how you’d do that with a dead one, you insulting nonentity.
This is the photo of it alive.
https://flic.kr/p/nNJjQS
And it was fully alive in all my photos. I never kill insects to photograph them.
Nice shot btw, 210mm what lens is that? Some sorta of tele with macro tubes?
Sigma 150mm f2.8 macro + 1.4x converter.
I had Sigma 180 2.8 Apo Os Macro on 6D, was super heavy and focus hunted a lot. Oly 60 look like a toy compared to it lol. Now i wish Olympus to create 90-100mm f2 or even faster macro lens compatible with 1.4 tc.
I don’t have info, but I always wonder how deep the market is for all manual lenses. Any comments? I do not often ask if I am missing something, when I hardly ever survey the mechanical offerings, because I am not ashamed to admit that I have been shooting digital long enough to forget how much I enjoyed the fully deliberated, manual modes. I often wish there was an intermediate type of lens, that while not offering aperture and focus modes to the automation, still supplied correction data to the camera body. That would seem like a modern take on a retro-themed tool, almost like complete loss of electrical connection stretches past some other things that make complete sense nowadays. There is an obvious business impediment to such wishful thinking, well aware. I suppose it goes along with another old wish, to do away with the subscription imposed by proprietary lens mounts and hidden electrical agendas.