who has the new Laowa 90mm/2,8 2:1 Macro?

[FotoChris]

and if I could cover everything from infinity up to 3x...well then that would be nice.

well, depends on your expectations - if you expect one lens to perform as good as the best lenses at each magnifications, then no dice.
if you can life with "good enough" quality then a Laowa 2x with a diopters or extension might be worth a try.

Yeah, absolutely, I don't expect it to perform miracles - I just want to know whether it's decent enough.
Judging from Roberts tests at least the 100mm 2x should be very good at 1x and 2x - so I don't think it should be too bad at 0.5x and maybe quite good at 3x as well; it's just difficult to come to a decision without having any info, tests or reviews that use the 100mm or 90mm beyond 2x.

The reason why I'm a bit finicky is that this is supposed to "last" for a long time, so even if I upgrade my macro rig camera from APS-C to full frame I don't want to have to buy yet another set of lenses.

[chris_ma]

Judging from Roberts tests at least the 100mm 2x should be very good at 1x and 2x - so I don't think it should be too bad at 0.5x and maybe quite good at 3x as well;

without having tested it or read any reviews, I'm willing to bet that it's excellent at 0.5x and very likely at infinity (I'm sure there's quite a few reviews for infinity on the web)
at 3x, hard to tell, but probably not that great.

but since you live in austria, you should have a return policy of 14days no? so best to test it and see yourself.

ps: just had a funny idea:
for 3x, you could try to reverse the lens and set it to 0.3x

[rjlittlefield]

Or stick a 1.4X teleconverter behind it, and get infinity to 2.8X at the turn of a focus ring.

--Rik

[chris_ma]

Or stick a 1.4X teleconverter behind it, and get infinity to 2.8X at the turn of a focus ring.

yeah, that's certainly more convenient
will result in a performance hit from infinity to 2x and longer focal length though.

[JKT]

Or stick a 1.4X teleconverter behind it, and get infinity to 2.8X at the turn of a focus ring.

yeah, that's certainly more convenient
will result in a performance hit from infinity to 2x and longer focal length though.

Theoretically - yes. In practice it might not be visible depending on the camera resolution and magnification. Canon EF 100 L gave quite decent picture at 2:1 with RF 2x ... on R7. Admittedly that was not quite fit for pixel peeping.

[zeniki]

EF100 with RF2X is this really possible?

[chris_ma]

EF100 with RF2X is this really possible?

unless you already have it or need autofocus I don't really see the point - for the same price you get a laowa 100 which will almost certainly perform better at 2x

[FotoChris]

EF100 with RF2X is this really possible?

unless you already have it or need autofocus I don't really see the point - for the same price you get a laowa 100 which will almost certainly perform better at 2x

Well not really "for the same price" since you have to also get an adapter (unless you already own a Canon camera) and a 2xTC...
and as you said then you end up with a 200mm 5.6 that will be rather soft at 2x with its effective aperture of f16.8.
So sensors with smaller pixel dimensions like... basically every APS/C sensor or even M43 will have a hard time with that lens.
And using a 5.6 lens for something like 2.5-3x... oof.

The LAOWA would definitely be the better choice.

[JKT]

EF100 with RF2X is this really possible?

Certainly, but see below.

unless you already have it or need autofocus I don't really see the point - for the same price you get a laowa 100 which will almost certainly perform better at 2x

Well I had both the EF 100 and the RF 2x, so I only needed the Commlite Control Ring adapter to modify ... and even that sees more use with the EF teles. Besides, the AF is handy with flash use.

[zeniki]

Okay, so you take the EF100 add the EF to RF adapter and the RF2X TC and end up with an effectiv aperture of 16.7 but can use AF and do automated stacking if the camera is capable to do so (but why would you use the commlite adapter?)

[JKT]

Okay, so you take the EF100 add the EF to RF adapter and the RF2X TC and end up with an effectiv aperture of 16.7 but can use AF and do automated stacking if the camera is capable to do so (but why would you use the commlite adapter?)

Because none of the adapters will accept the RF TC in original configuration. I have not heard of anyone succesfully modifying the Canon adapter, but the Commlite is very easy to modify. The other side of that coin is reflection suppression. The better that is, the harder it is to modify. With the TC it doesn't matter.

[zeniki]

So you do use it ( or did test it) in that configuration and it works with af?

[JKT]

So you do use it ( or did test it) in that configuration and it works with af?

I've used it and my recollection is it worked with AF. Don't expect miracles, though. It is not the same as without TC.

Edit: Just checked again and it works .... which it does with 180L as well.

[zeniki]

Thanks a lot !

[FotoChris]

I got the 90mm LAOWA today and took it out for a spin.

Wow... just... I mean it's really amazing!

The image quality is just fantastic at close distance, no matter the magnification - sharp and no perceptible chromatic aberration. A lot of manufacturers claim their lenses are APO corrected but this one truly is. reminds me of the Sigma 150 APO on full frame - but even better! Sure, if you go to 100% in very contrasty areas you might find a very(!) minute

This definitely beats the popular reversed enlarger lens method - and considering how good it performs at 2x I'm pretty confident it could also work at 3x - for example with the Raynox DCR250!

The only weak point is.. me.
Manual stacks moving the camera/lens without a tripod or focussing rail isn't something I'm used to - probably a good idea to invest in a simple small focussing rail.