Laowa 85mm f/5.6 2x Ultra Macro APO Review (vs Laowa 100mm f/2.8 2x macro) review

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Do you think a f/5.6 macro lens is a good idea or not?

[@VietAnhNguyen-jp1tg]

YES. I have a 400g sigma 180mm f5.6 macro lens and it is excellent on my G85. This is way better with its 2x magnification

[@maxhammick948]

If it was cheaper than the f/2.8 lens (that's 2 stops brighter and offers better image quality, as you demonstrated here) I'd say yes, but for $450 it's a bit steep

[@ttbirds1082]

I think it is an excellent idea for a macro-only lens.

[@jordanlaine7412]

@@maxhammick948 Right? If this was a $200 lens I would probably own both. Really no need to buy this unless you travel a lot with a macro lens: that has to be an incredibly niche use case.

[@MikeMinMacro]

The point of this lens is for small insects and plant life. Its made for a very specific macro photographer. Thats why f/5.6 is not a good idea. Ideally you want f/8 or f/11, to get enough of your tiny subject in focus, also those are the sharpest apertures of the lens. The 85 is not meant to be sharpest at 5.6 (just like all other lenses arent meant to be sharpest at f/22). There are macro photographers that use the heavy/large 100mm, or 90mm for insects, and have to stop down to f/8 or f/11 every time, never utilizing f/2.8. This lens is for them.

[@Watcheyes]

Many thanks Richard, this was gold! When you showed the focus distance to the object with the 85 and 100 mm, this was exactly what I was looking for. The 85 seems one of a kind, you get plenty of light on the object and very good focus distance.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Glad it was helpful!

[@DirkDien]

Thanks, this looks like a winner, definetly! I'm going to buy it now

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Enjoy Dirk! And Thanks for watching

[@cidron3843]

Greetings from Thailand. Excellent video, and review.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Hello my friend from Thailand!

[@jumopellicano]

I Just love your content! Excelent explanations and editing! Thanks for that! Cheers from Brazil! 🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Thanks my friend!!

[@barryobrien1890]

Nice review Richard. Great to see these niche lenses being developed. It's a fun time to be s photographer

[@TheRealRichardWong]

hey Barry, thanks!! yes it's a really unique lens, Laowa has done it again!

[@charlesaeneas]

Best comparison review of these two lenses I've seen. I have the 100mm f2.8 so won't be changing any time soon. But if I were wanting to buy my first macro lens it'd be a much harder decision as I love lightweight gear.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Thanks! Yes me too. I'm not selling my Laowa 100mm but if i'm buying a new lens, i would be tempted to get the 85mm

[@wenjiun88]

Hi Richard, thank you for this video comparison between Laowa 100mm and 85mm, my question is this lens good for product photography?

[@TheRealRichardWong]

It sure is Alan!

[@BernardoSeguraSilva]

thanks, excellent review. I just missed a comparison at macro distance with small aperture, as it supposed to be used

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Thanks for the suggestin, i will add small aperture test to my future macro lens review :)

[@floriank6137]

How significant is the difference in terms of depth of field due to the shorter focal length? Do you get noticeable more depth of field with the 85mm? Great comparison!

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Hi Florian, the difference is noticeable but i don't think it's significant.

[@madsbp]

I would love that tiny lens. But selling the 100 and having to pay up even more for this feels wrong 😄 Then again, having the 100 lying on the shelf not being used becUse of the size and weight doesnt help me either 😄

[@ttbirds1082]

Any word on an MFT version of this lens. The size and working distance would be better than the 50mm MFT version. Also for macro, I would set aperture at f8.0 max anyway.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

I don't think there will be one. Laowa usually keep their lenses separate for each sensor size. The only one I aware of that they cross the sensor size is the 4mm fisheye. But for this one, I guess if you really want it for your MFT camera, you could get the M mount version and use an adaptor to attach to your micro four thirds camera.

[@brodylockwood14]

Is the 5.6 apeture good enough for portraits or would i be better off with the 90 or 100mm? I love the size of this lens but i'm worried about the bokeh for shooting at infinity.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

if you want portrait with shallow depth of field, go for the 90mm or 100mm f/2.8

[@leonardofernandes6310]

What do you think about this lenses for product and food photography?

[@TheRealRichardWong]

You don't really need 2x macro lens for that but it is a great lens for product and food photography

[@johniescorpio]

Came to your channel after watching review by @christopherfrost. Very contrasting reviews though. Owning a Laowa 100mm myself, giving me beautiful macro images but concerned about its weight due to joint pains, I was looking forward to your review. Beautifully done, as always. Loved your review on the Viltrox 35mm lens recently. Considering the weight, I am eager to get my hands on the baby Laowa.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Thanks Shibu! Oh I haven't checkout Christopher's review of this lens yet you made me curious what he found. Always love his indepth reviews! The size/ weight saving is the biggest selling point of this lens in my opinion

[@TreyyDaMenaceFan]

Sad i just see this lens after ordering 100mm, well I'm used to big lens because i mainly shoot with 600mm but a small lens would have been nice 😭 i would probably cancel order but here they dont have stock for 85mm e mount.

[@stevendmercado1783]

I really want a macro lens, but I can’t decide on wich one to get, I heard that the 100mm can damage the censor on a canon r mirrorless camara, so I hive my doubts can I get suggestions?

[@TheRealRichardWong]

I haven't heard of the 100mm can damage the canon r camera sensor . It seems really weird , have you heard the reason why?

[@ahmedshammoh2048]

thank you for the good review

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Thank you Ahmed Shammoh!

[@actstuntcam]

Excellent as always :)

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Thank you very much Campbell 😊

[@joeensley3912]

The 1:1 looks great on both but its a little disappointing to see how much sharper the center is with the 100mm vs 85mm on 2x.

[@ob2411]

I’m a dental student and consider to buy this one for my dental photography due to it’s lightweight and good optic do you think it is a good idea sir?😂 by the way amazing review as always👍

[@TheRealRichardWong]

I have absolutely no idea about dental photography but as a macro lens this should be great. I do notice the dentist usually use autofocus lens and this one is a manual focus lens

[@ArcanePath360]

The UV filter is actually a better idea. Imagine damaging the front because you got too close to something or knocked it because you don't use a hood. Look at the cost of replacing a simple filter available anywhere vs a trashed lens.

[@aimlezz8855]

I've ordered the 100mm version today and now I don't know what to do...Great channel though :)

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Tommy, They are both great lenses!

[@aimlezz8855]

@@TheRealRichardWong Thanks Richard. I am a bit concerned about the weight when shooting macro on a 100mm at 2x.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

can you cancel your order ?

[@aimlezz8855]

@@TheRealRichardWong I can. Do you personally think that the 85mm is a better choice over the 100mm if it's for macro only?

[@TheRealRichardWong]

The image quality they are both very similar, the 100mm appears to be slightly better. The biggest advantage with the 85mm is size and weight, which is great if you want to carry it with you all the time. Otherwise both lenses are very similar

[@ZEAPONTech]

the mousepad 😎🥰

[@TheRealRichardWong]

My favorite mouse pad!

[@ZEAPONTech]

@@TheRealRichardWong 🥰🥰

[@scottparis6355]

Interesting lens, but very expensive for what it is. Only about $100 less than Canon's 85mm f2, which is 3 stops faster, and has autofocus and image stabilization. It would be fair at $250 to $300.

[@fragu123]

….the Canon lens is fantastic value for money. However, you can’t compare those two really as the Laowa is 2x and the Canon just a 0.5x Macro. So, totally different applications and you will need to know what exactly you are shooting….

[@dohnjoe1002]

Disappointed, too much emphasis on shooting at F5..6. The majority of the people who are buying this lens is to shoot macro at F8-F13 range. Things like bugs and super close ups. For that majority, this lens will never be used at F5.6. Where are the test within this range where 99% of the buyers will 99% of the time be using this lens in?

[@Kubosos87]

Or you can shoot a focus stack...

[@paulthomas4904]

Thanks for the review. A fan of Coke?

[@TheRealRichardWong]

thanks Paul! haha cant really say i'm a fan but Coke is a universal language :)

[@paulthomas4904]

😂 Still makes me laugh when I see this video kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z4HJdGSKetaGaLs