Venus Optics Release New Variants for Laowa 100mm f/2.8 2x Ultra Macro APO

Venus Optics, the photographic lens manufacturer endeavoring in wide-angle lens and macro lens, unveils the release of the Laowa 100mm f/2.8 2x Ultra Macro APO with Pentax K-mount and Canon EF-mount (manual aperture). Venus Optics have previously launched a Canon EF version for this lens but with automatic aperture control (via camera). Now a manual alternative with a step-less aperture ring is provided to cater to videographers need. A new door is also opened for Pentax-K users. The Laowa 100mm f/2.8 2X Ultra-Macro lens is now available in 7 different mounts.

1. Laowa 100mm f/2.8 2x Ultra Macro APO

Since the release in Apr 2018, Laowa 100mm f/2.8 2x Ultra Macro APO has been extremely popular among macro photographers thanks to its outstanding optics performance. It was awarded the “Best DSLR Macro Lens” in TIPA World Award 2020. It is the first 100mm lens equipped with maximum 2x magnification, which stands out from the same category in its class. Featuring an Apochromat (APO) design, the chromatic aberration at both ‘in-focus’ & ‘out-of-focus’ area is suppressed to the minimum and the clarity and sharpness are greatly improved. The ability to focus to infinity makes itself even more versatile. Not only is it well-suited for macro photography but also good for portrait shooting.

Frank Deschandol 01 — © Frank Deschandol

2. The difference between Automatic and Manual Aperture on Canon EF

Stepless aperture control is one of the most advantageous and essential features for videography. It allows a smooth transition between each aperture level. The clickless aperture ring allows videographers to adjust the aperture smoothly and quietly. Additionally, there are 13 aperture blades assembled in the manual aperture version, giving a very softly diffused out-of-focus rendering.

Nicolas Reusens 100mm ph8 — © Nicolas Reusens

3. Automatic Aperture Coupling Lever for Pentax K

Laowa 100mm f/2.8 2x Ultra Macro APO in Pentax-K mount is assembled with the automatic aperture coupling lever, which allows aperture control via the body of the camera. Users can either use the manual aperture ring or park the focusing ring at the “A” symbol and adjust the aperture via the camera. Exif data would be stored in the metadata as well.