Laowa 100mm f/2.8 2:1 APO Ultra-Macro

This 2018 prime is a manual-focus ultra-macro. Laowa offers it in seven mounts: Canon EF and RF, Nikon F and Z, Sony E, Leica L and Pentax K. Pick the version made for your camera. The Canon EF version covers full frame.

Its draw is magnification: 2x for insects, flowers, product details and anything photographed very close. The 100mm focal length keeps a workable gap between lens and subject.

The trade-off is control by hand. There is no autofocus, no stabilisation and no sealing, so it suits a slow, deliberate, well-supported way of working more than quick handheld shots.

The lens weighs 1 lb 6.5 oz (638 g). The Canon EF version runs 4.92 in (125 mm) long and 2.83 in (72 mm) wide. A 67mm filter screws directly into the front thread, so standard filters fit without adapters.

Ordinary macro lenses stop at 1:1, life size on the sensor. This one reaches 2x, twice life size, so it renders subjects twice as large. Tiny insects, water droplets or jewellery markings need no accessories to reach that scale.

The 100mm focal length leaves a fair distance between the front element and the subject. That helps with wary insects. It also helps with lighting. At high magnification the lens can shade the subject, and extra room fits a small flash or reflector. The Canon EF version focuses as close as 0.8 ft (24.7 cm).

At ordinary distances, f/2.8 works like a short telephoto: portraits and still-life details get a softly blurred background. The wide aperture also keeps shutter speeds usable in dim rooms.

Near 2x, depth of field shrinks to a sliver, and precise turns of the manual ring matter most. Stopping down recovers focus depth but demands more light. Small shifts of the camera often set focus faster than the ring at these distances. The Optics score is 71 out of 100.

The feature set is minimal. There is no image stabilisation, so at 100mm and near 2x, small camera movements show clearly in the frame. Firm support, usually a tripod, is the practical answer for careful work. Handheld work is more forgiving at normal distances.

There is no weather sealing. Dew and pollen gather around flowers and insects at dawn, one of the best times for macro. Keep the lens dry and wipe it before packing it away. No fluorine coating is fitted, so the front glass needs extra care when cleaning.

APO in the name stands for apochromatic correction. Two low-dispersion elements help reduce chromatic aberration, where colours focus at slightly different points and leave coloured fringes along high-contrast edges. Macro frames are full of such edges, from insect wings to backlit leaf veins.

On the Canon EF version, focusing is internal. The barrel keeps its length while you focus, so nothing extends toward a nearby subject.