[Klaus]

http://www.opticallimits.com/canon_eos_ff/1042-laowa25f28ultra

Interesting beast but that kind of macro photography is not really my thing.

[davidmanze]

Great review of an interesting lens........a breath of fresh air in fact!

This lens looks to be a better bet than my microscope is.......it's one thing to look at critters and delight in the details of this wonderful world of nature.....and another to actually get decent images.....however the microscope has a far more stable base, macro LED lighting with precise focusing and accurate movement which permits image stacking to some extent. The minus points are the optics are not anything special.......and 100% pixel peeping looks fairly poor.....A4 prints are acceptable though.

So I'm sure this lens will attract more than it's fair share of attention, being that many have waiting for just this very lens.

(love the........" it's for the macro extremists who think that conventional macro lenses are just for the faint-hearted")

[wim]

Actually, as someone who has been doing macro and micro photography since around 1973, I would like to add that a tripod is not necessary, as long as you do create flash rig, and are capable of seeing through the lens or have an option for Live View (or mirrorless body) while approaching a subject. The manual aperture may well make things a little difficult, but I have been shooting with the MP-E 65 successfully handheld photographs of tiny flowers outdoors and a simple and cheap flash rig. A ring flash or ring lights should do the trick as well.

Essentially, with such a rig mounted, plus an additional grip so you can hold the camera plus lens and rig with two hands (I hold mine a bit like an underwater camera with an extra grip, onto which I have mounted the flash), it is easy enough to take sharp pictures without having to set up a tripod. However, for focus stacking you'd still need a tripod, obviously, and ideally a micro focusing rail.

Anyway, what you need to do is set the magnification beforehand, and then get closer to your subject until you get to the focus area as determined by your view finder or live screen, then move the camera in fluent movements backwards and forwards slowly, until you reach a spot where focus is where you want it, and trigger the camera. I do so with a (wireless) remote control, which I hold in one of my hands (which also holds the camera ). Works quite well for me, to be very honest, but then, I am relatively steady.


  purple_flower.jpg (Size: 424.94 KB / Downloads: 13)

Enlargement: about 7X (MP-E 65 at 5x plus 1.4x extender). This is a smoke bush flower, about 2 mm in diameter or so.

[Klaus]

Well, I would postulate that the focus error rate is a "little" higher when doing all this handheld.
But then I'm a mover and shaker ;-)

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Great review of an interesting lens........a breath of fresh air in fact!

  This lens looks to be a better bet than my microscope is.......it's one thing to look at critters and delight in the details of this wonderful world of nature.....and another to actually get decent images.....however the microscope has a far more stable base, macro LED lighting with precise focusing and accurate movement which permits image stacking to some extent. The minus points are the optics are not anything special.......and 100% pixel peeping looks fairly poor.....A4 prints are acceptable though.

 So I'm sure this lens will attract more than it's fair share of attention, being that many have waiting for just this very lens.

 (love the........" it's for the macro extremists who think that conventional macro lenses are just for the faint-hearted")

Thx!

However, taking those sample images drove me nuts really.  I have NO PATIENCE(!!!) for this kind of photography.

[Rover]

Wow, this is as left field as it gets. I told you before - you need to make some "fun" reviews from time to time (although I suggested a Lensbaby at that occasion...) and so you finally decided to create one.

One issue that I noticed right away: "Wonna see even more ...?" - well, Willy Wanka would like to have a word with you.
I also snickered when reading the "and it's not a must-have lens for the average Bruce and Sheila" line - maybe Bruce Willis could use it to drive nails in, like an old saying about microscopes goes.

Sorry for me being cranky - a sleepless night out shooting with two bodies and four lenses (and man, a 5D Mark II with a 14mm lens goes way wide!) does that to a man. Besides, I found how to stuff three DSLRs and three FF lenses into a basic 4-pocket chestvest.

Bottom line - I'd probably still choose a 150mm or 180mm macro with tubes but this is apparently still good, [friendly, violent] fun.

[Klaus]

Well, I'm actually planning to check out some of the el-cheapos a la Meike, 7Artisans, etc. in the sub-100USD league. There's also a 8mm f/3.8 C mount fisheye for MFT that is giving me an itch ;-)

[Rover]

Yeah, go ahead and take the plunge! For example, EPhotozine.com has been doing some reviews of the Chinese stuff for a while, and found some to be actually worthwhile - as far as manual focus stuff goes, of course; I hate MF with a passion so I probably wouldn't use any of these unless I got them for free. Bear in mind that the Chinese have apparently cracked the secret of AF - so inquiring minds want to know...

[you2]

resolution ?

[Klaus]

resolution ?

How should I know? :-)

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Yeah, go ahead and take the plunge! For example, EPhotozine.com has been doing some reviews of the Chinese stuff for a while, and found some to be actually worthwhile - as far as manual focus stuff goes, of course; I hate MF with a passion so I probably wouldn't use any of these unless I got them for free. Bear in mind that the Chinese have apparently cracked the secret of AF - so inquiring minds want to know...

So you are talking about YONGNUO here?

[you2]

resolution ?

How should I know? :-)

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It is your review