Laowa 85mm f/5.6 2x Ultra Macro APO - Sony FE

Delivered within 2 days after the order placement. Excellent service from TK Foto. Thank you TK Foto!I'm yet to use the lens in the field but test images are sharp and impressed with this ultra compact lens.

Excellent for 2:1 macro photography

What type of macro photographer are you? Do you focus stack in camera, or with a macro (manual/motorised) rail?Because I do a lot of flower macros (imagine inside of the sunflower), I prefer closing down the aperture to f/8 or f/11 (not for increased DoF, but because open apertures like f/2.8 give you bokeh layers - which are difficult for focus stacking software to remove).Many Sony shooters will decide for Sony's AF macro lens, and if you do portrait photography, maybe it's a good combo. But for me, I do macro and bird photography, so I need 30fps lens (and Sony's AF macro does not go that fast), so rather than having one Sony AF lens (which is also big and heavy), I have this Laowa 85mm Macro lens, and another Sony AF 85mm f/1.8 for fast action.I prefer ... MoreWhat type of macro photographer are you? Do you focus stack in camera, or with a macro (manual/motorised) rail?Because I do a lot of flower macros (imagine inside of the sunflower), I prefer closing down the aperture to f/8 or f/11 (not for increased DoF, but because open apertures like f/2.8 give you bokeh layers - which are difficult for focus stacking software to remove).Many Sony shooters will decide for Sony's AF macro lens, and if you do portrait photography, maybe it's a good combo. But for me, I do macro and bird photography, so I need 30fps lens (and Sony's AF macro does not go that fast), so rather than having one Sony AF lens (which is also big and heavy), I have this Laowa 85mm Macro lens, and another Sony AF 85mm f/1.8 for fast action.I prefer manual macro lens, as I focus using motorized focus rails anyway. Also, Sony A1 does not support focus stacking in camera (so Sony's AF macro lens wouldn't automate anything for me), on the other hand, Sony A7RV does support focus stacking directly.You could ask, what if you want to focus stack in the wild? Well, in my opinion, it is easier to take this Laowa lens, put 30fps mode on Sony A1, and move the whole camera+lens, rather than trying to focus stack using Sony's AF lens. This outputs many pictures within the same frame, super easy for focus stacking later at home.What I am trying to say, is that for my particular use case, this lens is better than Sony's, but I also appreciate that others may have a different approach to things, and a manual lens may not cut it).

Excellent macro lens.

This 85mm f/5.6 macro lens is an incredible value. It is compact and light in form factor, while still maintaining excellent optics. Highly recommended.

Good things come in small packages

The lens is extremely small which is a huge plus. The lens is manual only so there is a learning curve if you are not experienced. I have been able to take some sharp images with this lens but it is not as sharp as my Sony G lens. I look forward to taking this lens on my future travels.

Great for macro photos of watches and flowers

This lens is small, light, and just plain fun to use. I take macro pictures of wristwatches as well as flowers and whatever else I can find. I've used it for focus stacking and one-shots. It's just plain great. Nice size, price, comes with a nice lens hood.

Great macro lens at a budget price

This little lens has really impressed me with its build quality, optical quality, and the excellent feel of both focus and aperture rings. It's a real pleasure to use (and to carry!) on a daily basis. It's easily small enough to just carry along in your bag so that you're prepared for unexpected opportunities. I honestly couldn't be more pleased with this lens.

Impressive little lens

I haven't had a chance to use this lens as much as I would like; however, I have used it enough to know how great it is. The clarity and colors that get picked up by this lens are really good! I do not really have to edit as straight out of camera looks lovely, but I always do edit to bring out more colors and clarity. The fact that this lens is so light is a definite added bonus. I look forward to many more uses with this lens. I wish that it could be a portrait lens too but with the aperture, it's not conducive to that. I am not at all disappointed or regretful for purchasing this affordable lens!

Outstanding lens

Love it!

Sharp, compact, and inexpensive

I typically shoot macros at F11 or so, and I have found this lens to be sharp across the FOV. My only minor complaint is that like many manual lenses does not communicate with the camera, so the camera can not identify it. I would pay a bit extra for that convenience.

The little lens that could!

This is a real little gem of a macro. To say it's small & light is an understatement. Very handy for getting into tight spaces with its 2:1 macro ratio. Despite the f5.6, I've had no issues with not having enough light for flowers, bugs, ext. With Sony's focus peaking, focusing is a breeze.