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Venus Laowa 85mm F/5.6 Lens Review: a Macro Marvel

We've discovered a lens that will blow your mind! The Venus Laowa 85mm f/5.6 2X Ultra Macro APO Lens is a game-changer for macro photography. With its compact design and lightweight build, it's perfect for photographers on the move. But what really sets it apart is its APO design, which eliminates color fringing and chromatic aberration. Say goodbye to post-production headaches and hello to stunning close-up shots. Get ready to take your photography to the next level with this must-have lens.

Key Takeaways

  • Compact and lightweight design
  • 2X macro capability
  • Minimal chromatic aberration
  • Impressive performance and versatile features

Compact and Versatile Macro Lens

We found the Venus Laowa 85mm F/5.6 lens to be a highly compact and versatile option for macro photography. Its small size and lightweight design make it incredibly portable, perfect for photographers who desire control over their gear while on the go. The lens's apochromatic (APO) characteristic ensures minimal chromatic aberration, resulting in pleasing images with no color fringing in both in-focus and out-of-focus areas. This saves time and effort on post-production, allowing photographers to focus on capturing stunning macro shots. The lens's wide range of flexibility in creation makes it suitable for various shooting circumstances, whether it be macro shooting or portrait photography. Overall, the Venus Laowa 85mm F/5.6 lens offers exceptional performance in a compact package, providing photographers with the control they desire for their macro photography needs.

Key Features

Now let's talk about the key features of the Venus Laowa 85mm F/5.6 lens. One of the standout points is its impressive lens specifications. With a focal distance of 85mm and a maximum magnification of 2x, this lens offers excellent versatility for macro shooting. Its compact and lightweight design also adds to its appeal, making it a highly portable option for photographers on the go.

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Lens Specs

The Venus Laowa 85mm F/5.6 lens boasts key features that make it a standout choice for macro photography and portrait shooting. With its compact and lightweight design, this lens is perfect for photographers who desire control over their shots. The lens offers a wide range of flexibility, allowing for focus from 2:1 magnification to infinity. Its APO design ensures minimal chromatic aberration, resulting in pleasing minimal CA images. The lens also eliminates color fringing in both in-focus and out-of-focus areas, saving time and effort on post-production. The Venus Laowa 85mm F/5.6 lens is versatile in different shooting circumstances, making it a reliable option for photographers who want precise and high-quality results.

Specifications
FormatFull Frame
Focal Distance85mm
Aperture Rangef/5.6-22
Angle of View28.55°
Aperture Blades7
Min. Shooting Distance16.3cm
Max. Magnification2x
FocusingManual Focus
DimensionsΦ53mm×81mm (Sony E)

Advantages and Disadvantages

Now let's talk about the advantages and disadvantages of the Venus Laowa 85mm F/5.6 lens. There are several things we really like about this lens, such as its compact and lightweight design, the APO characteristic that minimizes chromatic aberration, and the versatility it offers in different shooting circumstances. However, there are also a few improvement suggestions we have, including the manual focus and the limited aperture range.

What We Like

Although the Venus Laowa 85mm F/5.6 lens has its advantages and disadvantages, we appreciate its unique features and versatility. Here are the things we like about this lens:

  1. Compact and Lightweight Design: The lens is incredibly small and lightweight, making it easy to carry around for outdoor shoots or travel photography.
  2. 2X Macro Capability: With a maximum magnification of 2x, this lens allows for stunning close-up shots, capturing intricate details and textures with exceptional clarity.
  3. Minimal Chromatic Aberration: The APO design of the lens helps to minimize chromatic aberration, resulting in images with pleasing color reproduction and sharpness.

Improvement Suggestions

Moving on to the discussion of improvement suggestions for the Venus Laowa 85mm F/5.6 lens, one area that could benefit from further development is its autofocus capability. While the lens is primarily designed for manual focus, adding a reliable autofocus feature would enhance its versatility and convenience for certain shooting situations. Additionally, expanding the compatibility of the lens to other camera mounts would widen its appeal to a broader range of photographers. Lastly, incorporating image stabilization technology into the lens would greatly improve its performance in handheld shooting scenarios, allowing for sharper and more stable images. These improvements would provide photographers with even more control and flexibility in their macro and portrait photography endeavors.

Ideal use cases

The ideal use cases for the Venus Laowa 85mm F/5.6 lens are macro shooting and portrait photography. This lens is specially designed for full-frame mirrorless cameras and offers a wide range of flexibility in creation. With a maximum magnification of 2x and a minimum shooting distance of 16.3cm, it allows for stunning close-up shots of small subjects in intricate detail. The APO design of the lens minimizes chromatic aberration, resulting in high-quality images with minimal color fringing. Whether you're capturing the delicate details of a flower or the subtle expressions of a subject's face, this lens provides the control and precision necessary for macro and portrait photography. Its compact and lightweight design also makes it a portable and handy option for photographers on the go.

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Buy or Not?

Based on its impressive performance and versatile features, we highly recommend considering the Venus Laowa 85mm F/5.6 lens for your macro and portrait photography needs. This lens offers exceptional image quality with its APO design, which minimizes chromatic aberration and eliminates color fringing. Its compact and lightweight design makes it super portable and handy for macro shooters. With a focal distance of 85mm and a maximum magnification of 2x, it provides great flexibility in capturing fine details and creating stunning close-up shots. The lens also offers a wide aperture range from f/5.6 to f/22, allowing for creative control over depth of field. Overall, the Venus Laowa 85mm F/5.6 lens delivers outstanding performance and is a valuable addition to any photographer's gear.

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FAQ's

Now, let's address some frequently asked questions about the Venus Laowa 85mm F/5.6 lens. First, many users want to know about its compatibility with Sony E mount. Secondly, we'll discuss how this lens minimizes chromatic aberration and delivers high-quality images. Additionally, we'll explore the benefits of manual focus and its practicality in different shooting circumstances. Lastly, we'll touch on the lens's minimum shooting distance and its performance in various scenarios.

Lens Compatibility With Sony E Mount

We have received numerous questions about the lens compatibility of the Venus Laowa 85mm f/5.6 with the Sony E Mount, so let's dive into some frequently asked questions (FAQs) regarding this topic.

Q: Is the Venus Laowa 85mm f/5.6 lens compatible with Sony E Mount cameras?

A: Yes, the lens is specifically designed for Sony E Mount cameras, making it fully compatible with them.

Q: Can I use autofocus with this lens on Sony E Mount cameras?

A: No, the Venus Laowa 85mm f/5.6 lens is a manual focus lens, so autofocus is not available. However, the lens offers a smooth and precise manual focus control, allowing you to have full control over your focus.

Q: Does the lens support electronic communication with Sony E Mount cameras?

A: No, the lens does not have electronic contacts for communication with the camera. This means that you will need to use the camera in manual mode and adjust settings manually.

Q: Are there any limitations or issues when using the Venus Laowa 85mm f/5.6 lens on Sony E Mount cameras?

A: There are no known limitations or issues when using this lens on Sony E Mount cameras. It is designed to provide optimal performance and compatibility with these cameras.

Q: Can I use this lens with APS-C sensor Sony E Mount cameras?

A: Yes, the Venus Laowa 85mm f/5.6 lens is compatible with both full-frame and APS-C sensor Sony E Mount cameras. However, on APS-C sensor cameras, the effective focal length will be equivalent to 127.5mm due to the crop factor.

How Does the Lens Minimize Chromatic Aberration

To understand how the lens minimizes chromatic aberration, let's explore some frequently asked questions about this topic.

  1. What is chromatic aberration?

Chromatic aberration, also known as color fringing, is an optical phenomenon that causes color distortion in images. It occurs when different wavelengths of light do not converge at the same point, resulting in color fringes along edges and borders.

  1. How does the Venus Laowa 85mm F/5.6 lens minimize chromatic aberration?

The lens features an Apochromatic (APO) design, which is specifically engineered to minimize chromatic aberration. It achieves this by utilizing three extra-low dispersion (ED) elements within its optical structure. These elements effectively correct for the dispersion of different wavelengths of light, ensuring that colors are accurately reproduced and reducing color fringing in both in-focus and out-of-focus areas.

  1. What are the benefits of minimizing chromatic aberration?

Benefits of Manual Focus

How can manual focus benefit photographers using the Venus Laowa 85mm F/5.6 lens? Manual focus provides photographers with greater control over their images, allowing them to precisely choose the focal point and depth of field. With the Venus Laowa 85mm F/5.6 lens, manual focus is particularly advantageous for macro photography. The lens has a wide range of flexibility, allowing photographers to focus from 2:1 magnification to infinity. This level of precision is essential when capturing intricate details in close-up shots. Manual focus also enables photographers to create unique and artistic effects, such as selective focus or intentionally blurring certain areas of the image. Furthermore, manual focus saves time and effort on post-production, as photographers can achieve the desired focus in-camera. For those seeking complete control over their images, manual focus is a valuable feature of the Venus Laowa 85mm F/5.6 lens.

What Is the Minimum Shooting Distance

Continuing the discussion from the previous subtopic, photographers using the Venus Laowa 85mm F/5.6 lens will benefit from knowing the minimum shooting distance. This lens offers a minimum shooting distance of 16.3cm, allowing for close-up macro photography. With this capability, photographers have control over capturing fine details and intricate textures with precision. Whether it's capturing the delicate petals of a flower or the intricate patterns on an insect's wings, the minimum shooting distance of the Venus Laowa 85mm F/5.6 lens provides the flexibility needed for capturing stunning macro shots. This lens is designed to excel in macro shooting, making it a valuable tool for photographers who desire control over their compositions.

How Does the Lens Perform in Different Shooting Circumstances?

As we explore the performance of the Venus Laowa 85mm F/5.6 lens in different shooting circumstances, it becomes evident that this lens is a versatile tool for photographers seeking exceptional macro capabilities. Whether shooting close-up details of small subjects or capturing stunning portraits, this lens delivers outstanding results. In macro shooting situations, the lens allows for a minimum shooting distance of 16.3cm, enabling photographers to capture intricate details with precision. The lens's APO design minimizes chromatic aberration, resulting in pleasing images with minimal color fringing in both in-focus and out-of-focus areas. This feature saves time and effort on post-production. With its compact and lightweight design, the lens is also highly portable, making it convenient to carry and use in various shooting circumstances. Overall, the Venus Laowa 85mm F/5.6 lens offers excellent performance and versatility for photographers who desire control over their macro and portrait photography.

Helpful Resources

In our experience with the Venus Laowa 85mm F/5.6 lens, we found several helpful resources for maximizing its potential. One valuable resource is the user manual provided by the manufacturer, Venus Laowa. It provides detailed instructions on how to properly use and care for the lens, ensuring optimal performance. Additionally, online forums and photography communities can be great sources of knowledge and advice. These platforms allow users to share their experiences with the lens, offer tips and techniques, and troubleshoot any issues that may arise. It is also worth exploring tutorial videos on platforms like YouTube, where photographers share their expertise and demonstrate different techniques for using the Venus Laowa 85mm F/5.6 lens. By utilizing these resources, photographers can gain greater control over their shooting experience and unlock the full potential of this macro marvel.

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