# The Laowa 100mm f/2.8 2X Ultra Macro for the Canon RF mount is now available



## Canon Rumors Guy (Apr 20, 2020)

> *Anhui China, Apr 20, 2020 – *Venus Optics, the camera lenses manufacturer specializes in making unique camera lenses, is proud to announce that the Laowa 100mm f/2.8 2X Ultra Macro APO Lens was awarded the ‘Best DSLR Macro Lens’ TIPA World Awards 2020 by Technical Image Press Association. Venus Optics is the first Chinese lens manufacturer getting this prestigious award in TIPA history. This is also the second international award received by this macro lens. (Previously been awarded Lucie Technical Award ‘Best Special Purpose Lens” by Lucie Foundation)
> *Laowa 100mm f/2.8 2X Ultra Macro APO for Canon RF at Adorama*
> 
> Venus Optics is also pleased to announce the new Canon RF and Nikon Z mounts are now ready to ship.
> ...



Continue reading...


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## Ozarker (Apr 20, 2020)

I have to hand it to Laowa making, what I think, are good looking lenses. Interested in their ultra wide angle lens.


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## picperfect (Apr 20, 2020)

hmmm. Looks like it was originally designed for a long focal flange distance (DSLR) system - now simply retrofitted with a fixed "extension tube" to work on RF mount / short FFD.


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## twoheadedboy (Apr 20, 2020)

picperfect said:


> hmmm. Looks like it was originally designed for a long focal flange distance (DSLR) system - now simply retrofitted with a fixed "extension tube" to work on RF mount / short FFD.



If that was the case, how would it have infinity focus?


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## Joules (Apr 20, 2020)

twoheadedboy said:


> If that was the case, how would it have infinity focus?


You can just look at the pictures of the DSLR version of this lens and compare it to this mirrorless version. It obviously is the same lens but with a longer mount.

The distance between the rear glass and the sensor is the same in both versions. But because the mount on a mirrorless body sticks out less than on a DSLR (different flange distance), the lens has to made longer.


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## jhpeterson (Apr 20, 2020)

Another interesting design from the most clever House of Laowa. 

Unfortunately, give the current world situation, I can't in good conscience consider buying another Chinese-made poroduct .


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## picperfect (Apr 20, 2020)

twoheadedboy said:


> If that was the case, how would it have infinity focus?



if necessary, some internal adjustment screw turned a bit or a slightly rearranged rear lens ... or some other absolutely minor modification. But I don#t think it is a new optic formula, native for Canon EOS RF mount.


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## photogreedy (Apr 20, 2020)

jhpeterson said:


> Another interesting design from the most clever House of Laowa.
> 
> Unfortunately, give the current world situation, I can't in good conscience consider buying another Chinese-made poroduct .



Every individual is different, so is every company. Being based in China doesn't make a company automatically untrustworthy, or punishable for a greater evil that they're not necessarily committing. Maybe they're, I'm just saying we shouldn't shit on Laowa unless we're certain they deserve it.


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## Sharlin (Apr 20, 2020)

picperfect said:


> hmmm. Looks like it was originally designed for a long focal flange distance (DSLR) system - now simply retrofitted with a fixed "extension tube" to work on RF mount / short FFD.



Well, that's exactly what it is. The DSLR version (for EF and F mounts) was released already in 2019 and is commercially available.


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## Colorado (Apr 20, 2020)

jhpeterson said:


> Unfortunately, give the current world situation, I can't in good conscience consider buying another Chinese-made poroduct .


I 100% concur. It is time to uncouple the world economy from China so long as it is controlled by the CCP. This includes every product, every company.


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## Deleted member 381342 (Apr 20, 2020)

Ah now I don't know whether to get this for my Z6 or wait for the R5. (I am keeping the Z6 for the Nikon 20, 50, 85, and maybe a 135... close range stuff that is less of my focus)


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## Del Paso (Apr 20, 2020)

jhpeterson said:


> Another interesting design from the most clever House of Laowa.
> 
> Unfortunately, give the current world situation, I can't in good conscience consider buying another Chinese-made poroduct .


Neither can I !


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## cayenne (Apr 20, 2020)

CanonFanBoy said:


> I have to hand it to Laowa making, what I think, are good looking lenses. Interested in their ultra wide angle lens.




I have their 15mm f/4 macro on the way to me now from B&H, should be here by Thursday.

I have the canon 100mmL macro, but this appears to be about the only wide angle macro I've seen out there and thought I could get some unique angles with it.

I"ve heard Laowa builds some decent quality lenses especially for bang for the buck price.

I'll try to let ya'll know what I think of the one I get soon.

C


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## jhpeterson (Apr 20, 2020)

Colorado said:


> I 100% concur. It is time to uncouple the world economy from China so long as it is controlled by the CCP. This includes every product, every company.


+100
In a capitalistic democracy, every time we spend our money we cast a vote.. Let's use ours to be a force for good.


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## scyrene (Apr 20, 2020)

jhpeterson said:


> Another interesting design from the most clever House of Laowa.
> 
> Unfortunately, give the current world situation, I can't in good conscience consider buying another Chinese-made poroduct .



Why?


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## GorillaSnapper (Apr 21, 2020)

scyrene said:


> Why?



I cant think of any other reason than race...?

People from the US cant play the holier than thou card during this whole thing. China are bad and have done bad things, so have the US. So has much of Europe throughout the years too. No country is perfect.

Laowa hasnt done wrong by anyone and punishing them purely based on being in a country you dont like is hardly fair.


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## Deleted member 381342 (Apr 21, 2020)

I guess I am the only person to look at this lens and think about what pictures I would like to take with it.... world politics seems quite off for a photography forum.


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## Ozarker (Apr 21, 2020)

jhpeterson said:


> Another interesting design from the most clever House of Laowa.
> 
> Unfortunately, give the current world situation, I can't in good conscience consider buying another Chinese-made poroduct .


Almost everything you buy will have something from China in it. I think it would be a mistake to equate a country's government with it's people. I mean, heck, if communism is now wrong, wasn't it wrong before all this started? The vast majority of people born there, living there, working there have no choice. Neither do most of the rest of us living anywhere else. The expense and hardship of leaving one's home country and setting up in another is a huge hurdle to overcome. For the poor, it is near impossible to do legally.


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## Drainpipe (Apr 22, 2020)

I have this lens for the EF mount, and love it. It has pretty much completely replaced the MP-E for me, and also my 100L.

If Canon produced a 100L with 2x (better yet 2.5x) it would be incredible. I rarely find a need to go much beyond 2x in the field, but 1x is not enough magnification for most subjects. Having something in a fixed length that can go from infinity to 2x is really a macro shooter’s dream.


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## Shellbo6901 (Apr 22, 2020)

When is canon going to allow other companies to make RF mount lenses with autofocus? With all this downtime, now is a great time for brands to be brainstorming new brilliant ideas. But also what's the point of a shorter focal flange distance, if lenses are just going to be made to be longer to account for it? Side by side with my canon XSi, the R is basically the same size(yes the 2008 model doesn't include video, but even for a mirrorless the R isn't so small... smaller size these days is very minimal but a 12 yr difference is rather long).

I really want a RF 135 macro, but 100 would suffice if it had autofocus too. Especially if it could be in the $500-1100 price range.


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## koenkooi (Apr 29, 2020)

Shellbo6901 said:


> When is canon going to allow other companies to make RF mount lenses with autofocus? [..]



Canon has no real power to forbid other companies from doing that, so talking about 'allowing' is disingenuous. The EF-RF converter seems to be completely passive, so using the EF protocol should just work.


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## koenkooi (Apr 29, 2020)

Drainpipe said:


> I have this lens for the EF mount, and love it. It has pretty much completely replaced the MP-E for me, and also my 100L.
> 
> If Canon produced a 100L with 2x (better yet 2.5x) it would be incredible. I rarely find a need to go much beyond 2x in the field, but 1x is not enough magnification for most subjects. Having something in a fixed length that can go from infinity to 2x is really a macro shooter’s dream.



The EF version has electronic aperture control, the RF version doesn't  Sadly the EF version doesn't work properly on RF mount cameras, it forces them into low-MP crop mode. So, like you, I hope Canon releases a macro lens that can do infinity to 2.5x or a new MP-E which does 0.5-2.5x.


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## Drainpipe (Apr 30, 2020)

koenkooi said:


> The EF version has electronic aperture control, the RF version doesn't  Sadly the EF version doesn't work properly on RF mount cameras, it forces them into low-MP crop mode. So, like you, I hope Canon releases a macro lens that can do infinity to 2.5x or a new MP-E which does 0.5-2.5x.



Wow, that is one big disadvantage. That was the primary reason I went with the Laowa was the automatic aperture control and native 2x. Here’s to hoping Canon releases something similar!


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## koenkooi (May 19, 2020)

koenkooi said:


> The EF version has electronic aperture control, the RF version doesn't  Sadly the EF version doesn't work properly on RF mount cameras, it forces them into low-MP crop mode. So, like you, I hope Canon releases a macro lens that can do infinity to 2.5x or a new MP-E which does 0.5-2.5x.



Update from Fred Miranda Forum: Laowa seems to have fixed the crop-mode issue in newer batches and offers replacement chips for older batches.


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## CanonOregon (Jul 22, 2020)

GorillaSnapper said:


> I cant think of any other reason than race...?
> 
> People from the US cant play the holier than thou card during this whole thing. China are bad and have done bad things, so have the US. So has much of Europe throughout the years too. No country is perfect.
> 
> Laowa hasnt done wrong by anyone and punishing them purely based on being in a country you dont like is hardly fair.


I would like to know more about the labor force' 'slaves' or free to work wherever they want? 
Holier than thou? Life in China compared to life in the US? What they're doing to Hong Kong right now? There efforts to wipe out the Uighur people and their culture? And a thousand other reasons not to deal with them. Yes, it's sad the people suffer too- wish they could rise up and rebel but that only happens in the States, there you never hear about them again.


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## Ozarker (Jul 22, 2020)

It's more than a little disingenuous of people to knock a lens company for being in China when literally half the products in their homes were made there. Just flip your keyboards over and look at where they were made. People have known that there were slave labor camps at some places in China for decades. Me thinks many complaining about Laowa being in China were never going to buy the product in the first place, no matter where it is from. Saying, "I'll never buy anything from China again!" just isn't going to happen. It's a futile statement. People have no idea where the thousands of parts in their electronics or other products are sourced from. No doubt, Canon also sources parts from China. Gonna give up your cameras and lenses because they might have parts from China? Never gonna buy another flat screen television? Never a new computer? What about that much needed prescription drug you take? This is all silliness. In your zeal you could very well be hurting companies that are doing the right thing, and hurting people who are just trying to scratch out a living. If anyone here has proof that Laowa is using slave labor, then fine. I wouldn't buy *THAT * product. Otherwise, boycotting literally everything from China is nothing more than political or racist stupidity and ignorance that's gained traction only due to the politicization of a virus. The vast population of China has benefited immensely from China's relaxing of hard line communist thought to participate in the world economy. We've ALL benefited. Isolating China does nothing more than hurt the very people you claim need your help. Maybe it makes you feel good to say it, but we all know it's B.S. Self righteous verbal posturing with absolutely no intent at actually following through. It's sick.


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