Camera labs posted its Laowa 25mm f/2.8 2.5-5X Ultra Macro Review and it is a lengthy one. You can read the full review here or check out the excerpt below:
Laowa’s 25mm f2.8 2.5-5x Ultra Macro is a very special macro lens: Its major attraction is being able to achieve up to 5x magnification (at working distances around 4cm/1.6in) without any additional gear. But – like other lenses achieving 5x magnification – it has only manual focus and cannot focus to infinity. The lens produces sharp images with very little field-curvature across the full frame, copes well in contra-light situations, has pretty nice Bokeh, and comes at an affordable price. This all clearly earns the 25mm f2.8 2.5-5x Ultra Macro a recommendation. Just make sure to use a good focus rail and focus stacking software.
Good points:
- Goes up to 5x magnification.
- Good resolution across the full frame at all magnifications.
- Very little field-curvature.
- Nice Bokeh.
- Useful front LED ring light as optional accessory.
- Affordable price.
Bad points:
- Does not focus to infinity.
- No autofocus, no EXIF data, no lens profile.
- Working distances of around 4cm/1.6in.
- Manual operation of aperture.
- Longitudinal colour aberrations could be better controlled.
- Focus ring not practical for manual focusing.
- No weather sealing.
Laowa 25mm f/2.8 2.5-5X: VenusOptic / B&H Photo / Amazon / Adorama