A good macro lens can be one of the most versatile in a photographer’s bag, offering fantastic sharpness suitable for things like portraits in addition to its extreme magnification capabilities. The Venus Optics Laowa 100mm f/2.8 2X Ultra Macro APO offers even more magnification than normal, and this great video review takes a look at the performance and image quality you can expect from it in practice. 

Coming to you from Dustin Abbott, this great video review takes a look at the Venus Optics Laowa 100mm f/2.8 2X Ultra Macro APO lens. Though it’s quite affordable at $499, the lens still comes with a variety of useful features, including: 

• Two low dispersion elements for reduced chromatic aberrations
• 13-blade diaphragm for extra-smooth bokeh
• 9.7-inch minimum focusing distance (2:1 maximum magnification)
• Focus distance and depth of field scales

No doubt, the lack of autofocus may bother some photographers, but it is important to remember that modern mirrorless cameras have an array of manual focus aids that make the task far easier than it was with DSLRs, and as long as you are not photographing fast action, you can normally make it work. Check out the video above for Abbott’s full thoughts on the lens.