Laowa 25mm & MP-E65

Chinese lens arrived yesterday, from brief use i'd say I will be using it mainly for tripod stacks with live view; its lower profile will make it easier to manoeuvre. Very solidly built, in fact surprisingly heavy for its size. Lack of auto aperture control, 1:1-2x mag and lens mounted flash capability would make me less likely to use it for hand held stalking.

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The profile of the MPE has often been an issue for me but only above 3:1, the twin flash bracket makes that worse of course.

The lens looks interesting but as most of my macro is handled with uncontrolled subjects the non-electronic appature is an restriction.

Perhaps with an EVF camera that would not be such an issue?

Hows the optical performance compared to the MP-E65?

All the tests I’ve seen show it’s at least as good, the downside as Lester alludes to is the lack of open aperture viewing.

Thanks for the info Toby! That manual aperture on all of those Laowa lenses is a non starter for me. Hoping that Laowa is putting pressure on Canon to update the MP-E.

I realize this is a very old thread, but would like to hear about any thoughts from users now.
Toby, what do you think about the lens now?

I’ve only used bellows or tubes for anything over 1x. Since loosing my bellows in fire, I have just been saving for likely the mpe 65. Now this lens keeps coming into my thoughts.

Any information would be appreciated!

Thanks

Park Ranger wrote in post #19071487
I realize this is a very old thread, but would like to hear about any thoughts from users now.
Toby, what do you think about the lens now?

I’ve only used bellows or tubes for anything over 1x. Since loosing my bellows in fire, I have just been saving for likely the mpe 65. Now this lens keeps coming into my thoughts.

Any information would be appreciated!

Thanks

I have not used bellows since my film days; the MP-E is very usable in the field handheld with flash, it is essential a reverse mounted retrofocus lens on a telescopic extension tube (this is my view not Canon's). You don't need to worry about pushing through the undergrowth to get to a subject and puncturing the bellows.

The Laowa lenses are very interesting but I don't have any, they lack electronic aperture control so they are traditional methods manual stepdown before exposure or focus/meter in stop down necessitating live/view or EVF/mirrorless.

They also do some interesting lenses like the wide angle 1:1 and the most interesting probe lens. The probe lens is probably the most interesting to me but rather pricy.

Thanks Lester,

Still undecided, but leaning towards the Laowa 25. I ran across a pretty lengthy report by someone that has been using the mp65 for years, and he was impressed. In fact, he said he had an easier time finding the target and focusing with the laowa. And he used it mostly hand held in the field.

But.., I’m still thinking. I’ve used stopped down stuff a lot over the years, but old eyes aren’t what they used to be.

Maybe others that use it will chime in.

Thanks again!

For ease of use go with the MPE.

I've looked into the Laowa 25mm & comparing to the MP-E65 as my 100mm macro needs repaired & trying to decide whether to fix it or replace it. I've used it mostly with extension tubes for extra X. Without using either, it seems that Venus has some advantages that the Canon does not have & vice versa. Price & size are the obvious but the smaller size seems to allow more access of light for the shot.

I've discussed the Laowa lens with someone who has actually used them & they are impressed. "We" decided that it would be a HUGE improvement for the Laowa if it had the same M/A switch capabilities of the old M42 lenses.

Now that probe lens looks very cool. Front LEDs & waterproof. What an advantage that would be, huh?

Pigpen101 wrote in post #19073022
I've looked into the Laowa 25mm & comparing to the MP-E65 as my 100mm macro needs repaired & trying to decide whether to fix it or replace it. I've used it mostly with extension tubes for extra X. Without using either, it seems that Venus has some advantages that the Canon does not have & vice versa. Price & size are the obvious but the smaller size seems to allow more access of light for the shot.

I've discussed the Laowa lens with someone who has actually used them & they are impressed. "We" decided that it would be a HUGE improvement for the Laowa if it had the same M/A switch capabilities of the old M42 lenses.

Now that probe lens looks very cool. Front LEDs & waterproof. What an advantage that would be, huh?

M/A switch? Isn't it full manual....

For me the no electronic aperture is a killer.

The LEDs could be good, are they bright enough? Are they continuous light or just flash like?

For external lighting solutions and 25mm vs 65mm what are the working distance differences, that's what matters.

I would think the shorter focal length makes finding the subject a bit easier, on the other hand they main difficulty shifting from a normal macro lens to one starting at 1:1 is just that, but it is a technique thing you get used to.

I'm sorry, it is fully manual. I was saying that implementing an old technology may make things easier with the Laowa famly. Some of my older lenses have a M/A switch. Kind of a restrictor. Say the lens is an F/1.8 lens & you want to shoot at F/11 but it is so dark you can't see @ F/11. You set the lens to F/11 then flick the switch. It allows you to compose @ F/1.8 but now when you turn the aperture ring it automatically stops at F/11 so you don't have to pick your head up from the camera to see what your settings are.

Pigpen101 wrote in post #19073242
I'm sorry, it is fully manual. I was saying that implementing an old technology may make things easier with the Laowa famly. Some of my older lenses have a M/A switch. Kind of a restrictor. Say the lens is an F/1.8 lens & you want to shoot at F/11 but it is so dark you can't see @ F/11. You set the lens to F/11 then flick the switch. It allows you to compose @ F/1.8 but now when you turn the aperture ring it automatically stops at F/11 so you don't have to pick your head up from the camera to see what your settings are.

I agree. I used Pentax spotmatic for years and actually liked the stop down metering system on it and the takamar sp? Lens.

I’m leaning towards the laowa. I can get 1.5+ easy enough now and will only want this lens for special occasions. Just can’t justify double the $ - just because I want it. Lol

Pigpen101 wrote in post #19073242
I'm sorry, it is fully manual. I was saying that implementing an old technology may make things easier with the Laowa famly. Some of my older lenses have a M/A switch. Kind of a restrictor. Say the lens is an F/1.8 lens & you want to shoot at F/11 but it is so dark you can't see @ F/11. You set the lens to F/11 then flick the switch. It allows you to compose @ F/1.8 but now when you turn the aperture ring it automatically stops at F/11 so you don't have to pick your head up from the camera to see what your settings are.

Oh that, a stop down leaver, yes all lenses used to operate like that at one time, then the lever got connected to the shutter mechanism.

Yes that would help a lot, still not easy to chase bugs around a bush though.

The whole "chasing the bugs around a bush" thing is why I was initially attracted to the Laowa, it looks to be about a third of the size of the Canon. My current field rig consists of the nifty fifty attached to full set of auto bellows (also have full set of M42 bellows w/ a Volna 9 attached) as my 100mm is in need of repair. The Laowa on my rig would be just about the same size, with the front diameter maybe even smaller.

Of course the M/A switch could probably be electronic today. What if they could somehow incorporate the DOF preview button, only reversing its function? Holding in the button to compose, releasing when ready to shoot