Thank you for watching the video :) Also find me in these places: 💌 newsletter: mwroll.com 🌄 instagram: instagram.com/mwroll 🎖 patreon: patreon.com/micaelwidell 🐦 twitter: twitter.com/micaelwidell 💬 discord: bit.ly/widelldiscord macro lens buying guide: lensguide.micaelwidell.com
I found your guide very helpful when I was trying to decide which Laowa lens to get. I was really surprised this video was about the 58mm - it looks *just* like the 90mm, so I'm glad you addressed that right off the bat!
You are very articulate amd specific.... no bloating with information. Direct approaching the main info that'll help others.... keep up your good work. Love from India.... I wanted to know about lighting for basic macro...
Hi Micael, just wanted to say thank you for all your tips and your channel. I tried macro in the wild for the first time today. I followed your advices and got some pretty darn nice pictures of a spider. They are quite scary up close! Thanks for opening a new world of photography to me.
I recently bought the 90mm Laowa macro lens. I like the challenge of using a fully manual lens. I've used extension tubes and macro filters in the past but the macro lens is a lot easier to use than the extension tubes, in particular. The lens is well built and optically is almost flawless. The decision to go with the 58mm versus the 90mm is really dependent upon user preference. I rarely shoot portraits at 50 -60mm and for macros, I personally prefer to be as far as possible from the subject, so the 90mm made more sense for me.
I was debating between the 58 and 90 and that idea of being able to perch something on your finger and keep the lens stable with the same hand is a good one. I think wider is more versatile for me, can always crop and AI-invent detail but can't uncrop so wider is better all else equal
Hi Micael, love your videos. In the end, which lens would you recommend? 58mm, 85mm or 90mm? I'm leaning towards 85mm because i would shoot macro photos 99% of the time.
Great video Micael. I was wondering, what is it with Laowa that makes so many similar lenses in such a short time? Thanks for clearing my doubts. Saludos desde Argentina
Hello Micael, thanks for your videos always very interesting ... I have a question for you on this 58mm Laowa lens, I'm very interested and I'm thinking of replacing the old 60mmf2.8 with this: about the working distance, in the video you put a very similar figure between 1: 1 and 2: 1, but the screen printing on the barrel shows a difference of almost 2 centimeters: is it your oversight? Or is the screen printing incorrect? Many thanks ;)
Just came across your videos - great stuff! How the heck do you nail the focus hand held? Tempted to add a laowa lens to my kit but I'm concerned I'll miss focus with the movement from my hand. Thank you!
Michael, would the 58mm have a deeper depth of field versus the 90mm or 100mm? I currently shoot with the 100mm at 2:1 and find that my working depth of field is very very shallow. Was hoping that the 58mm would give me 40% more depth of field to play with.
The focal length will not change the depth of field. It is entirely dependent on magnification and aperture. Shallow depth of field is the nature of macro photography. The only way around it is to focus stack.
Hi Micael, thanks so much for all your advice, you have certainly helped to improve my macro photography. I wonder if you might be able to make a suggestion. I am shooting on a Canon R7 with an adapted ef 16-35mm L lens. I add on a 10 mm extension tube and set it to 24mm. It creates a nice wide angle view but the level of detail is lacking. Do you know how I could accomplish a similar thing with a Loawa lens and get nice sharp macro wide angle shots? I have rf extension tubes also. Thanks#
Great video! Is IBIS a helpful feature or does it not matter when shooting at high magnification? I'm currently running the Nikon 105mm f2.8g, but it only has a maximum magnification of 1:1 so I was thinking about picking up a laowa 58mm for more detailed photos of small animals like springtails but I'm worried about the lack of image stabilization on the laowa lenses.
I did a video where I tested IBIS. It helps a little to compose the photo. And it is good for video. But not at all needed for macro photography - you can get excellent results with no stabilization.
Hello Micael Great channel ! Super informativ 👌🏻 I got the 2x teleconverter for my fujinon 80mm f2.8 macro. Now im lowest on f5.6 so does now my defraction also added up.. i mean can i now go some f stops higher befor getting defraction ? Or does my optimal f range now is smaller (what would be ok becouse f2.8 is no fun in macro)
@@MicaelWidell that is a good point. My plan is to move to a full frame body down the road so I'm trying pick up full frame glass most of the time. But the 65mm price does make it very tempting.
Is full frame really the ideal sensor for macro? If the aps-c sensor has equal resolution it might be a pretty interesting comparison. The shots are all done with a flash, and the wider depth of field is actually a good thing for most of the macro applications. I picked up the 65mm last week, and have been quite happy.
What lens do you recommend for super sharp plates of food photography, I don’t like the bokeh look where its out of focus and am lost what to get , i have sigma 16-28mm f2.8 on Lumix s5 but am not happy with the results and am thinking of this lens , Thanks Micael
This lens would probably be perfect for that. But you should also make sure that there isn't something else that causes problems. Did you use a small aperture like f/11? That should remove bokeh unless you focus very closely.
Hello, Micael! Do you think they're (Laowa) going to go full mirrorless in their future macro lenses? I'm sad to hear that the 60mm was discontinued and it doesn't seem they have released DSLR compatible versions of these new lenses at least not yet. :(
Doesn't seem likely they will make more DSLR lenses. Most other manufacturers also stopped making them. But you can still buy the 60mm I think, and the 100mm, and all their other DSLR lenses.
Hello, Would be helpful for me to also have discussed this lens in relation to the 85mm lens which i currently use - one problem i do have is the boken is rather hexagonal, and i prefer the more rounded bokeh - Does anyone know if the bokeh on THIS 58mm lens is more oval? That would be super helpful for me to know
Yes the 85mm is a lot smaller, but doesn't have as wide max aperture. Otherwise, in terms of image quality, they are both excellent and I cannot spot any difference. Check this video: th-cam.com/video/LWKyNqa8TCY/w-d-xo.html
Laowa stop, you have a problem. Stop making macro lenses. Xd In all seriousness, it's a great and informative review. I personally, am looking forward to getting the 90mm. But it's nice to have the option.
@@RedmiNotepro-sm9si with a regular 50mm lens this is indeed a pain because it doesn't have a large focus adjustment range like macro lenses do, leaving you stuck near 3x magnification without changing tubes. But the focus range on the 85mm allows it to retain a magnification range of 0.3x-3x without changing tubes, making it a very practical option
@@thenickdude Have you compared the working distance/magnification when using the 85 on a tube to achieve 2:1 as opposed to using just the built in focusing? When chasing insects, maintaining infinity capability is not a priority.
I do not like the design with the front element out to the edge of the Lens, I like when the front element are recessed a bit into the Lens. I have yet to see a Lens from Laowa that I really want !!!
@@MicaelWidell Not funny, It is NOT about how the Lens look, it is about how it function and I like when the the are recessed and the front element are protected. I do not go for "smart" design ! I go for good function and reliability. I do not care anything about 2x magnification ! I I want I can just crop from 61megapixels ! But macro photography are not just about a 1x or 2x Lens, it also depends of the end enlargement !
@@MicaelWidell The 58mm Lens at 2x at 6cm and the 90mm at 7.5cm, that means that at 2x the 90mm have much shorter focal length than 90mm ! The 58mm do not change the focal length as much as the 90mm Lens.
Laowa is really a fine objectif except ... the price... I make the same kind of photography with my 50 mm inverted ...and the price is of course OK ...
Of course. That is a lens made for a different sensor size. There is no point comparing a full frame lens to an aps-c lens. Both are excellent for their sensor size.
Thank you for watching the video :) Also find me in these places:
💌 newsletter: mwroll.com 🌄 instagram: instagram.com/mwroll
🎖 patreon: patreon.com/micaelwidell 🐦 twitter: twitter.com/micaelwidell
💬 discord: bit.ly/widelldiscord macro lens buying guide: lensguide.micaelwidell.com
I found your guide very helpful when I was trying to decide which Laowa lens to get. I was really surprised this video was about the 58mm - it looks *just* like the 90mm, so I'm glad you addressed that right off the bat!
You are very articulate amd specific.... no bloating with information. Direct approaching the main info that'll help others.... keep up your good work. Love from India....
I wanted to know about lighting for basic macro...
Hi Micael, just wanted to say thank you for all your tips and your channel. I tried macro in the wild for the first time today. I followed your advices and got some pretty darn nice pictures of a spider. They are quite scary up close! Thanks for opening a new world of photography to me.
So happy to hear that!
I recently bought the 90mm Laowa macro lens. I like the challenge of using a fully manual lens. I've used extension tubes and macro filters in the past but the macro lens is a lot easier to use than the extension tubes, in particular. The lens is well built and optically is almost flawless. The decision to go with the 58mm versus the 90mm is really dependent upon user preference. I rarely shoot portraits at 50 -60mm and for macros, I personally prefer to be as far as possible from the subject, so the 90mm made more sense for me.
Thank you Micael. You have made some very lovely images with this lens.
This is such a great review thanks for addressing the differences between this & the 90mm lens
thanks for the review micael, i appreciate your videos
Great review! I love my Laowa 85mm paired w/Canon R6. bought it solely on your honest review.
I was debating between the 58 and 90 and that idea of being able to perch something on your finger and keep the lens stable with the same hand is a good one. I think wider is more versatile for me, can always crop and AI-invent detail but can't uncrop so wider is better all else equal
I like your reviews because they are based on practical, in the field evaluations. I also prefer shorter working distances.
Looks like a nice lens, I wonder if it suffers from the same focus ring defect that the 100mm and 90mm has? Great review as always my friend.
What is the focus ring defect? You mean that infinity is not at the very end? In that case yes, this one is constructed the same way.
Hi Micael, love your videos. In the end, which lens would you recommend? 58mm, 85mm or 90mm? I'm leaning towards 85mm because i would shoot macro photos 99% of the time.
I personally prefer the 85mm
@@MicaelWidellthanks 👍
Great video Micael. I was wondering, what is it with Laowa that makes so many similar lenses in such a short time?
Thanks for clearing my doubts.
Saludos desde Argentina
I guess they must have a very cheap and efficient process for designing and producing new lenses, which enables them to experiment
@@MicaelWidell and I would buy them all... but... ;P
I'd like to try DCR-250 with a macro lens. Since it will likely minimize the focusing distance, does it make more sense to go with 90mm in that case?
You will get a tad longer working distance and better magnification with a raynox dcr 250 on a 90mm lens. You could also get the Laowa 90mm
Thank you, Micael! Just wondering, did you see any real difference with lighting when using the diffuser due to the working distance?
No I did not notice any difference. I think the working distance is too similar
Hello Micael, thanks for your videos always very interesting ... I have a question for you on this 58mm Laowa lens, I'm very interested and I'm thinking of replacing the old 60mmf2.8 with this: about the working distance, in the video you put a very similar figure between 1: 1 and 2: 1, but the screen printing on the barrel shows a difference of almost 2 centimeters: is it your oversight? Or is the screen printing incorrect? Many thanks ;)
Which would you recommend for APS-C (with a hope of using it in the future for full frame)? Would 58mm be better considering APSC crop factor?
Please use my lens guide to get my recommendation depending on your camera: lensguide.micaelwidell.com
@@MicaelWidell I did.. But my recommendation was 58mm or 90mm :) I was just wondering if 58mm would be better for APSC (because of crop factor)...
Just came across your videos - great stuff! How the heck do you nail the focus hand held? Tempted to add a laowa lens to my kit but I'm concerned I'll miss focus with the movement from my hand. Thank you!
Trust me it is equally hard if not harder to do it with autofocus 😄 watch the videos in my beginner playlist, I have some tips there on how to focus
Hi! Great vid, what would you choose for food videography? 90mm or 58mm?
Doesn’t really matter I think. Both are just as good. I would pick the 58mm
Michael, would the 58mm have a deeper depth of field versus the 90mm or 100mm? I currently shoot with the 100mm at 2:1 and find that my working depth of field is very very shallow. Was hoping that the 58mm would give me 40% more depth of field to play with.
The focal length will not change the depth of field. It is entirely dependent on magnification and aperture. Shallow depth of field is the nature of macro photography. The only way around it is to focus stack.
@@MicaelWidell I appreciate your quick reply! So the 85mm F5.6 seems like the best bet coming from the 100mm, then, as I never go below F8.
Hi Micael, thanks so much for all your advice, you have certainly helped to improve my macro photography. I wonder if you might be able to make a suggestion. I am shooting on a Canon R7 with an adapted ef 16-35mm L lens. I add on a 10 mm extension tube and set it to 24mm. It creates a nice wide angle view but the level of detail is lacking. Do you know how I could accomplish a similar thing with a Loawa lens and get nice sharp macro wide angle shots? I have rf extension tubes also. Thanks#
Great video! Is IBIS a helpful feature or does it not matter when shooting at high magnification? I'm currently running the Nikon 105mm f2.8g, but it only has a maximum magnification of 1:1 so I was thinking about picking up a laowa 58mm for more detailed photos of small animals like springtails but I'm worried about the lack of image stabilization on the laowa lenses.
I did a video where I tested IBIS. It helps a little to compose the photo. And it is good for video. But not at all needed for macro photography - you can get excellent results with no stabilization.
@@MicaelWidell thanks for the info!
Hello Micael
Great channel ! Super informativ 👌🏻
I got the 2x teleconverter for my fujinon 80mm f2.8 macro.
Now im lowest on f5.6 so does now my defraction also added up.. i mean can i now go some f stops higher befor getting defraction ? Or does my optimal f range now is smaller (what would be ok becouse f2.8 is no fun in macro)
You can shoot at f/5.6-f/11 up to 2x magnification without having a problem with diffraction
@@MicaelWidell ok great thats where i move anyway 👌🏻 thank You :)
At 2:40 I think the background is more pleasing from the 58mm than the 90mm.
Yeah the longer focal length creates more background compression at lower magnifications.
For those of us shooting on APS-C, this 58mm is more attractive than the 90mm thanks to that 1.5mm crop factor.
Yes but in that case it would be much better to buy the Laowa 65mm. Unless you are on Canon RF APS-C, which the 65mm doesn’t come for.
@@MicaelWidell that is a good point. My plan is to move to a full frame body down the road so I'm trying pick up full frame glass most of the time. But the 65mm price does make it very tempting.
@@MicaelWidell if using aps-c, do you think both are equally sharp?
What do you mean exactly? The 1.5 factor obviously also works with the 90mm...
Is full frame really the ideal sensor for macro? If the aps-c sensor has equal resolution it might be a pretty interesting comparison. The shots are all done with a flash, and the wider depth of field is actually a good thing for most of the macro applications. I picked up the 65mm last week, and have been quite happy.
What lens do you recommend for super sharp plates of food photography, I don’t like the bokeh look where its out of focus and am lost what to get , i have sigma 16-28mm f2.8 on Lumix s5 but am not happy with the results and am thinking of this lens , Thanks Micael
This lens would probably be perfect for that. But you should also make sure that there isn't something else that causes problems. Did you use a small aperture like f/11? That should remove bokeh unless you focus very closely.
Hello, Micael! Do you think they're (Laowa) going to go full mirrorless in their future macro lenses? I'm sad to hear that the 60mm was discontinued and it doesn't seem they have released DSLR compatible versions of these new lenses at least not yet. :(
Doesn't seem likely they will make more DSLR lenses. Most other manufacturers also stopped making them. But you can still buy the 60mm I think, and the 100mm, and all their other DSLR lenses.
the working distance is what make the difference between these 58 and 90 mm lenses for macrophotography.
Fint!
Ha en trevlig vecka och om vi har bra timing ses vi irl på foto mässan i Älvsjö!
Thanks for the review. Do you know if Laowa plans to create an analogue of Canon MP-E 65 mm lens?
I do not know, but it certainly would be very nice with a 1x - 5x macro lens!
I have 65. I like it
Hello, Would be helpful for me to also have discussed this lens in relation to the 85mm lens which i currently use - one problem i do have is the boken is rather hexagonal, and i prefer the more rounded bokeh - Does anyone know if the bokeh on THIS 58mm lens is more oval? That would be super helpful for me to know
Does focus peaking work with this lens?
Yes it works with any lens
@@MicaelWidell thank you I ordered it yesterday, I think it and My Sigma 105 macro will be a good pair.
great review thanks for addressing its really helpfull for us subscribe you
Did you notice any difference in depth of field?
Nope. My experience in general is that at 1x magnification and more depth of field is the same regardless of what lens you use.
How does this compare to the 85? It seems the 85 is much much smaller, and still stellar image quality, yes?
Yes the 85mm is a lot smaller, but doesn't have as wide max aperture. Otherwise, in terms of image quality, they are both excellent and I cannot spot any difference. Check this video: th-cam.com/video/LWKyNqa8TCY/w-d-xo.html
Do you use the Laowa uv filters on your lenses? All I've heard are horror stories about UV filters in general lol
I never use any uv filters. I don’t see the point.
@@MicaelWidell Ok thanks, I only ask because Venus provides them with their lenses and recommends you use them.
Laowa stop, you have a problem. Stop making macro lenses. Xd
In all seriousness, it's a great and informative review. I personally, am looking forward to getting the 90mm. But it's nice to have the option.
Come to Africa! A crazy variety of insects will come directly to you 😆
Waiting for laowa 3:1 macro lens
You can add an extension tube to bump their lenses up to 3x. 28mm of extension brings the Laowa 85mm to 3x
@@thenickdude yes, you right. I can even use 50 mm non macro lens with set of extension tubes to get same ratio but it will not be the same experience
@@RedmiNotepro-sm9si with a regular 50mm lens this is indeed a pain because it doesn't have a large focus adjustment range like macro lenses do, leaving you stuck near 3x magnification without changing tubes. But the focus range on the 85mm allows it to retain a magnification range of 0.3x-3x without changing tubes, making it a very practical option
@@thenickdude Have you compared the working distance/magnification when using the 85 on a tube to achieve 2:1 as opposed to using just the built in focusing? When chasing insects, maintaining infinity capability is not a priority.
@@dougsmit1 with the tube, at 2x magnification (measured), working distance is 72mm. Without the tube at 2x, working distance is 65mm
I do not like the design with the front element out to the edge of the Lens, I like when the front element are recessed a bit into the Lens. I have yet to see a Lens from Laowa that I really want !!!
Haha you are quite picky. Who cares how the lens looks when it takes beautiful photos and goes to 2x magnification
@@MicaelWidell Not funny, It is NOT about how the Lens look, it is about how it function and I like when the the are recessed and the front element are protected. I do not go for "smart" design ! I go for good function and reliability. I do not care anything about 2x magnification ! I I want I can just crop from 61megapixels ! But macro photography are not just about a 1x or 2x Lens, it also depends of the end enlargement !
The 90mm Lens changes the focal length much more then the 58mm Lens for 2x magnification 3:17
I can’t see any significant difference
@@MicaelWidell The 58mm Lens at 2x at 6cm and the 90mm at 7.5cm, that means that at 2x the 90mm have much shorter focal length than 90mm ! The 58mm do not change the focal length as much as the 90mm Lens.
Laowa is really a fine objectif except ... the price... I make the same kind of photography with my 50 mm inverted ...and the price is of course OK ...
There are a lot of insects which fly while mating including mosquitoes.
Why laowa makes a lot of these lenses? I mean the macro lenses..
stop it Laowa...my wallet is hurting.
My Laowa 65mm macro is lighter, smaller and just as good for clarity imo
Of course. That is a lens made for a different sensor size. There is no point comparing a full frame lens to an aps-c lens. Both are excellent for their sensor size.
@@MicaelWidell You are correct, Micael - of course - and as always, but thanks for recommending the 65
Yeah, try buying any new macro lenses in US…..
Insects “Fly United”🥱 I have this lens on the way. Greetings from Tasmania Australia 👍😁🇦🇺🦘
Good choice!