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It’s been five years since the first probe lens by Laowa was launched with a hefty price tag ($1,449.00). But now, a newcomer lens manufacturer Astrhori has come out with their own affordable prob lens version: The Astrhori 18mm f/8 Macro Probe Len. And it’s specifically designed for APS-C cameras.
“Affordable” is relative, of course, but $719.00 for a tool that can solve a lot of problems and open up creative possibilities for LEGO and miniature-scale photographers is worth checking out.
Following up on the release of AstrHori 28mm f/13 probe macro lens (buy here), AstrHori has released a second probe lens. This time, it’s the wider AstrHori 18mm f/8 probe macro lens. Don’t get too excited just yet, though. Unlike the 28mm f/13, which is a full-frame lens, this one is for APS-C cameras. So, it offers a similar field of view at around a 27mm full-frame equivalent.
While there’s no benefit to full-frame users with the new lens, it does offer APS-C shooters a wider view. On APS-C bodies, it’s wider than the previous 28mm probe or the Laowa 24mm T14 probe lens (buy here). The price is also very attractive, coming in at $719 – slightly less than the AstroHori 28 at $739 and significantly lower than the Laowa at $2,299.
It looks like last week’s rumours of a couple of new AstrHori lenses proved out. Not only that, but there’s a third one, too, and all three are full-frame lenses. All in, we’ve got the AstrHori 12mm f/2.8 Fisheye for Z, L, E, RF and GFX mount, a super compact and lightweight AstrHori 18mm f/8 Wide-Angle Shift for Z, L E and RF mount, and an 85mm f/1.8 Autofocus lens for E mount.
Each of the three full-frame lenses targets a very different type of photographer, with each providing a very different set of use cases, from astrophotography, through product and landscapes all the way to portraits, and they’re all extremely low-budget, too. But in order of longest to shortest, here are all the details on the new AstrHori lenses.
It’s December again, which means lots of us are sitting there wondering what to buy for ourselves or the photographer in our lives this holiday season. We’ve been saving up all year to get that something special, but we don’t want to deal with in-store queues – or maybe we’ve just slacked on our Christmas shopping this year. We want to stay at home where it’s nice and warm and see what we can find online that gets delivered straight to our door!
So, this means it’s time for the 2022 DIYP Holiday Gift Guides. It’s Day 2 today, so that means lenses. These are some of our favourite lenses that have been released over the last year. Keep visiting back this week as we release our other guides, including cameras, lighting, tripods, sliders & gimbals, and accessories and gadgets.
It looks like Chinese lens manufacturer AstrHori has a couple of new lenses on the way for mirrorless systems, including the Canon RF mount. The first is the AstrHori 12mm f/2.8 fisheye lens, with a possible announcement date coming soon, according to rumours on Weibo. Images have been released, along with a basic set of specs. It’s expected to be released in Sony E, Leica L, Canon RF and Nikon Z mount.
The other is the AstrHori 18mm f/8 Shift lens. This one is also expected to be announced soon and offers a 99.2° field of view with a shift feature to adjust the perspective of the shot. It’s not tilt-shift, though, just shift. This one is only going to be coming in Leica L and Canon RF mounts – no Sony or Nikon version – according to current rumours.
105mm (and 100mm) f/2.8 macro lenses are pretty common. They’ve been the go-to macro lens for many Nikon and Canon shooters in the past and there are also equivalents available for Sony and L mount, along with a whole bunch of third-party options. One thing I’ve not seen before, though, is a macro of this focal length that’s also got tilt-shift capability. Well, it looks like Astr\hori’s about to release one!
The company has released images and basics specs for the lens, although there’s no word on an official announcement date or a price yet. It’s going to be available in Sony E, Canon RF, Leica L and Fuji GFX mounts, so it’s designed specifically for mirrorless. Naturally, for GFX, it won’t have as much range in the shift, due to the larger sensor. I’m a little surprised there’s no Nikon Z version coming, though.
Relatively new and unknown lens manufacturer, AstrHori, has announced a new 28mm f/13 2x Probe macro lens. It offers a waterproof design, allowing you to submerge the end into liquids while keeping your camera save above the water level, and comes in at about half the price of Laowa’s 24mm f/14 2x Macro Probe Lens.
The new AstrHori lens full frame and is available in a whole bunch of different mounts including Sony E, Leica L, Nikon Z, Nikon F, Fuji X, PL, Canon RF and Canon EF-M. Its working distance is a mere 10mm from the end of the lens, allowing you to get extremely close up to your subjects and it has a variable f/13-40 aperture.
When one buys into a medium format system, even the relatively inexpensive ones like Fuji’s GFX series, one knows that it’s going to be an expensive ride. It’s not much of a surprise. Even though the bodies are a similar size to a high-end DSLR, they contain much larger (and more expensive) sensors, and the lenses need bigger and heavier glass than lenses designed for full-frame systems.
AstrHori, though, has announced a new low-budget option for Fuji GFX shooters who want something on the wide end and don’t want to pay a fortune for it. Today, they’ve announced the new AstrHori 40mm f/5.6 manual focus lens for Fuji GFX, which offers a field of view equivalent to around 31mm on full-frame. As well as being light on price, it’s also light on weight, coming in at only 333g.
Udi Tirosh is an entrepreneur, photography inventor, journalist, educator, and writer based in Israel. With over 25 years of experience in the photo-video industry, Udi has built and sold several photography-related brands. Udi has a double degree in mass media communications and computer science.
Alex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe
Dave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.
John Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.
Dunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.
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