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Loawa has released another macro lens – the 58mm f/2.8 2x Ultra Macro APO for mirrorless cameras

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When it comes to macro lenses, the name that springs to mind most these days is Laowa, produced by Venus Optics. Now, they’ve added another new one to their lineup, the Laowa 58mm f/2.8 2x Ultra Macro APO designed specifically for mirrorless cameras. Like Laowa’s other lenses, it’s a manual focus lens, and this one comes in four full-frame flavours. Sony E, Canon RF, Nikon Z and Leica L mounts.

The new lens offers a 40.9° field of view on full-frame sensors and focuses all the way from 2:1 magnification to infinity, making it suitable for not just macro but also portraits or a general walkaround lens. It features an apochromatic (APO) design to suppress chromatic aberration as well as 3 ED and 3 Ultra-High Refractive Index lenses for maximum sharpness.

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Canon RF 100mm f/2.8L IS Macro goes head-to-head against its EF mount predecessor – Is it really worth upgrading?

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Canon’s EF mount 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM lens has been one of the most respected macro lenses out there for years, for any camera system. Even amongst non-Canon photographers, it’s a lens that many of us have occasionally wished we could use. With Canon’s transition to mirrorless, though, EF is making way for RF, so Canon released an RF mount 100mm f/2.8L IS Macro, too.

It’s actually been out for a while now. It was announced last April, but this review from Gordon Lang looks at the more recent RF mount version side-by-side with the older EF mount version to see if the new one really lives up to its predecessor’s reputation and whether you should get the RF one for your Canon mirrorless camera or if you should stick with the EF mount lens and an adapter.

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Watch this satisfying time-lapse of pink oyster mushrooms growing

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We’ve shown time-lapses of mushroom growing antics before, and they just keep getting better and better. There’s not much more satisfying than a really good timelapse video so we couldn’t resist sharing this one from Jens at Another Perspective.

In this video, he uses just two cameras to create the video, although admittedly it looks like there are far more angles. He’s done a really nice job filming it.

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Laowa’s new 85mm f/5.6 2x Ultra Macro APO boasts to be the world’s smallest 2x full-frame macro lens

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Venus Optics has just announced their new Laowa 85mm f/5.6 2x Ultra Macro APO lens for full-frame mirrorless cameras. They claim that it’s the world’s lightest 2x macro lens for full-frame cameras. Measuring only 53 x 81mm and weighing in at a mere 269g for the Sony E mount version, that might indeed be the case.

The lens is coming to a number of mirrorless mounts, including Canon EF, Sony E, Nikon Z and Leica M – but not Leica L (Update: Scroll down to the bottom). It offers an 85mm focal length with a minimum focus distance of 16.3cm for a fairly decent working distance and the APO design, Laowa says, helps you shoot them with minimal chromatic aberration.

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Up Close with the Fujinon XF 80mm f/2.8 R LM OIS WR Macro Lens

One of my favorite ways to create more interesting photos is to get closer to the subject and fill the frame, eliminating or reducing background distractions. Often, I am unable to get as close as I would like to the subject due to the minimum focusing distance limit of the lens. This is where macro lenses, such as the Fujinon XF 80.. f/2.8 R LM OIS WR with their ability to focus when close to the subject, enter the picture (pardon the pun.)

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Nikon apologises for shipping delays with new Nikkor Z MC 105mm f/2.8 VR S macro lens

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I mean, yeah, ok, so there’s a global semiconductor shortage, but it always seems to be the same old story these days whenever any manufacturer releases a new lens. “There was higher demand than we expected!” is the usual excuse. Well, it’s Nikon’s turn again. No excuses this time, though. Just the facts.

While the shortage might be partially to blame this time around, Nikon has apologised in advance for delayed shipping of some pre-orders for the recently announced Nikon Nikkor Z MC 105mm f/2.8 VR S macro lens for Z mount mirrorless cameras. They haven’t explicitly stated a reason for the delay, although there are only really two possible causes.

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Nikon finally releases 50mm f/2.8 and 105mm f/2.8 Z mount macro lenses

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Nikon has now officially announced two new macro lenses for their Z mount mirrorless system. The “normal” length macro is the Nikon Nikkor Z MC 50mm f/2.8, with a minimum focus distance of 16cm. The other is the Nikon Nikkor Z MC 105mm f/2.8 VR S, offering stabilisation and a 1:1 reproduction ratio with a 29cm minimum focus distance.

The 105mm f/2.8 VR S also features the built-in OLED display found on Nikon’s Z mount pro zooms like the 14-24mm, 24-70mm & 70-200mm f/2.8 S trio, as well as the 50mm f/1.2 S prime lens. This lets you quickly see and adjust various settings including aperture, focus distance and other settings.

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How to easily convert your kit lens into a macro lens

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Are you looking for an affordable but also electronic macro lens? Or maybe you have an old kit lens, that’s just sitting around, collecting dust since your last upgrade?

Well, then read on, because in this article I am going to share one cool hack that will allow you too transform almost any kit or standard zoom lens into a capable macro lens!

And I am not talking about reversing the lens or mounting it on extension tubes, we’re actually going to convert the lens for good. And it’s incredibly simple.

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Sigma’s new 105mm f/2.8 DG DN Macro Art lens achieves “best ever optical performance”

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Sigma has now officially announced the new Sigma 105mm f/2.8 DG DN Macro Art series lens. Designed for full-frame mirrorless cameras, the lens is available for both Sony E and Leica L mounts. The new lens was announced in Sigma’s live stream (which is still happening as I type this).

They say that the lens is partly in response to the number of people stuck indoors this year due to the global pandemic who are obviously shooting macro – an idea backed up by the sales of Sigma’s 105mm f/2.8 EX DG OS HSM Macro lens for DSLRs.

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