Laowa 100mm f/2.8 2x Ultra Macro APO
D800 @ x 2
This lens achieves a very good to excellent resolution for a x2 magnification
Resolution: This lens achieves an good resolution at f/5.6. This resolution is excellent for this high magnification.
Chromatic Aberration: Moderate to high across apertures tested (can be removed with post-processing of NEF file. Example with x1 magnification with this lens)
Vignetting: Very low
Macro Sweet Spot: f/5.6
COMPARISON WITH OTHER LENS SOLUTIONS
Before this Laowa lens was available some macro photographers have used standard lenses on a bellows, often reversed, to achieve high magnifications. Some users have repurposed the EL-Nikkor 80mm f5.6N or other nikon standard lenses to achieve higher magnification than available with stand-alone macro lenses.
Two of these solutions I have tested give reasonable results at x2 using a D800 but the Laowa Lens shows superior performance.
EL-Nikkor f/5.6N on bellows PB-6 reversed, working distance 38mm
Nikon 35/f2 (AIS) on Bellows PB-6 reversed, working distance a few mm
Imatest has conducted MTF analysis of a Canon 1-5x Macro MP-E 65mm lens at X2 . The best results I have obtained with bellows-mounded lenses (above) solutions compare favourably with the Canon lens (it is not clear however to what degree the Canon JPG files were sharpened* ). The Laowa lens is a clear winner with ease of handling and an excellent 15 cm working distance for macro use.
