Extreem Macro

 For several years I've been eyeing the Venus Laowa 25mm f/2.8 2.5-5X Ultra Macro Lens and trying to convince myself to buy one, especially when seeing the super closeup of insects.

Last week I almost bought the lens. 

Had it in my cart and was about to press the "proceed with purchase" button when the smart side of my brain said: 

"Hey why don't you rent and try it out before buying."

Who knew I had a smart side to my brain! 

But it definitely was an advise worth taking.

Hence, I rented the lens for my Z for a 5 day period and within two days of the request, the lens arrived.

I played with it for about three days and realized that it was not a lens for me.

The lens is very compact for its super magnification. It is totally manual and focusing is done with movement of one's body. Steady hands are a necessity otherwise, a tripod is a must.

I took a series of photos both at the 2.5 magnification as well as the 5X. At the 5X level lighting of the subjects was the biggest challenge, since the lens practically sits on the subject creating shadows and blocking any type of natural light. Composition was also another big challenge especially with the 5X magnification setting.

I had an easier time shooting photographers of different subjects using the 2.5 magnification.

I eventually found a large spider to shoot, which had been my biggest wish for this lens.

None of the above photos have been cropped nor edited.  

 

As it can be seen the magnification is quite extensive and really to my liking. But because the lens requires a lot of patience and steady hands, the idea of puchasing one is no longer on the table.

So glad that the smart side of my brain was alert and active. Otherwise, I would have ended up with a lens addition whose soul purpose would be to collect dust.