Laowa 24mm f/14 2X Macro Probe (Canon RF)

Reviewers value it for shots other lenses cannot get: deep in undergrowth, among insects or under water, with deep depth of field at close range. The all-metal build is praised. Sharpness is acceptable at macro distances and better on Super 35 than on full frame, but it is not crisp by normal macro standards: it is soft wide open, improves when stopped down well past f/14, and as a regular wide-angle it is soft at the edges with visible barrel distortion. Chromatic aberration is mostly well controlled, though some fringing appears in hard light.

Contrast is low and flare comes easily, and background blur looks muddy or harsh. The ring light measured about 4000K with poor colour rendering and is very bright at close range. At f/14 it needs a lot of light even outdoors, every speck of dust on the tiny front element shows, and the long, light tube moves in the wind, so a tripod or ground support is essential.

Macro forum users see it as a tool for video and odd viewpoints, such as fizzing drinks, nests or pond life, where perspective and movement matter more than resolution. A nature videographer is reported to dip it into ponds and shallow rivers and to shoot with the aperture partly closed.

For stills, owners call it very soft, and one buyer returned it. He measured the working distance at 2:1 at about 10mm to the glass, half the 20mm in the specifications. He also found the light loss large: set to f/14, it exposed slightly darker than T/22.