Laowa 85mm f/5.6 2X Ultra Macro APO

Reviewers rate resolution as good rather than exceptional. The centre is very good and the edges good to very good between f/5.6 and f/11, the lens is already diffraction-limited wide open on high-resolution sensors, and f/22 is best avoided. Distortion is essentially zero and lateral CA stays low until f/16.

Vignetting sits around 1 EV wide open. Some purple and green bokeh fringing remains at f/5.6, so testers were not fully convinced by the APO label, and the 7-blade diaphragm gives edgy highlights at f/8. The all-metal build is praised, while the price is seen as high for the optical performance.

Owners buy it for travel and field macro, where its size and roughly 290g weight make carrying a 2x lens painless. Many pair it with a small flash and shoot handheld at f/11–f/16.

The complaints are the dark viewfinder in shade, the clicked full-stop aperture, the lack of electronic contacts (no EXIF), and the short working distance at 2x that can scare insects. Some wish Laowa had used more aperture blades.