Venus Laowa 65mm f/2.8 2x Ultra Macro APO
Summary
The Venus Laowa 65mm f/2.8 2x Ultra Macro APO is an outstanding optical performer — a short telephoto prime (98mm equivalent) with f/2.8 maximum aperture. The lens is priced at approximately ~$500 USD. Please check the official product page for sample images, manuals, and firmware updates.
Genre Suitability
- Excellent for: Landscape, Architecture, Travel, Portrait, Sport, Wildlife, Macro
- Adequate for: Street
Strengths
- Excellent sharpness at all apertures
- Negligible optical aberrations
- Smooth, pleasant bokeh
- Negligible distortion
Weaknesses
- Below-average flare resistance
- No built-in optical stabilization
Specifications 19/20
| Optical construction | 14 elements in 10 groups (3 ED) |
| Coating | multi-coating |
| Focal length | 65mm |
| Max aperture | f/2.8 |
| Sweet spot | f/5.6 |
| Aperture blades | 7 |
| Sunstar points | 14 (sharp — straight blades) |
| Max magnification | 2x |
| Min focus distance | 170mm |
| AF motor | Manual focus |
| OIS | No |
| Weather sealed | No |
| Aperture ring | Yes |
| Clickless aperture | No |
| Focus ring | Yes |
| Focus by wire | No |
| Distance scale | Yes |
| Rotating front | No |
| Tripod mount | No |
| Weight | 335g |
| Diameter | 57mm |
| Length | 100mm |
| Filter thread | 52mm |
| Year | 2019 |
Optical Quality 11/14
| Center (wide open) | 2.0 |
| Corner (wide open) | 1.5 |
| Center (stopped) | 2.0 |
| Corner (stopped) | 2.0 |
| Longitudinal CA | 2.0 |
| Lateral CA | 2.0 |
| Distortion | 2.0 |
| Vignetting (wide open) | 1.0 |
| Vignetting (stopped) | 1.5 |
| Bokeh | 1.5 |
| Flare resistance | 0.5 |
Sharpness
- Excellent center sharpness wide open
- Good corner performance wide open
- Outstanding center resolution stopped down
- Excellent corner-to-corner sharpness stopped down
Aberrations
- Virtually no longitudinal chromatic aberration
- Negligible lateral chromatic aberration
Rendering
- Smooth, pleasant bokeh
- Moderate vignetting wide open, typical for the aperture class
- Vignetting clears well when stopped down
- Below-average flare resistance
Distortion
- Negligible distortion — straight lines stay straight
All optical scores are based on lab measurements and field tests from trusted review sources. For details on how we score lenses, see our scoring methodology.
Genre Fit
✓ Landscape Photography 4.5/5
Landscape Photography prioritizes corner-to-corner sharpness at stopped-down apertures and good flare resistance.
- Excellent corner-to-corner sharpness stopped down
- Outstanding center resolution stopped down
- Negligible distortion — straight lines stay straight
- Negligible lateral chromatic aberration
- Virtually no longitudinal chromatic aberration
- Vignetting clears well when stopped down
- Below-average flare resistance
✓ Architecture Photography 4.5/5
Architecture Photography prioritizes geometric precision with minimal distortion and even corner sharpness.
- Excellent corner-to-corner sharpness stopped down
- Outstanding center resolution stopped down
- Negligible distortion — straight lines stay straight
- Negligible lateral chromatic aberration
- Vignetting clears well when stopped down
- Below-average flare resistance
~ Street Photography 3/5
Street Photography prioritizes sharp stopped-down performance and a fast enough aperture for low light.
- Outstanding center resolution stopped down
- Slow f/2.8 aperture
- Excellent center sharpness wide open
- Below-average flare resistance
- Virtually no longitudinal chromatic aberration
✓ Travel Photography 4/5
Travel Photography prioritizes balanced image quality in a lightweight package.
- Outstanding center resolution stopped down
- Lightweight at 335g
- Slow f/2.8 aperture
- Below-average flare resistance
- Virtually no longitudinal chromatic aberration
✓ Portrait Photography 4/5
Portrait Photography prioritizes smooth bokeh and critical center sharpness wide open for subject isolation.
- Smooth, pleasant bokeh
- Excellent center sharpness wide open
- Virtually no longitudinal chromatic aberration
- Moderate vignetting wide open, typical for the aperture class
✓ Sport Photography 4.5/5
Sport Photography prioritizes sharp wide-open center performance to freeze action at fast shutter speeds.
- Excellent center sharpness wide open
- Slow f/2.8 aperture
- Virtually no longitudinal chromatic aberration
- Negligible lateral chromatic aberration
✓ Wildlife Photography 5/5
Wildlife Photography prioritizes center sharpness across apertures for distant subjects.
- Excellent center sharpness wide open
- Outstanding center resolution stopped down
- Slow f/2.8 aperture
- Virtually no longitudinal chromatic aberration
- Negligible lateral chromatic aberration
✓ Macro Photography 5/5
Macro Photography prioritizes stopped-down center sharpness and high magnification for close-up detail.
- Outstanding center resolution stopped down
- 2x magnification
- Negligible distortion — straight lines stay straight
- Negligible lateral chromatic aberration
- Virtually no longitudinal chromatic aberration
- Smooth, pleasant bokeh