Wide Angle Macro Photography ft. Laowa 15mm f/4.0

A wide angle lens and a macro lens may seem like complete opposites, but as every Hollywood romantic comedy has taught us… opposites attract - so, what if your wide angle lens and macro lens got a little frisky?

Enter the Venus Optics Laowa 15mm f/4.0, a wide angle macro lens. Why would you want a lens like this? Most macro lenses have focal lengths longer than 50mm and their angle of view is considerably narrow, which is great for isolating tiny subjects from their surroundings and providing a considerable working distance. However, there are instances when a subject’s surroundings are an important part of its story. A lens such as this Laowa 15mm f/4.0, is capable of producing a 1:1 magnification with a wide angle of view - that will ultimately deliver very unique perspectives.

To show you how field of view affects your composition, below are three photos of a rough-skinned newt - each was captured using a different lens. The Canon 100mm f/2.8 L IS produces a great photo, but it’s a portrait and doesn’t tell you anything about where this toxic amphibian lives. Using a traditional wide angle lens, the Canon 16-35mm f/2.8L II, the composition is significantly more revealing. However, the newt doesn’t occupy much of the frame. In contrast, shot with the Laowa 15mm f/4.0 Macro - the newt now occupies a larger amount of the composition, while the surrounding forest and undergrowth are also an integral part of the photo - revealing a great deal about the newt’s life.

Canon 100mm f/2.8 L IS - 24° angle of view

Canon 16-35mm f/2.8 L IS - at 16mm with 108° angle of view

One of the few similarities between a traditional macro lens and a wide angle macro lens is the minimum focusing distance- if you’re not familiar with minimum focusing distances take some time to read my previous article “An Introduction To Macro Photography”. The Canon 16-35mm f/2.8 L II has a minimum focusing distance of 28 centimetres whereas, the Canon 100mm f/2.8 L IS has a minimum focusing distance of 30 centimetres Although both lenses have a similar minimum focusing distances, their respective magnifications and angles of view make them very different from each other. The Canon 100mm f/2.8 L IS has a 24 degree angle of view and a 1:1 magnification ratio at its minimum focusing distance. The Canon 16-35mm f/2.8 L II has a 108 degree angle of view at a focal length of 16 millimetres and a 1:4 magnification ratio at its minimum focusing distance. In stark contrast to, Laowa 15mm f/4.0 has a minimum focusing distance of just 12.2 centimetres, a 1:1 magnification ratio at that minimum focusing distance, and has 110 degree angle of view. Essentially, you’ll need to have your subject just about touching the front of the lens to create a 1:1 magnification - in fact the user’s manual lists the minimum focusing distances as 4 millimetres from the first lens element.

Depending on what you’re photographing, a wide angle macro lens may not be practical. If your subject isn’t overly cooperative or has the potential of causing you harm - having this lens within 4 millimetres of a subject may not be overly successful. Even if your subject will tolerate you and your camera being so close, it’s worth taking a moment to question whether your presence will cause your subject any unnecessary stress. Try to minimize the amount of time you spend towering over tiny subjects - decide upon your exposure settings prior to potentially disturbing your subject. Snap a couple of practice frames nearby under the same lighting conditions, then when you’re happy with your practice results, take only a few quick shots of your subject.

Now would seem like an appropriate time to highlight the importance of keeping the lens clean. Any significant dirt or grime will be crystal clear when shooting at the minimum focusing distance. It is nice having a 77mm thread for a bit of protection in the form of a UV, as things will inevitably touch it. Additionally, with such a wide focal length and a 110 degree angle of view, there's a good chance a fair number of compositions using the Laowa 15mm f/4.0 will include a chunk of sky - and with a circular polarizer, the sky will look even better. However, it’s important to consider that by adding a filter to the front of this lens, you’re sacrificing a fair bit of the already small working distance. Remember, your subject will need to be four millimetres from the front element in order to produce a 1:1 magnification and that front element is already recessed two millimetres from the ends of the lens - adding a filter that is at least one millimetre thick, leaves you with an impractical working distance of one whole millimetre. Ultimately if you’re shooting at 1:1 your subject will need to touch the filter. Working without a filter gives you a slightly larger working distance and will make it a bit easier to add light between the lens and subject.

The incredibly short working distance of the Laowa 15mm can be rather challenging to work with. The lens typically ends up ridiculously close to any subject, eclipsing any valuable ambient light - and introducing light to the front of your subject is very difficult. If using a 1:1 magnification, any external light will need to be introduced in the small 4 millimetre gap between the lens’ front element and the subject. Additionally, with a 110 degree of view, it can be tough to add external light to your composition without the light source ending up in the frame. Even if your light source does mistakenly end up creeping into the top of your frame - I’ve found that this lens tolerates direct light quite well and it shouldn’t produce too much nasty flaring.

I’ve had this lens in my hands for a little under a year and I’m surprisingly happy with it. It’s my first experience with Laowa glass and I wasn’t sure what to expect. Admittedly, I expect pieces of my kit to be durable and rugged. I don’t work in a studio and this lens often finds itself pressed tightly against rocks, dragged across moss and millimetres above water. The build quality of the lens is solid. Nothing wiggles. It’s tough metal construction is obvious by its substantial weight. The focus and aperture rings are both incredibly smooth and the aperture is declicked - which is a great bonus when shooting video. One point that many find a bit awkward is the swapped aperture and focus rings - the focus ring is closest to the camera and the aperture is furthest. It can take a bit of getting used to and even after a month of use, I often accidentally adjust the aperture in an attempt to focus.

The aperture has 14 diaphragm blades that are perfect for keeping your bokeh balls circular at all f-stops - which is great for Christmas lights, crushed blacks, split tones, and sharing on social media platforms ending in gram. The lens is completely manual, so no autofocus, no electronic aperture, and no communication with the camera - meaning your EXIF data will be without focal length and aperture. In addition to the Canon EF mount I’m using right now, it’s also available in Nikon F, Sony A and FE and Pentax K mounts.

In addition to being a very unique option for macro photography, the Laowa 15mm f/4.0 also incorporates shift capabilities for use on APS-C sensors. Not tilt shift. Just shift. Meaning you can correct for converging lines, but can’t create the super desirable miniature perspective of a true tilt shift lens. It can be shifted six millimetres up or down, by pressing this tiny and incredibly awkward tab, then pushing the lens either up or down. I don’t have access to a camera with an APS-C sensor, but the 50 megapixel full-frame sensor of my Canon 5DSr does provide enough resolution to crop the visible edges of the image circle caused by shifting the lens. Although, for demonstrative purposes I won’t be cropping the second photo here.

Note the converging lines of the trees - they appear to be leaning inwards.

Utilizing the shift capabilities of the Laowa 15mm f/4.0, the converging lines are corrected.

In the box you’ll find the shrink-wrapped lens, lens hood, and a uniquely translated user’s manual. The image quality of the lens is fantastic - it is on par for what you should expect from any macro lens. Images are very sharp. With such a wide focal length, it’s worth pointing out that there is a small bit of noticeable softness in the corners when shooting wide open, which doesn’t completely disappear until f/11.0. Also when wide open, there’s a fair bit of vignetting that does clear up pretty quickly at f/5.6. Then there’s the distortion, you’ll notice barrel distortion it’s quite apparent. Colour and contrast are great, they’re not quite that of a Canon L series, but that shouldn’t really be expected considering this lens’s price point.

1/60 sec f/5.6 ISO 400 Laowa 15mm Apri 26, 2020 Belcarra Regional Park, BC

1/125 sec f/8.0 ISO 1250 Laowa 15mm May 11, 2020 Coquitlam, BC

1.0 sec f/8.0 ISO 100 Laowa 15mm Oct 27, 2019 Burke Mountain, BC

With a bit of practice and perseverance, this lens can deliver fantastic results. The wider focal length does demand extra attention is paid to your composition’s background, however, if you pull it off successfully - your photos will be incredibly unique. Being able to create macro photos with a wide angle perspective is something I’ve always wanted the ability to do and this lens is the perfect tool for the job. Having said that, I do find it most useful for documenting subjects that don’t necessarily need to be photographed with a 1:1 ratio - subjects slightly larger than a golf ball. This allows for a slightly larger working distance and you’re still able to create fun compositions. I’d love to own Laowa’s 24mm probe lens which has a greater working distance simply due to the lens’s length.

Neil FisherMay 27, 20201 Comment