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Archive 2017 · Super Cheap Laowa 15mm f4 Macro clone..

GMPhotography
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p.2 #1 · p.2 #1 · Super Cheap Laowa 15mm f4 Macro clone..

Hmmm might be fun to try extension tubes on my 12-24

Aug 30, 2017 at 09:29 PM

Fred Miranda
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p.2 #2 · p.2 #2 · Super Cheap Laowa 15mm f4 Macro clone..

GMPhotography wrote:
Hmmm might be fun to try extension tubes on my 12-24

I didn't try that yet. Could be fun.

BTW: I got the Kenko tubes and although well built, they feel lose on my lenses. Both 10mm and 16mm tubes mount securely on the camera but wobble on my lenses.

Aug 30, 2017 at 10:24 PM

GMPhotography
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p.2 #3 · p.2 #3 · Super Cheap Laowa 15mm f4 Macro clone..

I have them as well but no wobble.

Fred Miranda wrote:
I didn't try that yet. Could be fun.

BTW: I got the Kenko tubes and although well built, they feel lose on my lenses. Both 10mm and 16mm tubes mount securely on the camera but wobble on my lenses.

Aug 30, 2017 at 10:28 PM

Fred Miranda
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p.2 #4 · p.2 #4 · Super Cheap Laowa 15mm f4 Macro clone..

My set is lose only on the lens side (camera side is ok)

BTW: I just tried the 10mm on the 12-24 and it's pretty much unusable. Can only focus at MFD from 21-24mm. The lens is very close to the subject at 21mm and at 24mm it's still too close. The built-in hood makes matters worse by casting a shadow on the subject.

Aug 30, 2017 at 10:33 PM

GMPhotography
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p.2 #5 · p.2 #5 · Super Cheap Laowa 15mm f4 Macro clone..

Dang that may have been fun.

Fred Miranda wrote:
My set is lose only on the lens side (camera side is ok)

BTW: I just tried the 10mm on the 12-24 and it's pretty much unusable. Can only focus at MFD from 21-24mm. The lens is very close to the subject at 21mm and at 24mm it's still too close. The built-in hood makes matters worse by casting a shadow on the subject.

Aug 30, 2017 at 10:36 PM

DavidBM
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p.2 #6 · p.2 #6 · Super Cheap Laowa 15mm f4 Macro clone..

Fred Miranda wrote:
I'm allowed to focus but it's pretty much unusable almost touching the front element...

Love the last image. Do you know what's its magnification? it looks like a bit closer than 1:4.

Closer to 1:2 - it was a pretty small crocus! But I do love how an ultrawide macro lets you get in amongst the little things for a change, rather than isolating them.

Aug 30, 2017 at 10:39 PM

Fred Miranda
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p.2 #7 · p.2 #7 · Super Cheap Laowa 15mm f4 Macro clone..

GMPhotography wrote:
Dang that may have been fun.

You would like the Laowa 15/2 or 15/4 for ultra wide macro.

Aug 30, 2017 at 10:42 PM

Fred Miranda
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p.2 #8 · p.2 #8 · Super Cheap Laowa 15mm f4 Macro clone..

DavidBM wrote:
Closer to 1:2 - it was a pretty small crocus! But I do love how an ultrawide macro lets you get in amongst the little things for a change, rather than isolating them.

It's a great look. Very unique David.

Aug 30, 2017 at 10:42 PM

DavidBM
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p.2 #9 · p.2 #9 · Super Cheap Laowa 15mm f4 Macro clone..

Fred Miranda wrote:
I didn't try that yet. Could be fun.

BTW: I got the Kenko tubes and although well built, they feel lose on my lenses. Both 10mm and 16mm tubes mount securely on the camera but wobble on my lenses.

My Kenkos are fine on the camera, ok on the lens, but wobble against each other if I mount both!

Aug 30, 2017 at 10:43 PM

Fred Miranda
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p.2 #10 · p.2 #10 · Super Cheap Laowa 15mm f4 Macro clone..

DavidBM wrote:
My Kenkos are fine on the camera, ok on the lens, but wobble against each other if I mount both!

There is probably some variability...

Aug 30, 2017 at 10:43 PM

Fred Miranda
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p.2 #11 · p.2 #11 · Super Cheap Laowa 15mm f4 Macro clone..

BTW: The Laowa 15/4 seems to be optimized for close distance. At infinity, my copy does not look good even in the center.

Aug 30, 2017 at 10:45 PM

DavidBM
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p.2 #12 · p.2 #12 · Super Cheap Laowa 15mm f4 Macro clone..

Fred Miranda wrote:
BTW: The Laowa 15/4 seems to be optimized for close distance. At infinity, my copy does not look good even in the center.

Yes that's my sense, despite what some reviews have claimed. And the distortion seems extreme at normal distances too. There was no correction in a Lightroom that I could do that made an acceptable interior shot. Definitely a lens for someone wanting to do wide macro with it. Still, cheap enough that it's not crazy to have such a specialized tool. My ( wonderful, I will rave some other time) five element +5 Raynox diopter cost as much as the original Laowa version of the lens!

Aug 30, 2017 at 10:53 PM

Parariss
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p.2 #13 · p.2 #13 · Super Cheap Laowa 15mm f4 Macro clone..

Anyone tried using the e-mount adapter that came with the lens? Doesn't seem to actually fit e-mount.

Aug 30, 2017 at 11:28 PM

jwpstl
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p.2 #14 · p.2 #14 · Super Cheap Laowa 15mm f4 Macro clone..

I picked up one of the Opteka knockoffs in Nikon mount to compare against the actual Laowa and it wasn't even close to the same. They may look similar in design but the image quality was miles apart. I couldn't get an image even close to sharp at any aperture from the Opteka while the Laowa is sharp right from f/4. I may have received a bad copy but it's not worth trying to get a good one. The Opteka is already on its way back to Amazon for a refund.

Sep 07, 2017 at 10:54 AM

DavidBM
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p.2 #15 · p.2 #15 · Super Cheap Laowa 15mm f4 Macro clone..

jwpstl wrote:
I picked up one of the Opteka knockoffs in Nikon mount to compare against the actual Laowa and it wasn't even close to the same. They may look similar in design but the image quality was miles apart. I couldn't get an image even close to sharp at any aperture from the Opteka while the Laowa is sharp right from f/4. I may have received a bad copy but it's not worth trying to get a good one. The Opteka is already on its way back to Amazon for a refund.

My knockoff was sharp as a tack from wide open.
Bad copies happen; but I see no pragmatic reason not to try for a good opteka unless we had tons of cases of bad optekas.

Given what Frogfish says, though, I think there is a stronger case for a principled objection to the opteka than I once did. Recall that the odds of this being an actual knock off are very low - the cost of copying and reverse engineering a lens as complex as this are prohibitive, and you couldn't sell it cheap. My original thought was that Laowa had sold off excess stock of the optical units. The only other thing xplanation was that the factory of manufacturing had produced extra runs without Laowa knowing, and sold them off. Frogfish says this is not uncommon in Chinese manufacturing. If so, I don't think I'd want to reward the factory for this.

Sep 07, 2017 at 05:09 PM

GMPhotography
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p.2 #16 · p.2 #16 · Super Cheap Laowa 15mm f4 Macro clone..

If that's the practice going on I will not support it with my cash.

One instance is Photoclam copied exactly Arca Swiss ball heads and selling them cheap. Being a service industry photographer that is very copyright infringement sensitive. I will not support these copyright infringements

Please do the same folks.

Sep 07, 2017 at 05:13 PM

Asael
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p.2 #17 · p.2 #17 · Super Cheap Laowa 15mm f4 Macro clone..

So here is my experience.
Got the Laowa, it was dripping oil from the shift mechanism. The thought of oil getting on my sensor scared me enough to try the Opteka.
First Opteka, when I took off the hood, the lens came apart! (Unscrewed into 2 pieces).
Second Opteka, no infinity focus (with 2 knows good adapters), and completely soft on one side.
Third Opteka, there was something stuck in the center of the lens, I think was a small fly (certainly not dust).
I really wanted this lens, but...
Final note, if you do want to play the Opeka lottery, order one that is fulfilled by Amazon, not by Circuit City – you’ll thank me when you have to return it.

Sep 07, 2017 at 09:36 PM

rmanke
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p.2 #18 · p.2 #18 · Super Cheap Laowa 15mm f4 Macro clone..

I bought one of these, and it has a flaw, so I suspect that these are flawed lenses that don't pass inspection, and someone takes them and puts a new housing on them and sells them at a cheaper price.

As you can see in the comments, the reviews are a bit of a mixed bag, including one that said it was out of focus, so I suspect these are just lenses that didn't pass quality assurance.

Dec 02, 2018 at 04:47 PM

rmanke
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p.2 #19 · p.2 #19 · Super Cheap Laowa 15mm f4 Macro clone..

Fred Miranda wrote:
BTW: The Laowa 15/4 seems to be optimized for close distance. At infinity, my copy does not look good even in the center.

Yes, I agree. I think it is meant for Macros, and trying to use it as a regular wide angle lens will just end up making you frustrated at the softness of the focus.

It is really amazing at what it IS good at though!

Dec 02, 2018 at 04:51 PM

realVivek
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p.2 #20 · p.2 #20 · Super Cheap Laowa 15mm f4 Macro clone..

DavidBM wrote:
R&D is not free even for a clone: you have to source the aspeherics, the ED elements etc.

How do you know the fake one has aspherics and ED elements?

Dec 02, 2018 at 08:10 PM

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