Not really: it pays to have a good relationship with a store! Or be prepared to quote chapter and verse from consumer law. Of course you can buy from B&H.
But the advice is for most FM members; only a few of us are from Oz.
Aztatlan wrote:
Does such a place exist in Australia?
DavidBM wrote:
Not really: it pays to have a good relationship with a store! Or be prepared to quote chapter and verse from consumer law. Of course you can buy from B&H.
But the advice is for most FM members; only a few of us are from Oz.
Mainline do offer excellent after-sales service if you have a problem, but sadly they are the only one I can think of. And as they pretty much only sell CV gear, it doesn't help much if you want something else. I remember once they were kind enough to let me take a copy of the CV15 out onto the street to test - no security deposit or anything required - and I subsequently purchased it after validating it was a good copy. I did have to return a decentered lens to them once though and they accepted it back without hestiation. I'd buy 100% of my stuff from them if they sold more brands.
The consumer law dance is tiring, I've been through that before. Someone from CR Kennedy once tried to blame "the megapixels" of my camera for a decentered Loxia lens That was a fun discussion...
ScottUPPSALA wrote:
Read an unfortunate review on shutterbug yesterday and the fact that dust and grease could definitely be a problem has put me off buying it!
You guys that have purchased one, have you had any issues yet?
Here's a link to the review! https://www.shutterbug.com/content/laowa-100mm-f28-2x-ultra-macro-apo-lens-review
Unfortunate, yes. The "7mm" is a 7.5mm and is for m4/3 only, effectively a 15mm..
The Nikon AI mount fits the Sony via an AI adapter and acts as a fully manual lens.
The 100 covers full frame but is fines on m4/3, giving 4:1. (I use the 25mm 2:1 on m4/3).
As for "A tripod is an absolute must" at 2:1. Sheer nonsense. I shoot hundreds of macros every week at up to 3:1 and many higher and have not used a tripod in years. It takes some practice and sensible choice of shutter speeds. leaning on one elbow, or both, can act as a tripod for very close work at ground level or when sat at a table. That is in daylight. Most macro at the higher magnifications is with full flash which eliminates all hand movement, apart from the very clumsiest.
Anyone who thinks they can purchase such a lens, fit to their camera and walk outside, taking prize-winning macro images is being very optimistic. Just framing the subject is more difficult than you might expect. Holding the camera steady takes lots of practice.
e6filmuser wrote:
Unfortunate, yes. The "7mm" is a 7.5mm and is for m4/3 only, effectively a 15mm..
The Nikon AI mount fits the Sony via an AI adapter and acts as a fully manual lens.
The 100 covers full frame but is fines on m4/3, giving 4:1. (I use the 25mm 2:1 on m4/3).
As for "A tripod is an absolute must" at 2:1. Sheer nonsense. I shoot hundreds of macros every week at up to 3:1 and many higher and have not used a tripod in years. It takes some practice and sensible choice of shutter speeds. leaning on one elbow, or both, can act as a tripod for very close work at ground level or when sat at a table. That is in daylight. Most macro at the higher magnifications is with full flash which eliminates all hand movement, apart from the very clumsiest.
Anyone who thinks they can purchase such a lens, fit to their camera and walk outside, taking prize-winning macro images is being very optimistic. Just framing the subject is more difficult than you might expect. Holding the camera steady takes lots of practice....Show more →
Samples:
Hand-held, all at higher than 2:1:
Full frame, (x2.5 to x5) FOV 14mm down to 7mm wide.
1/ I bought a used lens from Teds. It was a long time ago, my first DSLR. They refunded my money with little argument but made it clear they were unhappy. As it turns out newbie mistake by me and failure by them to assume I was honest and ask questions. The problem was I was using a polariser (not a Circular polariser!) on a DSLR.
2/ I bought a new lens from D-D, years ago when glen was still the owner, running out of his apartment.
I was unhappy with sharpness wide open and he honoured his stated policy of refund within 7 days.
3/ I bought a Sigma 50 1.4 EX from DCW. Got home and it would only AF if i helped it by manually focusing to nearly in focus. Straight back to the shop and they replaced it on the spot, as they should, but I did not like their attitude, they seemed suspicious, maybe the salesperson was just not confident. I would not feel confident I could return a lens if I judged it to be soft.
Over the past 2 years or so I have bought from Camera Warehouse at Tempe. Their prices are usually lowest available or close to lowest. I have negotiated to buy at Discounted Sales price shortly after the sale ended.
Owner is Ben. I have not been unfortunate to need to try a return but I am confident that if and or when I do need to, they will act as I think they should.
What I do think you will get from Camera Warehouse is straight talk. Call and ask them about return policy.
I don't think they will promise one thing then change attitude if you try a return. If you want to start building a relationship with a store, their prices are good and the owner is almost always at the shop and available.
Aztatlan wrote:
Mainline do offer excellent after-sales service if you have a problem, but sadly they are the only one I can think of. And as they pretty much only sell CV gear, it doesn't help much if you want something else. I remember once they were kind enough to let me take a copy of the CV15 out onto the street to test - no security deposit or anything required - and I subsequently purchased it after validating it was a good copy. I did have to return a decentered lens to them once though and they accepted it back without hestiation. I'd buy 100% of my stuff from them if they sold more brands.
The consumer law dance is tiring, I've been through that before. Someone from CR Kennedy once tried to blame "the megapixels" of my camera for a decentered Loxia lens That was a fun discussion......Show more →
Yep Mainline are great.
The consumer law dance is very tiring, though if you actually look it up it usually works. In particular there is a clause which says that you get to decide whether the retailer or the manufacturer/distributor should redress the issue. This helps if a store tries to send the lens you are complaining about to the manufacturer, only typically to be returned to you as "in tolerance".
But it is a pain and exhausting; so much so that I won't buy lenses with a known high variability any more because it's not worth the hassle (though I would take that risk if I lived in the US)
DavidBM wrote:
The consumer law dance is very tiring, though if you actually look it up it usually works. In particular there is a clause which says that you get to decide whether the retailer or the manufacturer/distributor should redress the issue. This helps if a store tries to send the lens you are complaining about to the manufacturer, only typically to be returned to you as "in tolerance".
But it is a pain and exhausting; so much so that I won't buy lenses with a known high variability any more because it's not worth the hassle (though I would take that risk if I lived in the US)...Show more →
The "gotcha" with that clause you refer to is that the problem must be considered "major" for the consumer to have the right to choose the remedy. A "minor" problem entitles the seller to repair it (which, as you note, would likely lead to the lens coming back untouched as in tolerance.) The law does not go far enough in defining what a major fault is though, which unscrupulous retailers will use to their advantage. I mean, it has a list of criteria for what a major fault is, but they are so vague as to be just about useless. Eg the one that says a problem is a major if you would not have bought the product had you known about the issue. I find this one ridiculous - who would buy ANY product that had a problem, no matter how minor, if there was an identical one next to it with no fault at all? By that definition any possible fault is major...
I once had to use the description on the website against a retailer, where they had copy-and-pasted the manufacturers marketing spiel and it claimed the lens was "sharp from edge to edge" which this one wasn't. Doesn't match description = refund thanks
I have nothing but praise for how well B&H handle returns. In NYC once I bought a copy of the CV15 (before getting it from Mainline) and it had the smeared corners so I returned it. Next copy - same issue. In the end the guy at the returns desk just brought a few copies down for me to try, all were bad, and then he said they had no more stock so I got a refund. I'm the same as you - I don't buy high variability lenses anymore, at least not without being able to thoroughly test them on a tripod prior to paying.
From David's review, the macro smooth rendering, round specular highlights (Thanks to the 13 blades) at small apertures and low optical vignetting (low cat-eye off-axis) is what sets this lens apart from the competition. (and price! )
Fred Miranda wrote:
From David's review, the macro smooth rendering, round specular highlights (Thanks to the 13 blades) at small apertures and low optical vignetting (low cat-eye off-axis) is what sets this lens apart from the competition. (and price! )
Something simple like specular highlight rendering can become a big issue. I'm starting to hate my Canon 100L macro because of the often distracting "onion ring" highlights and some weird kind of very colorful CA with high contrast areas near 1:1 (not corrected with in-camera lens corrections or DLO).
Haven't seen those problems with the Sigma 150 non-IS macro that I had before, but with most macro lenses you only find out in practical use when you can no longer return the lens ...
I received my copy of the Laowa 100/2.8 E-mount today and I'm very impressed by it. Excellent resolution at macro and infinity.
At infinity it's actually quite amazing from wide open even at the extreme corners and I was not expecting that performance for a 2X macro lens.
The focus throw is definitely too short and there is too much resistance when turning the ring but it's smooth to fine tune focus.
This lens is a steal for the price, build quality and optical performance. Contrast is higher than I thought it would be.
The copy I received is perfectly centered and came with a UV filter and tripod collar.
Fred Miranda wrote:
I received my copy of the Laowa 100/2.8 E-mount today and I'm very impressed by it. Excellent resolution at macro and infinity.
At infinity it's actually quite amazing from wide open even at the extreme corners and I was not expecting that performance for a 2X macro lens.
The focus throw is definitely too short and there is too much resistance when turning the ring but it's smooth to fine tune focus.
This lens is a steal for the price, build quality and optical performance. Contrast is higher than I thought it would be.
The copy I received is perfectly centered and came with a UV filter and tripod collar....Show more →
Keep that UV filter on to keep dust from mixing with the layer of lubricant on the inside of the outer lens barrel...
DavidBM wrote:
Keep that UV filter on to keep dust from mixing with the layer of lubricant on the inside of the outer lens barrel...
I agree David. There is lubricant on the inner barrel so it's probably best to keep that filter always on it. I've noticed that the hood is not very easy to attach, as it takes some resistance to rotate it on the lens. Did you experience that as well?
Fred Miranda wrote:
I received my copy of the Laowa 100/2.8 E-mount today and I'm very impressed by it. Excellent resolution at macro and infinity.
At infinity it's actually quite amazing from wide open even at the extreme corners and I was not expecting that performance for a 2X macro lens.
The focus throw is definitely too short and there is too much resistance when turning the ring but it's smooth to fine tune focus.
This lens is a steal for the price, build quality and optical performance. Contrast is higher than I thought it would be.
The copy I received is perfectly centered and came with a UV filter and tripod collar....Show more →
Your copy came with a tripod collar? Interesting, at the venuslens website they sell it separately. Where did you get yours?
Anybody else got the lens with collar?
But good to hear that you like the lens. I just ordered mine this weekend.
Jul 28, 2019 at 11:29 AM
imagesfromobjects Offline • • • • Upload & Sell: Off
Interesting and great news! I felt similarly about the focus on the 15/2- was a lot stiffer than I would have preferred. Amazing lens, though. Relwted- what direction is the focus? Please tell me that it's not the wrong, er, I mean Nikon way like the 15?
Fred Miranda wrote:
I received my copy of the Laowa 100/2.8 E-mount today and I'm very impressed by it. Excellent resolution at macro and infinity.
At infinity it's actually quite amazing from wide open even at the extreme corners and I was not expecting that performance for a 2X macro lens.
The focus throw is definitely too short and there is too much resistance when turning the ring but it's smooth to fine tune focus.
This lens is a steal for the price, build quality and optical performance. Contrast is higher than I thought it would be.
The copy I received is perfectly centered and came with a UV filter and tripod collar....Show more →
imagesfromobjects wrote:
Interesting and great news! I felt similarly about the focus on the 15/2- was a lot stiffer than I would have preferred. Amazing lens, though. Relwted- what direction is the focus? Please tell me that it's not the wrong, er, I mean Nikon way like the 15?
Unfortunately, the focusing ring rotates the same direction as Nikon lenses.
Here is a 13 image focus stacked of a banana. (It needed way more images at 2:1 as you can see stacking errors)
Still impressive performance at 2:1
Shot at f/5.6 and 2:1 mag. (13 images stacked in Zerene) - Probably needed 20 images.
Impressive! I'll have to get either the Canon or Nikon version to use it on the S1R, and hopefully it will also cover the GFX sensor at high magnification.
The Canon 100mm 2.8 (or, indeed, every other macro lens in this focal length range) does not go to 2:1. IMHO, the comparison point is irrelevant, regardless of price.
