Laowa Venus 24mm F/14 Macro Probe Lens

Jim Decker · Issue 113, Mar/Apr 2020 · pp. 43–45

Products mentioned: Laowa Venus 24mm ƒ14 Macro Probe Lens, Canon EOS R, Sony a7R III

“Whoa! What is that thing?!?” is the most common question I get when people see the Laowa Venus 24mm ƒ14 Macro Probe Lens on my underwater camera rig. The best way to describe it is a super macro lens with a wide field of view. It has a minimum working distance of less than an inch with a 24mm lens field of view. At minimum focus, the reproduction ratio is twice life-size at 2:1, which is equivalent to using an SLR macro lens with a +10 to +12 diopter. This lens is about serious macro capability, but with a much wider field of view. Referred to as a “bug-eye” effect, it can lead to some very interesting shots. The lens has an LED ring light surrounding the lens element that requires a battery pack to operate. While the battery pack fits inside the housing I used, there is no way to control the light output — I would have had to turn on the light before sealing up the housing with no opti…