The Venus Laowa 58mm F2.8 2x Ultra-Macro APO ($499) focuses much closer than other macro lenses. At its closest focus distance, it projects objects onto the sensor at twice life-size, so you can realize details in pictures that you'll struggle to see with your naked eye. There's some skill involved—you need to focus manually and likely add some light for the best results—but macro experts should take a look if they're hoping to go beyond 1:1 with a lens that can also lock focus on far-off subjects.

Manual Focus for Mirrorless Systems

Venus Laowa has made a name for itself making manual focus lenses with underserved optical formulas. The 58mm F2.8 2x is another example, following unique designs like the company's snout-length 24mm Macro Probe and the ultra-wide 10-18mm full-frame zoom. The 58mm F2.8 2x isn't quite as exotic, but it is a type of lens you won't find from first-party manufacturers. Canon, Nikon, Sony, and others only offer up to 1:1 macros for their respective mirrorless camera systems.

The 58mm is a more traditional design, at least on the outside. Optics are housed in a black, metal barrel, with dimensions that aren't out of line. The Laowa 58mm 2x measures 4.6 by 2.9 inches (HD), weighs about 1.3 pounds, and supports 67mm front filters. Venus makes the lens for Canon RF, L-Mount Alliance, Nikon Z, and Sony E camera systems.

The Laowa 58mm is a metal barrel lens and is fully mechanical. That means it doesn't support any sort of electronic communication with a camera, so there's no way for the lens to automatically activate focus assists or send EXIF data to your camera to record its f-stop.

The lens also skips weather protection, so take care when using it outdoors. Focus is internal, though, so at least the 58mm has fewer points of ingress for dust and water droplets than macros that telescope outward. The internal focus also makes it a bit easier to mount an accessory ring light to the front.

And adding light is a real necessity to get good-looking results when working at high magnification. The lens doesn't gather as much light when focused close-up, and you'll want to use a very small f-stop to get more than a sliver of a subject in focus. We used the dual-strobe Flashpoint MF-12 macro flash set to add some light to my macro shots. The flashes attach to the front of the lens, so light falls right on your subject—a big plus for macro photography.

As for controls, they're pretty basic. The 58mm Ultra-Macro includes a knurled metal manual focus ring and an aperture control ring. The focus ring turns comfortably, with a decent amount of resistance, and has distance scales marking the focal plane in feet and meters, along with the corresponding magnification ratio.

The aperture ring clicks into place at full stops from f/2.8 down through f/22; there's no room on the ring to print an indicator for the f/16 setting, so it's marked by a dot in between f/11 and f/22.

The lens aperture isn't coupled or electronically controlled, so you'll need to deal with stop-down focusing and metering. An EVF camera comes in handy here, as the viewfinder will boost its gain to show an image if you're trying to set focus at a small f-stop. For the clearest image in the viewfinder, you'll want to keep the aperture fairly open to set focus and ratchet down your f-stop before taking an image. While the camera didn't save EXIF data, most of my keepers with the lens were made between f/11 and f/22. 

You'll also miss out on creature comforts like optical stabilization. Handheld use isn't out of the realm of possibility—I'm not one to carry a tripod for photo walks and made plenty of photos with the lens and a stabilized camera—but this is a lens that works better on a stabilized platform.

Venus Laowa 58mm 2x Ultra-Macro APO: In the Lab

PCMag tested two copies of the Laowa 58mm for this review. Our first sample, for the Nikon Z mount, showed signs of de-centered optics, an effect that caused one side of images to be softer than the other. It's only something that affected photos made at moderate to far-off distances, however.

Our second copy, this time in Sony E-mount, was properly aligned and delivered more consistent results at distance. Sample variation isn't something we discuss much in lens reviews these days, as modern computer-aided design and manufacturing have drastically cut your chances of getting a poor sample of a lens. But it's something to watch out for when shopping from a boutique manufacturer like Venus.

In lab tests, the Sony copy delivered outstanding central resolution (5,000-5,200 lines) from f/2.8-f/5.6 on the 60MP a7R IV on an Imatest evaluation. Details aren't as crisp off-center and to the edges, hitting good marks for a high-pixel sensor (3,500-3,800 lines). Contrast is more consistent across the frame at the f-stops you'll use for macro work (f/8-f/16), central performance remains outstanding, and off-center we see very good marks (4,100-4,200 lines).

We're used to seeing optical diffraction set in a little earlier with the a7R IV's sensor, but the 58mm Macro does well from f/11-f/16. You should still skip using f/22 if you can, as it brings the central resolution way down to a just-OK 3,000 lines, though it's possible to get the lens to draw sunstars when the aperture is closed all the way down.

The aperture is a 13-blade circular design, which nets smoothly defocused backdrops. The apochromatic optics improve the look of the background blur too; the 58mm effectively suppresses false color, so there are no distracting halos or fringes in the transitions from in- and out-of-focus parts of your photo.

We induced some lens flare by photographing directly into the sun. It's something to think about if you're looking for the 58mm to perform double duty as an everyday prime, or if you use creative lighting from different angles in the studio for your macro work.

Better Than Life-Size Macro

Macro lenses can be a real joy to use, especially for creators who like to spot the little things in the natural world or create their own unique landscapes in miniature. The Venus Laowa 58mm 2x Ultra-Macro APO lives up to its name and goes beyond what most first-party options manage. Its twice-life-size magnification turns your camera into a handheld microscope; you'll be able to focus in and get new perspectives on flowers, insects, ice crystals, and other tiny wonders.

There's certainly some skill involved in getting good results, but the lens doesn't do as much as others to assist you. We'll forgive the lack of autofocus; the manual focus experience here is a treat for fans of mechanical lenses after all. But we do wish that Venus would add electronic communication to its lenses, as it's proven to be a real asset when we've looked at other manual focus macros like the Voigtlander Macro APO-Lanthar 110mm F2.5.

Even with some drawbacks, the Laowa 58mm 2x Ultra-Macro APO is good enough to recommend to photographers looking for a close-up lens. At $499, it undercuts quality first-party options by at least half—the Canon RF 100mm Macro, Nikon Z 105mm MC, and Sony FE 90mm F2.8 G Macro all sell for $1,000 or more. The Sigma 105mm F2.8 Macro for mirrorless is our favorite value macro; for $799 it supports autofocus and 1:1 magnification, but is only available for L-mount and Sony systems.

There are a few other 2x macros in the Venus line. It also markets the 85mm F5.6 ($449) and 90mm F2.8 ($499) for the same full-frame mirrorless systems as the 58mm. They're worth a peek if you're interested in the concept, but prefer a longer focal length lens—we haven't tested either, but expect them to perform in line with the 58mm.