New Laowa 180mm Macro Lens

rmpsrpms

I've generally recommended against dedicated macro lenses for folks using Full Frame cameras in favor of bellows due to the 1:1 magnification limit. But Laowa has recently released a 180mm macro capable of 1.5x magnification, which is enough to fill the FF sensor with a Dime, and almost fill it with a Trime, making it the first dedicated lens of its kind to give full range coin photography without having to use a teleconverter, etc.

Here's a link to the new lens. I have not evaluated one so don't know how well it actually works, but it is certainly worth checking out reviews before buying another lens. Unfortunately it is MF only for macro, but at $499 retail it's cheaper than other long macros:

https://www.venuslens.net/product/laowa-180mm-f-4-5-1-5x-ultra-macro-apo/?srsltid=AfmBOor5msxkYvf9OFommfS0PqIQCfs0hJdhXtmPUMamY_k6OUiJsCfr

keyman64

As a frequent photographer, not so much with coins anymore though, it’s interesting. I’ve always stuck with matching the brand of lens with brand of camera though and shoot with a Nikon Z9. I’ve also never bought a MF lens and would not start doing so today. I can appreciate the180mm focal length at that price point though. I’d wait for a ton of positive reviews before trying something like that though. I try to learn from the mistakes of others when it comes to photography gear and we already know this is MF which is frequently an exercise in frustration.

yosclimber

Interesting.
One disadvantage is that its autofocus only works for distances 1.5 meters or greater.

rmpsrpms

Yes, it is MF, but macro work really should be done in MF anyway to ensure critical focus. AF lenses often miss focus and you won't know until you have already moved on to the next coins. With good MF technique you can get perfection every time, and without much extra work. I view the AF in far focus only as an acceptance of this concept.

Old_Collector

I prefer a 100mm lens on my mirrorless Canon, I can shoot pretty much anything using my 1000mm copy stand, started with 500mm by needed to go pick up a 1000mm 4040 bar to shoot larger stuff. I pretty much always use manual focus and since it is computer linked I can shoot a bunch and pick out the best focus and lighting with very little effort.

yosclimber

When shooting many coins rapidly, autofocus is very helpful.
When shooting one coin or one part of a coin very carefully, sure, manual focus gives you full control.

rmpsrpms

@Old_Collector said:
I prefer a 100mm lens on my mirrorless Canon, I can shoot pretty much anything using my 1000mm copy stand, started with 500mm by needed to go pick up a 1000mm 4040 bar to shoot larger stuff. I pretty much always use manual focus and since it is computer linked I can shoot a bunch and pick out the best focus and lighting with very little effort.

Does your mirrorless Canon not have Live View? Since you're computer connected, just use Live View to nail focus on-screen, then you only have to shoot one shot per coin, perfect every time. Plus it's much easier to use the big computer screen to align the coin in the frame, adjust lighting, etc.

yosclimber

I agree that LiveView is great for aligning the coin and adjusting lighting.
For focus, I find zooming in to the .JPG image file with an image viewer shows me more than what I can see on LiveView with my 23" diagonal monitor. Maybe I should be zooming in directly in LiveView before taking the shot, but that has not been part of my routine so far.

rmpsrpms

It's easy to zoom directly in Live View with 100% view, and that's how you achieve critical focus. The overall view is usually a bit fuzzy. It's better on newer cameras, but still only sharp when you do the 100% view. It looks exactly like it will in the final jpg.