Laowa 24mm f/14 2X Macro Probe for Leica L

Macro lenses in the market tend to have a long focal length (from 60mm to 120mm) and the subject fills most of the frame, isolating it from the surrounding environment. Our Laowa 24mm, instead, allows you to focus really close – 2 cm (0.8 in.) @ 2:1  to the subject, showing a great amount of detail and texture. But at the same time, you can enjoy a compelling wide angle ‘Bug Eye’ view (84.1°) so that more of the background details can be included in the shot. You can easily create a very informative and stunning macro bug-eye perspective that no other lens can do! The fact that it can focus really close to the subject enables a lot of shooting possibilities.

© Jie Ge

© Jie Ge

Shooting in the wild © Jie Ge

Studio Shooting on onion © Shenzhen TV

As macro photographers ourselves, we usually face the problem of not being able to shoot smaller subjects. With our Laowa probe, you can now take advantage of the 2:1 maximum magnification to shoot really small bugs and reveal details that cannot be seen with the naked eye. It is particularly useful for videographers since both finer details and environmental backgrounds can be captured in one shot.

Wide Magnification range (GIF) – Kiwi

© Packshot Factory Ltd, London UK

© Clemens Wirth on PCB Board

Focus as close as 2cm (@ 2:1)

The wide angle design also means much greater depth of field at close distances (compared to the telephoto macro lens) so that more background details can now be seen. Being able to focus so close but still have deep epth of field is a BIG advantage for both studio and wildlife photography.

DOF comparison between 24mm f/14 and traditional tele macro

For example, the bug below is around 4 mm (0.15 in.) in size and it was captured by our 24mm f/14 Probe at 2:1 Macro magnification. The greater DOF allows more leaf area to be in focus compared to telephoto lens.

© Jie Ge

© Macro Room

© Xi Gong Jiang Ren

The less blurry background allows the habitat of the subject to be included in your photo.

© Jie Ge

Do not understand this weird design? For traditional macro lenses, you need to get really close to your subject in order to take a good macro shot. But some areas are just simply inaccessible. Thanks to the 40 cm (15.7 in.) long barrel, you can focus really close to the subject but still keep yourself and your camera a reasonable distance away. This feature is super useful and makes your macro shooting so much easier. Imagine how convenient it will be to shoot a frog hiding in the bushes using our Probe lens, compared to getting your typical 100mm macro lens super close to it to avoid leaves blocking your subject.

Shooting in the wild © Jie Ge

Shooting lethal snakes? No problem. The long lens barrel also allows us to keep a safe distance away from shooting lethal snakes. Your big camera body and lens will no longer “alert” your subject of your arrival.

Shooting lethal snakes in desert © Alex Jones

From a filmmaking perspective, the Tubular Lens barrel also allows shooting a lot of “slide in” shots through tiny areas. Imagine sliding the lens between candles on your birthday cake or sliding the lens inside a drink bottle. Something that no other lens on earth can do. Our opening product showcase shot in the main video also used this technique.

© Packshot Factory Ltd, London UK

BTS of Kickstarter Video shooting

Getting proper lighting onto the subject is not always an easy task for macro photography. Typical macro lenses have large lens barrels (at least 60mm or above in diameter), blocking most of the light from hitting the subject. Our Laowa probe, on the other hand, features a 20mm diameter lens tip which makes it super easy to get sufficient illumination.

© Jie Ge

The tiny 0.2 cm diameter lens tip unlocks the possibility to get really close to your subject (OR very low to the ground level) to capture a “delicious” perspective never seen before and maximizes the visual impact . Your viewers are literally walking on the pizza!

© Modernist Cuisine US

Or you can insert it into caves, bottles, burrows or some tiny creepy wet holes for some unique footage. And its waterproof too!

© Macro Room

You think that’s cool enough? Think again. In order to bring you an even more exciting perspective and take your photos or video to the next level, we have made the front barrel of the Laowa probe waterproof. The waterproof design also implies that shooting in dusty environments or with fine powders is not going to be a problem anymore. You can literally use it ANYWHERE.

Shooting in a pond

© Packshot Factory Ltd, London UK

© MHW Studio, Hong Kong

© MWH Studio, Hong Kong

P.S. The waterproof front barrel cover is not removable in the final version.

What? It’s an f/14 not f/1.4? Why is there a LED ring light at the front? Macro photography is about Depth of Field and smaller apertures are usually required. An LED ring light (powered by an optional external battery) is embedded in the lens tip to provide additional lighting for focus assistance. In most cases, the more lighting you have on your subject, the better your shot will look. An included variable-output Control cable lets you adjust the amount of light from the LED.

The Laowa 24mm f/14 Probe can cover both the standard 35mm full frame & Super35 image sensor.

With so many features equipped in one lens? Is this thing going to be as heavy as a big rock? Despite the weird look and long tubular design, the Laowa probe is actually super light and easy to carry. It weighs only 1.04 pounds (474 grams), even lighter than a bottle of Coke.

From indie to professional. From macro to wide angle. From still to video. From studio to wildlife. This lens is designed for everyone. This lens is designed to bring each and every photographer and videographer a new striking perspective to shoot. Are your ready to infuse your creativity into this lens and create shots that nobody has seen before?