Venus Optics Laowa Aksen 17.5mm f/1.7 5-10x Ultra Macro APO Lens (Nikon F)

Overview

The Venus Optics Laowa Aksen 17.5mm f/1.7 5-10x Ultra Macro APO Lens (Nikon F) is a full-frame ultra macro lens built for Nikon F mount cameras, offering a genuine 5:1 to 10:1 magnification range with a wide f/1.7 to f/5.6 aperture. Its apochromatic optical design, made up of 17 elements in 12 groups, resolves fine detail with minimal color fringing even at extreme magnification, making it a specialist choice for macro photography, product photography, and focus stacking work where subjects are captured many times larger than life.

With a fixed 2.25 cm working distance from the front of the lens, this lens holds a consistent, repeatable framing distance as magnification increases, while its internal parfocal zoom lets you shift between 5x and 10x without losing focus or needing to move the camera. The compact, lightweight barrel suits both handheld shooting and mounted use on a motorized focus stacking rig, and its stable weight distribution through the zoom range makes it equally well suited to macro videography.

Apochromatic Optics Control Color Fringing

The Aksen series uses an apochromatic optical formula engineered to control chromatic aberration at high magnification. This correction reduces color fringing around fine detail and edges, helping preserve texture and clarity in extreme close up images where fringing is normally most visible.

Parfocal Zoom Holds Focus Through the Range

Because the lens is parfocal, focus stays locked as you adjust magnification anywhere between 5:1 and 10:1, without needing to refocus or reposition your subject or lighting. The internal zoom mechanism also keeps the lens length and weight distribution constant throughout the zoom range, which is especially useful when working on a focus rail or motorized rig.

Built for Handheld and Rig Based Macro Work

• The 11-blade diaphragm produces smooth focus falloff at shallow depth of field.
• The wide-angle optical design provides greater depth of field than a telephoto macro lens at the same magnification.
• Using the lens on medium format cameras introduces varying levels of vignetting depending on magnification.
• The lightweight, compact body is easy to handle on its own or mounted to a motorized focus stacking rig.