Venus 15mm 1:1 wide angle macro lens

orionmystery

orionmystery

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kurt
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I received this lens from Venus/Laowa earlier this week and managed to test it out in the field a couple of times. A steep learning curve for me as wide angle macro is something completely new to me. I have seen many wide angle macro shots that I like though but getting the kind of shots I like is a different story altogether. Tough but fun to use and to see bugs in totally different perspective. Liking this lens so far.

Just like the Venus 60mm, this Venus 15mm has no auto-aperture and is fully manual - manual focus, manual stop-down to the aperture setting you want by adjusting the smooth, stepless aperture to the value you want. The viewfinder will be slightly dark, but not as dark as in the case of Venus 60mm from what I remember.

All shots taken with a 70D with fill flash from a diffused Canon 270EX/Nissin i40 on hot shoe. Mostly handheld, but sometimes, on tripod.

Venus 60 2:1 macro lens and Venus 15mm F4 1:1 wide angle macro lens. There is a SHIFT function for the 15mm but that's more for landscape/architecture.
2015-06-29 13.35.45 copy by Kurt (Orionmystery) G, on Flickr

Taken at F11 I think. I think I'll repeat this with smaller aperture, first thing in the morning when the light is good.
Venus 15mm sample shot_MG_1560 copy by Kurt (Orionmystery) G, on Flickr


Venus 15mm sample shot_MG_1508 copy by Kurt (Orionmystery) G, on Flickr

Venus 15mm sample shot_MG_1509 copy by Kurt (Orionmystery) G, on Flickr

Venus 15mm sample shot_MG_1272 copy by Kurt (Orionmystery) G, on Flickr

Venus 15mm sample shot_MG_1255 copy by Kurt (Orionmystery) G, on Flickr

Venus 15mm sample shot_MG_1159 copy by Kurt (Orionmystery) G, on Flickr
 
Cool :) I saw this mentioned on the canonrumors.com site and the people there weren't too sure what to make of it.

Interesting shots :)

Reading about this lens made me feel like trying my Sigma 18-35 with an extension tube just to see what happens but I haven't done it yet hehe.
 
Very nice Kurt looks like you are getting a handle on the lens .

@Phal if you try that setup tag me in as saving for the 18-35 and that idea is one of the reasons ;)
 
Tintin124 said:
Very nice Kurt looks like you are getting a handle on the lens .

@Phal if you try that setup tag me in as saving for the 18-35 and that idea is one of the reasons ;)
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Will try to remember but it'll end up in here somewhere if I forget lol :) I've only done a few closish shots with the 18-35mm. In fact I've done more shots with my 24mm STM even though I hardly ever use it and for some reason the shots taken with that lens attract Flickr traffic :/ The 24mm stm shots have more views than most of my other shots except the explored ones.
 
Oh cool, I was waiting for these! I think your good sized bugs are perfect for this lens Kurt, and you are the perfect photographer to be shooting them!

Think this lens might be on my Christmas list :)
 
lightshipman said:
Lovely shots, must try this with my Sigma 17-70m set wide. Is it intentional that the images are set to private on Flikr?
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I often do the same when I post test shots so I can link them to forums without them showing on my stream.
 
Nice one Kurt, shots look much better than others I have seen floating around the net! How are you finding the lens and how are you finding the CA? The CA has looked really bad on shots I have seen and kind of put me off the lens, but I have to say I have also seen some superb examples which were sent to me and your shots look extremely good as well.
 
Yes this is an interesting lens. These are among the best examples I've seen taken with it so far. Has some interesting possibilities, a macro lens that you can get out whilst landscaping. Is the lens good for taking vistas etc ? What's its quality like for that.
 
Phal said:
Cool :) I saw this mentioned on the canonrumors.com site and the people there weren't too sure what to make of it.

Interesting shots :)

Reading about this lens made me feel like trying my Sigma 18-35 with an extension tube just to see what happens but I haven't done it yet hehe.
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Thanks, Etienne, I tried my Tamron 17-50 on a medium sized frog before but couldn't get close enough. You might have to add tubes to get closer.

Tintin124 said:
Very nice Kurt looks like you are getting a handle on the lens .

Thanks, Bryn. Tough one but fun to use.

NSNO said:
Those beetle shots are superb
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Thank you, Rob.

Paul Iddon said:
I think the mantis really shows it's different to great effect.

Paul.
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Thanks, Paul.

TimmyG said:
Oh cool, I was waiting for these! I think your good sized bugs are perfect for this lens Kurt, and you are the perfect photographer to be shooting them!

Think this lens might be on my Christmas list :)
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Thanks, Tim. It's a great lens and fun to use. Just make sure you can find bigger models that are willing to pose for you! :D

lightshipman said:
Lovely shots, must try this with my Sigma 17-70m set wide. Is it intentional that the images are set to private on Flikr?
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Thank you, Andrew. I am pretty sure you'll have to add tubes to get close enough. Yes, intentionally set to private as I posted multiple shots and I don't want to confuse viewers.

Rockshifter said:
Top shots Kurt √√√√√
I want that lens real bad .
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Thanks, Charles.

Neil Burnell said:
Nice one Kurt, shots look much better than others I have seen floating around the net! How are you finding the lens and how are you finding the CA? The CA has looked really bad on shots I have seen and kind of put me off the lens, but I have to say I have also seen some superb examples which were sent to me and your shots look extremely good as well.
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Thanks, Neil. I think it's a great lens if you don't mind it being completely manual i.e no auto focus, no auto aperture. You'll have to dial to the aperture of your choice and as soon as you do that, the lens is stopped down. Unlike in our modern lenses where even after you dial to say F11, the aperture still stays wide open at F2.8 or F4 depending on the lens.

I was expecting to see lots of CA but the result was surprisingly good.

ChrisA said:
Yes this is an interesting lens. These are among the best examples I've seen taken with it so far. Has some interesting possibilities, a macro lens that you can get out whilst landscaping. Is the lens good for taking vistas etc ? What's its quality like for that.
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Thanks, Chris. This is a wide angle macro as welll as a landscap/architecture lens. It has a SHIFT feature on it. I have posted a few full res images to my Flickr, check them out for sharpness at F32, F22, F16 and F11, and also CA.
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I know you said you think the tilt option is mostly for architecture stuff but I wonder how it could be applied to macro?
 
Phal said:
I know you said you think the tilt option is mostly for architecture stuff but I wonder how it could be applied to macro?
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I believe @G.K.Jnr. said he's had experience with tilt-shift macro, and they can be used to increase the DoF. You basically adjust the plane of focus so it isn't parallel to the sensor, so you get more depth. I may have misunderstood the mechanics, so don't quote me on that...
 
TimmyG said:
I believe @G.K.Jnr. said he's had experience with tilt-shift macro, and they can be used to increase the DoF. You basically adjust the plane of focus so it isn't parallel to the sensor, so you get more depth. I may have misunderstood the mechanics, so don't quote me on that...
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Yeah that's pretty much what I imagined. You'd be able to get an insect with a long body in more in focus without being perpendicular to the body itself... If I've understood it correctly lol
 
TimmyG said:
I believe @G.K.Jnr. said he's had experience with tilt-shift macro, and they can be used to increase the DoF. You basically adjust the plane of focus so it isn't parallel to the sensor, so you get more depth. I may have misunderstood the mechanics, so don't quote me on that...
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Phal said:
Yeah that's pretty much what I imagined. You'd be able to get an insect with a long body in more in focus without being perpendicular to the body itself... If I've understood it correctly lol
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That's correct but the Venus only has shift not tilt and tilt is what you need for increased/decreased dof. Cambridge in colour have a great section on dof with tilt/shift :)
 
TimmyG said:
I believe @G.K.Jnr. said he's had experience with tilt-shift macro, and they can be used to increase the DoF. You basically adjust the plane of focus so it isn't parallel to the sensor, so you get more depth. I may have misunderstood the mechanics, so don't quote me on that...
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Tilt & Swing is what you need for increased or decreased DOF Tim.(y)

Rise & Fall (or shift as it's called) is not used for increasing DOF, it's used for getting bits of a subject in shot without tilting the camera plain ie tops of buildings etc without converging verticals.

George.
 
G.K.Jnr. said:
Tilt & Swing is what you need for increased or decreased DOF Tim.(y)

Rise & Fall (or shift as it's called) is not used for increasing DOF, it's used for getting bits of a subject in shot without tilting the camera plain ie tops of buildings etc without converging verticals.

George.
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Yeah what I said ;) :p lmao
 
That your house? :p

Question is, can the shift be used in any way for macro?
 
Definitely more interested in this lens again now, as I was going to get a wider lens for my landscaping anyway and my filters will fit :) Kurt, I will drop you a PM on FB as would like to see high res shots of the temple if possible?
 
WOW... just Wow! If there's another Macro lens I would consider buying, it's this one. I'm perfectly happy with my 100L and not fussed about going 2:1 or even 5:1 (presently) but this Wide angle Macro stuff is fascinating. Fantastic examples Kurt. Definitely a lens to put on the consider list :)
 
As another owner of the Iaowa 60mm 2:1 Super MacroI have to say I'm quite interested in this lens, though I doubt my credit card would be happy with another £420 hit.... easpecially when I'm also looking at the Lensbaby Composer Pro System Kit
 
Neil Burnell said:
Definitely more interested in this lens again now, as I was going to get a wider lens for my landscaping anyway and my filters will fit :) Kurt, I will drop you a PM on FB as would like to see high res shots of the temple if possible?
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Sure, Neil. I'll try to see if I have any other pics.

IanClark said:
WOW... just Wow! If there's another Macro lens I would consider buying, it's this one. I'm perfectly happy with my 100L and not fussed about going 2:1 or even 5:1 (presently) but this Wide angle Macro stuff is fascinating. Fantastic examples Kurt. Definitely a lens to put on the consider list :)
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Yes, i am actually more interested in this lens then the Venus 2:1. It's fun to see bugs in different perspective.

Ryewolf said:
As another owner of the Iaowa 60mm 2:1 Super MacroI have to say I'm quite interested in this lens, though I doubt my credit card would be happy with another £420 hit.... easpecially when I'm also looking at the Lensbaby Composer Pro System Kit
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Put it on your Christmas list! :D
 
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