Laowa 100mm 2.8 Tilt-Shift 1X Macro

Laowa has found their niche in providing all kinds of rather extreme products - extreme ultra-wide-, extreme macro- and extremely fast lenses. And it seems that they have shifted (pun intended) their attention to a new segment - tilt-shift lenses. It's not a completely new arena for them. They released some shift lenses in the past already, but these were more like afterthoughts. The Laowa 100mm f/2.8 Tilt-Shift 1x Macro clearly isn't. Besides all the bells and whistles (lots of screws, really), it also provides the required large image circle for a proper tilt-shift lens. The shift aspect isn't all that interesting at this focal length, but the tilt function is pretty awesome although far from being easy to use (as yours truly had to find out as well). If you are into macrophotography, the depth-of-field potential could be very interesting, and the selective depth-of-field at conventional distances can deliver truly baffling effects. And it can function as a normal tele macro lens as well, of course. The optical performance of the Laowa 100mm f/2.8 Tilt-Shift 1x Macro is very decent. In "normal" mode, it is very sharp with minimal CAs. Image distortions are negligible, and the vignetting is low thanks to the large image circle. The bokeh is also smooth. In full tilt mode, the border bokeh deteriorates, but that's probably to be expected. It's a fully manual lens without electronic coupling. Given the nature of the lens, the lack of autofocus is hardly surprising. However, it would have been nice if Laowa implemented the transfer of EXIF data. This would help with the inevitably, steep learning curve that you'll have to go through. The lens feels like a tank, except for the tripod mount. The price tag of the Laowa 100mm f/2.8 Tilt-Shift 1x Macro is surely a big entry hurdle, but you are getting a lot of a lens for your bucks in return. It's certainly not a lens for everybody. However, in the right hands it can deliver magic - well ... almost.