Laowa FFII 90mm f2.8 CA-Dreamer Macro 2X Review:
Macro was an area of photography that I would never really venture into much during my Leica M days, and one of the reasons is because it can be a bit of a pain to do with a rangefinder :). While macro photography still isn’t something I do often, it’s been really nice to be able to explore this type of photography more, thanks in part to my switch to L mount. There are actually a nice selection of macro lenses to choose from, and as of today, there’s another added to the list: the Laowa FFII 90mm f2.8 CA-Dreamer Macro 2X. Thanks to Laowa, I was able to test this lens out before its release date to see what it’s all about. Here’s my full review of it.
Thanks for taking the time to read my review! If it helped, please consider purchasing from any of the links mentioned in this post, which in turn, helps support this site. I get a small commission but it will not cost you anything extra. Thank you!
Laowa FFII 90mm f2.8 CA-Dreamer Macro 2X Build Quality:
Let’s dive into this review by first taking a closer look at the overall build. I’m happy to report that this lens has a little bit of that old school feel (in a good way) in terms of build, and feels extremely solid in the hands, thanks in part to its metal design. There are no creaks, rattles or any signs of inferior craftsmanship at all. Furthermore, the features, like the focus ring operate very smoothly, and it’s important to note that the barrel doesn’t extend as you focus. It stays the same length, which is nice. Moreover, the aperture ring clicks solidly in full stops. There isn’t any built-in stabilization but I don’t feel this is much of an issue, since most L mount bodies these days comes with some sort of image stabilization anyway. I was doing a lot of macro type shots, and I was fine not using a tripod for nearly all my shots. Overall, I am really happy with the quality here, especially when you factor in the price, which is $499.
↑ The Laowa FFII 90mm f2.8 CA-Dreamer Macro 2X attached to the Panasonic S5.
It’s also worth mentioning that a lens hood is included. It is a twist and lock type, which is reversible as well for easy storage. The lens hood is effective, and it’s also a good way to add a little more impact protection to the front element. I didn’t use it much though because it does make the lens a bit longer.
↑ Here’s the lens hood.
As for ergonomics, I feel the FFII 90mm f2.8 CA-Dreamer Macro 2X is designed quite well. The dimension are 74mm x 120mm, so there is some length to it, which is normal, since this is a 90mm f2.8 Macro. I was testing this lens mainly with the Panasonic S5, and as some of you know, it is one of the more compact L mount cameras currently out. I absolutely love this camera, which is why I actually bought this one recently. This lens matches quite well with the S5, so you can bet it will match nicely with larger bodies as well. The FFII 90mm f2.8 did not feel big on the S5 but instead, really had that “just right” feel to it. I felt it was also compact enough that it didn’t draw too much attention. For example, one could get away with shooting some street photography or candids.
↑ Here’s a top view of the 90mm f2.8 Macro 2X.
Furthermore, weighing in at just 619 g, I found the FFII 90mm f2.8 CA-Dreamer Macro 2X is nicely weighted as well. It feels very balanced on my camera. It isn’t too heavy, so this is a lens that one could easily walk around with all day or take with on travel. It does not make the camera feel front heavy either, which is a huge plus. At the same time, the FFII 90mm f2.8 Macro isn’t too light. It has a nice, weighted feel to it that one can sometimes associate with a higher quality product. It also helps stabilize me a bit while I am shooting with it. The stabilization comes in handy when you’re shooting macro given how magnified everything is at closer range. The slightest movement can ruin a photo.
Overall, the FFII 90mm f2.8 CA-Dreamer Macro 2X is the type of lens that I can see one taking everywhere, since the focal length, and design are so useful. For instance, the focal length is great for portraits, candids to even landscape. The close up abilities are also a huge plus, even if macro isn’t something you do often. This is something that is meant to be really handy and easy to use. The overall ergonomics makes it much easier to take the Laowa 90mm f2.8 CA-Dreamer Macro 2X everywhere with you without it feeling like a chore. It’s something you will want to leave in your bag even if you might not need it on a particular day because it’s not going to take much effort to carry with you.
Laowa FFII 90mm f2.8 CA-Dreamer Macro 2X Focus:
As I mentioned earlier, the FFII 90mm f2.8 CA-Dreamer Macro 2X is a manual focus lens. I was actually a bit surprised at how easy it was to correctly focus the 90mm f2.8 Macro and get sharp images. My eyes are definitely not as good as they were before, and one of the main reasons I switched from the Leica M system to the SL system was because I wanted autofocus. But I have to say, focusing with the Laowa is actually pretty easy. I was thinking this was a 90mm lens, and I wasn’t using the higher resolution EVF in my Leica SL2 yet most of my shots were keepers even at wide open aperture. The focus throw isn’t terribly long yet I found focus to be very accurate. To help with focus, I used features on my camera like focus peaking, and for critical moments, I would use the magnification feature as well.
Laowa FFII 90mm f2.8 CA-Dreamer Macro 2X Image Quality:
Image quality wise, the FFII 90mm f2.8 CA-Dreamer Macro 2X definitely impresses too. Quite frankly, I found the image quality to be fantastic, and well worth the lens’ asking price.
↑ This was taken using f8 and 100 ISO.
↑ This photo was taken using f8 and 160 ISO.
↑ Here’s another photo taken using f8. I used 100 ISO.
↑ This was taken using f11 and 125 ISO.
For one, sharpness is definitely a major strength of this lens. At wide open aperture, I found the FFII 90mm f2.8 Macro to be tack sharp in the center with corner and edges only a tiny bit softer. When I say tiny, I mean tiny. You would really need to be doing some serious pixel peeping to see any softness. As you stop down, the entire frame sharpens up a bit. By 5.6 to f11, sharpness is downright excellent throughout the frame. This makes sense too, since you’ll probably be stopping this lens down quite a bit when you are doing macro work. When you’re shooting so closely to your subject, the depth of field is extremely thin. For example, there were many times I was shooting at f11, and even at such a small aperture, a lot of the image was not in focus.
↑ Here’s a photo taken at wide open aperture using 100 ISO.
↑ Here’s a 100% crop of the photo above.
↑ Here’s another photo taken with f2.8 and 100 ISO.
↑ Here’s a 100% crop of the photo above. This lens is razor sharp at wide open aperture.
↑ This was taken using f8 and 100 ISO.
↑ Here’s a 100% crop of the photo above.
↑ Here’s another photo taken using f8 and 100 ISO.
↑ Here’s a 100% crop of the photo above.
Other features of this lens include nice color and contrast. Vignetting is noticeable at wide open aperture but completely normal. Stopping down by just 1 stop reduces it significantly. It’s pretty much gone by f8. Distortion isn’t much of an issue either. I did run into a little flare in a couple of my shots but overall, I don’t feel there’s anything to be concerned with, since I didn’t have any issue with most of my shots. I have to say, I am impressed by the optics of this lens. To me, this is truly a great value here even if you disregard the price. I am not really a macro shooter but I want one of these lenses, and truthfully, I am a bit sad I had to send it back because this was only a loaner ;).
↑ This photo was taken using f11 and 160 ISO.
↑ Here’s another taken with f11 and 400 ISO.
↑ I used f11 here as well. 125 ISO was used too.
↑ This was taken with wide open aperture using 100 ISO.
Speaking of macro, a lot of these types of lenses can achieve a 1:1 magnification but in the case of the FFII 90mm f2.8 CA-Dreamer Macro 2X, it can reach a 2:1 magnification without any adapters, extension tubes or anything else. It is very impressive, and it was a bit challenging to shoot given that, as I said before, I’m not really a macro shooter. It was sometimes difficult for me to even find good subject matter but again, it’s because I am not used to macro photography. However, for those who are macro shooters, there’s just so much you can do with a lens like this one. At the same time, this lens can focus to infinity, so it means you have something here that is extremely versatile and flexible. So, you can photograph the tiniest insects out there but then go, and photograph truly stunning portraits right afterwards.
↑ This is a photo of a cactus. I used f11 and 500 ISO.
↑ I think this was taken using f8. 100 ISO was used.
↑ Here’s another photo taken with the same settings as above. This is NOT a crop of the photo above.
↑ I’ve been growing strawberries recently. It is amazing how close you can get with this lens. The settings were f11 and 320 ISO.
↑ Here’s another photo of my strawberries. I used f11 and 320 ISO.
Laowa FFII 90mm f2.8 CA-Dreamer Macro 2X Bokeh:
Now, I’m sure many of you want to know more about the bokeh. I am happy to say that it is beautifully smooth and inviting. At wide open aperture, the background simply melts away in a dream-like blur. I wasn’t able to do a portrait session while I was reviewing this lens but I would imagine the results are downright beautiful for shallow depth of field people photos. The good news does not stop there, however. When I was shooting macro, I had to stop the lens down quite a bit to get more in focus. I was shooting at apertures ranging from f8 to even f16. Even at these smaller aperture settings, bokeh was always pleasing to the eye.
↑ The bokeh, as you can see, is ultra creamy at f2.8. 100 ISO was used.
↑ Here’s another example. The settings were f2.8 and 100 ISO.
↑ Here’s one more at wide open aperture and 100 ISO.
↑ Here’s one last one taken with the same settings as above.
Pros and Cons:
Pros:
- Excellent build.
- Great ergonomics.
- Focuses easily.
- Superb image quality.
- The lens is sharp.
- 2:1magnification while also having the ability for focus at infinity.
- Beautiful bokeh.
- The lens comes in several mounts.
- Great price.
Cons:
- Lack of image stabilization for some but for me, this isn’t an issue.
Laowa FFII 90mm f2.8 CA-Dreamer Macro 2X Verdict:
I haven’t reviewed many Laowa lenses but the ones I have reviewed so far, have been great. The FFII 90mm f2.8 CA-Dreamer Macro 2X, however, is probably my favorite one so far, and I feel that it’s such a great addition to the L mount system. It has, quite frankly, impressed the heck out of me. The build, the ergonomics, the image quality, and the sheer flexibility of this lens makes it an absolutely great buy, especially when you factor in the price, which is $499.
↑ Here’s one taken using f16 and 400 ISO.
↑ Here’s another photo taken using f16 and 1000 ISO.
↑ I used f11 and 100 ISO here.
Are there any real downsides? Factoring all the features and the price, it is difficult for me to find any real issues. I must admit that when I first heard about the lens, I would’ve been happier, if it was autofocus but after using it, the manual focus is just fine. I found it pretty easy to focus, and get tack sharp results even at f2.8. Furthermore, for extreme close ups, it’s actually more beneficial to get the results you want with manual focus. I would imagine autofocus having a difficult job.
↑ This photo was also taken using f11 and 100 ISO.
↑ Here’s one last photo of the Laowa 90mm f2.8 CA-Dreamer Macro 2X.
All in all, if you’re looking for a great macro or even a short tele lens that you can use for portraits but maybe occasionally use for close ups as well, I urge you to take closer look at the FFII 90mm f2.8 CA-Dreamer Macro 2X. Even if you are new to macro, and maybe want to explore this type of photography further, this is a great buy. Laowa did an excellent job with this lens, and it is so nice that it is available for L mount. I highly recommend it.
Thanks for taking the time to read my review! If it helped, please consider purchasing from any of the links mentioned in this post, which in turn, helps support this site. I get a small commission but it will not cost you anything extra. Thank you!
