Laowa 15mm f/4.5 Macro Review: Is It a Landscape or Macro Lens? Yes.

May 31, 2025

Chris Niccolls

Venus Optics’ Laowa brand is known for its weird and wonderful lens designs. Sometimes, they are exquisite, unique designs that bring versatility to the photographer’s bag. Other times, the lenses are budget alternatives that trade some optical performance in the name of “character.” The latest version of the Laowa 15mm f/4.5 Macro is definitely in the latter category, but that doesn’t mean that it lacks value. At $399, this is a solid, budget-friendly optic.

Laowa 15mm f/4.5 Macro Review: How it Feels

A Laowa camera lens with a petal-shaped lens hood sits upright on a wooden surface, with a rustic, blurred wooden background behind it. The lens features white and red markings and a textured focus ring. — The Laowa 15mm Macro is outfitted in a very basic way.

A single blue flower and several pink petals are scattered on a rough, dark textured surface. The scene creates a contrast between the delicate flowers and the rugged background. — Is this little Laowa a landscape lens or a macro lens?

The first thing I want to address with the 15mm Macro lens is its optical design. There is already a Laowa 15mm f/4 Macro lens, originally designed for DSLRs. The new Laowa 15mm f/4.5, which is available for some DSLR mounts and additional mirrorless ones, has a slightly slower aperture, 1:2 magnification instead of 1:1, more elements, and a more compact design. The Laowa 15mm f/4.5 weighs only 10.8 ounces (308 grams) and features a smaller 62mm filter diameter. Its predecessor, on the other hand, weighs 410 grams (14.5 ounces) and takes large 77mm filters.

A Laowa camera lens with "FF 15mm f/4.5 W-Dreamer" written on the front, resting on a wooden surface with a blurred, rustic background. — The front element features a 62mm filter diameter.

The design of the new Laowa 15mm f/4.5 lens depends a bit on the selected mount. On the Sony a7R V I tested it on, there is no aperture ring, but if you buy it for Canon RF, Leica L, or Nikon F, there is an aperture ring. Why would Laowa do this?

A Laowa camera lens stands upright on a wooden surface with a rustic wooden background. The lens features visible focus and aperture markings in white and red. — There is no aperture ring to speak of, but the lens data is automatically transmitted to the camera body.

This new 15mm Macro lens has a significant advantage over its predecessor. It is still a manual focus lens but the E-mount lens I tested provides full electrical connection with the camera, transmitting all EXIF data and focal length information for image stabilization. This makes the lens far more convenient than before and simplifies the overall process by automatically relaying data to the camera body.

Close-up of a black camera lens placed on a wooden surface, with a visible micro-USB port on the side of the lens barrel. — You can update firmware via the micro-USB port.

The Laowa 15mm f/4.5 is constructed out of solid metal and has a very smooth manual focusing ring. It is quite a short throw, so focusing is quick to accomplish. There is nothing in the way of extra controls or buttons on the Sony E-mount version, save for a micro-USB type A port for firmware updates. The metal hood that comes with the 15mm is quite small and surprisingly tight-fitting on the lens barrel. The construction is very good overall and belies the low cost of this lens.

The hood is metal and fits snugly, but I often took it off to get closer to subjects.

Laowa 15mm f/4.5 Macro Review: How it Shoots

I want to mention specifically the aperture blades in this lens because Laowa has decided to go with a classically designed five-bladed aperture. This is a trade-off in image characteristics. The sunstars out of the Laowa have dramatic tines and are quite eye-catching, but the bokeh suffers accordingly. Out-of-focus areas in the background look harsh and distracting, and any specular highlights form very noticeable pentagons.

Close-up of pink cherry blossoms in full bloom on a tree branch, with soft-focus flowers and greenery in the background. — The pentagonal aperture creates a distinct yet harsh-looking bokeh.

Close-up view of a tree trunk with clusters of white blossoms and green leaves. Sunlight creates a starburst effect through the branches, giving a bright and fresh springtime atmosphere. — Sunstars are dramatic thanks to the polygonal aperture blades.

In most cases, the background will be mostly in focus due to the relatively slow apertures and extremely wide angle, but when focusing at macro ranges, soft backgrounds are the norm, and I wish they looked softer and smoother overall. I also noticed some flare issues when shooting towards bright light sources. Ghosting is well controlled, but the opposite corners from the light sources tend to wash out and lose contrast. Some compromises have to be made when a lens is so affordable.

A sunlit tree with green leaves and white blossoms stands in front of houses on a bright, clear day, with rays of sunlight shining through the branches. — Flare is an issue, creating some washed-out areas across from the light source.

A single pink peony flower with a yellow center blooms amid green foliage, with blurred trees and sky in the background. — The ultra-wide nature of this lens really pushes the background far away for a dramatic effect.

Sharpness is decent, even at f/4.5, and I liked the detail toward the center of the image. Stopping down the lens provides a little more contrast if you desire it. The corners suffer a little bit, though. Not only are they a little soft at f/4.5, but they stay that way when stopping the lens down, too. Honestly, the retained detail is still quite good, but the fact that this lens is so wide means that distortion inevitably affects the corners. Landscapes will render nicely at moderate apertures like f/8, but you’ll always have to work around the distortion and softer corners.

Side-by-side comparison of test charts with currency, labeled f/4.5 (left) and f/8 (right), featuring color bars, grayscale, geometric patterns, and sharpness indicators. — Center sharpness is quite lovely, even at f/4.5.

A charming red house with a front porch sits amid lush green grass, trees, and garden plants on a cloudy day, creating a peaceful, welcoming atmosphere. — Of course, you don’t just have to shoot macro shots.

Close-up of frosted leaves and ground plants in black and white, showing intricate textures and patterns created by the ice crystals on the foliage.

This lens does say macro all over it, but how good are the results? Due to the nature of this ultra-wide-angle lens, the best 1:2 macro ratio is only achieved with the lens practically touching the subject. This means that shadows from the lens itself are always an issue, and the lens has to be essentially on top of subjects, which might be untenable. I do like the exaggerated look to the background being pushed farther away, which can give a deep and extremely three-dimensional look to images.

A person in a black sleeve holds a camera close to yellow wildflowers, preparing to take a photo in a lush, green outdoor setting. — You have to be awfully close to your subjects to get the best macro.

A brown crane fly rests on a large green leaf with wilted edges, surrounded by lush greenery and small pink and white flowers in the background. — A crane fly rests on a cold leaf and makes for a good macro subject.

Close-up of two clusters of pink flowers with yellow stamens, set against a blurred green and dark background, highlighting the delicate petals and vibrant colors of the blossoms. — I used some supplemental light because the lens casts a shadow.

Ultimately, the Laowa 15mm f/4.5 Macro lens makes for a fun lens to throw in the bag and go from ultra-wide landscape to in-close macro lens. You can get some very dramatic wide shots or crop in a little to cover up the corners and get a more moderate wide-angle look. I love having the electrical connection with the camera body, and the optical limitations, such as harsh polygonal bokeh and some flare, might actually be visually compelling in certain shots. As long as you manage your expectations, the little Laowa becomes a handy and unique optic for only $399.

A yellow tulip bud stands among green leaves and ferns, with water droplets resting on a broad leaf in the foreground. The image captures the fresh, vibrant feel of a garden after rain.

Yellow tulips growing beside a stone pathway surrounded by green plants and foliage in a garden setting.

A cluster of pink flowers with dark centers grows above large, broad, glossy green leaves in a garden setting, lit by sunlight.

Are There Alternatives?

The older version of the Laowa 15mm f/4 is still available on the market, but I’d only consider buying it now if I could get it for a significantly reduced price.