AstrHori 25mm f/2.8 2X-5X Macro lens offers an extended working distance of 37.5-45mm between the front element and the subject. This fully manual full-frame lens will be available for Sony E, FUJIFILM X, Canon RF, Nikon Z, and Leica L mount cameras and will cost $249.
AstrHori is a Chinese lens manufacturer based in Shenzhen that exclusively releases fully manual prime lenses that cover up to medium format sensors, such as the 40mm f/5.6 lens for FUJIFILM GFX cameras. Today, the company announces a 25mm f/2.8 2X-5X Macro lens that might look a little familiar. Let’s take a brief look.
AstrHori 25mm f/2.8 2X-5X Macro lens
AstrHori 25mm f/2.8 2X-5X Macro is a fully manual lens for full-frame mirrorless cameras. AstrHori claims that the lens offers an extended working distance ranging from 37.5 to 45mm (front element to subject), this gives users a bit of space to light the subject without casting shadows. Translated to the minimum focusing distance (sensor plane to subject), this is 113mm (at 2X), 137.8mm (at 3X), 162mm (at 4X), and 186.4mm (at 5X).
The 5X magnification means that the subject that has a life size of 4x4mm will take up a much larger area on the full-frame sensor (20x20mm). Interestingly, the field of view of the lens is from 20° (at 2X) down to 9° (at 5X).
The aperture is available between f/2.8 and f/16, but there is no info on how many blades it has. As expected, the aperture ring is clicked. Optically, the AstrHori 25mm comprises 10 elements in 7 groups (2 pieces of high refractive glass, 2 pieces of ED glass).
According to AstrHori, the lens weighs around 474g (16.7oz). It will be available for Sony E, FUJIFILM X, Canon RF, Nikon Z, and Leica L mount.
Inspired by Laowa?
Back in December 2019, we saw this kind of lens from the Chinese lens manufacturer Venus Optics. The Laowa 25mm f/2.8 2.5-5X Macro is a fully manual full-frame lens that features an extended working distance of 45mm at 5x, and 40mm at 2.5x magnification. This lens is available for Canon RF, Leica L, Nikon Z, and Sony FE mirrorless lens mounts as well as Canon EF, Nikon F, and Pentax K SLR lens mounts.
From the outside, these two lenses look almost identical to me, but when it comes to the internal optical design, Venus Optics claims the Laowa lens comprises 8 elements in 6 groups, whereas the AstrHori has 10 elements in 7 groups.
Interestingly, this is not the first AstrHori lens that very closely resembles a particular Laowa lens. The company previously launched a 28mm f/13 macro probe lens as well. I wonder whether there is some business cooperation between the two companies.
Pricing and availability
The new AstrHori 25mm 5X Macro lens will be available shortly and the price has been set at $249 (around €279 including VAT in Europe). For reference, the Laowa 25mm f/2.8 2.5-5X Macro lens from Venus Optics currently sells for $399.
Do you often use macro lenses for your work? What do you think about the new AstrHori 25mm? Let us know in the comments section underneath the article.
