Probe lenses can shoot closer and shoot through tighter spaces than standard lenses – and the well-known brand behind many such lenses has finally launched the world’s widest macro probe lenses.
The Laowa 15-24mm T8 and 15-35mm T12 Macro probe zoom lenses bring the widest focal length yet to the brand’s lineup of unusual macro optics, mixing a wide view with a 1.6x to 2.3x macro reproduction ratio for extreme close-ups.
But the lens’s zoom isn’t the only feature adding versatility to the two optics. The lenses are available with four different front tube barrels to shoot from different perspectives and fit in tiny spaces. The standard direct tube offers the usual view of what’s in front of the lens, while there’s also a 90-degree tube to look up or down, a 35-degree tube, and a periscope option. The front barrels are not interchangeable, however, so cinematographers wanting more than one front barrel view will need to purchase multiple lenses.
Besides allowing the smallest portion of the lens to fit in more places with the different tubes, the tube itself is waterproof, so that portion of the lens (not the whole lens) can shoot underwater or through splashes and messes. A marking on the lens designates which part of the lens is submersible and which is not.
If the Laowa 15-24mm T8 and 15-35mm T12 Macro sound familiar, you’re not imagining things; the lenses were originally teased at the NAB show in April 2025. Laowa says that the lenses have been refined “through extensive testing and user feedback,” and both optics are now ready to ship.
The Laowa 15-24mm T8 Macro probe has the widest view for any full-frame probe lens yet, according to the company, with its 110.5 degree field-of-view. The ultra-wide view can exaggerate perspective, but also fits more in – which could be a key feature on a probe lens designed to shoot through tight spaces.
The 15-35mm T12 has a narrower aperture, but delivers what Laowa says is the largest zoom range for any probe lens so far. The wider zoom range, Laowa says, is made for more dramatic dolly zoom effects
The lens’s maximum macro reproduction is achievable at full zoom, which means the shorter 15-24mm T8 Macro can achieve up to 1.6x and the 15-35mm T12 Macro up to 2.3x
Both lenses use a native Arri PL mount, but Laowa offers interchangeable bayonets (sold separately) for the Canon EF, Canon RF, Sony FE, Nikon Z, and L Mounts. The full-frame lens can also be adapted to Super 35 with the Laowa 0.7x parafocal reducer to retain the ultra-wide perspective, turning the lenses into 11–17mm T5.6 and 11–25mm T8.4 with the focal reducer.
The lens price varies based on the module it's paired with, but prices start at $3,499 / £3,439 / AU$6250 / CA$5,099 for the Direct View 15-24mm. The lenses are available now from Laowa as well as retailers, including B&H in the US and Wex Photo in the UK.
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