Adorama-Mitakon Zhongyi 20mm f/2 Super Macro for Pentax $149

bladerunner6 · 08:09 AM

https://www.adorama.com/mtk20mf2pk.html?

**UncleVanya** · 12-28-2020, 08:50 AM

Interesting lens. Any Pentax users want to chime in with their experiences with it?

alpheios · 12-28-2020, 02:29 PM - **1 Like**

Mitakon 20mm F2 4.5x Super Macro Lens Reviews - Miscellaneous Lenses - Pentax Lens Review Database

There are three reviews on this. I stumbled across this a few days ago while searching for a prime in the 20mm range. Seems to be a very special lens with a very limited use case.

Not a Number · 12-28-2020, 02:41 PM

I wonder how this lens compares to the Laowa 25mm f/2.8 2.5-5X Ultra Macro?

**UncleVanya** · 12-28-2020, 02:51 PM

Originally posted by Not a Number

I wonder how this lens compares to the Laowa 25mm f/2.8 2.5-5X Ultra Macro?

The reviews posted in the lens section of this site allude to the fact that Laowa is better. They don't get specific however.

bladerunner6 · 12-28-2020, 03:35 PM

Originally posted by UncleVanya

The reviews posted in the lens section of this site allude to the fact that Laowa is better. They don't get specific however.

Here is a review by Shahan of the Venus.

Long Term Review: Two Years with the Laowa 25mm 2.5-5x Ultra Macro Lens

**rgknief60** · 12-30-2020, 06:04 PM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by UncleVanya

Interesting lens. Any Pentax users want to chime in with their experiences with it?

I wrote one of the reviews. If you want to try your hand at high magnification in an inexpensive (relatively speaking) way, you won't go wrong with this lens. I recommend the lens.

The image of the ant on the butterfly weed flower below illustrates the extremely thin depth of field at 4x. The ant ruined that stack. I was unaware of the ant's presence until I reviewed the pictures. The flower is about 5mm or 1/4 inch across. This is not a crop. Original was taken with the K1.

Basically, the Mitakon Zhongyi is a microscope lens for your camera, as is the Laowa. To get the images I posted in the review I used a tripod, older velbon rail, and a bit of patience making stacks. If you have a flash & diffuser setup, it is possible that you might be able to capture images hand-held. Finding and framing subject matter in this way is a challenge. I'm a bit shaky for that, but some like Shahan (noted in the post) above can do it. It would not be as easy to do it as it would be with the Laowa.

My primary challenge is manually advancing the camera/lens in small enough increments to make a stack without gaps. There are some manual rails much better than my old one.

I hope to try again in the future with a Cognisys Stackshot, and expect much better results.

That said, for a little more than double the price (until midnight tonight), B&H has the Laowa 25mm 2.5-5x which gives much more flexibility as far as magnification is concerned. You can also purchase a foot & light for the front of the Laowa lens from the Venus Optics website. The lens itself is not on sale for a reduced price at Laowa's Venus Optics website.

I do not own the Laowa 2.5-5x, but do own a couple other Laowa lenses. They are well built, and perform well. If budget allows, I'd go with the Laowa.

Butterfly weed with photo-bomber

**UncleVanya** · 12-30-2020, 06:56 PM

Originally posted by rgknief60

I wrote one of the reviews. If you want to try your hand at high magnification in an inexpensive (relatively speaking) way, you won't go wrong with this lens. I recommend the lens.

The image of the ant on the butterfly weed flower below illustrates the extremely thin depth of field at 4x. The ant ruined that stack. I was unaware of the ant's presence until I reviewed the pictures. The flower is about 5mm or 1/4 inch across. This is not a crop. Original was taken with the K1.

Basically, the Mitakon Zhongyi is a microscope lens for your camera, as is the Laowa. To get the images I posted in the review I used a tripod, older velbon rail, and a bit of patience making stacks. If you have a flash & diffuser setup, it is possible that you might be able to capture images hand-held. Finding and framing subject matter in this way is a challenge. I'm a bit shaky for that, but some like Shahan (noted in the post) above can do it. It would not be as easy to do it as it would be with the Laowa.

Thanks for the detailed response. I honestly don't know if I have the patience to do the extreme macro thing. I plan to try with stacked lenses before I jump in with a dedicated lens but I really appreciate the insight.

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12-28-2020, 08:50 AM	#2
UncleVanya Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Jul 2014 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 28,409	Interesting lens. Any Pentax users want to chime in with their experiences with it?

12-28-2020, 02:29 PM - 1 Like	#3
alpheios Pentaxian Join Date: Nov 2015 Location: Bremen Posts: 410	Mitakon 20mm F2 4.5x Super Macro Lens Reviews - Miscellaneous Lenses - Pentax Lens Review Database There are three reviews on this. I stumbled across this a few days ago while searching for a prime in the 20mm range. Seems to be a very special lens with a very limited use case.

12-28-2020, 02:41 PM	#4
Not a Number Moderator Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Venice, CA Posts: 10,526	I wonder how this lens compares to the Laowa 25mm f/2.8 2.5-5X Ultra Macro?

12-28-2020, 02:51 PM	#5
UncleVanya Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Jul 2014 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 28,409	Originally posted by Not a Number I wonder how this lens compares to the Laowa 25mm f/2.8 2.5-5X Ultra Macro? The reviews posted in the lens section of this site allude to the fact that Laowa is better. They don't get specific however.

12-28-2020, 03:35 PM	#6
bladerunner6 Pentaxian Join Date: Nov 2014 Photos: Albums Posts: 2,080 Original Poster	Originally posted by UncleVanya The reviews posted in the lens section of this site allude to the fact that Laowa is better. They don't get specific however. Here is a review by Shahan of the Venus. Long Term Review: Two Years with the Laowa 25mm 2.5-5x Ultra Macro Lens

12-30-2020, 06:04 PM - 1 Like	#7
rgknief60 Site Supporter Join Date: Oct 2009 Photos: Gallery Posts: 980	Originally posted by UncleVanya Interesting lens. Any Pentax users want to chime in with their experiences with it? I wrote one of the reviews. If you want to try your hand at high magnification in an inexpensive (relatively speaking) way, you won't go wrong with this lens. I recommend the lens. The image of the ant on the butterfly weed flower below illustrates the extremely thin depth of field at 4x. The ant ruined that stack. I was unaware of the ant's presence until I reviewed the pictures. The flower is about 5mm or 1/4 inch across. This is not a crop. Original was taken with the K1. Basically, the Mitakon Zhongyi is a microscope lens for your camera, as is the Laowa. To get the images I posted in the review I used a tripod, older velbon rail, and a bit of patience making stacks. If you have a flash & diffuser setup, it is possible that you might be able to capture images hand-held. Finding and framing subject matter in this way is a challenge. I'm a bit shaky for that, but some like Shahan (noted in the post) above can do it. It would not be as easy to do it as it would be with the Laowa. My primary challenge is manually advancing the camera/lens in small enough increments to make a stack without gaps. There are some manual rails much better than my old one. I hope to try again in the future with a Cognisys Stackshot, and expect much better results. That said, for a little more than double the price (until midnight tonight), B&H has the Laowa 25mm 2.5-5x which gives much more flexibility as far as magnification is concerned. You can also purchase a foot & light for the front of the Laowa lens from the Venus Optics website. The lens itself is not on sale for a reduced price at Laowa's Venus Optics website. I do not own the Laowa 2.5-5x, but do own a couple other Laowa lenses. They are well built, and perform well. If budget allows, I'd go with the Laowa. Butterfly weed with photo-bomber

12-30-2020, 06:56 PM	#8
UncleVanya Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Jul 2014 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 28,409	Originally posted by rgknief60 I wrote one of the reviews. If you want to try your hand at high magnification in an inexpensive (relatively speaking) way, you won't go wrong with this lens. I recommend the lens. The image of the ant on the butterfly weed flower below illustrates the extremely thin depth of field at 4x. The ant ruined that stack. I was unaware of the ant's presence until I reviewed the pictures. The flower is about 5mm or 1/4 inch across. This is not a crop. Original was taken with the K1. Basically, the Mitakon Zhongyi is a microscope lens for your camera, as is the Laowa. To get the images I posted in the review I used a tripod, older velbon rail, and a bit of patience making stacks. If you have a flash & diffuser setup, it is possible that you might be able to capture images hand-held. Finding and framing subject matter in this way is a challenge. I'm a bit shaky for that, but some like Shahan (noted in the post) above can do it. It would not be as easy to do it as it would be with the Laowa. Thanks for the detailed response. I honestly don't know if I have the patience to do the extreme macro thing. I plan to try with stacked lenses before I jump in with a dedicated lens but I really appreciate the insight.