Greetings again everyone and today I'm Checking out a brand new super macro Lens from Astra hori their 25 mm f2.8 Macro two times to five times it's a Full-frame macro only lens for Sony E Neonz Canon RF Fuji X and L Mount Cameras it's coming out very soon and Its price will be a very low $250 I'd like to thank astroy very much For sending me a copy of this lens for Evaluation although as usual this is a Totally independent review although I Can't really do most of my usual test With this lens because it does not focus To Infinity this macro lens starts where Others leave off at two times macro Distance and then being able to focus Even more closely to an incredible five Times magnification which is just insane The pictures this thing can get you are Incredible but it's a difficult lens to Use particularly at 5 times macro where Your light levels are terrible and Defraction softens the image simply due To that proximity you will need a tripod When focusing this closely and a macro Focus rail will help enormously also Still for those with a bit of patience This thing could be pretty rewarding and Enjoyable to play around with as you can See the lens itself is dead symbol being Almost completely made of metal and only With controls for focus and aperture and No visible weather ceiling the focus
Ring turns very smoothly although the Fact that it extends as you do so does Feel a bit strange the earliest Production copies of this lens had a Problem where they would fall under Their own weight and change Focus which Would be a nightmare thankfully Astor Have fixed that now and the focus ring Stays in place at the front there lies a Small apture ring with gentle clicks to It and you can actually stop it down a Little past F16 there's no front filter Thread to this lens which is a shame as Using a polarizing filter could be Useful when shooting a subject in direct Sunlight overall the lens is dead simple And works fine so image quality as I Mentioned it's a fullframe lens so let's Test it on my Sony a7r 3 with its 42 map Sensor no in camera Corrections are Available with this lens we'll start at Two times magnification where at f2.8 we See very good sharpness although Contrast could be a little higher at F4 Image quality becomes perfect at f5.6 The image is already beginning to look Just a little softer and this is due to The effects of defraction kicking in More rapidly as you shoot more closely To your subject and we really are very Close here at f8 f11 and F16 the image Just gets even softer so really you want To use this lens between f2.8 and about F5 when shooting at these kind of
Distances all right let's see about five Times magnification now at f2.8 Sharpness is reasonable contrast just Okay stop down to F4 and contrast Increases a bit but resolution gets just A tiny bit softer again that is Defraction causing problems at such Close distances it's even worse now at Five times magnification at f5.6 the Image is starting to look soft and at f8 F11 and f116 the diffraction is just too Much overall this lens might be able to Get you some stunning images but they Won't be incredibly sharp simply because At these close distances defraction is a Bit overwhelming which is technically Not really the lens's Fault when it Comes to vignetting I did notice at two Times magnification that there is an Edge of Blackness to the image Unfortunately focus more closely though And it quickly goes away when it comes To FL ing shooting in bright sunlight Did on rare occasions cause a little Flare to appear oh and here's an example Of the bcka when the lens is topped down A little specular highlights have an Octagonal shape to them and well that's About all I can really say here you'll Find it hard to get brilliantly sharp Images with this lens when focused all The way down and it's a real challenge To use for all the reasons I've already Mentioned but honestly some of those
Images it can get are really enjoyable And for fans of macro work $250 is a Reasonable price here
