DPReview TV: the Laowa 24mm F14 Probe may look strange, but it sure is fun

For the price, you could make a really nice 24mm macro camera with 1" sensor, IS, and AF that mounted on the end of a stick with the viewfinder attached by a cable. The camera part could be waterproof and wouldn't be much bigger than the business end of this lens. with the vagaries of the relay optics and the f/14 result of blowing the picture up to FF, the IQ would be better with the 1in sensor and you would get IS and a decent shutter speed without resorting to extreme ISO settings. So this wins the "my thing is longer than your thing" contest, but in the end it is far from a satisfying result.

This is just a smaller cheaper version of the FRAZIER relay lens system that was used in Saving Private Ryan ... on the beach landing ... going along the rifle. We use a variety of these systems shooting commercials. Besides the Frazier, which is Panavision specific, there are the T-Rex, Revolution, various Innovision probes, Century Precision 2000, the Ultimate and the Skater Scope. These systems costs many $10,000 so our table top studio immediately ordered one of these. We spend that much on renting those systems for a week's shoot.

Nerd alert!

I'm not sure that this is a breakthrough of any sort, given the fact that this sort of thing has been around for quite a while. Flexible cystoscopy is the examination of the inside of the bladder and the urethra using a fine, flexible fibre optic tube with a light and a tiny camera at the end. Cystoscopy, also called a cystourethroscopy or, more simply, a bladder scope, is a test to measure the health of the urethra and bladder. Cystoscopes are tubular instruments equipped with lights and viewing devices used to examine the interior of the urinary tract. There are two types of cystoscopes: a standard rigid cystoscope and a flexible cystoscope. The device presented here on Dpreview is basically the same thing; but on a larger scale. As such, I would have to opine that it is more a novelty, than anything else.

Not one, seriously, not ONE of the close-ups in the video were anything other than yucky/fuzzy. If you want to poke a lens into a dark place (including under water), just buy one of the many cheap Chinese endoscope cameras available on the market. For about £12 (say, $15) you can get multi-megapixel shots direct onto your iOS/Android/PC/Mac device - including LED illumination - and if the IPX7 sealing fails, hey, you've only lost 15 bucks/12 quid!

OH - and the image quality is WAY better than anything I saw in this video, and that remote imaging head is at the far end of a long, flexible cable!

Brian

"....may look like something out of a science fiction movie..."

or may look like something out of a particular specialized medical doctor's office.

There is a distinct possibility that you might scare some people with that thing. Put the camera up to your eye with that silly thing on the end of it, and you are definitely going to look like you are getting ready to shoot someone. Don't be surprised if you get a visit from the local gendarme, or be the star attraction on someone's Facebook page. Are you ready to go viral. HAHAHA!!

I’m sorry. But this is absolutely terrible! Why oh why would they spend money making such a uselesss lens?! 🤔

There should be a pink version, or any color for not to mistake it for a firearm !

One could get killed as assassin using that at public place.

waiting for used ones to crop in Fred after all the initial enthusiasm dies..good lens to try but not at 1400$

Its mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life, to boldly go where no lenses as gone before :)

Huh huh huh huh he said 'probe.' Hey, they put a specific place at the beginning of the video for probe jokes :-D

With that said.. it's a pretty cool idea for a lens. Looks like it could be useful and if reasonable enough in price, I'd buy one.

One feature that I'm kinda surprised they didn't add however, is some sort of little battery for the LEDs along or at the base of that big long probe. The video touched on this-maybe the next iteration will have such an addition.

First thing to do once you bought one:
Paint the barrel into orange color. At least couple inches from the tip! This is in case you would like to have a chance to review your photos later same day.

Nice job Chris and Jordan.

Awesome! It looks like this lens can go places...

I have a few tips for using this lens on an a7x camera that can use the apps like the a7RII can:
1. Get the Lens Application app.
2. Register this lens as normal in the app, but DO NOT set the focal length to 24mm but like 200 up to 800mm, as IBIS uses this value and when shooting this close you need a high setting like that. One has to try out what gives the best for a few magnifications.
Then, create 2-3 or 4 settings with the same lens but with different setting for focal length and you can switch rather quick and easy within the app.
Have done that with 3 of my lenses, 60mm 2:1 Laowa macro, the Yasuhara - Nanoha x5 micro lens and also the Laowa 25mm f2.8 Ultra Macro 2.5-5x.
Yes, you can skip the app and just adjust manually the focal-length but the app gives at least a clue what lens was used in exif, what you wrote in the app, and it’s faster to just change the version of the lens than fiddle with the settings..
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...continued...
3. Use a longer cable for the LEDs and strap it along the lens towards the camera and beyond to a pocket, pouch or whatever you will have your power pack placed in.
4. Make a float that fits the lens barrel and wrap some duct-tape at a safe distance from the non waterproof area on the lens barrel and also some at about 10cm (4") down towards the tip. Then you will notice when you are getting to deep into the water.
5. Bring duct-tape or similar to tape some of the LEDs to get at least some shades in the shot.

Have some more but can't explain it atm as I running out of words for it :-)

Yay! Haven't eve had a chance to watch the video yet but I'm stoked that you guys are playing with this thing. What a cool lens!

Fun lens but not for that price... Passing on it.

Next turn to PENTAX D FA* 50mm 1.4 lens, ok?

Drones photographing from high above, sensors capturing scenes in near total darkness, IS eliminating all movement, AF/AE & HDR yielding perfect focus and exposure, AI deciding when and where to make "great" images, and the ubiquitous smartphone documenting all human activity 24/7. Now this device for getting deep into every possible nook and cranny.

DPR has turned into the back pages of Popular Photography back in the '60s, full of creepy ads for periscope lenses used to shoot around corners and over walls, X-ray cameras for seeing through clothing and doors, and every other form of futuristic bizarro world photographic gizmo imaginable.

I wouldn't put a Sony that close to any moisture laden environment.

pretty cool and useful lens in a few situations as shown in this video. I still have the laowa 5x micro lens higher on my wish list

Cool lens and great review. Love your guy's reviews on stuff, informative and entertaining. Keep it up!

Slightly off topic - with more and more reviews/hands-on's going through DPR TV, is there any chance we can have the scripts/transcripts posted up alongside? ...maybe with some screenshots?

I hope the toilet shot was done after putting the lens inside Jordan’s mouth.

He uses it in the toilet and then complains the lens gets dirty... ;-)

Had this been posted in April I would have been sure it was a gag.

Neat toy/tool. I enjoyed watching you guys play with it.