Laowa’s ACRIS 35mm f/2.8 is billed as the first full-frame autofocus 35mm lens with true 1:1 macro, letting you shoot life-size close-ups that still show the subject’s surroundings.

Laowa has launched the ACRIS 35mm f/2.8 1X Macro APO, a wide-angle macro lens that combines life-size magnification with autofocus on full-frame cameras. Laowa says it’s the first lens of its kind.

Most 1:1 macro lenses sit in the 90-105mm range, which gives a comfortable working distance but a narrow field of view that isolates the subject. A 35mm macro takes the opposite approach. You get much closer, but the wider angle means you can include the habitat around an insect or the setting around a product. These “environmental” close-ups are hard to achieve with a traditional macro lens.

Optics and focusing

The lens uses 13 elements in 10 groups in an apochromatic (APO) design, which Laowa says is intended to eliminate chromatic aberration. Aperture runs from f/2.8 to f/22.

Minimum focus distance is 180mm, which gives a working distance of just 48.6mm from the front of the lens at 1:1. That’s very close, so lighting the subject and avoiding casting a shadow will take some thought, but it’s the trade-off for the wider view.

On the autofocus versions, AF works from infinity down to 0.5m, with a macro focus assistance mode for precise close-range work. In practice, that means the lens can double as an everyday 35mm f/2.8 with fast AF and then switch to careful, assisted focusing for macro.

Mounts

The ACRIS is available with autofocus for Sony E, Nikon Z and Canon EF, and as a manual-focus lens for Canon RF and L-mount. The AF versions have nine aperture blades, while the manual versions have 13. Construction is metal and weather-resistant, and the filter thread is 72mm.

We think this is one of the more genuinely new lenses we’ve seen this year. A 35mm 1:1 macro with autofocus could be a very versatile single lens for nature, food and product photographers who want both context and detail.

Laowa ACRIS 35mm f/2.8 1X AF Macro APO specifications

Laowa ACRIS 35mm f/2.8 1X AF Macro APO price and availability

The Laowa ACRIS 35mm f/2.8 1X Macro APO is available now for US$449 from the Laowa website. UK pricing hasn’t been confirmed.