Laowa 24mm T14 2x Periprobe Lens Announced – First Look Review and Sample Footage

by Jakub HanMay 30^th, 2022

Laowa 24mm T14 2x Periprobe lens is a new wide angle macro lens with a long barrel, that now features a 90° “periscope” tip. In fact, the new lens comes with both straight and periscope front elements that can be easily changed. The periscope version also features LED lights near the front lens, it can be freely rotated, and is waterproof as well. The Laowa Periprobe lens will retail for $2,299. Let’s take a look at the sample footage and Nino’s first look review.

In October 2016 during the Photokina tradeshow (R.I.P.) we made an interview with Kevin from Venus Optics (Laowa) about a new unique “snorkel” macro lens. This interview also happens to be the most popular video on our Youtube channel for some reason. In 2018, Venus Optics finally released the Laowa 24mm Probe lens which offered a unique wide-angle macro perspective with a very long waterproof barrel. Make sure to check Nino’s review of the original Probe lens from 2018.

Today, the company releases a new version of the lens called Periprobe that features two different interchangeable front elements. My colleague Nino spent some time with the lens and made a few sample shots with it, so make sure to check the video and hear what he has to say about the new Periprobe lens. Now, let’s take a look at the specs and features.

Laowa Periprobe lens

The new Laowa Periprobe lens inherits all the features from the original probe lens while adding a “periscope” tip with 90° angle to enable additional creative perspectives. In fact, the new lens comes in a small suitcase that includes both the straight Laowa Probe lens tip and the new 90° Laowa Periprobe tip. Both lens tips are waterproof and can be interchanged anytime.

Just like the original Laowa Probe lens, the new Periprobe lens features 24mm focal length with 85° FOV, 2x macro magnification, the so-called “bug-eye perspective”, and LED lights around the front element. The lens still features the same manual aperture available between T14 and T40, so you need a lot of light to produce well-lit clips.

There are certain types of shots that were previously quite difficult (or required special rigging and quite a lot of space) with the straight probe lens, such as “side shot”, “tilting”, “staying close to the floor”, or “looking up & down”. With the Periprobe lens, these types of shots should now require much less space and should be easier to perform.

The Periprobe lens can also rotate 360° along its axis (after unlocking the orientation ring by using the clutch mechanism). Thanks to this, users can include interesting “pan” movements in the clips. The tip of the Periprobe lens features one 1/4-20″ thread for mounting additional lights, accessories, props, or support mounts.

The lens barrel is 40cm (15.7″) long and the minimum focusing distance from the front element is 2cm. The lens weighs 770g (1.69 lbs) and the straight interchangeable barrel weighs 248g (0.54 lbs).

Laowa Periprobe lens will be available for seven different lens mounts – ARRI PL, Canon EF, Canon RF, Nikon F, Nikon Z, Sony E, and Leica L. Other mounts such as Micro Four Thirds or FUJIFILM X can be easily adapted using one of the versions with the SLR mount (with long flange distance) – ARRI PL, Canon EF, or Nikon F.

Price and availability

The Laowa 24mm T14 2x Periprobe lens is available for pre-order now. The price has been set to $2,299 which is slightly more, than what the original Probe was selling, but you get two lens tips and a carrying case included.

Are you using the original Laowa Probe macro lens for your video work? What do you think about the new 24mm Periprobe lens? Let us know in the comments section underneath the article.