A Look at One of the Most Interesting Lenses Made

The AstrHori 85mm f/2.8 Macro & Tilt lens is one of the weirdest options you will come across, and at $329, it is also surprisingly affordable. So, what all can you do with it, and does it offer the performance and image quality needed to make all those strange functions worthwhile? This great video review takes a look at the lens and what you can expect. 

Coming to you from Wes Perry, this excellent video review takes a look at the AstrHori 85mm f/2.8 Macro & Tilt lens, made for Canon RF, Sony E, Nikon Z, Leica L, and Fuji X cameras. The idea of a macro lens with a tilt capabilities is not unheard of (Canon makes a few such lenses at the moment), but it is relatively rare. In macro work, where depth of field is often frustratingly thin, being able to control the depth of field independently of the aperture can be a real boon and save a fair amount of work on the post-processing side of things or in having to add a ton of light to a scene. And at $329, the AstrHori significantly undercuts the prices of the aforementioned Canon lenses. As you will see, it is not perfect, but it still offers a lot of performance and creative invigoration for the price, making it the kind of lens you can purchase just for the fun of experimenting with it. Check out the video above for Perry's full thoughts on the lens. 

Alex Cooke's picture

Alex Cooke is a Cleveland-based portrait, events, and landscape photographer. He holds an M.S. in Applied Mathematics and a doctorate in Music Composition. He is also an avid equestrian.

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4 Comments

I was not aware that Canon made macro lenses with shift capabilities. I've used two of the Canon tilt/shift lenses, but the ones I used were not true 1:1 macro, as they did not allow me to fill the frame with my tiny subjects the way I wanted to. I'm going to look into what Canon has to offer, even though I would probably buy this 3rd party lens instead. Thanks for making me aware of this.

Thanks, Tom!

We all make mistakes. Have a good day. :)