Laowa, a well-respected upstart macro lens innovator, has been toying with variations of it’s 24mm f/14 2x Macro probe lens. That lens caused laughter when it was first launched, but went on to become a staple for product and wildlife photographers shooting in shallow water, despite its $1,800 price.
Some months ago, people started seeing several prototypes of the probe lens, with different features and specs. The one that appears to have made it through testing and into product plans is a version that has a manipulable (and, importantly, waterproof) periscope head at the end, capable of shifting in any radial direction up to 90 degrees.
The lens has been part of a traveling photography conference display seen recently in Shanghai and in Japan.