Mitutoyo M Plan APO 5x Vs Mag.x 5x LD-Plan APO Test

Have questions about the equipment used for macro- or micro- photography? Post those questions in this forum.

Moderators: rjlittlefield, ChrisR, Chris S., Pau

RobertOToole
Posts: 2627
Joined: Thu Jan 17, 2013 9:34 pm
Location: United States
Contact:

Mitutoyo M Plan APO 5x Vs Mag.x 5x LD-Plan APO Test

Post by RobertOToole »

Image

Finally after a couple of years looking for a suitable CA free 250mm tube lens, I am now up and running with a lens that I originally picked up in 2015!

(this is my first post about it FYI: http://www.photomacrography.net/forum/v ... hp?t=29445)


Compared to the Mitutoyo M Plan 5x, the Mag.x results surprised me.

Test setup:

-Camera: Sony A6300
-Godox TT350s wireless flash x 2, diffused
-Godox X1s 2.4G wireless flash trigger/transmitter

Mitutoyo M Plan APO 5X was used with a Sigma 52mm life-size attachment diopter as a tube lens: https://www.closeuphotography.com/sigma ... ttachment/

Qioptiq LD Plan APO 5X 0.20 was set-up with a Century Optics +4 as a tube lens: https://www.closeuphotography.com/centu ... c-diopter/

Both objectives were used with my standard M52 studio tube lens set-up. For more info, follow this link: https://www.closeuphotography.com/52mm-setup

The Sony A6300 camera used for the test was vertically mounted on a Nikon MM-11 stand. Manual mode was used at ISO 80. Each lens was focus bracketed and the single sharpest image for the center and corner were chosen at 100% view in Photoshop. All images were shot as RAW Sony ARW files and processed in PS CC with all noise reduction and lens correction turned off, all settings were zeroed out (true zero) and the same settings were used for all of the images. No auto-CA correction was applied, I double checked!

Image

Mag.x 5x Plan APO and Mitutoyo 5x Plan APO

Image

6 inch wafer with test area, see arrow, and 100% crop areas indicated, center, edge and corner.

Image

100% view center crop, click on the image open a new larger version.

Image

100% view edge crop, click on the image open a new larger version.

Image

100% view corner crop, click on the image open a new larger version.

Thoughts on the results. I expected the Mag.x to have more resolution due to the higher NA, and it did, but The Mag.x image quality is on another level with better sharpness and better CA suppression over the entire sensor.

The Mitutoyo is one of my favorite lenses, and still is, but at 5x on APS-C the Mag.x image quality is as flawless as I have ever seen.

For lots more on the Mag.x 5x visit my site: https://www.closeuphotography.com/qiopt ... objective/

After working with the Mag.x the Mitutoyos are downright small.

The figures in mm were measured with calipers.

Image

Next post I will share images from the Mag.x vs the Nikon Plan APO 4x 0.20 Nano-crystal coating objective.

Comments and questions welcome.

mjkzz
Posts: 1683
Joined: Wed Jul 01, 2015 3:38 pm
Location: California/Shenzhen
Contact:

Post by mjkzz »

simply amazing!

RobertOToole
Posts: 2627
Joined: Thu Jan 17, 2013 9:34 pm
Location: United States
Contact:

Post by RobertOToole »

mjkzz wrote:simply amazing!
Agreed!

When I saw the results I emailed Qioptiq for a price on the 8x 0.32 version!

Can you guess the response?

$16,500 and 16 week delivery.

I believe they are such a limited production item they must be made to order.

My 5x is serial number 0006 BTW so there are not many around.


Robert

mjkzz
Posts: 1683
Joined: Wed Jul 01, 2015 3:38 pm
Location: California/Shenzhen
Contact:

Post by mjkzz »

RobertOToole wrote:
mjkzz wrote:simply amazing!
Agreed!

When I saw the results I emailed Qioptiq for a price on the 8x 0.32 version!

Can you guess the response?

$16,500 and 16 week delivery.

I believe they are such a limited production item they must be made to order.

My 5x is serial number 0006 BTW so there are not many around.


Robert
Wow, 16,500USD, that is a small car :-) These objectives are way out of my range :-) Thanks for sharing.

RobertOToole
Posts: 2627
Joined: Thu Jan 17, 2013 9:34 pm
Location: United States
Contact:

Post by RobertOToole »

mjkzz wrote:
RobertOToole wrote:
mjkzz wrote:simply amazing!
Agreed!

When I saw the results I emailed Qioptiq for a price on the 8x 0.32 version!

Can you guess the response?

$16,500 and 16 week delivery.

I believe they are such a limited production item they must be made to order.

My 5x is serial number 0006 BTW so there are not many around.


Robert
Wow, 16,500USD, that is a small car :-) These objectives are way out of my range :-) Thanks for sharing.
They were on Ebay for about 1 year for $699 with piezo autofocus assy from one seller and another seller had the entire head, lens, lighting, turrent, and tube lens for $2000! The tube lens alone is $6K USD new.

I talked one seller into removing the lens from the assy since no one was bidding and he agreed, I get lucky sometimes :D

Robert

RobertOToole
Posts: 2627
Joined: Thu Jan 17, 2013 9:34 pm
Location: United States
Contact:

Post by RobertOToole »

mjkzz wrote: Wow, 16,500USD, that is a small car :-) These objectives are way out of my range :-) Thanks for sharing.
Just remember who told you about Mag.x obj if you ever find one for sale in China, if its the 2x or 8x, just pick one up for me also! :D

harisA
Posts: 513
Joined: Sun Jul 03, 2011 9:31 am
Location: Greece

Post by harisA »

WOW I can't remember seeing before such a striking difference between two lenses on the higher end spectrum. The superiority of Mag.x is clear even by looking the your low resolution images posted here.
If you test the Nikon CFI 4X/0.2 against the MAG.X it would be better to use the same 250mm tube lens to improve the corner performance of Nikon.

RobertOToole
Posts: 2627
Joined: Thu Jan 17, 2013 9:34 pm
Location: United States
Contact:

Post by RobertOToole »

harisA wrote:WOW I can't remember seeing before such a striking difference between two lenses on the higher end spectrum. The superiority of Mag.x is clear even by looking the your low resolution images posted here.
Clicking on any image should open a larger version. You can also right click on a PC, or two-finger click on a Mac, to open in a new tab or window with the bigger version. You can also save the images to look at them in another app.
harisA wrote:If you test the Nikon CFI 4X/0.2 against the MAG.X it would be better to use the same 250mm tube lens to improve the corner performance of Nikon.
Thats an idea, thanks.

Have already finished the mag.x pulled down to 4x vs the Nikon Plan APO 4x, but the PlanAPO 4x pushed up to 5x would be interesting.

Just got a new wafer with lots of tiny details at 5x, this is it at 1x. Its an old Xerox circuit from the 1980s.

Image

Lou Jost
Posts: 5948
Joined: Fri Sep 04, 2015 7:03 am
Location: Ecuador
Contact:

Post by Lou Jost »

Wow!!! Excellent discovery. I need to find more money! Or sell the stuff I don't use....

Lou Jost
Posts: 5948
Joined: Fri Sep 04, 2015 7:03 am
Location: Ecuador
Contact:

Post by Lou Jost »

The best way to get 5x for me has been to push down the Mitutoyo 7.5x (NA = 0.21, almost the same as your lens) using a 135mm tube lens. It would be interesting to compare these two options. I suspect the corners won't be as good with the 7.5x. Still, even if they were equally good, your lens is telecentric. On the other hand the 7.5x has almost triple the working distance.

RobertOToole
Posts: 2627
Joined: Thu Jan 17, 2013 9:34 pm
Location: United States
Contact:

Post by RobertOToole »

Lou Jost wrote:The best way to get 5x for me has been to push down the Mitutoyo 7.5x (NA = 0.21, almost the same as your lens) using a 135mm tube lens. It would be interesting to compare these two options. I suspect the corners won't be as good with the 7.5x. Still, even if they were equally good, your lens is telecentric. On the other hand the 7.5x has almost triple the working distance.
I have a 7,5x here Lou and an excellent 142mm tube lens, the Century +7, but that test will have to wait for another day I am leaving on back-to-back trips starting Tuesday!

All the best,

Robert

RobertOToole
Posts: 2627
Joined: Thu Jan 17, 2013 9:34 pm
Location: United States
Contact:

Post by RobertOToole »

harisA wrote:....
If you test the Nikon CFI 4X/0.2 against the MAG.X it would be better to use the same 250mm tube lens to improve the corner performance of Nikon.
Done.

5x with the same tube lens, the Mag.x and the Nikon Plan APO 4x/0.20 @ 5x.

Nikon corners did do better at 5x than 4x as a matter of fact.

http://www.photomacrography.net/forum/v ... p?p=229773


Robert

Chris S.
Site Admin
Posts: 4042
Joined: Sun Apr 05, 2009 9:55 pm
Location: Ohio, USA

Post by Chris S. »

Nice test, Robert! :smt038
RobertOToole wrote:I expected the Mag.x to have more resolution due to the higher NA, and it did, but The Mag.x image quality is on another level with better sharpness and better CA suppression over the entire sensor.
Agreed on resolution and sharpness. But I can’t seem to find CA in images from either lens. What am I missing?

Cheers,

--Chris S.

ray_parkhurst
Posts: 3417
Joined: Sat Nov 20, 2010 10:40 am
Location: Santa Clara, CA, USA
Contact:

Post by ray_parkhurst »

I did not see the link to the Qioptic System-125 anywhere in the threads or articles (probably just missed it) so am linking it here:

http://www.qioptiq.com/mag-x-125

Lou Jost
Posts: 5948
Joined: Fri Sep 04, 2015 7:03 am
Location: Ecuador
Contact:

Post by Lou Jost »

Ray's link says that the lens is telecentric in both image and object space. That's very useful for digital cameras.

Post Reply Previous topicNext topic