10 Lenses Compared at 5x - Stacked lens vs the Objectives

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:

10 Lenses Compared at 5x - Stacked lens vs the Objectives

Post by RobertOToole »

10 Lenses Compared at 5x - Stacked lens vs the Objectives

While trying different stacked lenses a few weeks ago I decided to take one of the best combinations, the Sigma 150 f2.8 OS + Xenon 28mm f2 Line Scan Lens, and see how far it would go against the best 5x objectives that I own.

The test results were a big surprise to me honestly and even though shooting and processing the test took hours the end result was easily worth it.

First of all the full test with comments and results: https://www.closeuphotography.com/5x-lens-test

The 5x page on my site has not been edited for typos yet so please excuse any errors.

The Lenses in alphabetical order:

Canon 20mm f3.5 MacroPhoto Lens

Canon MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5x Macro Photo lens

Mitutoyo M Plan Apo 5X 0.14 objective

Mitutoyo M Plan Apo 7.5X 0.21 objective

Nikon MM 5x-A EDF20052 TM objective lens

Nikon CFI Plan Fluor 5X/0.15 BD Objective

Qioptiq Mag.x LD Plan APO 5x / 0.20 Objective

Olympus MPLFLN 5x 0.15 Semi-Apochromat Objective

Sigma 150 f2.8 OS + Xenon 28mm f2 Line Scan Lens

Tominon 17mm f4 lens

The Setup

Camera: Sony A6300
Sensor size: APS-C. 23.5 × 15.6 mm. 28.21 mm diagonal. 3.92 micron sensor pitch
Flash: Godox TT350s wireless flash x 2 with one Godox X1s 2.4G wireless flash transmitter

A focus stack was shot with each lens at 1/3rd or 1/2 stops in 5 micron steps on a Nikon MM-11 vertical stand using a Nikon focus block. Separate images were selected for center and corner if needed. Each image was processed in Photoshop CC ACR with identical settings 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. All of the images shown here are single files. None of the images are stacked. Since only one sample of each lens was used in this test it should give you a good idea of how a lens can perform but it doesn't mean that your own lens will perform at the same level. The Tominon lens used in this test was the best out of 3 samples so lens variability can be a factor with some lenses.

The Wafer Target
Image

The Crop Areas
Image

100% Center and Corner Crops

Important note: These crops are 2500 pixels wide but were downsized to 1000 pixels at quality of 5 out of 10 so don't use these thumbnails to compare image quality. Instead click on image to open the full size version in a new window or better yet open the new window and right click or two finger press and select save image as....to compare the images in your favorite app. In any case make sure to check that the image is full size by looking at the URL, the image should end in: jpg?format=2500w. If its not just change the number to 2500 and press enter to see the full size file.

5X TEST: CANON 20MM F/3.5 MACROPHOTO LENS VS. TOMINON 17MM F4 MACRO LENS

For this test both lenses were used wide open, f/3.5 for the Canon and f/4 for the Tominon. Will the slightly faster aperture give the Canon the edge in image quality at 5x?

CANON 20MM F/3.5 MACROPHOTO LENS Left, TOMINON 17MM F4 MACRO LENS right

Image

CANON 20MM F/3.5 MACROPHOTO LENS Left, TOMINON 17MM F4 MACRO LENS right

Image


5X TEST: CANON MP-E 65MM F/2.8 1-5X MACRO PHOTO LENS VS. CANON 20MM F/3.5 MACROPHOTO LENS

For this test both lenses were used at the sharpest aperture for the lens at 5x, the Canon 65mm MP-E was used slightly stopped down at f3.5, the Canon 20mm Macrophoto lens was shot wide open.

CANON MP-E 65MM F/2.8 1-5X MACRO PHOTO LENS Left, CANON 20MM F/3.5 MACROPHOTO LENS Right

Image


CANON MP-E 65MM F/2.8 1-5X MACRO PHOTO LENS Left, CANON 20MM F/3.5 MACROPHOTO LENS Right

Image

5X TEST: CANON MP-E 65MM F/2.8 1-5X MACRO PHOTO LENS VS. SIGMA 150MM OS + S-K XENON 28MM F/2 LENS

The MP-E 65 was shot at f/3.5, the sharpest aperture at 5x, and the Sigma was shot wide open with the Xenon at f/3.5.

CANON MP-E 65MM F/2.8 1-5X MACRO PHOTO LENS Left, SIGMA 150MM OS + S-K XENON 28MM F/2 LENS Right

Image

CANON MP-E 65MM F/2.8 1-5X MACRO PHOTO LENS Left, SIGMA 150MM OS + S-K XENON 28MM F/2 LENS Right


Image

5X TEST: NIKON 5X-A OBJECTIVE LENS VS. SIGMA 150MM OS + S-K XENON 28MM F/2 LENS

NIKON 5X-A OBJECTIVE LENS Left SIGMA 150MM OS + S-K XENON 28MM F/2 LENS Right

Image

NIKON 5X-A OBJECTIVE LENS Left SIGMA 150MM OS + S-K XENON 28MM F/2 LENS Right

Image

5X TEST: NIKON CFI LU PLAN FLUOR 5X/0.15 OBJECTIVE VS SIGMA 150MM OS + S-K XENON 28MM F/2 LENS

NIKON CFI LU PLAN FLUOR 5X/0.15 OBJECTIVE Left SIGMA 150MM OS + S-K XENON 28MM F/2 LENS Right

Image

NIKON CFI LU PLAN FLUOR 5X/0.15 OBJECTIVE Left SIGMA 150MM OS + S-K XENON 28MM F/2 LENS Right

Image

5X TEST: OLYMPUS MPLAN FL N 5X/0.15 OBJECTIVE VS SIGMA 150MM OS + S-K XENON 28MM F/2 LENS

The MPlan FL N 5x was tested about a week after the others and even though the set-up was left alone the lighting was changed slightly somehow.

OLYMPUS MPLAN FL N 5X/0.15 OBJECTIVE Left SIGMA 150MM OS + S-K XENON 28MM F/2 LENS Right

Image

OLYMPUS MPLAN FL N 5X/0.15 OBJECTIVE Left SIGMA 150MM OS + S-K XENON 28MM F/2 LENS Right

Image

5X TEST: MITUTOYO M PLAN APO 5X 0.14 OBJECTIVE VS SIGMA 150MM OS + S-K XENON 28MM F/2 LENS

MITUTOYO M PLAN APO 5X 0.14 OBJECTIVE Left SIGMA 150MM OS + S-K XENON 28MM F/2 LENS Right


Image


MITUTOYO M PLAN APO 5X 0.14 OBJECTIVE Left SIGMA 150MM OS + S-K XENON 28MM F/2 LENS Right

Image

5X TEST: MITUTOYO M PLAN APO 7.5X/0.21 OBJECTIVE @ 5X VS QIOPTIQ MAG.X LD PLAN APOCHROMAT 5X/0.20 OBJECTIVE

These two are being included here just for fun since I wasn't able to get them close enough to 5x but it's still should be interesting to the people that have asked me about the 7.5x Mitutoyo pushed down.

Mitutoyo M Plan Apo 7.5X/0.21 Objective
Tube lens: Raynox Macroscopic lens M-250, Model DCR-250, Model CM-2000 2.5X, +8 diopter
Tube lens FL: 125mm
Magnification: 4.68x

Qioptiq Mag.x LD Plan Apochromat 5x / 0.20 Objective
Tube lens: Century +4
Tube lens FL: 228mm ( the Century +4 diopter is really a +4.35 diopter)
Magnification: 4.56x

MITUTOYO M PLAN APO 7.5X/0.21 OBJECTIVE @ 5X Left, QIOPTIQ MAG.X LD PLAN APOCHROMAT 5X/0.20 OBJECTIVE Right

Image

MITUTOYO M PLAN APO 7.5X/0.21 OBJECTIVE @ 5X Left, QIOPTIQ MAG.X LD PLAN APOCHROMAT 5X/0.20 OBJECTIVE Right

Image

Test Results

For detailed notes on the results visit the test page on my site, link at the top of the post.

MP20 vs Tominon17: These two are close but I would give it to the MP20. The Tominon is a lot less expensive.
MPE65 vs MP20: MPE is sharper, the MP20 has much lower CAs.
MPE65 vs S150+Xenon: The stacked lens is much sharper and cleaner.
5X-A vs S150+Xenon:The stacked lens is much sharper.
Nikon Lu Plan Fluor vs S150+Xenon: Surprisingly the stacked lens is much sharper with with less CAs.
Olympus MPlan FL N vs S150+Xenon: The stacked lens wins. The Objective looks downright soft side-by-side against the S150+Xenon.
Mitutoyo vs S150+Xenon:Both are excellent. The Stacked lens is sharper, the Mitutoyo has better CA suppression. The Mitutoyo has a better working distance, the Stacked lens has an iris. Either would be a good choice.

Mitutoyo 7.5x pushed down vs Qioptiq Mag.x: Both are almost perfect in the center but the Mitutoyo IQ drops in the corners so the image circle is too small below 5x. The Mag.x is almost perfect edge to edge.

Conclusion

The Sigma 150 f2.8 OS + Xenon 28mm f2 Line Scan Lens beats all of my best 5x lenses except for two, the Mitutoyo M Plan 5x and the Qioptiq 5x.

It narrowly beats the Mitutoyo 5x M Plan APO in sharpness in the center but the Mity has better CA control.

The only lens that clearly beats the image quality of the Sigma+Xenon stacked lens is my only high resolution objective, the Mag.x, which is also the highest performing objective that I own of any magnification.

Be sure to share your thoughts on the results below.

Robert

Edited: Added left and right labels to the crop images.
Last edited by RobertOToole on Sat Oct 13, 2018 10:58 am, edited 2 times in total.

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

Post by RobertOToole »

Working on un-cropped 2500px images for each lens now. Will post samples and links when I get a chance.

Robert

Lou Jost
Posts: 5945
Joined: Fri Sep 04, 2015 7:03 am
Location: Ecuador
Contact:

Post by Lou Jost »

This is a very interesting test that ruptures our belief in the supremacy of objectives vs ordinary lenses in this magnification range. I wonder what the result would be if the Xenon-150mm combo were left wide open, with a telecentric stop between the two lenses? If that worked, we'd have a nice super-sharp 5x telecentric lens which would almost be as good as the unobtainable mag.x.

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

Post by RobertOToole »

Lou Jost wrote:This is a very interesting test that ruptures our belief in the supremacy of objectives vs ordinary lenses in this magnification range. I wonder what the result would be if the Xenon-150mm combo were left wide open, with a telecentric stop between the two lenses? If that worked, we'd have a nice super-sharp 5x telecentric lens which would almost be as good as the unobtainable mag.x.
Hi Lou,

I think the Sigma 150+Xenon and Makro-Symmar+Xenon combinations can be improved.

RafCamera is making a 40.5 to 30.5 male to male adapter for the Makro-Symmar+Xenon lens to reduce the distance between the lenses which is something like 13mm now.

I like your idea of inserting a stop between the two lenses and plan to give it a try next chance I get.

That would really be something if I can get even a slight improvemnt in CAs or corner sharpness.

Thanks for the input Lou.

Robert

Lou Jost
Posts: 5945
Joined: Fri Sep 04, 2015 7:03 am
Location: Ecuador
Contact:

Post by Lou Jost »

It will be interesting to see if varying the inter-lens distance will improve things. Putting a stop between the lenses may improve things, but may not. The main benefit of that position is that it makes the combo telecentric if placed properly.

Davids
Posts: 189
Joined: Sun Jan 31, 2016 2:20 pm

Post by Davids »

Thanks for putting the time and effort into doing these tests, Robert! We all appreciate your meticulous work. Now if only a glut of Mag.x objectives would flood Ebay we'd be a happy lot!

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

Post by RobertOToole »

Davids wrote:Thanks for putting the time and effort into doing these tests, Robert! We all appreciate your meticulous work. Now if only a glut of Mag.x objectives would flood Ebay we'd be a happy lot!
Been on the look out for a Mag.x 8x/0,23 for a few years now and have never seen one for sale.

Heck, I would even buy a Mag.x 8x from a seller in China if I had the chance!

Best,

Robert

Lou Jost
Posts: 5945
Joined: Fri Sep 04, 2015 7:03 am
Location: Ecuador
Contact:

Post by Lou Jost »

I've been looking for the Mag.x 5x ever since Robert mentioned it a while back, and haven't seen one for sale either.

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

Post by RobertOToole »

Lou Jost wrote:I've been looking for the Mag.x 5x ever since Robert mentioned it a while back, and haven't seen one for sale either.
There was a 5x Mag.x for sale at a salvage place here in CA with the AF unit even, they bumped up the price to $1300, but that one is gone also when I checked for someone else.
Last edited by RobertOToole on Sun Oct 14, 2018 7:10 pm, edited 1 time in total.

ray_parkhurst
Posts: 3416
Joined: Sat Nov 20, 2010 10:40 am
Location: Santa Clara, CA, USA
Contact:

Post by ray_parkhurst »

Robert...what is the WD of the mag.x lens at 5x? What about at 3x from previous test? Thanks...Ray

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

Post by RobertOToole »

ray_parkhurst wrote:Robert...what is the WD of the mag.x lens at 5x? What about at 3x from previous test? Thanks...Ray
13mm at 5x. I actually dont remember pushed to 3x. I will check my notes.

Robert

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

Post by RobertOToole »

Tried this tight crop series for myself and it works pretty well so I thought you might like to look at it.

Center top row, far corner bottom:

Image

L-R:

Canon 20mm f/3.5 Macrophoto Lens

Canon MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5x Macro Photo lens

Mitutoyo M Plan Apo 5X 0.14 objective

Nikon MM 5x-A EDF20052 TM objective lens

NIKON Lu Plan Fluor 5X/0.15 BD

Olympus MPLFLN 5x 0.15

Sigma 150 f2.8 OS + Xenon 28mm f2 Line Scan Lens

Tominon 17mm f4 lens

ray_parkhurst
Posts: 3416
Joined: Sat Nov 20, 2010 10:40 am
Location: Santa Clara, CA, USA
Contact:

Post by ray_parkhurst »

RobertOToole wrote:
ray_parkhurst wrote:Robert...what is the WD of the mag.x lens at 5x? What about at 3x from previous test? Thanks...Ray
13mm at 5x. I actually dont remember pushed to 3x. I will check my notes.

Robert
Wow, not what I expected. For some reason I thought it would have WD like the Mittys. That mag.x is very large as well, so how did you light the subject?

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

Post by RobertOToole »

ray_parkhurst wrote:
RobertOToole wrote:
ray_parkhurst wrote:Robert...what is the WD of the mag.x lens at 5x? What about at 3x from previous test? Thanks...Ray
13mm at 5x. I actually dont remember pushed to 3x. I will check my notes.

Robert
Wow, not what I expected. For some reason I thought it would have WD like the Mittys. That mag.x is very large as well, so how did you light the subject?
The same dual flash set-up remained in place for all the lenses in the test.

Robert

ray_parkhurst
Posts: 3416
Joined: Sat Nov 20, 2010 10:40 am
Location: Santa Clara, CA, USA
Contact:

Post by ray_parkhurst »

RobertOToole wrote:
The same dual flash set-up remained in place for all the lenses in the test.

Robert
Was the mag.x the limiting lens for lighting angle? Seems it is large in diameter and with short WD, so the lighting angle must be <<45-deg.

Post Reply Previous topicNext topic