Raynox MSN-202 Test (on Olympus 60m Macro)

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joshmacro
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Raynox MSN-202 Test (on Olympus 60m Macro)

Post by joshmacro »

Being an owner of an Olympus OM-D E-M5 II and Olympus 60mm Macro, I have found it interesting that some people add combinations of Raynoxes, teleconverters and extension tubes on the Oly 60mm to get magnifications up to 5x-10x and claim that the results are good. The huge benefit of this is being able to focus stack either in camera or tethered using Olympus Capture at high magnifications, so basically avoiding the cost of an automated rail. I have used auto-extension tubes (up to 26mm) with the Oly 60mm and the results are good. I could not find online any objective tests of the Raynoxes on the Oly 60mm. I had really bad results with Raynoxes (DCR-150 & 250) on another system, but thought it was worth another try. So I got a Raynox MSN-202 (diopter=25) and also got a step-down ring as I don't trust those plastic snap-on rings that come with the Raynox.

I compared the Raynox MSN-202 + Oly 60mm combo with an El-Nikkor 50mm F2.8 reversed on bellows. Not an expert at all in conducting tests, but did my best. Kept magnification the same at nearly 3x and tried my best to get lighting identical. Subject was an area of a $20 bill and stacked around 10 images to make sure everything was in focus. Focus stepped the Raynox combo using Olympus Capture and used rear bellows steps for the El-Nikkor.

I am not really impressed with the Raynox. It is somewhat sharper in the center than the El-Nikkor, but the edges and corners are very bad. I guess that was to be expected. I took other shots with the Raynox and always got horrible corners and edges - to me it seems that around 40% of the image is unusable. I assume that even adding more on top of this combo, such as teleconverters, extension tubes, would make matters worse. I guess I do not understand how people say they are getting good results with Raynoxes, teleconverters and extension tubes on the Oly 60mm macro. Maybe I am ignorant of the benefits of the Raynox MSN-202, but not sure how it would be practical so am returning it.

Results are below: EL-Nikkor images on the left and Raynox combo images on the right.
Full image
Full image
Center
Center
Corner #1
Corner #1
Edge
Edge
Corner #2
Corner #2

Lou Jost
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Re: Raynox MSN-202 Test (on Olympus 60m Macro)

Post by Lou Jost »

The edge and corner quality may be "good enough" for many applications in nature where the center is the focus of attention, or where the final publication size is small.

I am surprised that the Raynox is sharper in the center than the EL-Nikkor. This suggests that adding a teleconverter or extension tube might be excellent, better than adding those things to a reversed EL Nikkor.

joshmacro
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Re: Raynox MSN-202 Test (on Olympus 60m Macro)

Post by joshmacro »

Lou Jost wrote:
Fri Dec 25, 2020 6:38 am
This suggests that adding a teleconverter or extension tube might be excellent
Why is that? Because the projected center of the image becomes larger on the sensor? I can do another test with the 26m extension tubes.

Lou Jost
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Re: Raynox MSN-202 Test (on Olympus 60m Macro)

Post by Lou Jost »

Yes, they magnify the center of the image.

joshmacro
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Re: Raynox MSN-202 Test (on Olympus 60m Macro)

Post by joshmacro »

Lou - FYI that after doing tests with extension tubes I decided to return the MSN-202. The extension tubes made some difference, but the image is still wildly inconsistent across the frame. I guess one could invest in a TC but it seems you would be into diffraction territory. Also, the Oly TC is not intended for the Oly 60mm lens anyway. Lastly, the working distance is bad. Not a convert.

Lou Jost
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Re: Raynox MSN-202 Test (on Olympus 60m Macro)

Post by Lou Jost »

My friends use it on longer lenses, and then you may see more even image quality across the frame. The longer the lens, the greater the magnification too. I would try it on an MFT zoom, at 150-200mm. This won't help the working distance though.

The Oly macro lens, like most MFT lenses, has floating elements, so it is probably not well corrected on extension tubes because you are using the lens away from its design parameters.

joshmacro
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Location: New York

Re: Raynox MSN-202 Test (on Olympus 60m Macro)

Post by joshmacro »

Thanks Lous. I have limited MFT equipment right now, but I can always try it again if I get another lens of even a TC.

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