Voigtlander macro or Carl Zeiss Milvus 2 / 100M ?

[JurJul]

Recently I sold my Canon Mark 3 and bought a Nikon D850. On Mark III used lens Voigtlander APO-Lanthar 125mm f / 2.5 SL Macro. Most likely I'll have to sell it, because it is not put on Nikon, only through an adapter. I don't want to use any adapters because they affect the quality. I need to shoot a small and flat objects (medals, coins, tokens, etc.). So the main criterion is image sharpness. The question is: which one will be sharper on Nikon D850 - Voigtlander macro with F bayonet or Carl Zeiss Milvus 2 / 100M ZF.2? Temporarily I'm using NIKON AF Micro Nikkor 60mm 1: 2,8D, I saw some images how it shoots coins (was used with Nikon D810) - it is unreal perfect !! ... but when I use it I don't like the images... I can't catch its celebrated sharpness - fine details are blurring (scratches, etc.).
Or may be other ideas to advise about lens to use with Nikon В 850 for sharpness.
Sorry for my English )) I live in Europe.

[rolsen]

Just a side note, don't sell that APO-Lanthar, it's a legendary lens!

[ray_parkhurst]

Welcome to the forum JurJul!

I am curious about the high quality pics of coins you mention using the Nikon 60mm and D810. That is a good combo. Do you have a link to share? My experience is that the 60mm Micro lens does very well for larger coins, but the working distance is very short for smaller coins/higher magnification and it's tough to get good lighting.

Regarding the adapter, I have heard rumors of a Metabones adapter for Canon lenses on Nikon bodies. There may be others. If you are doing macro work, there is no need for any lenses in the adapter. Those are only needed if you want to focus to infinity. For macro, the adapter will just act as an extension, so no loss in image quality.

[dickb]

If your 125/2.5 is in EF mount, then it isn't a good match for a Nikon DSLR. Its electronic aperture can't be controlled by a Nikon 810.

Depending on your needs the new Voigtlander 110mm may be an interesting option.

[ray_parkhurst]

Yes, with an adapter the lens can only be operated manually. I was under the impression the 125/2.5 had selectable aperture, but if it is "gelded" then indeed the adapter would not be feasible.

[Macro_Cosmos]

You can set the aperture on the Canon Voigt:
1. Mount voigt to canon
2. Adjust f_no
3. Press down DOF preview
4. Dismount lens with the button pressed
This way, the lens is stuck at whatever f_no you have set it to. Don't worry, this won't damage the lens whatsoever. Set it to optimal aperture and use the voigt as a fixed aperture lens. For deeper DOF, you want to focus stack.

Adapters won't be that detrimental since it's only 1:1.

The Milvus 100 is good, but it's only 1:2, and it's too expensive for what it is. Why not get a Minolta 5400 scanner lens? For cheapskate options, the 55/2.8 and 3.5 ais nikkors are superb for around $100.

For a new Milvus, I'd get a 95mm rayfact from Tochigi Nikon (psssst, there's one on eBay open to offers, from a seller who actually owns the lens, not those fraudulent reposters). The RF95 does 2x and 0.5x (reverse for 2x), both covered fx, manual says 0.5x doesn't cover fx but I found that to be untrue. The rf95 is great at 1x too, and I'm sure it will beat the Milvus. The long WD of the RF95 also offers ease of lighting.

Or use the trick above and stay with the voigt 125.

[JurJul]

Thanks to all for opinions. I've already found here a Voigtlander for Nikon and will buy it and then sell mine for Canon.
As about Minolta 5400.. as far as I understood it's film scanner and I'll need to take out lens and then use it in my Nikon. Am I right???

[Antal]

For the Minolta 5400 youll find all information on Roberts site: https://www.closeuphotography.com/minol ... -5400-lens