The goal of this test was pretty simple, find how my best macro lenses compare to the newest lenses on the market, and which of these new lenses, if any, are worth buying. The results did give me the exact information that I was looking for, but there were a lot more problems than expected, and unfortunately, some big disappointments. This results here prove that taking the time to test a new lens against a known reference lens, is really is worth the effort, rather than just buying a lens based on online test report. I think renting a lens for $15 a day is a smarter move than just buying a new lens and getting disappointed when it doesn’t perform as expected.

All of the lenses in this test were purchased and I did not receive any discount, incentive, or commission from anyone. Also it’s important to know that this post which does not contain any affiliate links, ads or visitor tracking that you find on other lens review sites.

SETUP

The A7RIV camera was used with my Thorlabs SM2 studio setup vertically mounted on a Nikon MM-11 stand for this test. For each lens and each aperture setting focus was bracketed and the sharpest image was chosen at 100% view in photoshop. Manual mode was used at ISO 100. To avoid any sharpness loss due to vibration, two Godox TT350S units were used at 1/128th to 1/32nd power. To avoid any change in light angle, the flash units remained in place and never moved over the entire test, mounted on a flash bracket that is bolted to an optical breadboard.

Sony Raw image files were processed in Ps CC ACR with all noise reduction turned to zero, and lens correction profiles disabled. Files were checked with the Capture 1 app for lens correction pre-conditioning just to make sure there was no correction going on behind the scenes with opcodes. All settings were zeroed out and the same white balance setting used for all the images. With Sony lenses and some other brands (Leica, Fuji, Olympus and Panasonic) chromatic aberration correction is baked into the RAW file using opcodes that cannot be disabled in Lightroom or Photoshop ACR, this means that the lens correction is not controllable by the user so even with lens correction profiles disabled, they are still being applied. I’ve include some links at the bottom of the page for more information on opcodes.

All of the test images are single frames, none of the images were stacked. To avoid focus shifts with aperture changes, a series of images were made at 10 micron steps at each aperture. Each lens was shot from wide open to f/5.6 to find sharpest image. The sharpest images were chosen at 100% actual pixel magnification, cropped and saved in Photoshop CC.

***1X lens test pretest: Lenses Tested on* *APS-C only***

Before the Sony A7RIV rental arrived for this test, I ran a pretest with a Sony A6300 with some of the lenses, just to make sure the were performing as expected. Lenses like the Canon 100mm IS, tested so poorly on the A6300, there was no reason to waste time testing on the full frame camera. The following lenses did not perform well enough to make it past the A6300.

Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 L Macro IS USM Lens
Sigma 70mm F2.8 EX DG Macro Lens
Sony FE 90mm f/2.8 Macro G Oss Macro Lens
Voigtlander APO-LANTHAR 110mm f/2.5 Macro Lens
Voigtlander APO-Lanthar 125mm f/2.5 SL Macro Lens

Camera: Sony α6300, model # ILCE-6300, also known as: A6300
Sensor size: APS-C. 23.5 × 15.6 mm. 28.21 mm diagonal. 3.92 micron sensor pitch

The much-anticipated Cosina Voigtlander APO-LANTHAR 110mm f/2.5 (CV110) turned out to have some optical issues, but LensRentals.com really came through with quick replacement via Fedex Saturday delivery. I should mention that LensRentals customer service was excellent and I would recommend them above their compeditors. The replacement CV110 was better but there was still an optical issue.

The Sony FE 90mm f/2.8 Macro G Oss Macro Lens was another disappointment, a lens that is sells for a premium price but the performance is nowhere near the top lenses in the test.

1X test: Sony A7R IV

The following lenses were tested on the A7RIV in the center, APS-C corner, and full frame corner crop.

Canon MP-E 65mm f2.8 1-5x Macro Lens
Mejiro Etendue OTH100 90mm f/5.6 line scan lens
Nikon Printing-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8A
Nikon Scanner-Nikkor ED 100mm Scanner Lens
Schneider Kreuznach Macro Varon CAS 85mm f/4.5
Sigma Art 70mm f/2.8 DG Macro Lens
Tamron AF 90mm f/2.8 SP Di macro lens

Camera: Sony α7R IV, Sony Alpha ILCE-A7R IV
Sensor size: Full Frame. 35.7mm x 23.8mm. 42.9 mm diagonal. 3.76 micron sensor pitch

Target

Silicon wafers are my preferred targets for tests like this for the fine details like micro-lettering and plenty of contrast. The silicon disk will always stay flat and won’t warp or bend with changes in temperature like a butterfly wing. The downside to wafers is they are very delicate and can shatter if they are dropped on a hard surface so they need to handled carefully.

Before making the full frame center images, the disk was nudged to place the center crop area in middle of the frame so they were not photographed exactly as indicated in the layouts.

1x Pretest on the A6300: 100% actual pixel view

First up are the results from the pretest on the A6300. A few lenses were left out of this test due to the fact that they were poor performer on the Nikon D850 in the first 1x test. I included a list of the lenses left out of the test, with notes, at the bottom of this page.You can see the first test here: https://www.closeuphotography.com/sharpness-test-1x.

Click on any image and a new window with a black background will open with the full size image, you can also two finger or right button click any image to save as, or open in another tab or window.

Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 L Macro IS USM Lens

The Canon 100 IS images were definitely sharp enough, but the image quality suffers with the heavy red fringing, look at the diagonal line if the upper left of the frame. These images were made stopped down to f/4. These chromatic aberrations can be removed by the in-camera lens correction or in the Raw conversion process but I would ask more from a lens at this price-point.

Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 L Macro IS USM Lens corner at f/4

Sigma 70mm F2.8 EX DG Macro Lens

The images from the Sigma are sharp and very well corrected with a slight drop-off in quality at the very far edge on APS-C corner. This lens has been discontinued by Sigma a few years ago.

Sigma 70mm F2.8 EX DG Macro Lens corner at f/4.5

Sony FE 90mm f/2.8 Macro G Oss Macro Lens

The center crop from the Sony is sharp without any issues. The corner crop, the image in the middle, is less sharp, and the CAs appear to be well controlled. But there is more to the story. Sony uses opcodes which pre-condition the RAW file before it opens in Adobe Photoshop ACR or Lightroom, the user has no control over the correction of chromatic aberrations. To check, I opened the same file in Capture 1, now you can see the uncorrected levels of CAs in the image on the right. I expected more from a macro lens costing over $1,000 with a complex 15 elements in 11 group design using three extra-low dispersion elements, and one aspherical element (the Sigma Art 70mm lens uses 13 element, 10 group design FYI).

Sony FE 90mm f/2.8 Macro G Oss center crop at f/2.8 Adobe ACR conversion

Sony FE 90mm f/2.8 Macro G Oss corner crop at f/2.8 Adobe ACR conversion

Sony FE 90mm f/2.8 Macro G Oss corner crop at f/2.8 using Capture 1

Voigtlander APO-LANTHAR 110mm f/2.5 Macro Lens

These images were made using the second Voigtlander 110 tested and results are better than the first copy but there is still a weird blue haze around the areas with contrast. These results are disappointing.

Voigtlander APO-LANTHAR 110mm f/2.5 Macro Lens corner crop at f/2.8

Voigtlander APO-Lanthar 125mm f/2.5 SL Macro Lens

The 125 APO-Lanthar images are haze free and sharp but there are some blue chromatic aberrations. You can see these in the lower left corner of the crop images, the blacks appear to be dark blue.

Voigtlander APO-Lanthar 125mm f/2.5 SL Macro Lens corner crop at f/2.8

1X test on the Sony A7RIV: 100% actual pixel view

Click on any image and a new window with a black background will open with the full size image, you can also two finger or right button click any image to save as, or open in another tab or window.

Canon MP-E 65mm f2.8 1-5x Macro Lens

The performance from the MP-E 65 is very good. The images are flat, sharp with well controlled CAs. There is a slight drop off in sharpness, and some increase in CAs in the far corners. This lens is very close to the Mejiro, especially in the corners but with slightly less CA control. Can’t beat the MP-Es magnification range although the image quality drops towards 5x. Not bad results from a 10 element, 8 group design with a single low-dispersion element.

Canon MP-E 65mm f2.8 1-5x Macro Lens APS-C corner crop at f/5

Canon MP-E 65mm f2.8 1-5x Macro Lens corner crop at f/5

Mejiro Etendue OTH100 90mm f/5.6 line scan lens

The Meijiro 90mm is not as sharp as the MP-E in the center, but this lens is very consistent from center to the corners and is free from CAs. This lens does double duty as one of the best tube lenses I have ever seen!

Mejiro Etendue 90mm f/5.6 APS-C corner crop

Nikon Printing-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8 A

Sharp, clean and consistent. The Printing-Nikkor is the sharpest lens in this test.

Nikon Printing-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8 A APS-C corner crop at f/2.8

Nikon Printing-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8 A corner crop at f/2.8

Nikon Scanner-Nikkor ED 100mm Scanner Lens

The Scanner-Nikkor images in my eyes have a slight advantage with the “poly” micro-lettering rendering at the top, but sharpness and contrast are slightly below the PN105 overall. Also the PN is more consistent from center to corner. The Scanner-Nikkor might be best at a magnification other than 1x.

Nikon Scanner-Nikkor ED 100mm center crop

Nikon Scanner-Nikkor ED 100mm APS-C corner crop

Nikon Scanner-Nikkor ED 100mm corner crop

Schneider Kreuznach Macro Varon CAS 85mm f/4.5

The Macro Varon is clean and sharp at 1x as you would expect. This lens is a little sensitive to stray light so careful flocking is needed for best results out of this lens. The MV85 uses a relatively simple 8 element, 6 group design.

Schneider Macro Varon CAS 85mm f/4.5 center crop

Schneider Macro Varon CAS 85mm f/4.5 APS-C corner crop

Schneider Macro Varon CAS 85mm f/4.5 corner crop

Sigma 70mm f/2.8 ART DG Macro Lens: the image quality from this lens is sharp with very good contrast and excellent chromatic aberration control over the entire full frame sensor. Image quality drops off slightly towards the far corners on the A7RIV sensor but stays at a high level. The 70mm Art lens is a completely new design with four low dispersion elements, and two aspherical elements, in a 13 element, 10 group (G) design, the older 70mm DG lens used 3 low-dispersion elements in a 10 element, 9 group design.

Sigma 70mm f/2.8 ART DG APS-C corner crop

Tamron AF 90mm f/2.8 SP Di macro lens

Although this model is still sold at shops, there is a newer version of this lens that should perform a little better than this one, but still, with the Sigma Art 70 available for the same price, for higher performance, it doesn’t make much difference.

Tamron AF 90mm f/2.8 SP Di macro lens APS-C corner crop at f/4

Tamron AF 90mm f/2.8 SP Di macro lens corner crop at f/4

Final results: Best image quality at 1x

1 - Nikon Printing-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8 A

2 - Nikon Scanner-Nikkor ED 100mm Scanner Lens

3 - Sigma Art 70mm f/2.8 DG Macro Lens

4 - Schneider Kreuznach Macro Varon CAS 85mm f/4.5

5 - Mejiro Etendue OTH100 90mm f/5.6 line scan lens

6 - Canon MP-E 65mm f2.8 1-5x Macro Lens

Overall Best performance: Nikon Printing-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8 A

Amazing sharpness and contrast from corner to corner on the A7RIV sensor. The level of sharpness in the files out of the PN are so high, that even if left unsharpened, they would still be sharper than most of the other lenses in this test.

Biggest Surprise of the test, and Best Value: Sigma Art 70mm f/2.8 DG Macro Lens

The Sigma Art 70 is the clear winner when you look at cost vs performance, and you can pick one at any camera shop in person or online. It would be hard for me to recommend a lens like a Macro Varon that costs $4600, or the Printing-Nikkor from Rayfact, for $8,000+, but at $469, Sigma Art lens is an easy recommendation for anyone looking for a macro lens. The Art lens is better in the center than the Macro Varon, but the Schneider is more consistent in the corner crops, so the Sigma isn’t perfect, but right now it’s just about impossible to beat for the price.

Another surprise: Mejiro Etendue OTH100 90mm f/5.6 line scan lens

Good consistent performance for a full frame sensor and superb performance as a tube lens, all in one package. I own both the 1x, and 0.75x versions, both fantastic tube lenses, picked them up for around $300 each on eBay.

THE WORST performers AT 1X

Worst Overall Performance:
Sony FE 90mm f/2.8 Macro G Oss Macro Lens. Glad I chose to rent, and not buy this lens, the Sigma 70 Art is half the price of the Sony and is a much better performer.

Most Disappointing at 1x:
Voigtlander APO-LANTHAR 110mm f/2.5 Macro Lens. Blue haze around high contrast edges from both copies. Disappointing to say the least.

Disappointing at 1x:

Sigma 70mm F2.8 EX DG Macro Lens: Not a bad lens at all, but the Art lens is better all around. Some IQ drop-off in the corners on APS-C.
Tamron AF 90mm f/2.8 SP Di macro lens: Image quality drop-off in the corners and some lateral CAs. Skip Tamrons since Sigma Art lens is available for the same price.
Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 L Macro IS USM Lens: Red fringing around high contrast edges.

LENSes That did not make it into this test

Canon EF 180mm f/3.5 L Macro IS USM Lens: not enough time to test.
Lomo Mikroplanar 4.5/100 Microfilm Repro Lens: poor image quality (IQ) at 1x, higher mag may improve IQ.
Nikon 105/2.8 VR micro-Nikkor: Excessive chromatic aberrations. See the first 1x test, link below.
Nikon AF Micro-NIKKOR 200mm f/4D IF-ED macro Lens: Excessive chromatic aberrations at 1x. See the first 1x test, link below.
Sigma 105mm f/2.8 EX OS Macro Lens: lens mount incompatible. See the first 1x test, link below.
Sigma 150mm f/2.8 EX OS Macro Lens: lens mount incompatible. See the first 1x test, link below.
Sigma 180mm f/3.5 EX OS Macro Lens: lens mount incompatible. See the first 1x test, link below.
Rodenstock 75mm f/4 APO-Rodagon-D M 1:1 Lens: Excessive chromatic aberrations at 1x. See the first 1x test, link below.
Schneider Kreuznach 45mm f/4 APO: Excessive chromatic aberrations in the test sample and soft corners on APS-C
Schneider Kreuznach Componon-S 50mm f/2.8: Excessive chromatic aberrations in the test sample and soft corners on APS-C.
Schneider Kreuznach Componon-S 50mm f/4 Industrial Preset lens: Excessive chromatic aberrations in the test sample and soft corners on APS-C.
Schneider Kreuznach Componon-S 80mm f/4 Lens: Soft corners on APS-C. See the first 1x test, link below.
Schneider Kreuznach Makro-Symmar 80mm f/5.6 Lens: See the first 1x test, link below.
Schneider Kreuznach M-Componon 80mm f/4 Macro Lens: Soft corners at 1x. Higher mags may improve the IQ.
IRIX 150mm f/2.8 Macro Lens: unable to borrow or buy a sample for the test.
Venus Optics Laowa 100mm f/2.8 2X APO Ultra Macro Lens: unable to borrow or buy a sample for the test.

Original 1X test here on Closeuphotography.com: https://www.closeuphotography.com/sharpness-test-1x

Sensor Cover Glass issues with legacy lenses

Lenses that were designed to work with film, like the Voigtländer APO-Lanthar 125mm SL for example (the the Printing-Nikkor is another), were never designed to work with a layer of glass over the imaging plane. This can have a negative effect on the lens performance by causing the blue and red wavelengths to focus at different points and not on the sensor, especially in the corners . The glass covering a sensor can range in thickness from just over 1mm with the Nikon Z-series to over 3mm total on Sony alpha mirrorless cameras. For more information on this issue, check out the following:

These LensRentals.com posts from 2014 are the best sources of information on this subject on using legacy lenses on digital cameras:

https://wordpress.lensrentals.com/blog/2014/06/the-glass-in-the-path-sensor-stacks-and-adapted-lenses/

https://wordpress.lensrentals.com/blog/2014/06/sensor-stack-thickness-when-does-it-matter/

https://wordpress.lensrentals.com/blog/2014/07/sensor-stack-thickness-part-iii-the-summary/