In this test we compared fifteen 50mm lenses on a full frame camera. 2.8x was chosen for this test since it's within the factory recommended range for all of the lenses in this group (see the bottom of this test for specific lens data). For best corner sharpness and chromatic aberration control lenses were tested at the best aperture, in the case of an enlarging lens, that means the working aperture, which is usually 1-2 stops closed down. All of the lenses in this group should be easy to find on the used market, except for the Tominon E36 lens, and High MTF lens. All lenses in this test were focused using extension.
Most lenses in this test were actually optimized for a much higher magnification ratio, closer to 10x, see the factor specs for each lens at the bottom of the test. We actually tested more than 15 lenses but unfortunately some lenses did not make it to the final round due to very poor image quality, even worse than worst performer of the group (see the list at the bottom of this test: Lenses that did not make it into this test). Most of these lenses in this test could very well perform better at 2.8x in a compound lens setup stacked on the front of a telephoto lens focused at infinity and mounted in reverse.
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Lenses in The Test
Beseler HD 50mm f/2.8 lens
Canon MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5x Macro Photo lens (50mm at 2.8x)
Lasergraphics High MTF 50mm f/3.5 lens
Leitz Wetzlar Photar 50mm f/4 lens
Linos Rodagon 50mm f/2.8 lens
Rodenstock Rodagon 50mm f/2.8 lens (two copies tested)
Rodenstock Rodagon-P 50mm f/2.8 lens
Rodenstock APO-Rodagon-N 50mm f/2.8 lens (two copies tested)
Schneider APO Componon 45mm f/4 Makro Iris Lens
Schneider Componon-S 50mm f/2.8 Makro Iris lens (two copies tested)
Schneider Componon-S 50mm f/4 fixed aperture lens
Schneider M-Componon 50mm f/4 lens
Tominon 48mm f4 E36 MC lens
Tominon 50mm f/4.5 lens (two copies tested)
Special thanks to all my friends and colleagues that donated their time for suggestions and proofreading this test! Also an extra special thanks to all my friends that provided loaner lenses for the test.
2.8X TEST: SETUP
Camera: Sony α7R IV, Sony Alpha ILCE-A7R IV (A7R4)
Sensor size: Full Frame. 35.7mm x 23.8mm. 42.91 mm diagonal. 3.76 micron sensor pitch
Flash: Godox TT350s wireless flash x 2 with one Godox X1s 2.4G wireless flash transmitter
All lenses in this test were focused at 2.8x using extension only, no lenses were stacked for this test.
All images identically processed at the same time from the raw image files with identical sharpness, zero lens correction and zero NR.
All of the images shown here are single files. The sharpest frame was then selected out of a stack of images made in 6 micron steps. Separate images were selected for center, edge, and corner if needed.
For this test we used one of my favorite 6" (150mm) Silicon Wafers from the 1980s. This wafer has extremely fine patterns perfectly sized for 2-3x. Wafers tend to reveal issues with red fringing that show up along high contrast edges, especially in edges of the frame.
100 Percent Crop images: Center, APS-C, Full frame
Beseler HD 50mm f/2.8
The Beseler HD was tested at f/5.6 since this is the best aperture overall. Center sharpness is better at f/4 but corners improve quite a bit at f/5.6. Performance is similar to the standard Rodagons and less corrected than the APO-Rodagon.
Canon MP-E 65mm f/2.8
MP-E was tested at f/3.5 for best center sharpness but there are issues with CAs and red fringing. Chromatic aberration correction did improve at f/4 and smaller apertures but sharpness will drop as you stop down. The MP-E is flat field corrected.
Lasergraphics High MTF 50mm f/3.5 lens
Excellent sharpness and chromatic aberration control from center to edge. Most consistent lens from center to corner. Best 50mm lens we’ve ever tested.
Leitz Wetzlar Photar 50mm f/4
The Photar was tested at f/5.6. Center sharpness was very good at f/4 but corners were poor. Stopping down to f/5.6 improves corner sharpness with some center sharpness loss. The Photar full frame corners at f/5.6 are about equal to a Rodagon.
Linos Rodagon 50mm f/2.8
All Rodagons were tested at the designed working aperture of f/5.6. Center sharpness is better at f/4 but the corners improve quite a bit at f/5.6. At this magnification there is not much difference between the Rodagon versions excluding the APO-Rodagon-N. The APO-Rodagon has better full frame CA correction than the standard Rodagons.
Rodenstock Rodagon 50mm f/2.8
All Rodagons were tested at the designed working aperture of f/5.6. Center sharpness is better at f/4 but the corners improve quite a bit at f/5.6.
Rodenstock Rodagon-P 50mm f/2.8
All Rodagons were tested at the designed working aperture of f/5.6. Center sharpness is better at f/4 but the corners improve quite a bit at f/5.6.
Rodenstock APO-Rodagon-N 50mm f/2.8
Center sharpness is best between f/4 and f/4.7, corner sharpness improves significantly going to f/5.6. Best of the Rodagons. Good chromatic aberration control. Better corner sharpness than all of the Schneiders, except for the M-Componon. Worth the extra cost over a plain Rodagon.
Schneider APO Componon 45mm f/4
Tested at f/5.6. Corner sharpness improves significantly going from f/4 to f/5.6. The APO-Componon 4/45 and M-Componon 4/50 have very similar sharpness but the APO-Componon has higher CAs.
Schneider Componon-S 50mm f/2.8 Enlarger Lens
The Componon-S 2.8/50 was tested at f/5.6. Center sharpest is best at f/4.7 but corner sharpness is weak at this aperture. Corners improve a lot at f/5.6 although there is a drop in center sharpness. I tested two copies of this lens. Out of the 4 Componons, this version is the weakest performer overall. The APO-Rodagon-N is better.
Schneider Componon-S 50mm Fixed Industrial f/4 Lens
This is an industrial fixed f/4 aperture lens. Center sharpness is better than the standard Componon-S and APO-Componon due to the faster tested aperture but CAs are also better controlled than both the Componon-S and APO-Componon. In the corners, the lens is better than the Componon-S but not as good as the APO-Componon or the M-Componon. This lens uses makro-iris style lens cells that are glued in place and the lens is marked with best azimuth.
Schneider M-Componon 50mm f/4
Tested at f/4.7 for the best balance between center and corner sharpness. Center sharpness is better than the Componon-S and APO-Componon but not as good as the fixed f/4 Componon-S. Full frame corner sharpness is better here than with the other Schneider lenses and even slightly better than the best Rodagon, the APO-Rodagon-N. The M-Componon chromatic aberration better than the APO-Componon!
Tominon 48mm f4 E36 MC
The Tominon was tested at f/4.7. Corners improve further from 4.7- f/5.6 but center sharpness is weaker. I found the best balance at f/4.7. One of the better performers in this test and one of the lowest priced lenses if you can find one.
Tominon 50mm f/4.5
Tested at f/5.6. Overall image problems due to contrast issues and weak corners. Performance in the corners might be partially due to 2.8x being on the low end of the magnification range but due to the slow maximum aperture I would not recommend increasing magnification. Two copies were tested and the best was included in the results.
100 Percent side by side Crop Samples: no Labels
Side by side cropped files really makes comparisons easy and small differences are very apparent. I’m posting these tight side by side crops with and without labels to make things interesting.
All images below were identically processed at the same time from the raw image files with identical sharpness, zero lens correction and zero NR.
It’s strongly recommend to judge image quality without the labels first.
Center Crop No Labels
APS-C Crop No labels
Corner Crop no labels
Center Crop no labels
APSC Crop no Labels
Corner Crop no Labels
100 Percent side by side Crop Samples: with Labels
Center Crop with Labels
Top row, L-R: Beseler HD 50mm f/2.8, Canon MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5x, Lasergraphics High MTF 50mm f/3.5, Leitz Wetzlar Photar 50mm f/4, Linos Rodagon 50mm f/2.8, Rodenstock Rodagon 50mm f/2.8, Rodenstock Rodagon-P 50mm f/2.8 lens. Bottom row, L-R: Rodenstock APO-Rodagon-N 50mm f/2.8, Schneider APO Componon 45mm f/4, Schneider Componon-S 50mm f/2.8, Componon-S 50mm f/4 fixed, M-Componon 50mm f/4, Tominon 48mm f4 E36 MC, Tominon 50mm f/4.5.
APSC Crop with Labels
Corner Crop with Labels
Center Crop with Labels
APSC Crop with Labels
Corner Crop with Labels
2.8x Final Results
Best overall
Lasergraphics High MTF 50mm f/3.5
The High MTF lens stood out as best in this test. The High MTF was also the lowest cost lens in the group, the best 50mm lenses we’ve ever tested, and our biggest lens discovery of 2023.
At the time of this test, early 2023, we were able to find 3 High MTF lenses for a more than fair price, but I expect that to change after this test is read by more people. Lasergraphics reports they sold more than 250,000 LFRs and most unfortunately went into the landfill, but I’m sure there are lots of High MTF lenses still out there.
A full test of the High MTF lens will soon be online: https://www.closeuphotography.com/lasergraphics-50mm-high-mtf-lens
Runner up
APO-Rodagon-N 2.8/50
Not as sharp as the MP-E but with much better chromatic aberration control. Tested 2 copies.
Third place
The M-Componon 4/50
This lens and the APO-Rodagon-N were very close. A little harder to find and more expensive than most lenses here.
Test Notes
The MP-E and the High MTF were the only two truly flat field corrected lenses in this test. Separate images were selected for center, edge, and corner for all lenses except the High MTF and MP-E.
Beseler HD 50mm f/2.8
Overall similar to the Rodagons.
Canon MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5x Macro Photo Lens
One of the sharpest lenses in this test but also the biggest issues with red fringing. The extra large diameter lens barrel made this lens more difficult to use in practice.
Leitz Wetzlar Photar 50mm f/4 (version II) macro Lens
Very sharp in the center at f/4 but needs to be stopped down to f/5.6 and even then the corners are only equal to a Rodagon.
Linos Rodagon 50mm f/2.8
Rodenstock Rodagon 50mm f/2.8
Rodenstock Rodagon-P 50mm f/2.8 lens
All 3 of these Rodagons were about average and best sharpness balance at f/5.6. Tested 2 copies of the Rodagon.
Rodenstock APO-Rodagon-N 50mm f/2.8 lens
Runner up in this test and best of the Rodagons and better than all of the Schneider lenses. The APO model does seem to be worth the higher cost over a standard Rodagon.
Schneider APO Componon 45mm f/4 Macro Iris Line Scan Lens
The Rodagons are better in the corners than any of the Schneider lenses at 2.8x
Schneider Componon-S 50mm f/2.8 Macro Iris Line Scan Lens
Worst performing Schneider lens. Tested two copies. Better CA correction overall than the Rodagons but the trade off is softer corners. Tested 2 copies.
Schneider Componon-S 50mm f/4 fixed aperture Lens
Best center sharpness of all the Schneider lenses. APO Componon and M-Componon were better in the corners.
Schneider M-Componon 50mm f/4 Macro Lens
Best performance overall of all the Schneider lenses, maybe due to the big image circle (the M-CPN is designed for large format). Looks like rumor of the M-Componon being the same optically as a Componon-S is not true, at least for the 50mm lenses.
Tominon 48mm f4 E36 MC Printing lens
Not bad for the price. 2.8x might not be the best magnification for this lens.
Tominon 50mm f/4.5 macro lens
Low contrast and sharpness. 2.8x might not be the best magnification for this lens. Tested 2 copies.
Notes: When possible we used Makro-Iris versions of Schneider lenses since they have proven to be consistently better performers than standard Schneider enlarger lenses in previous testes. This is most likely due to the fact that Makro-iris lenses are tested, marked for best azimuth, and the lens cells are glued into place (the Componon-S 50mm fixed aperture lens is also glued and marked). Standard Schneider lenses are not checked, marked or glued. Rodenstock sold Rodagon and APO-Rodagon lenses sold with best azimuth marked with a spot of yellow paint. These were called Azimuth models but they are rarely seen on the used market.
manufacturer Specs
Beseler HD 50mm f/2.8
Tested at f/5.6
Optimized magnification: 0.1x
Optimized magnification in reverse: 10x
Magnification range: 0.07 - 0.5x
Magnification range in reverse: 2x - 14x
Tested orientation: reverse
Canon MP-E 65mm f/2.8
Tested at f/3.5
Optimized magnification: : 1x
Optimized magnification in reverse: reverse mount not recommended
Magnification range: 1x - 5x
Magnification range in reverse: reverse mount not recommended
Tested orientation: normal
Lasergraphics High MTF 50mm f/3.5
Tested at f/3.5 (fixed)
Optimized magnification: 0.32x
Optimized magnification in reverse: 3.14x
Magnification range: 0.29x - 0.35x
Magnification range in reverse: 2.8x - 3.6x
Notes: No published info on this lens.
Tested orientation: reverse
Leitz Wetzlar Photar 50mm f/4
Tested at f/4 and f/5.6
Optimized magnification: 3.4x
Optimized magnification in reverse: reverse mount not recommended
Magnification range: 1.4x - 5x
Magnification range in reverse: reverse mount not recommended
Tested orientation: normal
Linos Rodagon 50mm f/2.8
Tested at f/5.6
Optimized magnification: 0.1x
Optimized magnification in reverse: 10x
Magnification range: 0.07x - 0.5x
Magnification range in reverse: 2x - 14x
Tested orientation: reverse
Rodenstock Rodagon 50mm f/2.8
Tested at f/5.6
Optimized magnification: 0.1x
Optimized magnification in reverse: 10x
Magnification range: 0.07x - 0.5x
Magnification range in reverse: 2x - 14x
Tested orientation: reverse
Rodenstock Rodagon-P 50mm f/2.8
Tested at f/5.6
Optimized magnification: 0.1x
Optimized magnification in reverse: 10x
Magnification range: 0.07x - 0.5x
Magnification range in reverse: 2x - 14x
Tested orientation: reverse
Rodenstock APO-Rodagon-N 50mm f/2.8
Tested at f/5.6
Optimized magnification: 0.1x
Optimized magnification in reverse: 10x
Magnification range: 0.05x - 0.5x
Magnification range in reverse: 2x - 10x
Tested orientation: reverse
Schneider APO Componon 45mm f/4
Tested at f/5.6
Optimized magnification: 0.16x
Optimized magnification in reverse: 6x
Magnification range in reverse: 3x - 25x
Magnification range: 0.04x - 0.33x
Note: 2.8x is just outside recommended range
Tested orientation: reverse
Schneider Componon-S 50mm f/2.8
Tested at f/5.6
Optimized magnification: 0.1x
Optimized magnification in reverse: 10x
Magnification range: 0.04x - 0.33
Magnification range in reverse: 3.03 x - 25x
Note: Schneider made an error in the lens data PDF for this lens, this lens is not optimized for 0.5x in normal mount.
Tested orientation: reverse
Optimized magnification: 0.1x
Optimized magnification in reverse: 10x
Magnification range: 0.04x - 0.33x
Magnification range: 0.05 - 1x.
Magnification range in reverse: 1x - 20x
Schneider Componon-S 50mm f/4 Fixed Aperture
Tested at f/4 (fixed)
Optimized magnification: 0.1x
Optimized magnification in reverse: 10x
Magnification range: 0.05 - 1x.
Magnification range in reverse: 1x - 20x
Note: Schneider did not publish any data for this fixed model, so I am using specs from the Makro iris Componon-S lens.
Tested orientation: reverse
Schneider M-Componon 50mm f/4
Tested at f/4.5
Optimized magnification: 2-3x
Optimized magnification in reverse: reverse mount not recommended
Magnification range: 2x - 12x
Magnification range in reverse: reverse mount not recommended
Tested orientation: normal
Note: extra large image circle for large format
Tominon 48mm f4 E36 MC
Tested at f/4.7
Optimized magnification: unknown
Optimized magnification in reverse: unknown
Magnification range: unknown
Tested orientation: reverse
Tominon 50mm f/4.5
Tested at f/5.6
Optimized magnification: 2.6x
Optimized magnification in reverse: reverse mount not recommended
Magnification range: 1.5x - 5.2x
Tested orientation: normal
Notes: lenses are optimized only for a certain reproduction ratio, and its quality diminishes, depending on its optical design, more or less as those ratios change. All macro lenses are engineered with an optimum conjugate ratio (image : subject) a magnification where the lens performs at its very best. Each lens is designed for certain conjugate ratio range, and each lens will minimize aberrations far better there than it does way outside that range.
A Canon or Nikon macro lens is optimized at 1:8 or 1:3; and can focus to 1:1. This is in the recommended range, but 1x is not the optimum magnification. The same lens can also be used at infinity of course, but this is not the optimum either. The 50mm industrial lenses and most enlarging lenses have a slightly asymmetrical layout and are designed in their focal length range for about 1:2 to 1:10. Reversing them restores the conjugate distance relationship with the subject and sensor for 2x - 10x magnification.
Lenses that did not make it into this test
This is a list of lenses that are not Recommended and did not make into this test do to poor image quality at 2.8x.
Beseler Color Pro 50mm f2.8 2.8/50 enlarging lens
Computar dL 50mm F2.8 enlarging lens
Computar dL 55mm F1.9 enlarging lens
EL-Omegar 50mm F/3.5 (also sold as Accura, Beslar, E-lucky, Hansa, Shinker, telesar and 20 other names) enlarging lens
Nikon for Pako EL-Nikkor 4.5/50 printing lens
Nikon EL-Nikkor 50mm f2.8N enlarging lens
Noritsu Tamron 48.5mm f/2.8 enlarging lens
Fujinon EFC 49.9mm f/5.6 enlarging lens
Omegaron 50mm, f/3.5 enlarging lens
Schneider 50mm f2.8 Componon-S 5 element enlarging lens
Schneider Kreuznach Componon 50mm f/4 enlarging lens
Schneider Comparon S 50mm f2.8 enlarging lens
Schneider Componar C 50mm f3.5 enlarging lens
Schneider Kreuznach Componar 50mm enlarging lens
Rodenstock Rogonar-SC 1:2.8 f=50mm enlarging lens
Rodenstock Omegaron 3.5/50mm enlarging lens
Rodenstock Ysaron 3.5/50mm enlarging lens
Rodenstock Rogonar 3.5/50mm (not Rogonar-S) enlarging lens
Rodenstock Trinar 4/50 enlarging lens