THE LENSES

TEST SET-UP

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
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.

COMPARING IMAGES AT 100% VIEW

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Full-image-at-5x-with-outlines-www-Closeuphotography-com.jpg

Un-cropped 3x wafer image resized to 1500 pixels with the crop areas highlighted in blue.

5x test: Canon 20mm f/3.5 Macrophoto Lens Vs. Tominon 17mm f4 Macro Lens

For this test both lenses were used at the largest aperture, 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 f3.5 MacroPhoto Lens vs Tominon 17mm f4 lens 100% Center Crops**

**Canon 20mm f3.5 MacroPhoto Lens vs Tominon 17mm f4 lens 100% Corner Crops**

Center sharpness: Both lenses are very good at 100% view but the Canon MP-20 has a very slight advantage. Look at the tiny marks on the 50 - 0 + 50 scale.

Corner sharpness: Both lenses are very good here also, and again the advantage goes to the MP-20.

Chromatic aberrations: The Tominon seems to have an advantage over the Canon but it might be that the CAs are harder to see so I would say they are both have good CA control.

Image Quality: The Canon 20mm f/3.5 is cleaner and just very slight sharper but the Tominon is very close, but both do pretty well at 5x.

Verdict: It looks like the faster aperture wins. The 1/3rd stop faster Canon 20mm f/3.5 is a better lens than the Tominon 17mm. The Canon is better at 5x but it costs something like 100-400% more than the Tominon.

Notes: The Canon is very easy to mount with RMS threads vs the Tominon’s hard to adapt 40mm threads.

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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.

The MP-E 65 has to be the most popular macro lens and the only one that I know of optimized for the 1-5x magnification range. The strength of this lens is coverage, the image circle is big and the range is very wide for a lens designed for greater than life-size. Why no other manufacturers ever challenged Canon with a similar lens is beyond me, I will never understand why Nikon failed to step up and decided to just give up on the 1x - 5x range.

**Canon MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5x Macro Photo lens vs Canon 20mm f3.5 MacroPhoto Lens 100% Center Crops**

**Canon MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5x Macro Photo lens vs Canon 20mm f3.5 MacroPhoto Lens 100% Corner Crops**

Center sharpness: Both lenses are very good here with the MP-E 65 having a slight sharpness advantage at 100% but the MP-E 65 also shows strong chromatic aberrations so the MP-20 center crop actually looks cleaner.

Corner sharpness: The MP-E 65 does much better here and I checked carefully to make sure the MP-20 image did not just suffer from field curvature distortion.

Chromatic aberrations: The 30+ year old MP-20 easily beats the MP-E 65 lens in handling chromatic aberrations. The MP-E 65 shows strong CAs in the center and its gets worse as you move towards the corners.

Image Quality: Its a shame that Canon decided to leave CAs unchecked with the MP-E 65, the sharpness and large image circle would really be a superb combination with a little CA suppression. As it is just an okay lens, nothing special at all at 5x. The MP-E 65 seems to be sharper away from the center, the sharpness seems to peak about half of the way to edge of the APS-C sensor.

Verdict: The Canon MP-E 65 produces better image quality than the MP-20 lens at 5x. The MP-E 65 is sharper from the center to the corners.

Notes: The MP-E 65 is sharper but I prefer the cleaner images out of the MP-20 even though it is slightly less sharp. Over the years I have owned about 5 of the MP-20s and the image quality was consistent between samples.

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5x test: Canon MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5x Macro Photo lens vs. Sigma 150mm OS + Schneider-Kreuznach 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 vs Sigma 150 f2.8 OS + Xenon 28mm f2 Line Scan Lens 100% Center Crops**

**Canon MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5x Macro Photo lens vs Sigma 150 f2.8 OS + Xenon 28mm f2 Line Scan Lens 100% Corner Crops**

Center sharpness: No contest, the results from the S150 + Xenon combination was much sharper and cleaner than MP-E 65.

Corner sharpness: Surprise. In the far corners I think they are very close with the slight edge going to the S150 + Xenon.

Chromatic aberrations: Another surprise. The S150 + Xenon wins here. CAs out of the S150+Xenon combo are very mild compared to the MP-E 65.

Image Quality: S150 + Xenon combination is cleaner, and sharper than the Canon.

Verdict: S150 + Xenon combination is not perfect but it is much better than the MP-E 65 at 5x.

Notes: The IQ of the S150 + Xenon was a nice surprise but I have a feeling Xenon lens prices on Ebay are about to rise! The Canon feels huge and bulky in the field but the auto-aperture and big magnification range is very convenient but you pay for the convenience less than outstanding image quality.

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5x test: Nikon 5x-A objective lens Vs. Sigma 150mm OS + Schneider-Kreuznach Xenon 28mm f/2 Lens

The Sigma was shot wide open with the Xenon set at f/3.5. I would have never guessed that I would be comparing a stacked lens combination to an objective at 5x! Normally objectives offer much better image quality at 4x and higher due to a faster effective aperture.

This is the current ECO-glass 5x-A version of the 5x MM lens and is rarely seen on the used market in the US. I was able to find this unit online in Asia but don’t bother looking for this version, the performance is exactly the same as the older 5x MM.

**Nikon MM 5x-A EDF20052 TM objective lens vs Sigma 150 f2.8 OS + Xenon 28mm f2 Line Scan Lens 100% Center Crops**

**Nikon MM 5x-A EDF20052 TM objective lens vs Sigma 150 f2.8 OS + Xenon 28mm f2 Line Scan Lens 100% Corner Crops**

Center sharpness: The S150 + Xenon is sharper by quite a margin.

Corner sharpness: They are very close in the corners but the Nikon seems to have a slight edge in contrast in the small 50 - 0 + 50 scale marked CT10 near the corner.

Chromatic aberrations: The S150 + Xenon lens has superior CA control than the 5x-A MM lens, the Nikon suffers from purple CAs.

Image Quality: S150 + Xenon is sharper and cleaner at 5x.

Verdict: S150 + Xenon is the better lens at 5x.

Notes on the MM lens: The NA of the MM lens is 0.13 that gives us approximate nominal aperture of f/3.2. The MM lens has a much better working distance and is much smaller and easier to use. Also the a 5x MM lens sells for a lot less than the combo lens, about a 3rd of the price.

For a detailed look at the 5x-A lens: https://www.closeuphotography.com/nikon-5x-a-measuring-microscope-objective/

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5x test: Nikon CFI LU Plan Fluor 5X/0.15 Objective vs Sigma 150mm OS + Schneider-Kreuznach Xenon 28mm f/2 Lens

With a nominal aperture of f/2.7 the Nikon Objective should be hard to beat at 5x. The wider or faster the aperture, the more potential resolution and sharpness.

The specifications of Plan Fluor 5x make it appear that it could be a top finisher in a 5x comparison but it will be interesting for me to see how this lens performs on a challenging subject like a silicon wafer.

**Nikon LU Plan Fluor 5X/0.15 BD Objective vs Sigma 150 f2.8 OS + Xenon 28mm f2 Line Scan Lens 100% Center Crops**

**Nikon LU Plan Fluor 5X/0.15 BD Objective vs Sigma 150 f2.8 OS + Xenon 28mm f2 Line Scan Lens 100% Corner Crops**

Center sharpness: I can’t believe this result but the Sigma150 + Xenon28 lens is sharper and more detailed at 100% view at 5x. Not a huge advantage but the the Sigma + Xenon lens combination is definitely sharper.

Corner sharpness: Examining the 50 - 0 + 50 scale marked CT10 near the corner the Sigma150 + Xenon28 is sharper and cleaner.

Chromatic aberrations: The Nikon has better CA control than the Sigma + Xenon lens combination at 5x.The Nikon objective is very clean and crisp with no visible CAs. Nikon Fluor and Super Fluor also called S Fluor objectives are very well corrected for CAs, they do have a slight cool cast but this is normal.

Image Quality: The Sigma + Xenon lens combination IQ is better than the Nikon CFI LU Plan Fluor 5X/0.15 ∞/- Objective at 5x.

Verdict: I have to admit I am a little shocked, the Sigma + Xenon lens combination wins here agains the Nikon Objective. That means that the Sigma + Xenon lens combination has a faster effective aperture than the objective. Thats not possible with a lens using only extension to reach 5x due to sharpness loss due to diffraction.

Notes: Sorry in advance for raising the used market prices for the Schneider-Kreuznac f/2 Xenons.

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5x test: Olympus MPLan FL N 5X/0.15 Objective vs Sigma 150mm OS + Schneider-Kreuznach Xenon 28mm f/2 Lens

The Olympus MPLFLN has the same f/2.7 nominal aperture as the Nikon LU Plan Fluor that was showed a little less detail the Sigma 150 + Xenon 28 so the results should be similar and they are. Olympus says the MPLFLN is a Semi-Apochromat, my first objective of this type, so I am interested to see how it performs.

**Olympus MPlan FL N 5x 0.15 Semi-Apochromat Objective vs Sigma 150 f2.8 OS + Xenon 28mm f2 Line Scan Lens 100% Center Crops**

**Olympus MPlan FL N 5x 0.15 Semi-Apochromat Objective vs Sigma 150 f2.8 OS + Xenon 28mm f2 Line Scan Lens 100% Corner Crops**

Center sharpness: I surprised, the Olympus 5x/0.15 looks a soft compared to the Sigma150 + Xenon28 lens.

Corner sharpness: The advantage in the center is even more pronounced in the corners where the Sigma150 + Xenon28 is sharper and cleaner. The objective is labeled FN 26.5 but the image circle seems to be the same size as Nikon’s FN 25mm.

Chromatic aberrations: The Sigma + Xenon lens combination has much less CAs in the center and corner. After seeing the performance of the Olympus MPLFLN with the ITL200 I would not put the word Apochromat in any description of this objective.

Image Quality: The Sigma + Xenon lens IQ is better than the Olympus MPlan FL N 5X/0.15 in every way.

Verdict: It’s impossible to know how much the performance is due to the Nikon/Thorlabs ITL200 tube lens but who has an Olympus tube lens just laying around?

Note: There are some small differences in lighting with the Olympus objective since it was photographed a few days after the rest of the lenses in this test so the lighting has not exactly the same, even though the set-up was left untouched.

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5x test: Mitutoyo M Plan APO 5x 0.14 Objective vs Sigma 150mm OS + Schneider-Kreuznach Xenon 28mm f/2 Lens

**Mitutoyo M Plan Apo 5X 0.14 objective vs Sigma 150 f2.8 OS + Xenon 28mm f2 Line Scan Lens 100% Center Crops**

**Mitutoyo M Plan Apo 5X 0.14 objective vs Sigma 150 f2.8 OS + Xenon 28mm f2 Line Scan Lens 100% Corner Crops**

The Mitutoyo M Plan Apo 5X/0.14 objective nominal aperture is f/2.98, which is an effective aperture of f/15.44 so this should be a close call in sharpness but the Mitutoyo’s APO correction should have a edge in image quality.

Center sharpness: Another surprise, the Sigma150 + Xenon28 lens is sharper and by a larger amount than I expected.

Corner sharpness: Here the results are closer, in some areas, the Sigma150 + Xenon28 lens MT 06, MT 07, MT 08 scales are sharper but by CT 10 the Mitutoyo looks a little better.

Chromatic aberrations: Both optics have a small amount of CAs but the Mitutoyo + ITL200 crops are cleaner.

Image Quality: The Sigma + Xenon lens is sharper and the Mitutoyo + ITL200 has better CA correction.

Verdict: Personally I would probably still reach for the Mitutoyo at 5x due to the longer working distance (20mm vs 34mm) and lower CAs but the Sigma + Xenon lens is sharper.

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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 objectives are included here for reference only since I was not able to match the magnification of the other lenses unfortunately but I tried to get these two as close to 5x as possible.

**Mitutoyo M Plan Apo 7.5X 0.21 objective at 5x vs Qioptiq Mag.x LD Plan APO 5x / 0.20 Objective 100% Center Crops**

**Mitutoyo M Plan Apo 7.5X 0.21 objective at 5x vs Qioptiq Mag.x LD Plan APO 5x / 0.20 Objective 100% Corner Crops**

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

Center sharpness: Both objectives are excellent in the center. It is almost impossible to see any difference.

Corner sharpness: The Mag.x shows almost zero fall off in sharpness all the way to the extreme edge. The Mitutoyo 7.5x pushed down to 4.68x the corners fall apart starting at the left hand edge where you can already see a falloff in sharpness.

Chromatic aberrations: In the center both have no trace of CAs. They both show the very smallest amount of CAs in the corner crops though.

Image Quality: In the center they are very close but approaching the edge the Mitutoyo image quality drops off where the Mag.x covers the entire frame extremely well.

Verdict: The Qioptiq Mag.x LD Plan Apochromat 5x / 0.20 objective is better than a pushed down Mitutoyo 7.5x.

Note: Comparing these two lenses is not really a fair comparison since these are different objectives designed for different markets. The Mag.x is a low volume hand-made high-end object, the Mituyoto is a high volume off-the-shelf objective designed to be sold for a low cost. The retail price gap is enormous, the Mag.x is close to $9,000, its hand-made after all, the Mitutoyo is about $1300 new at Edmunds. Thankfully the Mag.x are completely unknown so on the used marker they are cheaper than the Mitutoyo 7.5. The Mitutoyo can get up to $1000 used, I paid $600 or so, the Mag.x were available for less than $500 for a couple of years

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THE BEST AT 5X

Best Performance: Sigma 150mm OS + Schneider-Kreuznach Xenon 28mm f/2 Lens Combination and the Mitutoyo M Plan Apo 5X/0.14 objective with ITL200

The Sigma+Xenon is sharper and has an iris, the Mitutoyo has better CA control and better working distance. I would lean towards the Mitutoyo for the better working distance.

Overall Best Value: The Tominon 17 wasn’t nearly as sharp as the MP-E 65 or the MP-20 but it was consistent from center to edge and the CA control was great. Thats just about impossible to beat for less than $100. I have paid anywhere from $29 to $89 for one of these lenses. The image quality varies quite a bit from sample to sample so be aware.

THE WORST AT 5X

Disappointing at 5x: For what it costs new the Canon MP-E 65mm’s red fringing is disappointing for sure. For someone like me that thinks highly of Canon’s lens designs its hard not to notice CAs, even in the center of the frame at 5x. Not exactly a good value at $1000 when compared to the other lenses here. The MP-E strengths are the large image circle and big magnification range but definitely not chromatic correction.

Lenses that didnt make it into the 5x test

The Olympus Zuiko Auto-Macro 38mm f2.8

Originally I planned for this lens to be included in this test but because it came in close to the bottom of the test results at 3x I decided to pass on it. The image sharpness is okay but the it really suffers from excessive chromatic aberrations and I don’t recommend it. There are much cheaper lenses out there with better CA control.

The Olympus Zuiko Auto-Macro 20mm f2

Over the years I’ve owned a couple of these lenses but I sold all of them to make a quick profit. I looked at picking one up for this test but the used prices are sky high for this lens right now from $500 USD to over $1000. For that price you can pick up a Mitutoyo 5x M Plan APO lens and a Sony A6300 camera and get image quality that you would not be able to touch with the Olympus 20mm. There are much better buys out here with better image quality.

The Canon Macrophoto 35mm f2.8

The MP-20 lens was chosen instead of the 35 Macrophoto lens since the MP-35 image quality peaks at a lower magnification at about 2-3x and the MP-35 lens recently came in at the bottom of the pack in the 3x test, you can read more on this test here on Closeuphotography.com: https://www.closeuphotography.com/3x-lens-test

5x Objective Lens Test

THE LENSES

TEST SET-UP

COMPARING IMAGES AT 100% VIEW

5x test: Canon 20mm f/3.5 Macrophoto Lens Vs. Tominon 17mm f4 Macro Lens

5x test: Canon MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5x Macro Photo lens vs. Canon 20mm f/3.5 Macrophoto Lens

5x test: Canon MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5x Macro Photo lens vs. Sigma 150mm OS + Schneider-Kreuznach Xenon 28mm f/2 Lens

5x test: Nikon 5x-A objective lens Vs. Sigma 150mm OS + Schneider-Kreuznach Xenon 28mm f/2 Lens

5x test: Nikon CFI LU Plan Fluor 5X/0.15 Objective vs Sigma 150mm OS + Schneider-Kreuznach Xenon 28mm f/2 Lens

5x test: Olympus MPLan FL N 5X/0.15 Objective vs Sigma 150mm OS + Schneider-Kreuznach Xenon 28mm f/2 Lens

5x test: Mitutoyo M Plan APO 5x 0.14 Objective vs Sigma 150mm OS + Schneider-Kreuznach Xenon 28mm f/2 Lens

5x test: Mitutoyo M Plan Apo 7.5X/0.21 Objective @ 5x vs Qioptiq Mag.x LD Plan Apochromat 5x/0.20 Objective

THE BEST AT 5X

THE WORST AT 5X

Lenses that didnt make it into the 5x test

The Olympus Zuiko Auto-Macro 38mm f2.8

The Olympus Zuiko Auto-Macro 20mm f2

The Canon Macrophoto 35mm f2.8