The Mag.x LD Plan 5x apochromatic objective was specially developed to provide sub-µm resolution with wide fields of view to support modern, high-resolution sensors. Released in 2013 as part of the Mag.x System 125 designed for for micro-inspection, dimensional measurement, high-resolution inspection, and semiconductor inspection work.
The article contains everything I know about this objective, all the specifications, lots of general info, my set-ups, the price I paid, and images from some of the tests that I have run. This page is not set-up to get you to click affiliate links to generate money by telling you how great this lens performs, this is not a fan page, this product was not given to me, I was not paid to write this, nor did the manufacturer or distributor loan me this lens for this review.
When I bought this objective there was no information available on Google, other than the manufacturers specs, so I took a chance when I bought this lens, and I got lucky. It has turned to be one of my favorites and the best performing objective that I own. This article is written to share my findings with other photographers.
WHAT MAKES THE MAG.X objective UNIQUE
The Mag.x system is the first and only inspection system designed for high sub-µm resolution with a large image circle, this makes the Mag.x objectives one-of-a-kind and perfect for digital imaging. No other objectives that I know of have the same set of features.
- Very high resolution.
- Large sensor coverage from 28mm to 57 mm diagonally with sub-µm resolution
- High numerical aperture
- Diffraction limited performance over the entire field-of-view ( FOV )
- Uniform high contrast over the field-of-view
- Uniform illumination over the field-of-view prevents brightness variations with sensors using micro-lenses
- Extra large exit pupil
- True Apochromatic correction from 430 – 700nm
- Bi or double telecentric design
That sounds good but what does it mean? This lens has the cleanest and sharpest image of any objective that I own. When I compare this lens to others, it exceeds the sharpness level over a larger area, with better chromatic aberration suppression than of any of my objectives I own, even the Nikon Plan APO 4x 0.20, Mitutoyo M Plan Apo 5x 0.14, and even the Nikon Super Fluor 4x 0.20!
Qioptiq Mag.x LD Plan 5x / 0.20 Objective
UPDATE, Jan 2018
Over the last two years I have bought and tested more than a dozen different 250mm lenses and diopters to use with the Mag.x 5x as a tube lens. After all this time and money spent, I have not been able to find one decent 250mm lens, and the Qioptiq brand 1x 250mm tube lens sold as part of the Mag.x system was prohibitively expensive at $6,419.00, thats six-thousand-four-hundred-and-nineteen US dollars! So until now I have been only able to use this objective pulled down to 4x magnification with the 200mm Sigma Life-Size Attachment lens.
Now, finally, in 2018, after all this time, I found it. A very high quality, off-the-shelf, +4, 250mm tube lens, the Century Precision Optics +4 Achromatic diopter, sold by Schneider Optics USA. This diopter is very well made and is very well corrected for chromatic aberrations and is available at all the major dealers online. Now I am finally able to use this objective at 5x magnification! A short review of the Century + 4 Achromat is available here. https://www.closeuphotography.com/century-precision-optics-achromatic-diopter/
QIOPTIQ MAG.X LD PLAN APO 5X Specifications
Qioptiq Part Number: G192-012-000
Official name: LD-Plan Apo 5x/0.20 Objective Lens
Objective type: High-end Industrial inspection systems for Flat-panel display (FPD), Printed circuit board (PCB), and Semiconductor inspection.
NA and Nominal Aperture: This lens has a numerical aperture or NA of 0.20. The nominal aperture is f/2.0 and the effective aperture is f/12.5
Nominal aperture: a fast f/2 at 5x
Focal length: 50mm
Parfocal length: 125mm (Nikon objectives are designed with 65mm and 75mm, Mitutoyo uses a 95mm parfocal length)
Working Distance: 13mm of working distance at 5X.
Chromatic Correction: This lens is APO corrected in the spectral range of 430 – 700nm. An apochromatic or APO objective is corrected for chromatic aberration at the red, blue, and yellow wavelengths. This really adds to the subjective perception of sharpness. An APO objective should have correction of both types of chromatic aberrations or CAs, lateral CAs, or color fringing, and longitudinal CAs, or LoCAs, also called Bokeh CAs.
Resolution: The resolving power of this objective is rated at 2 µm down to 0.7 µm (micron) depending on tube lens used.
Telecentricity: A Telecentric design eliminates perspective error so objects farther away appear to be the same size as closer objects. This allows you to turn off scaling correction with focus-stacking software. This design is important for industrial use since it eliminates measurement errors due to 3-dimensional objects (height variations) or because of a variation in object position.
This objective is a Bi-Telecentric or a Double-Telecentric design. This is the most accurate type of Telecentric lens, as the field of view is completely unaffected to change caused by shifts of the object position or the sensor position. Double-Telecentric lenses are the most accurate and designed to be used in applications requiring the highest accuracy and precision. Note that the entire optical system, including both the lens tube and lens, would be needed for Double-Telecentricity.
To learn more about Telecentrcicity, see this excellent link on the subject: Telecentric lens design - https://www.edmundoptics.com/resources/application-notes/imaging/telecentric-design-topics/
Mounting Threads: M34 x 0.75 / 34mm x 0.75. The 0.75 thread pitch is standard so there are plenty of adapter choices available on Ebay.
Coverage: The Mag.x 5 will cover an APS-C 23.5 × 15.6 mm sensor perfectly with a 28.21 mm diagonal from corner to corner with awesome image quality. Qioptiq specs are a 25mm image circle at with a 250mm tube lens.
Mitutoyo M Plan APOs have a 30mm diameter image circle. Qioptiq quotes the coverage up to 57 mm but that is only true with a 2.25x or 563mm tube lens.
Infinity-corrected: this objective is designed to use with a 250mm lens (or tube lens) at 5X. An infinity-corrected optical system consists of two parts – the objective and the tube lens system.
Lens correction: compensation free optical system (in other words no other aberration compensation is needed, like eyepiece or tube lens). Also no coverslip needed.
Country of origin: Germany
Overall rating: very highly recommended!
Retail Price: 8630.00 USD
Availability: 10 week delivery. This means the Mag.x is not off-the-shelf but instead made to order. This is normal for specialized high-end lenses like Rayfact etc.
Used price: Less than $1000. USD
Availability on the used market: These objectives became available on eBay around 2015 when I bought my unit, from two sellers located in South Korea. Qioptiq is not a very well known brand and the market for high-end optics is pretty limited so other than the unit I bought, the remaining units remained online, unsold, until 2017. I got lucky, the South Korean seller agreed to remove one objective from the piezo autofocus unit let it go to me for less than $500.
Mitutoyo M Plan 5x, Mitutoyo BD Plan 5x, and the Mag.x LD-Plan Apochromat 5x objectives.
Smaller objective thread sizes limit objective numerical aperture at magnifications lower than 10x making this a limiting factor in the design of infinity-corrected objectives. Nikon’s largest thread size is 25 millimeters. The Mitutoyo M Plan is 26mm, the Mag.x threads are 34mm.
How to set up the Qioptiq Mag.x LD Plan 5x Objective for macro photography
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5x test: Qioptiq Mag.x LD Plan APO 5X Vs Mitutoyo M Plan APO 5X
Mag.x LD-Plan Apochromat 5x and Mituyoto M Plan APO 5x objective
5 inch silicon wafer with the image are indicated in blue.
The test image area is indicated in blue on the left, and the 100% crop areas in the center, edge and far corners, also indicated in blue on the right.
Silicon wafter at 5x Mag.X vs Mitutoyo 5x
Qioptiq LD Plan APO 5X 0.20 un-cropped resized image
100% crops 5x Mag.X vs Mitutoyo 5x
To see any of the 100% crops in a larger size click on an image, or right click (PC), or two-finger click on Mac to open the image in a new browser tab or window.
This is a 100% crop of the center area of the test image. The details in the Mitutoyo are good but the Mag.x resolution and sharpness is just amazing.
The differences between these two objectives carries over to the edge. The Mitutoyo looks great on its own, just not so great next to the Qioptiq.
The Qioptiq holds a big advantage over the Mitutoyo all the way to the far corners. The Mitutoyo really is my favorites and a great performer. I like the Mitutoyo 5x so much own both the M plan and the BD plan versions.
Mitutoyo M Plan APO and Mag.x Test summary
Knowing the Mag.x has a higher NA than the Mitutoyo, I expected it to have more resolution, but what a surprise when I looked at the images side-by-side. The Mag.x results are flawless, and it is not only a sharper by a good amount, but it has better chromatic aberration suppression than the Mitutoyo M Plan APO, which is well known for being one of the best all around 5x objectives available. The Mitutoyo is a fine lens, but the Mag.x image quality is on another level.
You can predict the resolution from a certain objective by using the simple fact that a wider numerical aperture = higher resolution. The Mag.x has a nominal aperture of f/2, with an effective aperture of f/12.5, the Mitutoyo 5x nominal aperture is f/2.98 and the effective aperture is f/17.86.
THE TEST SETUP
Camera: Sony α6300, model # ILCE-6300, also known as: A6300, ALPHA 6300, and alpha 6300.
Flash: Godox TT350s wireless flash x 2
Wireless controller: Godox X1s 2.4G wireless flash trigger/transmitter
Mitutoyo M Plan APO 5X was used with a Sigma 52mm life-size attachment diopter as a tube lens: https://www.closeuphotography.com/sigma-life-size-attachment/
Qioptiq LD Plan APO 5X 0.20 was set-up with a Century Optics +4 as a tube lens: https://www.closeuphotography.com/century-precision-optics-achromatic-diopter/
Both objectives were used with my standard M52 studio tube lens set-up. For more info, follow this link:https://www.closeuphotography.com/52mm-setup
The Sony α6300 camera used for the test was vertically mounted on a Nikon MM-11 stand. Manual mode was used at ISO 80, with EFCS. To avoid any sharpness loss due to vibration I used the two Godox TT350s, at 1/128th to 1/4 power. The flashes remained in place for the entire test to avoid changes in light angle, the flash was mounted on a flash bracket bolted to an optical breadboard shooting into a 4-3/4 inch (12 cm) Godox plastic half dome diffuser placed over the target.
Each lens was focus bracketed and the single sharpest image for the center and corner were chosen at 100% view in Photoshop. All images were shot as RAW Sony ARW files and processed in PS CC 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.
4X test: Mag.x LD Plan APO 5X 0.20 Vs Nikon CFI Plan Apochromat 4X/0.20 Objective
Qioptiq uses a 250mm focal length tube lens for the Mag.x system so going to a 200mm tube lens, like the Sigma LSA, brings the magnification down to 4x. For more info on the Sigma tube lens: https://www.closeuphotography.com/sigma-life-size-attachment/
Infinity-corrected microscope objectives are designed to provide the magnification engraved on the housing when they are used with a tube lens of a specific focal length. Changing the tube lens focal length will change the effective magnification ratio of an infinity-corrected objective, down to less magnification, or up to a higher magnification.
To find out how sharp the Mag.x is at 4x, I compared it to the Nikon CFI Plan Apochromat 4X 0.20 objective, very well known for its excellent center sharpness.
Nikon CFI Plan Apochromat λ 4X/0.20 ∞/- Nano Crystal Coating Microscope Objective and the Qioptiq Mag.x LD Plan 5x / 0.20 Objective
Un-cropped resized wafer image with the crop areas in blue.
100% actual pixel view center crops, Nikon CFI Plan Apochromat 4X 0.20 and Qioptiq Mag.X LD Plan APO 5X 0.20 @ 4x
The numerical aperture of the two objectives are similar so they should be very close, and both show very good sharpness and are both chromatic aberration free in the center.
100% actual pixel view corner crops, Nikon CFI Plan Apochromat 4X 0.20 and Qioptiq Mag.X LD Plan APO 5X 0.20 @ 4x
The 100% view corner crops are unbelievable. The Nikon APO Plan IQ completely falls apart in the corners on an APS-C sensor. The Qioptiq Mag.x delivers great image quality into the far corners.
Test Summary
The Mag.x 5X is the better choice for photography no doubt. The Nikon Plan APO simply fails outside the center zone, but the image quality of the Mag.x is consistently good from the center to the very edge of the APS-C sensor.
The Nikon 4x Plan APO image quality falls off dramatically, failing to cover the Sony A6300 sensor, which is only 23.5mm wide, even though field of view is specified as 25mm. The Nikon Plan APO corners are so bad they are easily beaten by the $17 Amscope 4x Plan Achromat (https://www.closeuphotography.com/seventeen-dollar-plan-4x-objective/). I Know since have tested all 4 different Nikon Plan APO objectives that I own, two of these were purchased new, and they all have the same poor coverage, see more here: https://www.closeuphotography.com/4x-test-part-two-high-end-objectives.
Nikon considers the CFI Plan Apochromat 4X 0.20 as an objective for large-format camera sensors, with a groundbreaking, unprecedented 25mm field of view. This number is nothing but an over exaggeration by Nikon's marketing department to promote sales unfortunately.
Nikon CFI Plan Apochromat λ 4X/0.20 ∞/- Nano Crystal Coating Microscope Objective and the Qioptiq Mag.x LD Plan 5x / 0.20 Objective
Conclusion
Based on these results, the Mag.x produces better image quality than the the excellent Mitutoyo M-Plan 5x APO which is another favorite of mine. The Mag.x 5x matches the center sharpness and CA suppression of the Nikon Plan Apo 4X 0.20 in the center and beats it outside the central zone by a large margin.
The Mag.x sells for about the same cost on the used market as the Mitutoyo and the Nikon PlanAPO when they are available.
The Mag.x 5x is highly recommended for photography.
Let me know if you are interested in used Nikon Plan APO 4x 0.20 objectives!
4X test: Mag.x LD Plan APO 5X 0.20 Vs Nikon CFI Plan Apochromat 4X/0.20 Objective
This is a brand new wafer that arrived just in time for this test. This is a Xerox 4 inch wafer from the 1908s.
5X test: Mag.x LD Plan APO 5X 0.20 Vs Nikon CFI Plan Apochromat 4X/0.20 Objective at 5X
In this test I compare the Mag.x at 5x, and the Nikon CFI Plan Apochromat 4X 0.20 objective pushed to 5x. Both the Mag.x and Nikon use the same Century Optics +4 diopter as a tube lens: https://www.closeuphotography.com/century-precision-optics-achromatic-diopter/
Pushing the Nikon Plan APO 4x to 5x magnification eliminates any question of tube lens performance in the test since they are using the same 250mm Century diopter, also the Nikon Plan APO 4x corner performance should be better at the higher magnification.
Xerox silicon wafer detail at 5x with the Qioptiq Mag.x LD Plan Apochromat 5x / 0.20 Objective and Century Optics +4 diopter on a Sony A6300
Mag.x 5x LD Plan APO resized to 1500 pixels, sharp and contrasty corner to corner on the Sony A6300 body.
Xerox silicon wafer detail at 5x with the Nikon CFI Plan Apochromat λ 4X/0.20 ∞/- Nano Crystal Coating Microscope Objective pushed to 5x with the Century Optics +4 diopter on a Sony A6300
Nikon Plan APO 4x, here at 5x and resized to 1500 pixels, sharp and contrasty in the center but even at this small size you can see the far corners going soft. The image also has a slight yellowish cast.
100% crop areas indicated in blue.
100% crop detail areas outlined above and shown below.
100% center crop of the Nikon CFI Plan Apochromat λ 4X/0.20 pushed to 5x with the Century Optics +4 diopter on the left, the Mag.x LD Plan Apochromat 5x / 0.20 Objective and Century Optics +4 diopter on the right with 200% crop area outlined in blue.
Looking at the 100% center crops, both objectives produce pretty amazing details! The sharpness is pretty much dead even but people with sharp eyes will see a problem with lateral chromatic aberration with the Nikon, the Mag.x is 100% CA free.
200% crop of the Nikon CFI Plan Apochromat λ 4X/0.20 pushed to 5x on the left, the Mag.x LD Plan Apochromat 5x / 0.20 Objective on the right.
Looking at the 200% crops, the lateral CAs in the Nikon Plan APO crops are much easier to see. In the the Mag.x image in the right, I can see a slight trace of CAs but that is about as CA-free as you will get with a microscope objective image viewed at 200%.
100% off-center crop of the Nikon CFI Plan Apochromat λ 4X/0.20 pushed to 5x with the Century Optics +4 diopter on the left, the Mag.x LD Plan Apochromat 5x / 0.20 Objective and Century Optics +4 diopter on the right with 200% crop area outlined in blue.
With the 100% off-center crops some areas of the Nikon look more contrasty, some maybe go to the Mag.x, but the difference in CA suppression is easier to see. The Mag.x crop is much cleaner and free from CAs.
200% crop of the Nikon CFI Plan Apochromat λ 4X/0.20 pushed to 5x on the left, the Mag.x LD Plan Apochromat 5x / 0.20 Objective on the right.
At 200% its easy to see that the Nikon suffers from lateral chromatic aberrations out of the central area of the image, the Mag.x is 100% CA free here.
100% extreme corner crop of the Nikon CFI Plan Apochromat λ 4X/0.20 pushed to 5x with the Century Optics +4 diopter on the left, the Mag.x LD Plan Apochromat 5x / 0.20 Objective also with Century Optics +4 diopter on the right.
In these far corner 100% crops the Nikon Plan APO suffers from softness but to be fair the Nikon is being pushed to 5x. In fact this lens actually does a little better here at 5x than I have seen from it at 4x. The Mag.x corner image is clean and sharp with some CAs seen in the very farthest corner of the frame near the edge.
5x test conclusion
At 5x with both lenses and with the same tube lens, the Mag.x produces better image quality than Nikon CFI Plan Apochromat λ 4X/0.20 no doubt about it. The Nikon matches the Mag.x sharpness in the central zone but even there the CA suppression is poor compared to the Qioptiq.
Links for more info:
Qioptiq Mag.x. system website page: http://www.qioptiq.com/mag-x-125
Qioptiq Mag.x. system objective info: https://www.qioptiq-shop.com/en/Precision-Optics/Micro-Imaging/mag-x-system-125/Objective-Lenses.html
Qioptiq Mag.x 125 system brochure: https://www.qioptiq-shop.com/out/Graphics/en/00123033_0.pdf
More on the Century Century Precision Optics +4 diopter sold by Schneider Optics USA:
https://www.schneideroptics.com/ecommerce/CatalogItemDetail.aspx?CID=1081&IID=896
Source: https://www.qioptiq-shop.com/out/Graphics/en/00122320_0.pdf
Update February 2018
Below is an illustration of the design concept I found online of the Mag.x system. Instead of increasing tube lens focal length to gain more resolution through more magnification, the Mag.x system uses a larger field and higher NA at the same magnification to gain more resolution over a larger sensor.
5X not enough? Qioptiq does have an 8x 0.32 LD Plan APO available for a cool $15,767 USD and 5 week delivery. In case you are wondering how fast a Mag.x 8X is, the nominal aperture is f/1.38, and an effective aperture is f/12.5. For a comparison the Mitutoyo M Plan 7,5x 0.21 has a the nominal aperture is f/2.1 and an effective aperture of f/17,86. That is quite a difference in resolving power but the Mitutoyo is also only $1,365 new.
The graphic below shows Qioptiq's lens recommendations for inspection resolution requirements.
Comparable Objectives
Only two objectives on the market that have some specifications that compare with the Mag.x 5x are the Edmunds 5X/0.225 EO M Plan HR or High-Resolution objective, also known as the Optem HR 5x, and the Mitutoyo 5X 0.21 Plan Apo HR, high-resolution objective. The Edmunds/Optem HR 5x are not APO corrected, Plan corrected, or telecentric and have a very small image circle. The 11mm field will not even cover a point-and-shoot 1" sensor. The Mitutoyo 5x HR coverage should be great but these are just about impossible to find on the used market and are very expensive new. The Nikon Plan APO 4x 0.20 has very good center sharpness and apochromatic correction, but the field size is very small, the image circle will not even cover an APS-C sensor, see the test below for an example. The only lens that looks like can compete with the Mag.x in sharpness and coverage is the Mitutoyo 5X 0.21 Plan Apo HR.