The results were really enlighening, but there are so many images I decided to break up the results into 5 groups.
1. 4X For Less Than $100
2. High-End Objectives
3. Enlarging Lenses Compared at 4x
4. High-magnification macro lenses at 4x
5. 3x and 5x lenses tested at 4x.
This is the first group:
4X For Less Than $100
These are the first set of results:
https://www.closeuphotography.com/4x-le ... 00-dollars
This is the set-up.
Camera: Sony ?6300, 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
For the test, the finite objectives were mounted on my 42mm extension tube set-up with Thorlabs CR2C clamps. For more information on the 42mm setup, follow this link: https://www.closeuphotography.com/42mm-setup/
The Sony ?6300 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 which was a 6 inch silicon wafer purchased on Ebay.
Comparing these two is particularly interesting for me since I own both but also these are the lowest priced and highest priced out of the 33 lenses I compared.
$17 Amscope 4x vs Canon MP-E 65
100% center crop resized down to 1024px.. You can see the full versions of these on my site (I can't get the links to work in a post)
$17 Amscope 4x vs Canon MP-E 65
100% corner crop resized down to 1024px.. You can see the full versions of these on my site (I can't get the links to work in a post)
Each lens was focus bracketed and the single sharpest image for flat field lenses was chosen at 100% view in Photoshop (for non flat field lenses the best center and best corner image were selected). For lenses with an iris, the widest two or three apertures were shot, and the sharpest was chosen for the comparison.
All images were shot as RAW 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.
A few of the adapters used for the test!
I am working on the second group later tonight and tomorrow.
Questions and comments welcome.
Robert