MEJIRO GENOSSEN FL0530 4.0/110 FLOAT LENS TEST IS FINALLY ONLINE

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RobertOToole
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MEJIRO GENOSSEN FL0530 4.0/110 FLOAT LENS TEST IS FINALLY ONLINE

Post by RobertOToole »

_1024-Cover-Mejiro-Genossen-FL0530-4.0-100-Float-Line-Scan-Lens-www-Closeuphotography-com.jpg



Finally managed to finish the Mejiro FL0530 4.0/110 Float lens test and get it online.

https://www.closeuphotography.com/mejiro-float-lens

TEST SETUP
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
Flash: Godox TT350s wireless flash x 2 with one Godox X1s 2.4G wireless flash transmitter

A stack of images was made at each magnification on a Nikon MM-11 with a Nikon focus block. The sharpest image was chosen at Photoshop at 100% view. The single RAW file was 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. All test image crops are taken from single images. All test image crops are taken from single images that have been processed identically, with similar sharpening, unless noted.





_1024-Macro-Varon-Mejiro-Float-Inspec.x-float-Canon-MPE-macro-www-Closeuphotography-com.jpg




Mejiro Genossen FL0530 4.0/110 Float Lens
Canon MP-E 2.8/65 1-5x Macro Lens
Inspec.x L 5.6/105 Float Lens
Schneider Macro Varon 4.5/85 CAS line scan lens




_2x-float-lens-crop-outlines-www-Closeuphotography-com.jpg
https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/cont ... rmat=2500w





100% CENTER CROP AT 2X
At 2x the MP-E was tested at f/4 for best results, the Mejiro was set at f/4.5, and the other two where used wide open.

On the full test on my site it includes 1x, 2x and 3x results in the center, APSC corners and fill frame corners. Also the site has side by side crop images to make comparisons easier.

For sharpest results click on the link below each photo for a full size version and then download the images and compare them in a image viewing app. In order to uploaded the files here I had to squeeze them down to quality setting of 60 in PS and also browser will soften the images a bit compared to the originals.



_Center-2x-Mejiro-Genossen-FL0530-4.0-100-Float-Line-Scan-Lens-www-Closeuphotography-com.jpg
https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/cont ... rmat=1500w
_Center-2x-Schneider-Macro-Varon-CAS-85mm-line-scan-Lens-www-Closeuphotography-com.jpg
https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/cont ... rmat=1500w
_Center-2x-Canon-MP-E-65mm-1-5x-macro-Lens-www-Closeuphotography-com.jpg
https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/cont ... rmat=1500w
_Center-2x-Qiptiq-Linos-inspec.x-L-105mm-Float-Lens-www-Closeuphotography-com.jpg
https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/cont ... rmat=1500w




100% FULL FRAME CORNER CROP AT 2X

_Corner-Mejiro-Genossen-FL0530-4.0-100-Float-Line-Scan-Lens-www-Closeuphotography-com.jpg
https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/cont ... rmat=1500w
_Corner-Canon-MP-E-65mm-1-5x-macro-Lens-www-Closeuphotography-com.jpg
https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/cont ... rmat=1500w
_Corner-Schneider-Macro-Varon-CAS-85mm-line-scan-Lens-www-Closeuphotography-com.jpg
https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/cont ... rmat=1500w
_Corner-Qiptiq-Linos-inspec.x-L-105mm-Float-Lens-www-Closeuphotography-com.jpg
https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/cont ... rmat=1500w




Questions comments welcome as always.

Best,

Robert

RobertOToole
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Re: MEJIRO GENOSSEN FL0530 4.0/110 FLOAT LENS TEST IS FINALLY ONLINE

Post by RobertOToole »

Test Notes:

Mejiro Float

The Mejiro is feels substantial in your hand like solid chuck of metal. CA control is excellent. Sharpness is good. Range is great. Huge image circle. Very consistent across the Sony A7R4 sensor.

SK Macro Varon

Great sharpness and small compact size. Lens is sensitive to veiling glare even 100% flocked and used with a long shroud! CAs are well controlled everywhere.

Canon MP-E

Probably the sharpest lens here but also showed red fringing in the center/corners and stopped down 1 stop. Aperture setting is always a balance of red CAs and sharpness. Very good at the low end but IQ drops towards 5x. Best at 1x. Image circle was showing IQ fall off in the far corners on the Sony A7R4.

Linos Float

CA control is great but due to the slow max aperture it won't win any sharpness awards at least compared to these other lenses but I think used at f/5.6-f/8-f/11 it would be fine lens with a wide magnification range.

Best,

Robert

Scarodactyl
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Re: MEJIRO GENOSSEN FL0530 4.0/110 FLOAT LENS TEST IS FINALLY ONLINE

Post by Scarodactyl »

Ooh, I like that performance and mag range. It would be tempting to try and figure out a way to shrink that image down to get a 1x image on aps-c even if that would be ridiculous overkill.
Realistically my z6 apo is plenty for me in this mag range, but that doesn't stop the heart from yearning. Maybe if I win that lottery.

chris_ma
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Re: MEJIRO GENOSSEN FL0530 4.0/110 FLOAT LENS TEST IS FINALLY ONLINE

Post by chris_ma »

very informative test and great write up as always Robert.
such a sharp and versatile lens, thanks for taking the chance and checking out some of the unknown gems out there!
chris

FotoChris
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Re: MEJIRO GENOSSEN FL0530 4.0/110 FLOAT LENS TEST IS FINALLY ONLINE

Post by FotoChris »

As a sort of addendum:

Robert, as usual, is absolutely right: it's a fantastic lens.
I recently purchased it, one of the last that were for sale, I'm afraid they're all gone now.

However just in case someone does own it and runs into certain issues, I thought I'd share my (limited) experience with the lens.

A few general notes:

From my tests it seems like this lens is 110mm at infinity and approx 94.5mm at 1x. The aperture fully wide open at 1x is approx. f3.5 and it can (and should) be stopped down slightly to f4.0, otherwise the lens exhibits a slight bloom and aberrations at the outer corners, which isn't as noticeable on smaller sensors but more noticeable on medium format sensors.
The aperture ring seems to be misaligned in some cases where it starts exactly at f4.0 and closes down beyond f8.0. After aligning f8.0 to the closed down state it's behaves pretty much perfect and at f4.0 it's beautifully sharp and very well corrected.

Likewise the float adjustment ring can be out of sync - but it too can be easily re-adjusted and aligned so that it's right where it should be:
Both the aperture and float-adjustment ring have small screws, the aperture ring has 3 and the float-ring has 6. When you loosen them up completely you can move the rings freely, re-seat them to where they should be, tighten down the screws and you're done.
Here are the small screws (circled in red):
Image

The most important thing you have to do, is either replace or flock the M42 adapter for that lens. It's very(!) reflective and wreaks havoc on your contrast and resolution. There's also the most rear retention ring that should also be flocked, otherwise you can get a "ring" at lower magnifications where the lens is closer to the sensor.

Image

Here's before and after flocking (closed down with soft backlight and wide open with direct harsh light):

Image

and here's the difference it makes:

Image

After that it's an amazing lens, not only for macro photography, but also as low as 0.25x magnification (I can't go any lower with my bellows setup). I'm quite sure this lens could also work at infinity as the float adjustment goes way, way below 0.5x - and beyond 3x, so with a long enough bellows... it could be done.

A few images shot during my tests:

Image
approx 50 image stack at 0.25x, f8 - very nice!

Image
Single image f4 at 0.25x before flocking(!)

Image
Single image a tiny bit beyond f4 at 2x before flocking(!)

Shot on a GFX 50S.

RobertOToole
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Re: MEJIRO GENOSSEN FL0530 4.0/110 FLOAT LENS TEST IS FINALLY ONLINE

Post by RobertOToole »

FotoChris wrote:
Sun Jan 07, 2024 6:46 pm
As a sort of addendum:

.............I recently purchased it, one of the last that were for sale, I'm afraid they're all gone now.......
#-o

Glad to read you got great results!

No but in all seriousness Chendata seems to be able to get these pretty often, you can always message him and ask him to look around if anyone wants one.

They're all gone now, is almost right, Young Optics in Taiwan bought Mejiro, a Japan based company, a couple years ago. I really hope they keep producing the same lenses and continue on with new designs and don't drop the high-end optical designs!

FotoChris
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Re: MEJIRO GENOSSEN FL0530 4.0/110 FLOAT LENS TEST IS FINALLY ONLINE

Post by FotoChris »

RobertOToole wrote:
Sun Jan 07, 2024 7:20 pm
FotoChris wrote:
Sun Jan 07, 2024 6:46 pm
As a sort of addendum:

.............I recently purchased it, one of the last that were for sale, I'm afraid they're all gone now.......
#-o

Glad to read you got great results!

No but in all seriousness Chendata seems to be able to get these pretty often, you can always message him and ask him to look around if anyone wants one.

They're all gone now, is almost right, Young Optics in Taiwan bought Mejiro, a Japan based company, a couple years ago. I really hope they keep producing the same lenses and continue on with new designs and don't drop the high-end optical designs!
When I contacted him, he told me he only had a few left that were in a somewhat rough shape, not sure if/whether he sold them too but as of right now he doesn't have any listed...

Well they seem to have the lenses in their current catalog so I don't think they've stopped production. They'll probably relabel them though.

What's most astounding to me is the versatility of that lens. I was expecting it to perform well at 0.5x - but not that well and especially not that well at 0.25x.
Not only is it arguably better than most dedicated, specalised macro lenses in the macro range, it's better than most regular lenses at regular magnifications/reductions.

Scarodactyl
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Re: MEJIRO GENOSSEN FL0530 4.0/110 FLOAT LENS TEST IS FINALLY ONLINE

Post by Scarodactyl »

I gotta keep telling myself I'm shooting aps-c, I don't need to think about the mejiro float lens, my z6 is plenty good, it has floating elements too, I don't need one....I was sure looking at that last lot on eBay though.

RobertOToole
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Re: MEJIRO GENOSSEN FL0530 4.0/110 FLOAT LENS TEST IS FINALLY ONLINE

Post by RobertOToole »

Scarodactyl wrote:
Sun Jan 07, 2024 11:25 pm
I gotta keep telling myself I'm shooting aps-c, I don't need to think about the mejiro float lens, my z6 is plenty good, it has floating elements too, I don't need one....I was sure looking at that last lot on eBay though.
I remember thinking of hitting buy-it-now when Chendata had a batch of Rayfact VF lenses. He had them a few times so I wasn't too worried, so I waited. Then someone I know bought one from Rayfact, they took 4 weeks to build it and ship it to me to test :D Then Rayfact discontinued them! Then I messaged Chendata and he found a couple, and listed for a great price, but they looked a little less than mint condition so I passed on them. Chendata hasnt had them since. #-o

RobertOToole
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Re: MEJIRO GENOSSEN FL0530 4.0/110 FLOAT LENS TEST IS FINALLY ONLINE

Post by RobertOToole »

FotoChris wrote:
Sun Jan 07, 2024 8:18 pm

What's most astounding to me is the versatility of that lens. I was expecting it to perform well at 0.5x - but not that well and especially not that well at 0.25x.
Not only is it arguably better than most dedicated, specalised macro lenses in the macro range, it's better than most regular lenses at regular magnifications/reductions.
I never thought of running the lens at that kind of low mag. Thanks for sharing that!

It seems like these high-end manufacturers build to order. Last time someone I know ordered a Rayfact VF it took 4 to 6 weeks to build. I was surprised to hear that. As a side note, Rayfact also wanted $4500 dollars to built the guy a custom M42 adapter, yes, more than the VF lens itself. He ended up taking my advice and getting RafCamera adapter for the new lens instead. =D>


Best,

Robert

ray_parkhurst
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Re: MEJIRO GENOSSEN FL0530 4.0/110 FLOAT LENS TEST IS FINALLY ONLINE

Post by ray_parkhurst »

Thanks for the great review and tests Robert. I almost pulled the trigger on the last one of these on Saturday, but I've avoided the lens due to its relatively long focal length and thus long total extension requirements. I'm loathe to build yet another system for longer lenses. I did that a while back for the Rayfact 3.5x, which is even longer, and never put it to use. Anyway, it seems it's an excellent lens so perhaps if Chendata gets more I'll go for it. The lack of full test also kept me from buying, but with your test results I'm more likely to go for it next time. Of course they probably won't be $849 next round, given "OToole Inflation" from the strong performance you've shown, but oh well!

RobertOToole
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Re: MEJIRO GENOSSEN FL0530 4.0/110 FLOAT LENS TEST IS FINALLY ONLINE

Post by RobertOToole »

ray_parkhurst wrote:
Mon Jan 08, 2024 8:40 pm
...... "OToole Inflation" .....
FotoChris is the one to blame this time! {-X

FotoChris
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Re: MEJIRO GENOSSEN FL0530 4.0/110 FLOAT LENS TEST IS FINALLY ONLINE

Post by FotoChris »

RobertOToole wrote:
Mon Jan 08, 2024 9:15 pm
ray_parkhurst wrote:
Mon Jan 08, 2024 8:40 pm
...... "OToole Inflation" .....
FotoChris is the one to blame this time! {-X
How can I ever live with the shame, guilt and existential despair. :oops:

The answer is: pretty darn comfortable, as long as I have that lens.

Scarodactyl
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Re: MEJIRO GENOSSEN FL0530 4.0/110 FLOAT LENS TEST IS FINALLY ONLINE

Post by Scarodactyl »

To be fair Robert's test was already pretty compelling--I've been craving one since even though as I repeat to myself I have no need for it. But now I'm having to repeat it more.

chris_ma
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Re: MEJIRO GENOSSEN FL0530 4.0/110 FLOAT LENS TEST IS FINALLY ONLINE

Post by chris_ma »

FotoChris wrote:
Sun Jan 07, 2024 6:46 pm
However just in case someone does own it and runs into certain issues, I thought I'd share my (limited) experience with the lens.
thats's some fantastic info, thanks for sharing.

I always thought the F-stops and float ring would be adjusted properly, so I never checked.
I usually use the lens around 0.4x, I made some tests between F4 and F5.6 and didn't see any difference. need to check again when I'm back (traveling right now). at 1x I did see a difference due to diffraction.

Also I never thought about trying it at 0.25x, that could be helpful too. I would assume that there F5.6 is the optimal aperture since on lower mag diffraction is much less of an issue.

what position did you find the float ring stopped when it was properly adjusted?
chris

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