1x Magnification Test Online

[RobertOToole]

My latest test is now online:

https://www.closeuphotography.com/1x-ma ... -test-2022

Just made this public this morning so if anyone has a few minutes to check the page for broken links, typos etc, it would help me out a lot. A couple guys on this forum have already been a huge help, thanks so much guys!

I ran this comparison to compare the two new lenses, Laowa 100mm f2.8 and Sigma Art 105mm F2.8 (both on loan), against the Canon MP-E, a popular well-known lens, and the reining 1x king, the Printing-NIKKOR 105mm F2.8A.

1X TEST LINEUP

Canon MP-E 65mm 1-5x macro lens (MPE)

Laowa 100mm f2.8 APO Ultra Macro APO Macro lens (LA100)

Nikon Printing-NIKKOR 105mm f2.8A (PN105A)

Sigma Art 105mm F2.8 DG DN Macro lens (Art100)

1x Test Center


Un-cropped 1x image with crop areas highlighted.

100% View Center Crops

Follow the link to the full test to see the 28mm IC crops and full frame corner crops.

MPE

LA100

PN105A

Art105

1x Test LoCAs

Full un-cropped view PN105A

https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/cont ... rmat=2500w


100% View Crops

MPE

https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/cont ... rmat=2500w


LA100

https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/cont ... rmat=2500w


PN105A

https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/cont ... rmat=2500w


Art105

https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/cont ... rmat=2500w



1X LENS TEST SETUP
Canon MP-E 65mm 1-5x test aperture: f/4, effective f/8 at 1x

Laowa 100mm f2.8 APO Ultra Macro APO test aperture: f/4, effective f/8 at 1x

Nikon Printing-NIKKOR 105mm f2.8A test aperture: f/2.8, effective f/5.6 at 1x

Sigma Art 105mm F2.8 DG DN test aperture: f/4, effective f/8 at 1x

Camera: Sony A7R 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

Notes: 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. Each image was processed in PS CC with identical settings with all noise reduction and lens correction turned off, all settings were zeroed out to true zero and the same settings were used for all of the images. None of the images have kind of lens correction applied. You should be aware that this is not possible with some lens brands and Adobe software (google: lens correction opcodes).


1X TEST FINAL RESULTS

Best Image Quality at 1X: Nikon Printing-NIKKOR 105mm f2.8A

Best Image Quality with Auto Focus at 1x: Sigma 105mm F2.8 DG DN Macro Art lens

Price vs Performance at 1X, no AF: Laowa 100mm f2-8 APO Ultra Macro APO Macro lens

Notes:

The PN105A is still as amazing as ever. Awesome image quality.

The Laowa IQ was a very nice surprise. I was so impressed I actually bought the test lens from the owner. The Sigma Art lens was also a nice surprise, it actually was better than all of the older Sigma macro lenses and maybe the most highly corrected and sharpest consumer lens I've ever used. The Sigma is the closet to a true APO consumer lens, but Sigma doesn't give the lens any gold or red rings or any APO tags!

Additional images, comments and details in the full test on my site: https://www.closeuphotography.com/1x-ma ... -test-2022

[Lou Jost]

Great Robert, I always look forward to these. One comment, you have labeled some of the photos as 'Art 100" but you meant to write "Art105".

[RobertOToole]

Thanks Lou! Good catch.

Fixed.

Glad it was just the text in the post!



Best,

Robert

[RobertOToole]

Great Robert, I always look forward to these. One comment, you have labeled some of the photos as 'Art 100" but you meant to write "Art105".

I was glad to see both the Laowa and Art lens just about LoCA free!

The Printing-NIKKOR lens looks like a mono (B&W) photo.

Best,

Robert

[lothman]

...Just made this public this morning so if anyone has a few minutes to check the page for broken links, typos etc, it would help me out a lot. ...

Hello Robert,
thanks for another excellent lens test, is the date in the headline September 5, 2021 correct.

regards
Lothar

[RobertOToole]

...Just made this public this morning so if anyone has a few minutes to check the page for broken links, typos etc, it would help me out a lot. ...

Hello Robert,
thanks for another excellent lens test, is the date in the headline September 5, 2021 correct.

regards
Lothar

Hi Lothar,

I don't remember exactly but I believe that was the day I decided to start a new 1x test so I created the URL and title for the page. At that time it was just a blank. I create a page early sometimes to motivate myself.


Sometimes I create a new page only to delete the page later without ever even posting any images. Like the Computar dL 1.8/55 Float lens, I deleted the page when I saw how bad the IQ really was. Same for the Mitakon Zhongyi 20mm and 85mm, after a few images I couldn't hit "delete" fast enough.

Did I mention I ended up buying the Laowa 100 2x from the test? The owner didnt want to have to deal with shipping and duty (EU) so he offered me a really fair price and I got a known good lens, without any de-centered elements.

Best,

Robert

[chris_ma]

great comparison and impressive to see how good even affordable lenses have become!

[Lou Jost]

great comparison and impressive to see how good even affordable lenses have become!

Thirty or forty years ago Vivitar briefly flirted with the professional market via their excellent Series 1 lens line, and Tokina had some great ATX series lenses (like their still-famous "Bokina" 90mm f/2.5 maro lens), but most third-party lenses (including Sigma lenses) were garbage. We are incredibly lucky that some third-party lens makers today have once again decided to focus on the high end of the market.

[RobertOToole]

great comparison and impressive to see how good even affordable lenses have become!

Thirty or forty years ago Vivitar briefly flirted with the professional market via their excellent Series 1 lens line, and Tokina had some great ATX series lenses (like their still-famous "Bokina" 90mm f/2.5 maro lens), but most third-party lenses (including Sigma lenses) were garbage. We are incredibly lucky that some third-party lens makers today have once again decided to focus on the high end of the market.

Yes, problem with most of the old lenses is that they were limited to 1:2 and used extension to get to 1x which meant more CAs.

Funny thing is some of the older lenses sell for just a little less than a modern manual lens with a better design (like Laowa) that goes to 1:1 (or 2:1) without CAs.

I have some of those old lenses sitting here on the shelf, I should do a 1980s macro lens shootout

Sigma did see a big jump in image quality, build quality and copy to copy consistency all do to the current president Kazuto Yamaki taking over from his father. I was working with them at that time so its nice to see them continue to be so successful. Yamaki was also the key to development of their proprietary MTF measuring system so every lens is tested corner to corner before it passes QA. No other manufacturer does this (Canon and Nikon do check their high-end class this way but not every lens).

I shot Canon + Sigma and then Canon, Nikon, and Sigma for years. I used to meet lens snobs at shows or workshops all the time! I would shoot something and switch lenses, Nikon, then Sigma for example (I actually did this for Sigma and they were okay with it). I would process the files identically and during a slideshow I would call out the Nikon (or Canon) fanatics and ask them to view the two files side by side at 100% crops and tell me which was sharper. They would choose the Sigma. When I told them and everyone in the audience would laugh at them, one guy says well I said it was sharper, I didn't say it was a better image, the Sigma has less CAs and is sharper but its sterile. The Nikon S lens with Nano-crystal coating has more 3D pop and micro-constrast but its not as sharp. You don't understand good glass the guy told me! I still makes me laugh years later!



Best,

[Lou Jost]

I have some of those old lenses sitting here on the shelf, I should do a 1980s macro lens shootout

I did do a "classic vs modern" macro shootout for myself. with the "Bokina" 90mm, the very well regarded Olympus 90mm f/2 macro, and the 70mm Sigma Art lens. The modern Sigma lens won easily. Nevertheless I did like aspects of the other two lenses as well. I still use them sometimes because of the way they render backgrounds. But the Tokina 90mm especially has serious purple fringing. I have used that lens for almost 40 years; for most of my film years it was my only macro lens, and the purple fringing was almost never visible on film. Electronic sensors are much more sensitive to that color.

[RobertOToole]

great comparison and impressive to see how good even affordable lenses have become!

Yes. True.

I bought the Laowa 100 a short time after I viewed the files, then later I even bought a Sigma Art 105 since then (my wife killed her old Sigma 105 OS DG lens).

Don't think I've bought two lenses based on a lens test before, or I ever will again, thats quite the endorsement of the two lenses!

I have to give credit to Laowa, even if they don't answer my emails, they do have the vision to try something new and not make the same old range like everyone else and its a success here.

Speaking of not returning email, I just had a major contact breakthrough with a lens manufacturer, and I can't wait to post the story. Its a Japanese company that ignored my emails for years and years, literally since 2017, finally responded and apologized. I'm setting up something formal with them now and I don't want to jinx it. But I have some really good news coming soon!


Best,

Robert

[RobertOToole]

I have some of those old lenses sitting here on the shelf, I should do a 1980s macro lens shootout

I did do a "classic vs modern" macro shootout for myself. with the "Bokina" 90mm, the very well regarded Olympus 90mm f/2 macro, and the 70mm Sigma Art lens. The modern Sigma lens won easily. Nevertheless I did like aspects of the other two lenses as well. I still use them sometimes because of the way they render backgrounds. But the Tokina 90mm especially has serious purple fringing. I have used that lens for almost 40 years; for most of my film years it was my only macro lens, and the purple fringing was almost never visible on film. Electronic sensors are much more sensitive to that color.

I think purple fringing back then was part of a lenses "character" Same with soft corners and corner shading.

Thanks a lot for reminding me Lou, I did test an old macro lens once on my site, it was an old Cosina plastic-fantastic lens vs the older Sigma 70mm macro, against the inspec. X L at 0.3x.

https://www.closeuphotography.com/inspec-x-l-lens

The Cosina wasn't as sharp as the Sigma or Linos lens but CAs were better controlled then the Sigma!

That Cosina lens was sold under 7 or 8 different names, like Vivitar, but you can pick one up new-old-stock and in-the-box for like $30 or $40!

I should do a formal test of that lens again.

Low dollar 1980s Macro Shootout

Thanks lou.

[Lou Jost]

Thanks for reminding us of that test, it is very interesting!

[ray_parkhurst]

Great test Robert!

I have one question...the Laowa and Sigma lenses are f2.8 wide open but you tested them at f4. Was this done due to aberrations, coverage, or ??

[RobertOToole]

Great test Robert!

I have one question...the Laowa and Sigma lenses are f2.8 wide open but you tested them at f4. Was this done due to aberrations, coverage, or ??

Hi Ray,

Red fringing at wider apertures, so one stop down was best. That wafer I use is tons of contrast so the reds will glow on hard edges. Coverage was 100% fine on all the lenses.

Best,

Robert