Qioptiq claims that the f/5.6 and f/4 versions are suitable for 5um and 4um sensors respectively. On their webpage however, they claim both (and the float version) are suitable for 5um sensors. The f/4 version boasts a resolving capability of 2um sensors. They both also have a large image circle of 82mm.
There's many magnifications available, so be careful when shopping around. Most of these come out of China, so make sure there's a good return policy as well.
Although the /f/5.6 version is marked for lower magnifications, there's text on the barrel displaying the magnification achieved with respect to the mounting direction. The 105mm f/5.6 here is optimised for 0.33x, when mounting in reverse, one obtains the reciprocal of that figure, which is 3x. Whether the lens is optimised for reversing or not is probably a mystery. The Nikon Rayfact 95mm is optimised for both mounting directions, illustrated in their specification sheets.
Taken from their website:
The four variants of the inspec.x L 5.6/105 are optimized for magnifications of 0.33x, 0.5x, 0.76x and 1x respectively. The V-Groove interface at both ends of the lens enables adjustment to the best azimuth position and use of the lens in retro position for magnifications up to 3x. All lenses feature lockable iris and are engineered for the use in harsh industrial environment.
Qioptic also claims a very low distortion percentage, <0.2%. This usually means the system to measure distortion can only examine differences down to 0.2%.The inspec.x L 4.0/105 Series is the perfect match for modern, high –resolution 12k/5µm and 16k/5µm cameras for applications that require extremely high resolution. Three different magnifications of 3x, 3.5x and 5x are available. All three magnifications can also be ordered in a version this is optimized for a prism beamsplitter on the object side for coaxial illumination.
The setup:
7 M65 50mm tubes, one 20mm tube, and a focusing helicoid. These connect to a shiny v-groove adaptor. That adaptor looks flimsy, I won't trust it as far as I can toss it... Tubes have been flocked.
So let's see...370mm+x=? That's a lot tubes.
Results:
Made a mistake in the title, supposed to be 0.33x. Full resolution here: https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7886/402 ... 7195_o.jpg
Individual exposures:
f/4.0: https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7920/323 ... 0c21_o.jpg
f/5.6: https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7878/463 ... ba69_o.jpg
Observations:
- f/4.0 colours are more saturated.
- Framing changes slightly when swapping the lenses.
- Overall, f/4.0 has more resolution. The exposures are crisper.
- Both lenses are extremely flat, no observable distortion.
- Edge to edge sharpness.
- Ridiculously long amount of tubing is required!
Improvements:
- The v-groove adaptor seems to be flimsy, of poor quality.
- No control group. Would be great to see how these Linos lenses compare to say the standard Canon MP-E.