THE LENSES
Nikon LU Plan 10X 0.30 BD objective, Nominal aperture: f/1.52, effective aperture: f/16.66
Nikon CFI Plan Achromat 10x 0.25 MRL00102 objective, Nominal aperture: f/1.8, effective aperture: f/20
Mitutoyo M Plan Apo 10X 0.28 objective Nominal aperture: f/1.62, effective aperture: f/17.86
Nikon 10x 0.20 MM TM objective lens, Nominal aperture: f/2.27, effective aperture: f/25
TEST SET-UP
Camera: Sony α6300, model # ILCE-6300, also known as: A6300
Sensor size: APS-C. 23.5 × 15.6 mm. 28.21 mm diagonal. 3.92 micron sensor pitch
Tube Lens: Thorlabs ITL200, a detailed review of this lens is available here on Closeuphotography.com: https://www.closeuphotography.com/thorlabs-itl200/
Flash: Godox TT350s wireless flash x 2 with one Godox X1s 2.4G wireless flash transmitter
Vertical stand: Nikon MM-11 with a Nikon focus block
A series of images was made with each lens in 2 micron steps and the sharpest frame was then chosen using Photoshop at 100% view. Separate images were selected for each crop area as 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 (true zero) and the same settings were used for all of the images. All of the crop images shown here are single files. None of the crop images are stacked.
COMPARING IMAGES AT 100% VIEW
Click on any image below to view a larger version in a Lightbox viewer, but this will only be the largest size image if your screen/window is large enough. The size of the image sent to your device is based on the screen size. The comparison images below are 2500 pixels across. To check the size of the image you are looking at, look up at the URL window at the top of the browser, the address should have 2500w at the end. If the image size is anything smaller you can easily change the number to 2500 manually and press enter to bring up the largest image.
To see an images in a new browser tab, right click, or two-finger press, and select Open in a New Tab or New Window from the menu. You can also right click, or two-finger press, and select Save Image As and compare the images in an image viewer.
Un-cropped 3x wafer image resized to 1500 pixels with the crop areas highlighted in blue.
Center
Judging by the numerical apertures the MM should be the least sharp and the LU Plan should be the sharpest but a nominal value doesn’t always translate to results, especially when it comes to Nikon overstating objective specifications in my experience.
Nikon MM 10x 0.20
The MM objective’s strength is not sharpness due to the lowest NA of all the lenses here and the results pretty much illustrate that pretty well. Chromatic aberrations are the strongest of the four.
Nikon Plan 10x 0.25
Not bad results here but like the MM objective, the Plan 10x aperture is modest so it will not win any sharpness contests against faster lenses, it’s strength is a big image circle.
Mitutoyo M Plan Apo 10X 0.28
Best sharpness here, equal to the LU 0.30 objective but without Nikon’s purple chromatic aberrations. Check the diagonal like in the upper right corner. The Mitutoyo is free from any hint of CAs.
Nikon LU Plan 10X 0.30 BD
This lens should be the sharpest with numerical aperture of 0.30 but its not any sharper than the Mitutoyo but instead of sharpness the Nikon adds some purple fringing in the upper right corner diagonal.
Best in Center: Mitutoyo M Plan Apo 10X 0.28
Off Center
Nikon MM 10x 0.20
Similar results as the center. Less sharpness and more chromatic aberrations are the other 3 objectives.
Nikon Plan 10x 0.25
Same results as the center. Middle of the road sharpness with some CAs.
Mitutoyo M Plan Apo 10X 0.28
Best here again, sharpness is equal to or better than the LU 0.30 objective but without Nikon’s purple chromatic fringing.
Nikon LU Plan 10X 0.30 BD
About equal sharpness but more CAs than the Mitutoyo.
Best off center: Mitutoyo M Plan Apo 10X 0.28
Corner
The Mitutoyo and Nikon Plan should perform very as they are both very well known for a large image circle.
Nikon MM 10x 0.20
This is a little strange, the sharpness is actually a little better here then the center judging but the micro bars labeled 0.60, 0.70, 0.80, 0.90. Chromatic aberrations are not any worse.
Nikon Plan 10x 0.25
CAs seem less noticeable in the corner crop. Sharpness is good.
Mitutoyo M Plan Apo 10X 0.28
Best sharpness here without any CAs.
Nikon LU Plan 10X 0.30 BD
Sharpness is weaker here due to the small image circle but the CAs remain just strong as the center or maybe a little worse.
Best in the corner: Mitutoyo M Plan Apo 10X 0.28
Extreme corner
The Nikon MM is not quite rated to cover an APS-C sensors 28mm diagonal, either is the Nikon LU plan with a FN of only 25. So the only real question is will the Nikon Plan or Mitutoyo be sharper in the corners.
Nikon MM 10x 0.20
The sharpness quickly dropped from the corner to extreme corner. This lens is not designed to cover the 28mm diagonal of the APS-C sensor.
Nikon Plan 10x 0.25
Sharpness is good in the extreme corner.
Mitutoyo M Plan Apo 10X 0.28
Excellent sharpness and contrast here, easily the best of the four.
Nikon LU Plan 10X 0.30 BD
Very poor performance in the extreme corner but to be fair the lens is not supposed to cover a sensor this large anyway.
Best in the extreme corner: Mitutoyo M Plan Apo 10X 0.28
Chromatic aberration test
The diagonal lines that run along the top and bottom of each crop image show chromatic aberrations pretty well already but the bright rectangle shape in the extreme upper left corner makes CAs even easier to see.
Nikon MM 10x 0.20
The blue fringing is pretty bad but at least the sharpness is better than the LU Plan 10x.
Nikon Plan 10x 0.25
These results are about average for a non APO lens. Sharpness is acceptable for an extreme corner.
Mitutoyo M Plan Apo 10X 0.28
Super results here from the Mitutoyo.
Nikon LU Plan 10X 0.30 BD
Very poor performance.
THE BEST image quality AT 10x
Best Objective: Mitutoyo M Plan Apo 10X 0.28
All around excellent image quality even pushed down to 6x.
Overall Best Lens Value: Nikon Plan 10x 0.25
With a used market price for less than $200 the Nikon CFI plan 10x makes a great choice for an entry level or low dollar setup.
THE WORST AT 10x
Worst Overall Performance: Nikon LU Plan 10X 0.30 BD
I would not recommend the Nikon LU Plan 10x for photography.
Tube lens test: Pushing the Mitutoyo and Nikon CFI Plan down to 6x
For this test I tried my standard 200mm tube lens, the Thorlabs ITL200, in a few different configurations. Detailed ITL-200 lens set-up information is available here on Closeuphotography.com: https://www.closeuphotography.com/thorlabs-itl200/
200mm focal length tube lens: THORLABS ITL200
Setup: Thorlabs ITL200, normal mount, beyond infinity (short) focus
Image quality: Poor results, heavy field curvature, CAs in the corners with some corner softness.
Setup: Thorlabs ITL200, reverse mount, beyond infinity (short) focus
Image quality: Poor results, lots of field curvature, less CAs than normal mount.
Setup: Thorlabs ITL200, normal mount, infinity focus
Image quality: Poor results, sharp center but field curvature, soft corners, CAs.
Setup: Thorlabs ITL200, reverse mount, infinity focus
Image quality: Excellent results from center to corner with zero CAs and mild field curvature.
Best image quality: Thorlabs ITL200, reverse mount, infinity focus
With infinity-corrected objectives you can change the tube lens focal length to create different magnification ratios at the camera sensor, without compromising the color correction. To calculate the system magnification for different tube lens and objective combinations, you can use this simple formula; Effective magnification = Marked magnification x the new tube lens focal length / the system tube lens focal length.
To see how far I could push down the 10x M Plan I tried the Makro-Symmar and Raynox 125 to push the 10x M Plan down the magnification to around 6x. I also attempted to push the magnification down further to 5x with a 100mm tube but the image quality was not acceptable.
120mm focal length tube lens: SCHNEIDER 120MM F5.6 MAKRO-SYMMAR
Setup: Schneider 120mm f5.6 Makro-Symmar, normal mount, infinity focus
Image quality: Poor results, soft corners, heavy corner shading.
Setup: Schneider 120mm f5.6 Makro-Symmar, reverse mount, infinity focus
Image quality: Poor results, softer corners and heavier shading than normal mount.
125mm focal length tube lens: RAYNOX 125MM FL 43MM MOUNT lens
Setup: Raynox 125mm FL 43mm mount, normal mount, infinity focus
Image quality: Overall good with field curvature and some corner softness.
Setup: Raynox 125mm FL 43mm mount, reverse mount, infinity focus
Image quality: Excellent results with only mild field curvature and very mild CAs.
Best results at 6x: The Raynox 125mm reverse mounted at infinity focus made a nice, clean sharp image at 6x but there was a slight drop in corner sharpness so if corners are something important I wouldn’t recommend pushing the 10x M Plan past 6x unless of course corners are not that important.
More Objective info
Nikon LU Plan 10X 0.30 BD objective, Nominal aperture: f/1.52, effective aperture: f/16.66
Field: 25mm
Mount: M25 x 0.75
WD: 15mm
Cost: Around $300 on the used market
Nikon Plan Achromat 10x 0.25 MRL00102 objective, Nominal aperture: f/1.8, effective aperture: f/20
https://www.closeuphotography.com/nikon-cfi-plan-10x-achromat-objective/
Field: 25mm (the actual image circle is much larger)
Mount: M25 x 0.75
WD: 10.5mm
Cost: Around $200 new, less than that on the used market
Mitutoyo M Plan Apo 10X 0.28 objective Nominal aperture: f/1.62, effective aperture: f/17.86
https://www.closeuphotography.com/mitutoyo-10x-m-plan-apo
Field: 30mm
Mount: M26 x .706
WD: 33.5mm
Cost: $880 new, about $400-500 used.
Nikon 10x 0.20 MM TM objective lens, Nominal aperture: f/2.27, effective aperture: f/25
Field: 21.5mm
Mount: M26 x 0.75
WD: 49.5mm
Cost: Around $200 on the used market, sometimes these can be found for much less.
LINKS FOR MORE INFORMATION
A detailed review of the Mitutoyo M Plan 10x is available here on Closeuphotography.com: https://www.closeuphotography.com/mitutoyo-10x-m-plan-apo
More on the Nikon Plan Achromat 10x on Closeuphotography.com: https://www.closeuphotography.com/nikon-cfi-plan-10x-achromat-objective/
Mitutoyo
Mitutoyo Objectives on Edmunds Optics site: https://www.edmundoptics.com/microscopy/infinity-corrected-objectives/Mitutoyo-Infinity-Corrected-Long-Working-Distance-Objectives/
Mitutoyo Objective catalog: http://www.mitutoyo.co.jp/eng/support/service/catalog/04/E14020.pdf
Nikon
The 10x Plan Achromat series on Nikon’s website:
The Nikon Plan 10x discussion on Photomacrography.net: