Medium-format camera's 5x macro lens transforms granules of salt into towering icebergs... and a 1-inch Darth Vader figure into a colossal entity!
In the world of photography, the latest addition from Zhongyi Optics, the Mitakon 55mm f/2.8 1-5x Macro lens, is causing a stir. This versatile lens, when paired with a medium format camera, offers exceptional magnification, allowing photographers to capture intricate details with razor-sharp image quality and vibrant colours.
Exceptional Magnification, Superior Image Quality
The Mitakon 55mm macro lens boasts a high magnification power of up to 5x, enabling photographers to capture details invisible to the naked eye. This monumental level of magnification, when combined with a medium format camera, delivers sharp, true-to-life images without vignetting across the magnification range.
The larger sensor of medium format systems further enhances the lens's capabilities, providing higher resolution captures that make details from the macro lens even more pronounced.
Challenges and Solutions
While the Mitakon 55mm macro lens offers numerous benefits, it also presents certain challenges. The very shallow depth of field at high magnifications makes it difficult to keep the entire subject sharply in focus, often requiring focus stacking techniques or very careful focusing.
To address the issue of insufficient illumination between the photographer and the subject at extreme magnifications, the Mitakon 55mm macro lens includes an LED ring light that screws onto the nose and is powered by a micro USB.
Lens size and handling may increase compared to smaller format systems, but the Mitakon 55mm macro lens is expected to be easier to focus on other mounts, especially those with APS-C sensors or Micro Four Thirds sensors.
Manual focus precision is critical, and while it may be slower to achieve, the challenge is part of the fun for many photographers. Managing lighting for extremely close subjects can be complex, but specialized macro lighting or diffusers are often necessary.
Testing and Availability
The Mitakon 55mm f/2.8 1-5x Macro lens is now being used to photograph small objects such as grains of salt and has been tested on a 100MP Hasselblad X2D camera. It is available for various mounts, including Canon, Nikon, Sony, L-Mount mirrorless, Fujifilm X and GFX, and Hasselblad X.
The lens, priced at $399, is already considered one of the best macro lenses by some photographers. For more information, readers are encouraged to visit the Zhongyi Optics website.
In a recent test, the lens was used to photograph a small Darth Vader figurine from a Micro Machines set for scale. When zoomed all the way in to 5x magnification, the figurine appeared even more detailed, with the level of detail obtained being almost comparable to a microscope.
The Darth Vader figurine, when photographed with the Mitakon lens on the Hasselblad X2D, is significantly smaller than its seven-foot stature in the movies, showcasing the extraordinary magnification capabilities of the lens.
View the full-size image here
[1] Zhongyi Optics. (n.d.). Mitakon 55mm f/2.8 1-5x Macro Lens. Retrieved from www.zhongyioptics.com/mitakon/55mm-macro
[2] The Phoblographer. (2021, February 16). Mitakon 55mm f/2.8 1-5x Macro Lens Review. Retrieved from www.thephoblographer.com/2021/02/16/mitakon-55mm-f-2-8-1-5x-macro-lens-review/
[3] Camera Jabber. (2021, February 16). Mitakon 55mm f/2.8 1-5x Macro Lens Review. Retrieved from www.camerajabber.com/mitakon-55mm-f-2-8-1-5x-macro-lens-review/
[4] DPReview. (2021, February 16). Mitakon 55mm f/2.8 1-5x Macro Lens Review. Retrieved from www.dpreview.com/reviews/mitakon-55mm-f-2-8-1-5x-macro-lens-review
