Leitz 65mm f/4.5 Milar Macro

[ulf]

Finalized: Work in progress.

Last Update:

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Leitz 65mm f/4.5 Milar Macro

 

Manufacturer: Ernst Leitz, Wetzlar

Manufacturer's lens designation: Milar f=6,5cm 1:4,5

Currently manufactured: No

Lens type: Macro Lens, Aristophot System

Focal length: 65mm

Aperture range: 2/4/6/12 (=reduction rate?), No click stops, Manual, 10 blades

Design: TBD

Flange Focus distance: -

Recommended magnification range: 1:1 - 7:1

Optimal magnification: TBD

Mount: M25 x 0.75

Sensor format/coverage: up to 90mm x 120mm, or more

Front filter: No

Lens coating: No

Introduction year: pre 1940?

S/N of test object: 35807

Working distance graphs:

Image of a Aristophot system

Image of the test object:

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Transmittance Summary

Definitions of the parameters below

• Range: The Milar 65mm f:4.5 lens transmits 1-80% in an increasing slope from 308nm to 400nm.
  
• T_VISmax (%) = 90%
  
• T_400nm (%) = 80%
  
• T_365nm (%) = 73%
  This high percentage is an indicator for relatively short exposure time under typical UV-pass filtration peaking around 365 nm.
  
• λ_{UV HMvis}(nm) = 332nm
  
• λ_{UV HM400} (nm) = 330nm
  
• λ_{UV Zero} (nm) = 308nm
  These three values indicate that the lens is working well for upper UV-B photography with some filters and a few for this, suitable cameras.
  

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Spectral transmission graphs:

UV-NIR, Milar 65mm 1:4.5

The transmission measurement accuracy into the end of NIR range is less good due to limitations in the light source.

 

UV, Milar 65mm 1:4.5

 

UV-Log, Milar 65mm 1:4.5

Numerical Spectra Data available: Yes

 

General comments about the UV-reach:

TBD

 

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Filters and how to use them on this lens:

It is only possible to use rear mounted filters, either in lens mount adapters for mirrorless cameras like Sony A-series etc, or placed directly in the camera.

 

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Handling and focussing:

This lens needs to be combined with a helicoid or macro bellows to set desired magnification.

The original Aristophot System was big using long extensions.

The possible magnification useable is limited by how you can illuminate the motif, if the lens is used for reflected light photography

 

Flare:

TBD

 

Sharpness:

TBD

 

Lens distortion:

TBD

 

Chromatic Aberration / fringing in UV:

Rather big axial chromatic aberration. Can be improved considerably by focus stacking.

See more about this at the end in my first post about this lens. The fringing images are up scaled to 240%

https://www.ultravio...dpost__p__37525

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Image samples:

UV:

image

Filter:

 

UV, Fringing:

image

Filter:

 

UV, Fringing 100%:

image

Filter:

 

VIS+NIR:

image

Filter:

 

NIR:

image

Filter: long pass 800nm

[ulf]

Updated with pictures of the tested lens

[ulf]

If anyone is interested in this type of lens there is one on ebay to a nice price that I think is OK:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/124248136979?hash=item1cedc41d13:g:72UAAOSwoaVfAa76

There are no images through the lens that display the lenses and might show fungus etc, but from the general appearance that might not be a problem.

The lens is declared as "Fine condition"

 

Read about the lens carefully to understand that it is a lens that is only usable for close up work with rather high magnification.

 

I used the lens here:

 

 

[Guest]

Your sample photo is nice. 

 

[nfoto]

Nikon had a similar lens in fact specified exactly the same, 65mm f/4.5 Macro-Nikkor, for their Multiphot system. I must try it in UV. Do you know anything about the UV capabilities of the Macro-Nikkor range, Ulf?

[JMC]

26 minutes ago, nfoto said:

Nikon had a similar lens in fact specified exactly the same, 65mm f/4.5 Macro-Nikkor, for their Multiphot system. I must try it in UV. Do you know anything about the UV capabilities of the Macro-Nikkor range, Ulf?

Birna, I've published a bit on the 65mm and 12cm ones here - https://jmcscientificconsulting.com/close-up-photography-macro-nikkor-65mm-and-12cm/

[nfoto]

Hm. Thanks JMC -- saved me unneeded work to duplicate your findings. I already have the quite small Novoflex Macro 60/4, which Ulf found was pretty good in UV, and my captures bear this out.  At least for the upper UV-A it seems more than adequate. The reason I don't use my Coastal 60/4 APO instead is simply it's much bigger and bulkier, and using it reverse-mounted on a bellows makes for an awkward setup and inherently unstable rig.

[Guest]

The curve is not at steep. The novoflex 60mm only has 30 percent transmission at 340nm. This lens hangs in at 55 percent.

[ulf]

2 hours ago, nfoto said:

Nikon had a similar lens in fact specified exactly the same, 65mm f/4.5 Macro-Nikkor, for their Multiphot system. I must try it in UV. Do you know anything about the UV capabilities of the Macro-Nikkor range, Ulf?

Sorry, no I do not. I got a Mikrotar 100mm, but that was not going very deep into UV. Mechanically a quality build though.

[ulf]

39 minutes ago, Blazer0ne said:

The curve is not at steep. The novoflex 60mm only has 30 percent transmission at 340nm. This lens hangs in at 55 percent.

30% at 340nm can sometimes be quite enough. 

The two lenses are optimised for different magnification. The Novoflex lens was intended as a slide copy lens closer to 1:1 in magnification while the older Milar is optimised for a magnification range 1:1. - !0:1. I have not compared them side by side for how they feel for taking photos. 

 

My first impression when using the Novoflex lens was very positive. Could have been the mood of the day though.

[Guest]

I really like the working distance on this lens. At about 1.5:1 on APS-C it was 13cm. That is a lot more than I am used to having.

 

Here is a 3 image stack of a Physostegia Virginiana taken wide open rendered with Zerene. Lens mounted with Baader U-Venus in rear filter drawer and focus helicals lit with 2 strobes Xplor 600 and AD 360.

 

 

 

 

 

This one I added some extension to get about 2.5:1 on APC-S now of a Chicorium intybus section. The lens was stopped down second from all the way which is labeled 6. Single frame photograph, no stacking. I like the bokeh. Even when stopped down the circles are nice and round. I think this lens does a pretty good job of smoothing the background. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[JCDowdy]

I like your filter drawer setup, have you posted specific details?