OM system 90mm macro announced

4 hours ago, makar0n said:

The 120 port will apparently have some kind of a mechanism allowing for use of the focus limiter switch.

I have some N85 Eye of Newt in a drawer somewhere, so I’m good there.  But re the port having a control for the 2x switch—I hope you’re right!  Did you see guidance indicating that?

I think the price of the port suggests that there will be no option for the switch. Remember the price of the port for the 12-50 that allowed for access of macro. 

Bill

A new search picked up this, re. The port:

“Suitable for the OM M.Zuiko Digital ED 90mm f/3.5 Macro IS PRO Lens and OM M.Zuiko Digital 2X Teleconverter MC-20.

Nauticam has tested the port for OM M.Zuiko Digital ED 90mm f/3.5 Macro IS PRO lens while using a CMC-1 resulted in 3.5x magnification, which is more than the MC10 adaptor - which only yielded 2.9x magnification.

Don't forget the gear for the lens (see related products).

Nauticam encourage divers to use the macro lens directly with CMC-1 which provides more flexibility under water.

If you add the TC20 you will get more than 4x magnification - with the extension ring (see related products).”

https://fotografit.eu/products/64-nauticam-mil-ports/5816-n85-macro-port-120-/  The site also says that the port is “assembled on order and shipped.”

16 minutes ago, bvanant said:

I think the price of the port suggests that there will be no option for the switch. Remember the price of the port for the 12-50 that allowed for access of macro.

Yeah, I figured that if the port included a switch it would would cost as much as the lens.

Probably a bit optimistic thinking about the 2x, while technically possible, I think I recall the image quality was not great and you'd be well into diffraction.  The 1.4x might be more feasible - AND if you don't have a switch on the port to activate 2 x you could use the converter to get more magnification. 

It sounds like Nauticam are taking the approach that a CMC-1 is a better solution than activating the switch?  Though I would think for many purposes a lower power diopter would be a better option.  Advertising 3.5x sounds great but that is an imaging area 5 x 3.7 mm where you could fit a grain of rice and not much more. 

Then there is the working distance........   15mm at 3.5x!  not particularly usable and even the CMC-2 is 25mm at min focus. 

It's all on the port chart now though curiously the chart says the setups are designed  for the switch to be set at S- macro - I would suggest that publishing figures for the CMC lenses with the Switch NOT set to S- macro would be more useful, even the CMC-2 achieves 2.9x and finding subjects that are interesting beyond the fact that they are small will be a significant challenge, never mind the shooting challenge of holding back and forth sway to less than 10% say of the depth of field of 1mm or less.  Using the CMC lenses without the S macro switch would give similar results to the Sony 90mm macro for magnification.  Here's the port chart:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1sCwkAl718plkFf7wjg0wKadyBZtfN25p/view

I’ve not been able to form a lasting bond with the CMC-1.  I agree, Chris—using it at those magnifications would defeat the benefits of the 90 in most conditions.  
The 90’s minimum focus distance of 25 cm @ 1:1 (just a tad shorter at 2:1) will be great, I think.  I do have the 1.4, so I’m going to experiment with that topside and see if the port extension seems useful (although I doubt I’ll be able to resist).  I had a Tamron 180 macro in the old Nikon days, and loved it, so I’m looking forward to learning the 90.  

30 minutes ago, rickmorgan said:

I’ve not been able to form a lasting bond with the CMC-1.  I agree, Chris—using it at those magnifications would defeat the benefits of the 90 in most conditions.  
The 90’s minimum focus distance of 25 cm @ 1:1 (just a tad shorter at 2:1) will be great, I think.  I do have the 1.4, so I’m going to experiment with that topside and see if the port extension seems useful (although I doubt I’ll be able to resist).  I had a Tamron 180 macro in the old Nikon days, and loved it, so I’m looking forward to learning the 90.  

The 224mm min focus distance (with S macro engaged) results in 68 mm working distance, by the time you put it in a port you probably have 60mm .  

If you compare at 1:1 the 90mm has 94mm working distance, a fairly minimal amount more than the 60mm macro's 88mm.  It makes me think a 1.4x is a better magnification tool than any diopter as you don't lose working distance.

12 hours ago, rickmorgan said:

I have some N85 Eye of Newt in a drawer somewhere, so I’m good there.  But re the port having a control for the 2x switch—I hope you’re right!  Did you see guidance indicating that?

Spoke to Nauticam and this are the exact words I got back:
(...) dedicated 36169 N85 Macro Port 120 is going to support the macro switch function on the lens in combination with the focus gear (...)"

Edit:
Seems the latest port chart mentions extension ring 26 (instead of 30) now in case of teleconverter 20. Curiously it only mentions "focus knob" for the 120 port.

Edit 2:

4.3x magnification at 75mm working distance if going via the MC-20 route..now i wonder how that will actually work vs going CMC route.

Interesting to see what port they end up offering and how well it works . The switch on my lens is quite stiff so may be a challenge to operate?

I picked up the 90mm macro yesterday for topside use, I do focus stacking quite a bit for small subjects.  First couple of stacks I did seemed to fire off faster that what I recall the 60mm macro could do firing off 12 frames in less than a second.  Perhaps it can adjust focus position faster than the 60mm could?   No immediate plans to take it UW, I'll wait and see what the port functionality is.

7 hours ago, ChrisRoss said:

Interesting to see what port they end up offering and how well it works . The switch on my lens is quite stiff so may be a challenge to operate?

I picked up the 90mm macro yesterday for topside use, I do focus stacking quite a bit for small subjects.  First couple of stacks I did seemed to fire off faster that what I recall the 60mm macro could do firing off 12 frames in less than a second.  Perhaps it can adjust focus position faster than the 60mm could?   No immediate plans to take it UW, I'll wait and see what the port functionality is.

Come on, you know you want to get it wet....and we want to hear about it

How about image quality topside?

On 3/19/2023 at 12:39 AM, Davide DB said:

How about image quality topside?

Well I've only used it a little so far and it seems pretty good so far this is a land based shot of a mantis in the backyard, about 60mm long and it's a stack of 12 exposures at f4.5, a couple of stacking artifacts there and I should have started the stack a little closer but otherwise quite good I think.  Here's a 1600px image:

http://homepages.ihug.com.au/~chrisx2/images/Mantis_4_Lg.jpg

It is 1/40 @ f4.5 ISO200, tripod mounted for the stack.  I did one stack where the SS was 1/500 and I had to check it actually took the stack it was completed that fast.

3 hours ago, ChrisRoss said:

http://homepages.ihug.com.au/~chrisx2/images/Mantis_4_Lg.jpg

It is 1/40 @ f4.5 ISO200, tripod mounted for the stack.  I did one stack where the SS was 1/500 and I had to check it actually took the stack it was completed that fast.

Wow good shot!

Yeah, super pic, Chris. It’d be fun to try that underwater! Not sure the mantis would be happy though….

44 minutes ago, TimG said:

Yeah, super pic, Chris. It’d be fun to try that underwater! Not sure the mantis would be happy though….

Not even a nudi in the garden would be so Chris run out and buy a port for this lens!

Today Nauticam has update the N85 port chart with support for the new 90mm macro using the new macro port 120 with focus limit switch selector.  The new port is also compatible with tele converter 1.4X and 2X using extension rings. 

As Phil said, of course.  Here's a picture of the port: 

4 minutes ago, rickmorgan said:

As Phil said, of course.  Here's a picture of the port: 

This is some fancy looking port I must say...

Gotta give it to Nauticam. Where support for specialist lenses is concerned they are really the only game in town. The port isn’t even crazy expensive. 

18 hours ago, hyp said:

Gotta give it to Nauticam. Where support for specialist lenses is concerned they are really the only game in town. The port isn’t even crazy expensive. 

That's for sure.  Especially given that the switch-equipped port for the 12-50 (with a zoom gear) is still almost $1k US.