The Good, the Bad, the Ugly.

Let's see how it looks like, to scan a T-MAX 100 negative in the 6x7 size with various Macro lenses on two different cameras (Fujifilm GFX 50s II, and Olympus OM-1)

First out, the TTArtisan 100mm ƒ2.8 2x Macro on GFX, did best of all. But there are cons with that lens: the extreme corners are never critically sharp.

TTArtisan 100/2.8 2x Macro / GFX

(+) This combo, with the new TTArtisan 100/2.8 2x Macro on GFX camera, showed the finest performance with sharp defined details coming out of the 6x7 negative. The grain structure from the film negative is flawless and natural looking.

(-) However, the trade off with this combo is, that the extreme corners are never truly sharp-sharp. The extreme corners who a pronounced dip in sharpness, indicating that this lens does not truly cover the GFX sensor, not even stopped down, neither at infinity nor when scanning 120 film negatives.

The corners were worse at ƒ6.3 (!) compared to ƒ11 and ƒ16. Even the border showed a very, very slight dip in sharpness, but where 95% fine at ƒ11 and ƒ16.

At infinity this lens vignettes quite a lot, and when you try to correct the extreme corners, you get a reflection. Like taking photos under a blue sky, you get in the lower corners a blue, brighter reflection.

Not really suitable for photography at infinity - and at 2x Macro because it there vignettes as well; with hard vignetting when stopping down to let's say ƒ11-16

Can of course be cut off, or corrected in post.

Sigma ART 70mm ƒ2.8 / GFX

(+) The Sigma ART 70mm ƒ2.8 Macro lens performs sharp - and I have scanned many, many 6x7 and 6x6 negatives with it. So, no doubt this is both an affordable as well high performing lens for scanning negatives, both 35mm film as well 120-film. The grain structure from the film negative is natural looking.

(-) The trade-off with the Sigma ART 70mm Macro lens are the pronounced dark corners. (scanning film negatives you get light corners instead) They are sharper than TTArtisan 100/2.8 though.

This can however be counteracted by not scanning the negatives full out, or by cutting the format ever so slightly. Dark corners are not that much of an issue when using 6x6 negative (due to that you have to cut the corners anyway), and with 6x7 format, you never fully use the extreme borders either.

This lens vignettes also when used at infinity !

(=) At the same time, it is actually a very sharp, very well behaved close-up lens that is wonderfully outdoors for getting closer to those flowers and other details. Doesn't have to be 1:1 macro ! In close-up mode with the Fujifilm GFX camera, without stopping down crazy much - you get wonderful sharp images and the lens doesn't vignettes much at all. Only when you go super close, or stay at infinity.

Olympus OM-1 / 80 MP Pixelshift

(+) I used the Olympus ED 60mm f2.8 lens stopped down to ƒ6.3 in order to avoid diffraction. Here i used the 80 MP tripod based PIXELSHIFT. This gives the most even performance, due to that there are no dark corners ever to be visible, and therefore the corners will be sharp.

(-) The trade off with this combo is following; critical sharpness is slightly less. As if the Pixelshift technology isn't really proving higher resolution. There is a blurry / fuzziness in the finest of details that get lost. When you use a truly sharp, low ISO black & white film, this would be potentially an issue. However, with mediumformat color negatives, I which are usually less resolving, it shouldn't be an issue. I got fine results. Also ISO 400 films in 6x7 format, are fine with this Pixelshift tech.

(-) The grain structure from the negative can easily look weird, as soon you try to apply some kind of sharpness or alternative trying to decrease the grain with a filter. As if the Pixelshift technology itself introduces a pattern which becomes more visible (resulting into a weird pattern or "blotchyness") - when other filters or manipulations are being applied in post. You see that weird pattern in the corner photo more pronounced.

(=) Once you make the image smaller, the differences kind of disappear and look sharp again. The grain pattern however can (sometimes) look ever so slightly weird. Less natural compared to the original. It depends on how you manipulate the final image in post processing.

Tamron SP 90/2.8 VC Macro [017] / GFX

(+) I used the EF-mount of the Tamron SP 90mm ƒ2.8 VC Macro lens, and got really good, sharp results - and basically NO dark corners. The extreme corners also where sharp ! A very fine lens for the Fujifilm GFX 50s II camera. But the lens does vignette / give dark softer corners when you use it at infinity, but less than the TTArtisan 100/2.8 Macro at infinity.

(+) At Close-up and Macro distances, the lens does not vignette with the GFX camera.

(+) Corners are sharp when stopped down, in both close-up and Macro distances ! Best Corner performance in the scanned images.

(-) The Tamron SP 90/2.8 isn't as forgiving when it comes corner darkness (at infinity) Their wonderful 45mm and 85mm ƒ1.8 siblings are excellent in that regard by barely showing any dark corners.

(=) The overall center sharpness is a tiny notch less compared to the Sigma and TTArtisan 100/2.8.