Irix 150MM F/2.8 Macro Nikon Lens Review
INTRODUCTION
Hello my friends here I am again, once again to talk you about camera lens. As you know is the second review I'm making for Irix Lens, Irix is a European lens manufacturer that contacted me to find out if I was interested in reviewing the brand's lens, which I accepted the challenge, I will review all Nikon Mount Lenses, 11mm, 15mm, 45mm, 150mm Macro and expect the brand to launch the Sony mount.
Last review I made for Irix I talked about the 11mm F/4, wich i recomend you to read it, it's a wounderfull lens, this the link. Today i will talk you about 150mm F/2.8 Macro Blackstone
Irix have usally two types of lens contrution but in the 150 F/2.8 Macro only have the Dragonfly, this is a combination of reinforced metal and composite elements. This combination has resulted in an extremely durable, compact structure, which thanks to internal focusing and multiple seals, remains resistant to adverse weather conditions.
All Irix lenses are manual focus lenses, if autofocus is one of your requirements, then this lens will not satisfy you.
I'm not a specialist in Macro Photography but i will try to my best on this review, the macro lens can be used in various purposes, it can be used in studio, it can be used in the field, can photograph small animals, can be photograph product, can photograph waterdrop,
ABOUT IRIX
THEIR IDEA
The Irix design pays particular attention to detail to create lenses that combine classical design with maximum functionality. They have used the latest technology to ensure exceptional precision whilst maintaining the intuitive manual advantages that analogue photography can bring.
By: Irix Web Page
PASSION IN PRACTICE
As photographers they keep an eye on many things. It is not only the picture in front of they that is important, but also its surroundings. Whether it is shooting landscapes, news reports, sports or capturing architectural curves and circles. They offer lenses that are solid, intuitive, accurate and handy. Irix has it all.
By: Irix Web Page - Arnaud-Taquet
FORESEEING THE FUTURE IS OUR PRESENT DAY
Swiss precision and Korean ingenious solutions make a powerful mix. Irix lenses are designed to deliver top optical performance and match the demands of full frame matrix cameras. When others give you none, Irix give you two. Irix lenses offer a large aperture whilst maintaining the best image quality, regardless of focal length. Supreme optical performance and the high precision mechanism allow you to make the best of photography.
By: Irix Web Page - Guillaume Hobam
PERFECTLY SHAPED AND FITTING ONE ANOTHER
Think of Irix as one and many. Think of Irix as a whole. Elegant and classic on the outside, visionary and modern in the inside. Precise fitting and complementary elements. The same look and feel. Each Irix product seamlessly fits another, for smooth and swift photography.
By: Irix Web Page
PERFECTLY SHAPED AND FITTING ONE ANOTHER
Think of Irix as one and many. Think of Irix as a whole. Elegant and classic on the outside, visionary and modern in the inside. Precise fitting and complementary elements. The same look and feel. Each Irix product seamlessly fits another, for smooth and swift photography.
PACKAGING AND UNBOXING
This lens came with the new Irix design box, and what i can tell you? What a such beatifull box, inside the box came other beatifull hard case, good job guys, such a good taste.
In the Box:
- Irix Hard Case for 150mm;
- Irix 150mm f/2.8 Dragonfly Lens;
- Irix Front Lens Cap;
- Irix Rear Lens Cap;
- Irix Lens Hood;
- Irix Hard Lens Case;
- Limited 2-Year Warranty.
By: Irix Web Page
DESCRIPTION
- Design to closr-up/macro photography Optimized for close-up/macro photography, this lens offers a life-size 1:1 maximum magnification along with a minimum focusing distance of 34cm.
- Irix 150mm is made by a combination of reinforced metal and composite elements and is a manual focus lens;
- This lens have an advanced optical design that features aspherical, low-dispersion, and high-refractive index glass elements to control various aberrations and distortions, Irix uses the Neutrino coatingminimize thel lens flare and ghosting;
-Four high-refractive index, and three extra-low dispersion elements are featured within the optical design to limit both spherical and chromatic aberrations, as well as color fringing and distortion, for improved clarity, sharpness, and even illumination;
- Dragonfly construction that include a sealing system that has been designed to protect the internal part of the lens from moisture, dust, and sand;
- Designed for full-frame but can also be used on APS-C models where it provides a 225mm equivalent focal length;
- Bright f/2.8 maximum aperture suits working in a variety of lighting conditions and also affords greater control over depth of field.
- Hard click stop in focus ring indicates the infinity position on the focus ring for easy use in low-visibility conditions;
- Large depth of field scale benefits using hyperfocal;
- Includes tripod collar with an Arca-type compatible foot;
- 77mm front filter thread;
- Rounded 11-blade diaphragm that grant a smooth bokeh.
By: Irix Web Page
SPECIFICATIONS
- Focal Length: 150mm;
- Maximum Aperture: F/2.8;
- Minimum Aperture: F/32;
- Lens Mount: Nikon F;
- Format Compatibility: Full-Frame;
- Angle of View: 16°;
- Minimum Focus Distance: 34.5 cm;
- Maximum Magnification: 1x;
- Macro Reproduction Ratio: 1:1;
- Optical Design: 12 Elements in 9 Groups;
- Diaphragm Blades: 11, Rounded;
- Focus Type: Manual Focus;
- Image Stabilization: None;
- Tripod Collar: Removable and Rotating;
- Filter Size: 77 mm (Front);
- Weather-sealing: In 5 key areas;
- Dimensions (ø x L): 87 x 135 mm;
- Weight: 840 g;
- Package Weight: 1.59Kg;
- Box Dimensions (LxWxH): 20.57 x 16.89 x 13.72 Cm;
CAMERA COMPATIBILITY AND FORMAT
I reviewing the Nikon f mount, and this lens is available in Canon ef, and Pentax k mounts. I know that Irix is working in news lenses mounts.
This is a full frame camera lens, but can be used in aps-c sensor, in aps-c sensor became with 24mm focal length
READY TO WORK IN ANY CONDITIONS
It doesn’t matter if your traversing the hot sands of the Sachara or covering the vast expanse of Antarctica – this lens will endure any challenge.
The sealing system has been designed to protect the inside of the lens from moisture, dust, and sand. The lens is equipped with an internal focusing system, meaning it does not change its physical size during focusing.
The whole body remains solid and study, and ready to operate in all conditions.
By: Irix Web Page
OPTICS THAT GUARANTEE SHARP PHOTOS
Creativity, your ideas, and the effort you put into each photo would be nothing without the right lens. Thanks to many years of experience in designing optics, the Irix 150mm f/2.8 Macro 1:1 was meticulously engineered for incredible sharpness. The optical design has been made to produce an extremely sharp image from f/2.8. The use of 11 rounded aperture blades results not only in extremely smooth and soft bokeh, but also in minimizing the diffraction phenomenon (decrease in resolution associated with stopping down the aperture). With further stopping down, the image sharpness further improves, which is crucial in macro photography, because we are often forced to use small aperture values to obtain a sufficiently large depth of field.
By: Irix Web Page
READY TO WORK IN ANY CONDITIONS
Finish: DRAGONFLY
Features:
- Reinforced internal construction based on metal elements
- Scratch-resistant finish
- Anti-slip focusing ring with special finish for easy focusing
- Engraved markings filled with UV reactive paint
- Excellent weather-sealing to protect against dust and water
- Hard case included
Dragonfly is a combination of reinforced metal and composite elements. This combination has resulted in an extremely durable, compact structure, which thanks to internal focusing and multiple seals, remains resistant to adverse weather conditions.
At Irix, we believe that the lens is not just a tool in the hands of a photographer. The overall impression of the photo creation process is important to us. A lens has to be fun and easy to use! That is why the ergonomics and design of our products are so important to us.
By: Irix Web Page
SMART LENS
The Irix 150mm f/2.8 Macro 1:1 has a module that allows you to control the lens iris directly from the camera, thanks to which popular semi-automatic modes (PASM), and data recording in EXIF format are available.
The use of electronics also enables the lens to be equipped with a focus confirmation system – the camera will confirm the proper focus distance (either in the form of an icon in the viewfinder or sound), every time you set the focus correctly – it’s really easy!
By: Irix Web Page
ADDITIONAL FEATURES
- Focus Lock – allows you to lock the focusing ring in a specific position, which is extremely beneficial when you want to be sure you set the correct magnification ratio, e.g. 1: 1 while shooting.
- Tripod clamp with foot (Arca Swiss standard) – macro photography requires extraordinary precision. We have good news for all photographers using a tripod: thanks to the tripod clamp, you can safely and securely attach your camera to the lens. Thanks to this solution, the center of gravity of the camera lens remains neutral, and the vibrations associated with focusing and operating the camera are minimized.
- Focus ring – when shooting small elements, depth of field usually covers only a few millimeters or less, so it is important that sharpening is precise. The rotation angle of the focus ring on the Irix 150mm f/2.8 Macro 1:1 is as much as 270 degrees, guaranteeing extremely smooth and precise sharpening.
- Focus ring ergonomics – after tireless testing, we have developed a material characterized by its high mechanical strength and resistance to adverse conditions. Special texturing allows for reliable and precise focusing, and dedicated embossing allows you to feel the position of the ring, making sharpening even easier.
By: Irix Web Page
By: Irix Web Page
FEATURES
1- BILD CONSTRUCTION AND MATERIALS
In this lens, Irix continuous the good work like the older brothers, they made a new construction model the Drogonfly, but with the same quality of the blackstone quality. The build quality of the lens is very good as the lens is as a metal construction looks very robust.
This lens is made of aluminum and magnesium. The lens elements are clearly machined with precision.
Irix made again a awsome work in the part of the weather sealing, they made it to be durable and strong to the worst weather conditions, in the interior they aplay four interior rubber seals that protect both the camera mount and focusing mechanism against dust and moisture.
As i told before this is a lens design for macro photography, but can be also used in other type of photography, this lens is bilt 77mm screw on the front of the lens , that can be used the screw filters or the square one
This lens is very compact with 87 x 135 mm dimensions and reasonable 840g weight.
One of the good feathers that Irix inclued in this lens is the rotatable tripod mounting collar.
2 - FOCUS
All the Irix lens are manual focus but they designed an electronic control of aperture settings. Like the predictors this lens have smooth focus ring, and rotate relatively fast.
The minimum focal range of this lens is 0.2 meters.
The feeling is a nice one and also facilitates you getting the shot. In longer distance focal length, it doesn’t make any sense for you the focus, at the macro ranges, the case changes the focusing will become more critical and you should use a tripod.
Another feature that I liked very is the addition of the focus lock ring is particularly useful when you need to lock the focus once and don't have to worry about hitting your camera, which can adjust your focus on other lenses.
This lens provides a full DOF (Depth of Field) scale including engraved aperture marks covering f/8 through f/16, can be also used the provided hyperfocal setting marks.
This lens provides a full DOF (Depth of Field) scale including engraved aperture marks covering f/8 through f/16, can be also used the provided hyperfocal setting marks.
3 - SHARPNESS
This is probably the most searched part of a lens review, and this lens surprised me by the positive, this lens actually holds its own very well with image sharpness. I have been incredibly happy with the sharpness across the entire frame.
This lens it's sharp corner-to-corner, even wide-open at f/2.8. from this aperture upwards it improves substantially, staying even optimal at F/8.
In the center of the frame at f/2.8, this lens is ultra sharp almost imperceptible the loss of sharpensss and with a nice improvement F/4 upwards to tighter apertures.
4- DISTORTION
Sincerely, I didn't expect that a 150 mm macro lens would have any noticeable distortion problems and this lens didn't let me down. Irix says it has 0.1% distortion but doesn't list the magnification ratio. Even 0.1% is totally invisible.
This is a other good work of the brand.
5 - VIGNETTING
The vignette in this lens is not so bad. It has a little bit of vignette especially at F/2.8 but as you go up to F/5.6 it almost disappear, and mostly gone in the forwards apertures.
I'm quite satisfied with the images directly outside the camera, but when you apply the lens profile to correct the image in post production, then the vignette practically disappears.
I'm quite satisfied with the images directly outside the camera, but when you apply the lens profile to correct the image in post production, then the vignette practically disappears.
6 - CHROMATIC ABERRATIO
Other good feature of this lens like the predictors is that irix 150mm macro doesn't have any significant problems with chromatic aberration.
In every shoots i tooked i almost didn't saw any cromatic aberration.
Good work...
In every shoots i tooked i almost didn't saw any cromatic aberration.
Good work...
7 - FLARE RESISTANCE
Flares are present no matter what aperture you aplayed. It also was irrevelant whether the sun was actually inside or outside the frame. When the sun was outside some shots became completely inudated with flares.
This a feature that could be improved by the engineer.
8 - COMA
The Irix 150 mm corrects the coma extraordinarily well. Even in the corner of full frame and at the maximum relative aperture.
9 - BOKEH / MACRO
This lens have a high quality of out-of-focus areas as opposed to how far out of focus they are, is good. Bokeh is neutral. The backgrounds go out of focus, with typically circular blur circles.
The bokeh is just beautiful and the feeling of the images are very impressive, photographers of all types will love the bokeh of this lens.
10 - SUNSTARS
as I told you in the previoustopic, this lens have a a big problem with the flares, so the sunstars effect its not a easy task in this lens, but in night photography with the help of the 11 aperture blades diaphragm you can see the sunstar 22 brilliant points of light at the smaller apertures.
as I told you in the previoustopic, this lens have a a big problem with the flares, so the sunstars effect its not a easy task in this lens, but in night photography with the help of the 11 aperture blades diaphragm you can see the sunstar 22 brilliant points of light at the smaller apertures.
PRICE VS PERFORMANCE
When you consider to buy a Macro lens you need have in count the Irix 150mm F2.8 1:1 Macro. This lens can be buyed in the Irix webstore at 595€.
I’m very impressed with the Irix 150mm f/2.8 lens.
CONCLUSION
It’s no wonder that it has already received a design award, as it features a beautiful build, exceptional optical performance, and such a reasonable price.
for that photographs that want to make macro photography with focus stacking, this is a awsome lens, for those that want to make macro photography by hand this is not a good lens, this lens haven't Image Stabilization.
The nice bokeh and sharpness makes it a nice portrait lens.
WHAT I LIKED
- Superb sharpness and contrast especially centrally;
- Awsome bokeh
- Wheatear resistance;
- Very well controlled chromatic aberrations.
- Zero distortion
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKED
- Big flare prone
