I have the Coastal Optics 60mm and have used it for close-up work. Here are some notes of mine that may be useful. I am the close-up/macro mentor on Nikongear.com.
Aside from being very expensive ($4500), the CO-60 APO lens is somewhat of a specialized lens. It is designed for use not only in the visual spectrum but also in the infrared and ultra-violet spectrums on either side of the visual spectrum. It was designed for forensic and scientific use. If you were looking for a copy-camera lens in a studio, this would be just about perfect. Lens expert Lloyd Chambers states that the CO-60mm is “a reference lens for other lenses… On a scale of 1 to 5, it is a 5+.”
It does have its problems, foremost among them is the fact that this lens has a prominent hotspot at smaller apertures around magnifications of 1:3. For distances longer than this, there is no problem. However, as a macro photographer the 1:3 range means I have run into these hotspots many times and they do ruin a photo. Not sure what the thinking is on why such an expensive and perfect lens should have such a glaring fault. Perhaps it is that we should be grateful to have this fantastic lens, warts and all. A workaround is to use the very smallest extension ring to help bypass the hotspot range. Another trick is to use a high-megapixel camera like the Nikon D3x and avoid the hotspot range and then crop out what you are trying to capture, given the extra pixels. I have done both successfully.
Aside from the hotspot I have other issues with this lens, in particular the very short focus throw of around 210º degrees. Compared to 630º on the CV-125, 210º is difficult especially since a focal length of 60mm is wide enough that even the smallest change in the focusing barrel produces a noticeable change. This makes it hard to focus stack with the CO-60mm. Macro lenses benefit from having long focus throws, more so the wider they get.
The other issue that I have encountered, although no one else seems to worry about this, is that when shooting in mixed light such in the shadows of a forest canopy where a shaft of sunlight is cutting through the shade, the CO-60mm appears to be more sensitive to light dynamics. The result is the need to use diffusers carefully to filter the brighter light areas.
That being said, this is a wonderful lens indeed. It comes with no hood, but really needs one. I use the rubber hood, Nikon HR-2 on my copy.
Since I stack photos a lot, I do not use this lens except on a focus rail due to its short focus throw. Also f/4 is just too dark in the viewfinder for dimly-lit subjects. In actual practice, I don't use this lens as much as I imagined I might, preferring the Voigtlander 125mm f/2.5 APO Lanthar, the Leica 100mm f/2.8 Elmarit R. Also the newer Nikon 60mm f/2.8G lens is on par with the Zeiss 50mm Makro-Planar, both of which I use. Here are some specs:
Lens: Coastal Optics 60mm f/4.0 APO Macro
Focal Length: 60mm
Widest Aperture: f/4
Narrowest Aperture: 45
Aperture Blades: 7
Filter Size: 52mm
Hood: Does not include a hood. Use Nikon HR-2
Close Focus Distance: 10.4 inches (26 centimeters)
Reproduction Ratio: 1:1.5 (2/3rds original size)
Focus Throw: 210º
Weight: 19 ounces (535 grams)
Pros: Wickedly sharp, short focus distance.
Cons: Slow lens, only 7 blades, short focus throw, does not go to 1:1, hot spot at 1:3.
For notes on some 42 lenses that relate to close-up or macro photography, here is a free e-book (second book listed) at:
http://macrostop.com/Many of these will probably do well on the D800E, which I have on order.
