Nikon Z6/Z7 as a UV/IR Conversion: the Bad News

[Andy Perrin]

I just thought that was an IRchrome image of you.

Hah!

[Bill De Jager]

Thanks for the info, Birna. Good self-portrait, too.

 

After I got my copy a while back, I took down my eBay search for this lens so I haven't been getting notifications when they come up. I took a peek right now and there is the common problem of people asking rather large amounts of money, except for one that was converted to a Pentax 67 mount. Hmmm... fantasy prices or current market conditions?

 

Meanwhile, SK Grimes (US repair/customizing shop) is now involved and I'm working them on scoping possible modifications starting with installing an F mount. I actually have a second copy with a malfunctioning diaphragm; if they can't easily fix that I'm inclined to have it replaced by a fixed aperture. I'm also asking them about some sort of tripod mount since the original was removed during the previous mount conversion. Finally, I've inquired about the possibility of chipping.

 

Birna, I have to thank you for checking out the UV capability of this lens and posting the results. I was debating whether to just dispose of these lenses rather than investing in a mount conversion of one of them, but now it looks like at least some degree of investment is justified.

[nfoto]

Interesting. Just did a swift eBay search for the 35cm f/4.5 Nikkor. Asking prices are more than 10 times higher than what I paid for a complete, nice sample 1 year ago. OK, to be fair, without the N-F tube, but those I had a surfeit of already.

 

The lens is old and of course that also applies to its simple triplet optics. This is a long-focal lens, *not* a telephoto. I do have the Piesker Telecon 40cm f/4.5 lens which also is pretty good, but has more colour aberrations in UV. The Piesker is much shorter as it is a genuine telephoto design. Both lenses deliver pretty low contrast images in UV thus a tweaking later is required. I further have a 40cm f/5.6 Novoflex of the old type, but for UV its very simple double achromat design makes axial colour difficult to handle.

 

Both the 35cm Nikkor and the Piersker are "chipped", but that only works if they are on an F-mount camera, or are used through an FTZ adapter. When used in combination with my rear filter box on the Z6, the EXIF information is lost. One cannot have everything rolled into a single solution, apparently.

 

Thanks for liking my self-portrait. There is a grain of truth in what underlying reasons I sketched for dyeing my hair.

[Bill De Jager]

The lens is old and of course that also applies to its simple triplet optics. This is a long-focal lens, *not* a telephoto.

 

I thought it was a telephoto because I didn't realize how long the N-F tube is. https://www.mir.com....500mm/index.htm points out that with the tube attached it's 368.3 mm long. Thanks for the correction. I certainly don't expect miracles from the optics.

 

I sold my Nikkor 400/4.5 because I wasn't satisfied with the UV results, but I may have had a bad copy. I don't mean the crummy shots I made through glass at an angle, but other shots taken outdoors.

[ulf]

I further have a 40cm f/5.6 Novoflex of the old type, but for UV its very simple double achromat design makes axial colour difficult to handle.

 

Do you have any image examples showing this difficulty?

 

I tested several long-focal Novoflex-lenses one and a half years ago and didn't detect any difficulties with any of them.

Maybe I didn't know what to look for.

 

My favourite, the sharpest, is the triplet,, T-Noflexar 400mm.

[nfoto]

Lots of axial colour with the Novoflex 40cm. I used it with my D3200, which has the Baader U built-in and thus is able to cope with nearly all lenses..

 

I'm awaiting a day with calm, sunny weather to make a comprehensive long lens test: Nikkor 400mm f/4.5, Petri 400mm f/6.3, Novoflex 40cm f/5.6, Nikkor 35mm f/4.5, Piesker 40cm f/4.5 are on the test list so far. Perhaps I'll throw in a mirror lens or two as well. I also might include my monochrome NEX-5N (courtesy Vivek Iyer) just for fun.

[nfoto]

Meanwhile, tried the Z6 with the thick 'FF' filter in the rear filter box and the Panagor 21mm f/4.

 

I think this 18B--type filter is on the thick side for this wide-angle yet some sharpness survives. And strangely, no striping to be seen. The outcome, despite Nikon's original claim this filter was for UV shooting, has very little UV to it, the rendering being like that of a two-colour IR filter. Still one can occasionally make pictures with the setup.

 

[Alaun]

Quick solution: mounting a small Baader U in to the FTZ-adapter with some 8mm rubber plate:

 

 

 

and optical outcome with a 35mm (Auto 35 1.4) and a 105mm (UV Nik) lens (no special WB, just quick and dirty):

 

 

[dabateman]

Is that a 1.25" baader venus filter?

The second photo is very nice and crisp.

 

Is that a full spectrum Z6?

 

[Alaun]

Yes, that's a 1.25" and

yes, that's a full spectrum Z6

[nfoto]

No striping is evident?? I'm getting curious.

[Alaun]

Nah, it's there (Not the latest FW, and I did not try to heal it, just quick development with ACR):

 

[nfoto]

How long was Eve in Paradise??

[Alaun]

Here are two crops from the second one, each crop one original with banding, second debandesd with Denoise 6, horizontal banding standard (ruler at 50%)

 

Crop 1 with banding:

 

 

Crop 1 debanded:

 

Crop 2 with banding:

 

Crop 2 debanded:

[dabateman]

Birna,

Did your new 1.25" baader venus filter arrive?

Does it leak IR like the older ones or is it the same as the newer 2"?

I have been awaiting your comments.

 

Werner either the site compression is helping or your banding is not as bad as Birna. I see only slight difference here.

 

[nfoto]

The Swedish Baader agent sold me an old version of the 1.25" U filter. Which, of course, leaked IR in a massive manner. I got my money refunded after writing them a pretty angry letter, and was instructed just to throw the filter away. Apparently they could not get new stock, or had no interest in acquiring the better filter version. I told them then, in no uncertain words, to remove the item from their catalogue, which they eventually did.

[dabateman]

Interesting,

So now I don't know if there is a new 1.25" Baader or if they are just old stock.

I did see Enrico post a comment on an Astrophotography site claiming that a 1.25" Baader was good and that comment was dated 2013.

 

Here:

https://agenaastro.com/baader-1-25-u-filter-venus-and-ultraviolet.html

 

 

[nfoto]

Hmm. Currently the Baader filters are not generally available in Europe, unless one is a citizen of a EU country. Which Norway never will be. Earlier Baader Planetarium sold directly to any customer, however now sales are directed through their agent network meaning Norway is "out". I managed to track down a Swedish dealer that were happy to sell me a copy. Probably availed themselves of the opportunity to get rid of old stock . Well, I got my money back.

 

I see from the link Dave posted above that there is an American dealer with the 1.25" in stock. As I'm going to visit Andrea in April and stay there for some weeks, it might be a chance to get the filter "over there".

[Alaun]

My filter is new, directly from Baader, last week.

Different to the 2“ filters, it has the greenish surface on one side, not the golden like coating.

I have not tested it yet for IR leakage, but it might do.

[nfoto]

Do that and be sure to report back to us.

[dabateman]

Birna,

That Astro site ships worldwide. And has a review by Enrico, top one if you click.

 

Werner,

Please test and add to the Baader filter discussion page.

[nfoto]

Shipping to Europe from US is expensive. And there are Customs import issues as well. Much easier to get it whilst in the US at Andrea's place.

[nfoto]

Inclement weather and still no flowers appearing. The Corona Virus Threat might prevent my planned, paid for, and much anticipated trip to visit Andrea in New Mexico. Rats. Reality bites hard.

 

Meanwhile I test equipment indoors, but some of the enjoyment is draining away at present.

 

I did a courtesy shoot for the local 8th March committee (International Women's Day) and was rewarded with some red roses. They recorded, as expected, near black in UV.

 

 

I captured them with the Panagor 21mm f/4 lens on my love-hate camera, the modified Z6, using a rear-mounted Baader U filter. Despite my apartment having 3-layer glazing, enough UV was transmitted inside to make a 6 sec. exposure at f/16, ISO 3200. The lens was near its closest focus, around the 0.2m distance setting.This quite cheap lens (I paid $100 at my regular camera shop, Delft, Netherlands) continues to be a pleasant surprise for UV work. Were only the Spring here

[nfoto]

No trip to Andrea this year. Blame the mishap of the wrecked situation the Covid-19 pandemic has thrown us all into.

 

About the last I managed to do is this photo of a very dilapidated house in my neighbourhood. Such scenes are very rare by the way over here. Somehow it commiserated with my current mood. Nothing so worse there isn't something even worse?

 

 

This is with the love-hate Z6 and the Panagor 21mm f/4 lens. f/11, 1/13 sec hand-held at ISO 3200, heavy overcast weather. The NEF was run through RawTherapee 5.8. which does remove a good deal of the annoying striping.

 

Now it's [in]voluntary quarantine for at least 1 month. Could be up to 6 months.

[nfoto]

Today it was sunny, calm and no people outdoors. Thus I intrepidly hopped in my car and went to a location where I knew should be devoid of hikers and ramblers.

 

This is the 50mm f/1.8 S-Line Nikkor, a native Z lens, which like the others new lenses for this system is an excellent performer. However, as used here, with a deep orange filter to make false-colour IE emulated images, one should definitively not stop down the lens too much otherwise a visible (and large, but diffuse) hot spot occurs. I have seen the same with the other Z lenses as well. Stop at f/5.6 and the situation improves, but still is far from perfect. Fortunately there are myriads of alternative lenses from the F-mount range to use via the FTZ adapter. But ooh so tempting to use such a high-quality optic.

 

When I saw this scene, I immediately got the appropriate title,

 

It's our world and we can treat it anyway we want

 

 

Or perhaps, not. The current Covid-19 scare springs to mind.