Nons camera with Fuji instax mini film tries UV.

[dabateman]

I got my Nons Fuji instax mini film camera last month and finally had a chance to test it out for UV.

With Pentax UAT lens wide open (f4.5) I got a great photo at 1 second with ISO 800 (what instax film is fixed at) on my Olympus Em1mk1 full spectrum converted camera

 

This is same ISO 800, f4.5 UAT 1 second shutter speed on Nons camera:

 

Its about 1 or 2 stops less sensitive.

 

My lights were 2 UVB bulbs, which are bad for UVA with the Baader venus u filter, which I used.

But if any other dye would pick up the deeper UV I wanted to know.

 

So in a pinch it could be a fun and different UV look.

 

The Nons camera is available to purchase here:

https://nonscamera.com/

 

The kit lens isn't so good into UV, maximum about 380nm if even that. Its very blue white balance when I tested it.

But works very well on the camera.

[Andrea B.]

Cool. Thanks for the informative post about this instant cam.

 

((But what is that a photo of?))

[dabateman]

Moldy turmeric.

I have a whole collection of really nasty moldy, bacterial filled stuff I need to photograph and get rid of.

 

The posted photo is taken using my phone from the print. I see it has a ton of glare on it. The actual photo is sharper and th err mold is a different shade of blue. I was expecting it to be all yellow, so happy its blue. I will have to test it for UVC.

I also have monochrome film I should test.

[Andy Perrin]

That's quite interesting. It seems pretty monochromatic but I guess that's the lens/filter/light source limitations. If you can coax any more colors out of it that would be nifty. Would enjoy seeing a sunflower or something!

[Stefano]

Here would be another place to test a rainbow/diffraction grating and see the color palette. Maybe camera sensors give more colorful UV photos than film?

[dabateman]

Oh I think this will only be monochrome. Just the blue layer should be sensitive as I posted here:

https://www.ultravioletphotography.com/content/index.php?app=core&module=attach&section=attach&attach_rel_module=post&attach_id=18052

 

But since Baader venus filter worked. I now want to look at my band pass filter going down to UVC.

[dabateman]

Warning UVC (254nm) is extremely dangerous. Care must be taken to cover all exposed skin. Eye protection is Mandatory! 100% cotton should always be worn and avoid polyester.

 

Tested a quick set with bandpass filters.

 

This is 3 seconds with Baader venus u taken as 3 separate 1 second exposures:

 

 

This is 5 seconds bulbs mode with the 2 UVB lights and 313bp25 filter

 

This is single UVC light with 254bp25 filter, bulb mode for 121 seconds:

 

 

The subject is just barely visible in the UVC shot at 2 minutes. A 5 minute shot might pull it out.

 

So the film is monochromatic but sensitive to UV, much better than expected from the transmission plots. Also bulb mode is better than stacking exposures. The film doesn't automatically eject, so you can layer as much as you want.

[colinbm]

Amazing Dave

[dabateman]

Whats nice is the meter will count up in seconds for you til 999. So maximum bulb mode is about 16.6 minutes. I will have to test that, as it states if the camera is idle for 10 minutes it goes into like a sleep mode. So don't know exactly what will happen beyond 600 seconds. But since I am physically holding open the shutter it should work beyond the counter.

 

[dabateman]

Whats also interesting is the Pentax UAT fills the vertical of the film. Its active area is 62mm x 46mm. So the UAT would cover the Fuji GFX sensor. Too bad the instax film is only 12 lines per mm resolution. I wonder if one day Fuji could release a higher resolution film.

 

The film is also very glossy. So its hard to take a picture of it to share here. All these photos you can see me or my phone reflecting off of it.

[Andy Perrin]

Dabateman for showing us the images use crossed polarizers (one on the light, one on the camera).

[dabateman]

Warning UVC (254nm) is extremely dangerous. Care must be taken to cover all exposed skin. Eye protection is Mandatory! 100% cotton should always be worn and avoid polyester.

 

Latest test using 2 UVC lights UAT at f4.5 and 254bp filter. I exposed for the maximum bulb duration of 999 seconds. The shutter automatically shuts after this duration. But since the film doesn't automatically eject, you could repeat it. I set focus near center of turmeric, but it looks like there is focus shift on the Pentax UAT at 254nm and I needed to focus further back. Also I may have shaken the camera holding the shutter button down with my finger. I just now of course after the shot figured out how my shutter release cable works. It needs to be pushed in all the way as it doesn't have grips on the sides.

[dabateman]

So film may win out as the cheapest UV option if your patient. Unless you need 100 shots to nail focus, as this instax film is about $0.7 per shot.

I am still not used to the medium format wide angle view of the 85mm, amazing the difference to 170mm I am used to on m43rds.

[Andy Perrin]

Interesting, but why are all the shots sideways?

[dabateman]

I uploaded all the images and took them with my phone. So I blame the S8. I don't know why they load that way here.

[Andrea B.]

Reminder - David, please don't forget your UVC warnings. I'm still not sure we should be supporting that here. But for now I'm taking the position that we are all responsible adults.

[Andy Perrin]

Andrea, I think it's no big deal. We are probably more responsible about UVB and UVC on this forum (and illustrating the right way to take precautions) than most of the world, who are currently waving around their cheap UVC disinfecting lamps as if it wasn't a cancer risk.

[Stefano]

Andy, I think it is also about our readers. Yes, I am speaking as someone who did play with UV a bit too much probably, but still, I am very careful when using my 265 nm LEDs, even if they are so weak you should probably expose yourself for a prolonged period of time to sustain significant damage to skin and eyes, but I am always careful.

 

It is like your recent laser experiments, even if we are not too dumb to shine lasers in our eyes and stuff like that (hopefully... and that includes me), you did the right thing by putting a safety warning. The purpose is just to inform people that there is a danger, so that they will know how to deal with UVC and lasers themselves in case they want to shoot photos with the same techniques.

[dabateman]

 

Reminder - David, please don't forget your UVC warnings. I'm still not sure we should be supporting that here. But for now I'm taking the position that we are all responsible adults.

 

Added warnings. This is also why I haven't changed my image. I want people to think if me all covered up when they read anything I do. Even though I got a nice UVC image of a dandelion. Funny thing is it looks the same as regular uv image.

[Andrea B.]

Yes, it is definitely about our non-member readers.

 

 

Aw, Dabateman, I just thought you were bein' anonymous.

[dabateman]

Monochrome film fun. The monochrome mini instax film seems to be about one or two stops more UV sensitive than the color film.

I also got a 16inches/ 40cm shutter release cable that screws into the shutter button and actually works with a lock. So I can lock it qnd run away during UV exposure.

 

Also learned that my UAT is not fully focus shift free from visible to UVC. You need to dial in a slight front focus shift for UVC from visible.

This generally seems true as UVC wants the lens element to be closer.

 

Two 15W 254nm lights UAT F5.6 monochrome film, at maximum bulb 999 seconds:

 

 

One Exoterra UVB bulb 313bp25 with 330WB80 (not needed) UAT F5.6, 12 seconds:

 

One 365nm led bulb, Baader venus u, monochrome film EL80 F5.6, 1 second exposure

 

 

 

The subject is pyramid of UV beads with glow glue.

[Stefano]

I don't understand why the film appears foggy at 254 nm. Are you sure your system is light-tight?

[dabateman]

I don't understand why the film appears foggy at 254 nm. Are you sure your system is light-tight?

 

I cheated a little on my film. I started exposure for 3 minutes

Then realize my composition was wrong. So cut the shutter. Reframed and started the 16 minute exposure with correct framing. That might have impacted the film. But since this was a look see test, I don't really care.

 

I might use this for floral subjects once I have flowers. I still have a box of monochromatic film.

 

Also this free box that came with the camera has xray marks on it. So it was xrayed from china to USA.

[dabateman]

Well if anyone wants this camera cheaper. They are back with a new kickstarter. The upgrades seem to be a pentaprism instead of a mirror for the viewfinder. Also an internal battery has been added. I am not sure I am happy about an internal battery, but some users were complaining about battery life. The Energizer lithium ultimate AA batteries work best for me, getting 2 months and 5 film cartridges before I needed to swap them.

 

Here the link:

http://kck.st/37w4rMB

 

I did pledge for the 1.8x extender. That should be fun with my Peleng 8mm fisheye that covers exactly half the frame. I am hoping for a full circle still inside, but might extend out.

 

Already my Tamron adaptall 28mm f2.5, Nikon F-mount Rokinon 85mm f1.4 and Zeiss 120mm f2.8 pentacon six mount lenses cover the frame enough for me. The current crop looks to be similar to the old Pentacon six calculation, divide the focal length by 2, then add 10%. So 85mm is 42.5+4.25 to be roughly 47mm 135 format field of view. I am not sure how the 1.8x will translate that or how they are calculating the 1.8x number.

 

I also have figured out that the UAT seems to have a hotspot at 254nm. So that is why it looks odd above. I will have to test my KSS lens mounted on extension. Its a C-mount lens, but its made for macro and I have an adapter to M42. The KSS seems to be cleanest at 254nm. I have made a bunch of fused silica element lenses. But there is visible to UVC focus shift, so on a viewfinder film camera it may be hard to focus them. I might calibrate my 110mm and see.

[OlDoinyo]

The newer versions of the Nons camera appear to have some kind of built-in teleconverter, and thus would probably be unsuited to UV work.

 

Laminar color sensing media (film or Foveon sensors) tend to produce blue monochromes in UV, as not much UV penetrates to lower layers. What gets recorded in lower layers is mostly visible leakage possibly mixed with fluorescence in the emulsion or sensor.