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Good evening! In addition to the quick test of the new Kolari Vision UV filter, I have bought 3 new lenses including the Steinheil 50mm F/2.8 EDIXA Auto Cassaron. Until now I was using the Nikon E 50mm F/1.8 and sometimes the Yongnuo 50mm F/1.8, so I have decided to make a comparison of these three 50mm lenses I have for portrait photography. For this comparison I used 3 Yongnuo yn560 IV unfiltered at full power, the same camera distance (1m) and the same EXIF : 50mm, F/5.6, 1/40s, 400iso. The focus is not perfect at each time... After the take of the shots, each file was processed the same way. Note : the shutter speed is not a real parameter here because the only UV light source is provided by the flashes. It only has to be lower than the synchronisation time of the flashes : 1/200s. Here are the results of the test : Yongnuo 50mm F/1.8 Nikon E 50mm F/1.8 Steinheil 50mm F/2.8 EDIXA Auto Cassaron As you can see, the Steinheil 50mm F/2.8 EDIXA Auto Cassaron has really great performance in ultraviolet photography : the exposure is twice better compared with the two other lenses. It is a bit less sharp but you can shut down the aperture to 1 or 2 more stops and keep having a good exposure. The Yongnuo is not really good, its only good point is to have auto-focus. The Nikon E has really great sharpness (not on this shot but in my experience) but requires a lot of UV light. As a conclusion, I think I am going to change the 50mm I use for the Steinheil 50mm F/2.8 EDIXA Auto Cassaron for my next project to have a really better UV transmission.

Hi there! I am Shamali from India. I am a botanist and just entering the field of UV photography. I aim to work on UV reflectance of flowers. I use a Sony a6000 camera. But I think will have to get a conversion done for UV photography. Your guidance would help in understanding the basics. Thanks..

Hi, I am new to UV photography and looking forward to learn a lot about it in this forum! I am very interested in using UV photography to create awareness about sun protection and to help visualize "sun protection" at an early age to children (and sun damage to adults). I am especially interested in low-cost options of UV photography- that will function in normal sunlight without any additional light sources. My first attempt at buying a UV webcam ​(Model: XNiteUSB2S-MUV) was definitely not successful, so hope that with this forum and wealth of information provided by its members, I will be able to make a more informed decision on purchasing the right equipment.

Greetings from Mount Vernon, Washington, USA! I am grateful to have been introduced and accepted into your community! I am interested in all things light and its use in application. My education is BSEET/ABET from DeVry Institute of Technology, Phoenix 1999. I have eighteen years of engineering and technician experience in the following industries: Industrial Nd:YAG lamp and diode pumped laser markers from 3-100 W at IR/Green wavelengths of 1064nm and 532nm (rofin) Semiconductor stepper & scanner photolithography at UV/DUV wavelengths of 365nm, 248nm, 193nm, and 157nm (ASML USA/Veldhoven at Motorola, TSMC, Texas Instruments, Micron, and IBM) Aerospace metrology laser and radar trackers (Janicki Industries) Commercial HVACR R&D full life cycle product development testing for manufacturing (Legend Brands/Dri-Eaz Products) I look forward to working with you to progress the art and science of Ultraviolet Photography! Create a Great Day! Aaron

I've been trying to put together a setup that allows me to create high-resolution, ultraviolet-compatible portraits with reasonable subject isolation. This is what I've come up with thus far. It just barely focuses to infinity, and is able to focus down to approximately 0.75m. Full spectrum 5Dmk2 with QV-1 LCD viewfinder + 7mm + 14mm extension tubes + EF->M42 + 35-90mm M42 helicoid + M42->M39 + El-Nikkor 135/5.6 film enlarger lens + 43mm->52mm step-up + 52mm UG-11 + 52mm BG-40 + silly lens hood What success have others had in UV portrait lenses?

Hello all, I'm Steve, a Bermudian/Canadian living in Australia. After experimenting with infrared photography for a couple years I figured it's time to give ultraviolet photography a shot. I've put together a simple/cheap setup that seems to be working for me at the moment: UV lenses: EL Nikkor 80/5.6 (old version) EL Nikkor 50/4.0 Modified Cameras: Canon 450D - Full Spectrum (multi-coated quartz) Canon 5D mark II - Infrared (715nm) Current setup: Canon 450D -> EF/M42 adapter -> 17-31mm M42/M39 helicoid -> 39mm/34.5mm adapter -> EL 80/5.6 -> 34.5mm to 52mm filter step-up ring -> 52mm UG11 2mm & BG-40 2mm I chose this set-up due to the wide spectral sensitivity of the 80/5.6 and the ability to just barely achieve infinity focus while still being able to focus relatively closely. My intended subject matter is landscape photography with occasional portraits. Using my panoramic tripod head I should be able to take relatively wide landscape photos without needing a wide lens. At the moment I'm finishing up my third year of medicine at the University of Sydney, which doesn't leave me a great deal of time for UV photography, but hopefully I'll be able to post a photo or two in the coming months. In order to make my UV photos impactful I'll attempt to capture as many unique aspects of ultraviolet photography as possible. Here's what I've noted so far that differentiates ultraviolet from IR and visible-light photography: Different flower & insect markings Increased visibility of freckles/pigmentation Harsher facial contours Sunblock rendering faces black A typically bright-white sky due to high Rayleigh scattering Dark foliage Glass rendered as opaque (sunglasses, clock faces, windows, monuments) Decreased visibility on foggy days Unexpectedly high UV reflectivity of some housing materials not apparent in visible light More amenable to waterfall photos vs IR Is there anything missing from this list? Also, can anyone recommend a good wide-angle lens for UV somewhere around 24mm? Obviously wide-angle formulas are rarely amenable to UV, and finding one with a filter threads less than or only slightly larger than 52mm is difficult. I look forward to contributing to this community! You can also find me at: stevecampbell.deviantart.com stevecampbellphotography.tumblr.com 500px.com/scampbell86 Here is a selection of my infrared photography: http://img14.deviantart.net/3eab/i/2017/131/5/d/the_final_hours___infrared_by_stevecampbell-db8uknw.jpg

Good evening! Following the comparison of three 50mm lenses, I am going to compare three 35mm lenses for ultraviolet portrait photography : the Nikon E 35mm F/2.5 , the Optomax 35mm F/3.5 and the Soligor 35mm F/3.5. For this comparison I used 3 Yongnuo yn560 IV unfiltered at full power, the same camera distance (1m) and the same EXIF : 35mm, F/5.6, 1/40s, 400iso. The focus is not perfect at each time... After the take of the shots, each file was processed the same way. Note : the shutter speed is not a real parameter here because the only UV light source is provided by the flashes. It only has to be lower than the synchronisation time of the flashes : 1/200s. Here are the results of the test : Nikon E 35mm F/2.5 Soligor 35mm F/3.5 Optomax 35mm F/3.5 The results show why I haven't used a 35mm lens since now ;) : the Nikon E 35mm F/2.5 is really bad in ultraviolet photography. Both Soligor 35mm F/3.5 and Optomax 35mm F/3.5 seems to have the same good performance, the histograms are closed, I notice a better sharpness with the Optomax 35mm F/3.5.

Hi, I just received a nice camera set from USA, including a Meyer Görlitz Primotar 135mm f3.5 and a E. Ludwig Meritar 50mm f2.9. Luckily the sun was out so I could try them on my nex6. Both lenses seems to be good for UV, the primotar being a little soft wide open but has a very strong characteristics, which I like. I also noticed that the ring holding the front element was not tight, so that could also affect the photos. The Meritar is an absolute joy to use. I have a m42 version, but that's a terrible construction and handling is a pain.the exakta version? Solid, built like a tank,but lightweight. The two close ups and my portrait are made with the Meritar and the other two with the Primotar

No, I won't call it a selfie. Unmodified Nikon D70, ISO 200, 1/40 sec., Nikon Series E 35mm at f/11 (!), Baader U-filter, two Elinchrom D-Lite-it 4 with "sport" reflectors. The D-Lites do not have any UV domes, so as far as I know it should be safe for my health (recalling Andrea's advice) to make use of them without any special protection, like in a normal taken picture. Some post production in Photoshop Elements 7.0, Topaz Labs B&W Effects with yellow filter. You see some bruises on my chest, almost invisible in visible light, due to one of favourite cats I live with, Marcellino Silvestrino (I am a favourite of him too, thus the claw-marks in his - always successful - attemps to jump on my shoulders :o ) There is some banding on the left side box, but maybe the corrugated paper texture, not apparent in ordinary light. Ciao!