Minolta lenses

[Terry]

Hee. We get a little fierce on here sometimes! Yes, just shoot a new dandelion and save the RAW, then upload it here and we will see if we can get the expected colors or if that green persists.

 

Will definitely do that Andy, thank you.

Not to worry, fierce is good :)

[dabateman]

Terry,

Back to you other none RAW side tracked question. The best place to look for a cheap starter lens, is in the lens sticky list.

http://www.ultravioletphotography.com/content/index.php/topic/1654-sticky-uv-capable-lenses/

 

Scroll down through the many pages. Find a focal length you like and note the name. Then do an ebay search and see if it comes up cheap.

Many of the listed 35mm f3.5 lenses which are very UV capable can be had for under $50.

Cadmium recent Lentar 500mm f8 mirror still seems to be under $100 if you like telephoto.

Wider than 35mm and still being cheap and UV capable is rare.

 

 

[Terry]

Terry,

Back to you other none RAW side tracked question. The best place to look for a cheap starter lens, is in the lens sticky list.

http://www.ultraviol...capable-lenses/

 

Scroll down through the many pages. Find a focal length you like and note the name. Then do an ebay search and see if it comes up cheap.

Many of the listed 35mm f3.5 lenses which are very UV capable can be had for under $50.

Cadmium recent Lentar 500mm f8 mirror still seems to be under $100 if you like telephoto.

Wider than 35mm and still being cheap and UV capable is rare.

 

yeah thanks mate, I have had a look at the list and not had much joy. I prefer macro photography so its not going to be easy hence the 100mm Minolta macro but until I get the basics under the belt I'll stick with what I have.

White balance and processing to get something that resembles what it should is now of primary concern and then I'll look at sharpness, external light sources, different filters etc.

[Cadmium]

I would steer anyone away from a mirror lens for UV, just because they are really hard to focus and telephotos are usually not of much use for UV.

I use 35mm for 99% of UV shots. You can't beat a Kuribayashi 35mm f/3.5 for that, but hard to find.

The Noflexar 35mm might be the next best, almost the same.

If you can get the right helicoid to match up with an El-Nikkor 80mm then that would work also.

 

Terry, your dandelion shot shows yellow, so you are obviously getting enough UV depth for that, but you might get better with other lenses, how much is hard to say.

I think the UV-only filter you have now should work fine, no need to get other UV filters. It is a simple UG1+BG glued stack, good to go...

[dabateman]

For Macro, then keep an eye out for an old metal version of the Nikkor 80mm f5.6. It has an M39 mount so you would need a E-mount to M42 helicoid, then m42to m39 ring. The front filter thread is an odd 34.5mm. But you can find this enlarger lens really cheap. I got mine for $20. The 34.5mm to 52mm stepup ring cost me more than the lens at $25 from Raf camera. But it works very well for uv and with helicoids is very good for macro.

[Cadmium]

Another lens, Kyoei 80mm, hard to find, but M42, and I know one person at least that shoots almost everything UV with that lens.

I prefer the 35mm personally, so I seldom if ever use the 80mm.

By the way, Kyoei made the Kuribayashi 35mm f/3.5.

Here is a Kyoei 80mm and a Kuribayashi 35mm side by side, with a Sparticle bandpass UV depth test of the 80mm lens below.

To explain 'Sparticle'.

For example, a 340BP10 filter is a 10nm wide bandpass filter with a center peak at 340nm, so if the camera lens sees light/color through that filter, then you know the lens is transmitting UV as low as 340nm.

In particle physics the word Sparticle is another word for superpartner... suppersymmetry, shadow particles...

...and although I am fascinated by physics and those you understand it,

I am not a physics person at all, I just liked the name, so I named my 'child' accordingly... So far the particle physics people have not complained about my use of the name.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superpartner

 

[Terry]

Another lens, Kyoei 80mm, hard to find, but M42, and I know one person at least that shoots almost everything UV with that lens.

I prefer the 35mm personally, so I seldom if ever use the 80mm.

By the way, Kyoei made the Kuribayashi 35mm f/3.5.

Here is a Kyoei 80mm and a Kuribayashi 35mm side by side, with a Sparticle bandpass UV depth test of the 80mm lens below.

To explain 'Sparticle'.

For example, a 340BP10 filter is a 10nm wide bandpass filter with a center peak at 340nm, so if the camera lens sees light/color through that filter, then you know the lens is transmitting UV as low as 340nm.

In particle physics the word Sparticle is another word for superpartner... suppersymmetry, shadow particles...

...and although I am fascinated by physics and those you understand it,

I am not a physics person at all, I just liked the name, so I named my 'child' accordingly... So far the particle physics people have not complained about my use of the name.

https://en.wikipedia...ki/Superpartner

 

 

That explains quite a bit, thank you Cadmium.

 

I found a 105mm f5.6 EL Nikkor. I will go back to the D200 FS for now until I can figure out the mirrorless WB issues.

Plenty of guidance on here re Nikons so I should be OK :)

 

Thanks to Dabateman for assistance with the 105mm verification ;)

[dabateman]

I am not sure you really had a White balance issue. And I find it moderately funny you go to a Nikon after some WB issue. Just because Nikons seem to have a hard time with custom WB.

I think people here were trying to figure out how much UV your lens transmits based on the color. Strong blue violet in an image is mostly around 390/380nm. When you get a yellow or golden look your in 370, closer to 365nm. Then when things go really green your down in the 340nm to almost UVb range.

But final color is always up to you as an artist.

However, light leaks can be an issue. Athough some IR blead through with a filter can add to an image.

There is no real standard UV color, so have fun with it. Or throw your hand up and just set your camera to monochrome. Then you don't have to worry.

[Terry]

I am not sure you really had a White balance issue. And I find it moderately funny you go to a Nikon after some WB issue. Just because Nikons seem to have a hard time with custom WB.

I think people here were trying to figure out how much UV your lens transmits based on the color. Strong blue violet in an image is mostly around 390/380nm. When you get a yellow or golden look your in 370, closer to 365nm. Then when things go really green your down in the 340nm to almost UVb range.

But final color is always up to you as an artist.

However, light leaks can be an issue. Athough some IR blead through with a filter can add to an image.

There is no real standard UV color, so have fun with it. Or throw your hand up and just set your camera to monochrome. Then you don't have to worry.

 

Well yes, the light leak is an issue but Im sure setting the WB plays an important part in the final image. Otherwise I might as well just take a VIS image and use Photoshop to "make" a UV image.

 

I never had a problem setting WB on the D200 for IR but hey, who knows with this beast called UV :)

I only have a 35-70 lens for the Nikon so no way to try it out either.

 

So I found a M39 to M42 adapter ring but no M42 to Nikon F helicoid adapter?

Plenty of others including to NEX, Canon etc

[nfoto]

Focusing helicoids are a wash on eBay. M42 to F too. Or you could rig one yourself by combining suitable mount/thread sizes. As an example, I once converted Minolta-m43 into Petri-m43 with the added benefit of making space for a Baader U inside.

[Terry]

I see there are tons yes with varying types 17-31mm, 15-26mm, 35-90mm etc

 

Which is ideal for a 105mm EL Nikkor?

[dabateman]

We just talked about this. But lets see if someone has a strong feeling.

We have the back focus listed as 90mm for the EL 105mm.

To get to 90mm:

On Nikon camera you are already at 46.5mm add a Fzmount to M42 adapter and a 35-90mm helicoid and your all set

On Sony, you are at 18mm. So add an E-mount M42 helicoid, then a 35-90mm helicoid and your all set.

So buy 3 things

1. F-mount to M42 adapter, make sure no glass and says for macro only.

2. An E-mount to M42 helicoid.

3. A 35-90mm helicoid

If buy from same seller ask if they can add a M42 to M39 ring. They may just do it. Or buy that as your needed number 4.

[Terry]

Thanks for that - I have just ordered the parts for the E-mount and skipped the Nikon for now.

Now its the wait haha

 

Thanks again for all the help

[Cadmium]

There is always the infinity focus problem when using lenses on Nikon. Although the cheap infinity adapters for M42>Nikon work well with no UV degradation, the cheap ones are some kind of glass that transmits below 300nm and has no coatings.

[dabateman]

Cadmium,

Yes and no. For the EL 105mm, the flange back is listed as 90mm. So 90-46.5-35 = 8.5mm

So as long as the Nikon to M42 adapter is less than 8.5mm it will work for that lens.

But for the El 80mm it will not as the flange back is 70mm. So he would need a different helicoid for that lens.

 

[Cadmium]

OK, sounds good :-)

By the way, the 34.5mm to 52mm ring needed for the 80mm and 105mm is here:

https://www.ebay.com...5.m43663.l44720

 

OK, maybe he is out of them right now, but ask him, he may have some/make some. Only place I know of that makes them.

[Terry]

Thanks, will drop him a mail - appreciate the link :)

[ulf]

The metal versions 80mm and 105mm of EL-Nikkors are very nice for UV-macro.

 

The 80mm is slightly better both in UV-transmission and focus shift. That is my favourite UV-lens.

The small difference in UV-cutoff here is almost never important as it is quite close to the end of sensor sensitivity, at least with sensors still having their Bayer-matrix.

I also have the EL-Nikkor 105mm.

 

To get focus all the way to infinity and still have a long helicoid you can use a wider type and bury the lens inside.

I made that configuration for my EL 80 to use with my Canon 60D.

http://www.ultraviol...dpost__p__17389

 

With a 2.5mm shorter step ring inside this would work for a Nikon too.

https://en.wikipedia..._focal_distance

[Cadmium]

New listing is

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/142384077655

[Terry]

Thanks for the info Ulf.

 

Do you have any photos with the UG2a you can link me to please

[Terry]

New listing is

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/142384077655

 

Thanks

[ulf]

Do you have any photos with the UG2a you can link me to please

Only these:

http://www.ultraviol...dpost__p__20837

http://www.ultraviol...dpost__p__20875

I am a bit lazy publishing my photos.

Should try to improve that.

[Cadmium]

1mm thick version in the works...

[ulf]

Thanks for the info Ulf.

When using my EL-Nikkor 105 I used to put it on a suitable extension tube with the same helicoid.

[Terry]

Only these:

http://www.ultraviol...dpost__p__20837

http://www.ultraviol...dpost__p__20875

I am a bit lazy publishing my photos.

Should try to improve that.

 

Thanks Ulf, was hoping you had a landscape shot amongst them