PrimaLuce Nikon Z5 Full-spectrum camera review

[nfoto]

"Shades of blue" in UV very much depend on the interplay between capture itself, the lens, filter, and processing software including the colour profile(s) used.

 

This is the same scene (not taken at the same time, but a day later), with the modified Panasonic GH-2, . Petri 35mm f/3.5 lens, and Baader U. processed in Photo Ninja.

 

 

This combination makes for much duller colours than the more vivid representation offered by the Coastal 60 APO on the Z5. Yet, we easily observe the same patterns in the UV rendition. Do note the last capture was under more hazy sun than the previous images.

[nfoto]

To provide a wider foundation for interpreting the UV results, here are the same crops done in visible and IR. PrimaLuce Z5, ISO 800 (to give a valid comparison against the UV capture) and lens as indicated below. All NEFs run through Photo Ninja with the minimum required processing, lenses at f/5.6, hand-held camera.

 

 

Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/4, BG40 filter to restore some resemblance to the rendition of the stock camera,

 

 

Nikkor 105mm f/2,5 AI, Hoya R72, converted to b/w in PN,

 

 

It is quite clear none of the striking UV patterns can be discerned in the other spectral bands.

 

Do note sun elevation is very low thus shadows go intensively blue.

[Andy Perrin]

Well that would seem to rule out IR contamination (and visible). It is definitely a UV phenomenon. If there are two layers of paint, maybe longtime exposure to the elements has caused one layer to thin in places of higher heat transfer and the blue one shows through from behind?

[Stefano]

To me, it looks like something water-related. Look here can mean nothing though.

[Andy Perrin]

I see nothing similar in my own photos. Here is a UV and thermal photo of the same scene. Studs may be dimly seen through the walls in the thermal photo. There is no shortage of moisture.

 

 

[nfoto]

The houses in my neighbourhood should have 25-30cm insulation material in the walls and at least 30cm to the loft. The lack of icicles bears witness to the efficacy of the loft insulation. However, wooden walls with supporting beams are a different matter and obviously we see a lot of "cold bridges" here.

[otoien]

It could also be related to the heat capacity. The wall part with the beams might cool down and warm up more slowly than the parts without. With quick changes in temperature and humidity with ice fog moving in and out that could create patterns. I sometimes use this to gauge the fuel level of the tank for my furnace. A quick warmup after cold weather causes frost on the part of the tank that contains fuel.

[nfoto]

It has been colder than -10C for many weeks now. No quick fluctuations in temperature, just getting colder and colder. The river is now frozen over so the frost fog we saw earlier lifting at dawn has gone as well.

[nfoto]

I had to venture outside to meet an old friend suddenly diagnosed with aggressive leukaemia just a few days ago. He knew I had a Hasselblad Xpan, a camera he so desperately wanted to use before his admission (final?) to hospital for chemotherapy. I could but indulge him so he got the gear for 10% of its usually asking price. We had a nice chat and I believe he departed with higher spirits than at the arrival.

 

On the way back, I deployed the PrimaLuce Z5 with the Laowa 11mm f/4.5 for some IR architecture. The 62mm filter size allowed a Hoya R72 to be used.

 

 

This über-wide lens is surprisingly sharp, if the extreme corners are less scrutinised in depth. As it is not a retrofocus design and comes in native Z-mount, it is pretty small and easily taken along for a wide perspective of the great outdoors. The price isn't entirely off the chart either.

[nfoto]

I finally got my "big" Nikon O56 filter fort 95mm filter threads. It was mainly intended for the Zoom-Nikkor 50-300mm f/4.5 ED AI, which usually rattles around in the back of my car so always available.

 

Apparently the combination works quite well. Here is an example with the lens set to 65mm. Heavy overcast so the low available light called for a 1600 ISO setting, f/10 and 1/10 sec.

 

 

The mixed conifer forest appeared with nice details, to show the lens is quite sharp despite its 40+ years of age.

[Andrea B.]

It is indeed sharp. And a pleasing color rendition shown with the O56.

 

I remember seeing your Xpan photos somewhere. I wanted that camera so bad years ago! But now we have interesting framing with our digital cams. The S1R has 4:3, 3:2, 16:9, 1:1, 65:24 and 2:1 available. So of course I have been using that 65:24 framing constantly.

[nfoto]

The 25-50 Zoom-Nikkor does perfectly for more esoteric kinds of photography, such as false-colour emulated infrared Ektachrome (IE) or pure IR. Both with the PrimaLuce Z5 earlier today. In fact, this veteran lens must be one of the most promising optics I used with this camera so far. Age is just a number, of course and the 25-50 lives up to that saying.

 

Here the 25-50 shows off my neighbourhood in glorious false-colour "IE". The snow is rapidly disappearing once we got rid of those -20C nights (and days).

 

 

Attach a suitable IR filter, in this case the B+W 093, and the 25-50 again delivers nicely.

 

 

I am surprised as to how well this old zoom design renders the scenes, without showing much of the unevenness that plagues many more modern optics.

 

Preliminary tests indicate the AIs Zoom-Nikkor 80-200mm f/4 AIS might be anothed hidden gem for the PrimaLuce Z5 camera. More shooting will follow.

[nfoto]

Another results of the improved temperatures we now see: The local river is about to free itself from the ice sheets covering its surface through the bitter cold months that just ended.

 

PrimaLuce Z5, IR (Hoya R-72), Laowa 11mm f/4.5 gives the wide view of the remaining riverside ice. I managed to stay on the slippery slope although it was a tough challenge. Too many times breaking through ice in my career anyway so no need to repeat.

 

 

With its 126 degrees angle of view, it's like having an IR version of the XPan, and as a digital camera as well.

[dabateman]

That is stunning.

Do you have the 11mm in M-mount? If so you can get autofocus with a Megadap adapter.

That lens looks really good.

[nfoto]

I have the 11mm in native Z mount. No plans on complicating the matter by other mounts + adapters if this can be avoided. Focusing the lens is easy so no AF is required anyway.

[Andrea B.]

Er dette elven Glomma?

...hvor jeg vandret mit Ruth??

 

 

(I got stuck on "hvor" versus "der" in that sentence.)

[nfoto]

Du kunne ha brukt begge ("both could be used")

 

Yes, River Glomma (sometimes in this district spelt 'Glåma'. but the implied meaning remains. In fact, 'Glåma' probably is the original Old Norse, later to be Danified as 'Glommen'. Meaning: "[something broad] shining and shimmering") ).

[ulf]

There are a lot of connections between the nordic languages and also sometimes in english.

Glomma, Glåma, glimmra (sw) skimmra (sw), shimmering...

The vikings did not just spread terror, but traded and added to the language when in England.

[nfoto]

The quest for finding lenses that perform reliably on the PrimaLuce Z5 continues. Today's candidate is the AIS Nikkor 180mm f/2.8 ED, an old favourite with excellent reputation for image quality in its heydays.

 

Obviously the lens still can deliver,

 

 

I live in a mixed neighbourhood where one can find lots of remains of the old rural landscape.

[nfoto]

Lest our readers think I have forgotten all about doing UV with the PrimaLuce Z5 by now, a UV video might reassure I haven't lost my direction for the usage of the camera.

 

A video sequence follows below, taken with the Coastal 60mm f/4 APO lens and the Baader U filter. i just set the frame rate and pushed the release, thus don't hold your breath for signs of any sophisticated video work !!

 

 

V202102260822.MP4

 

This is an MP4 video file straight off the camera, so presumably double-clicking the file should fire up a suitable video viewer. Please let me know if that doesn't work. The video is b/w as the camera was set to the monochrome picture control.

[Andrea B.]

I could run it in Quick Time after downloading.

 

It would also run in Photo Mechanic. That is a nice discovery.

 

I'm sure others will weigh in with their results.

 

(This is a very Norwegian minimalist movie. SMILE.)

[nfoto]

No woolen knitwear appears, however the clip is UV, which I convinced myself of by shooting the same scene (sans the car, though) as a single frame. Interestingly, the video does not show any sign of "striping". I must repeat the experiment. with my modified Z6

[nfoto]

I continue the tracking down of better lenses for my Z5, and time now has come to the 400mm f/5.6 Nikkor*ED (not the ED-IF). It does very well for my false-colour IE emulations.

 

The many small tributaries to River Glomma, our main river, have gone through spring flooding and ice break-ups. So along the river banks one can observe ice sheets in all sizes, often as big as 1 x 1 m as in the case below. I shot across the stream and there is little sense of the scale involved. The banks tend to be steep thus scouring by ice has restricted impact.

 

[Andy Perrin]

It downloaded fine for me.

[nfoto]

While I'm waiting for some semblance of "spring" to manifest itself in my neck of the woods -- a long haul seemingly as there is still the occasional dusting of snow and freezing cold nights -- I bring you all a visualisation of our "invisible worlds". UV and IR snaps taken minutes apart with the PrimaLuce Z5, however with different lenses. There was enough light to allow hand-held UV captures. I cast both as black-and-white to allow easier comparison.

 

UV: EL-Nikkor 63mm f/3.5, f/8, 1/15 sec, ISO 800, Baader U. UV image contrast was low and colours were a little smeared, partly thanks to accumulated dust and dirt on the lens. It apparently needs a thorough spring cleaning.

 

 

IR: Nikkor S-Line 50mm f/1.8 S, f/8, 1/640 sec, ISO 400, B+W 093. The IR images were crisp and contrasty, and I did not stop down more to avoid a weak tendency for IR hot spotting. It seems most native Z lenses have a slight tendency to make hot spots in IR.

 

 

I think this is the essence of UV vs IR in terms of their visual rendering.