FE mount lenses for UV

[Unscenerie]

Hello spectral venturers,

has anyone experimented with FE lenses for UV/IR?

 

I've been searching for FE lenses for Sony mirorless full-frames cameras, suitable for UV/IR, out of curiosity and for convenience as opposed to adapting lenses.

I tried the Samyang 45mm 1.8 FE. I know, the aperture seems too large for UV capable lenses but the number of elements (7) in the lens is the same as its f/2.8 siblings, so I gave it a try. The lens had hotspots in IR and a heavy color cast in UV (loss of contrast).

 

Manufacturer says that the Samyang 45mm 1.8 has

"7 elements in 6 groups, including two aspherical elements and one extra-low dispersion element. There's an Ultra Multi-layer Coating to help reduce flare and ghosting."

 

Not being adept around lens construction, I now realize there is more to a UV capable lens than the number of lens elements. 

 

The limited knowledge I have tells me that similar Samyang FE lenses (in the so called "tiny series") would be made of similar types of glass and therefore be unusable for UV (IR).

 

So I have to look elsewhere. I could pull up technical data about lenses from other manufacturers. There is hope, though, for mirorless lenses and UV - I can see that the Sigma's 30mm f/1.4 DC DN (APS-C lens) works well.

 

Thanks 

[dabateman]

The Sigma 30mm f2.8 art lens with smooth barrel works well. As does the 19mm f2.8 art smooth barrel.  I have both in m43rds mount, they are also available in E-mount and they work very well for UV.

The 60mm f2.8 art smooth barrel is also reported to work well,  but I haven't used it. These are all designed for APS-C sensor size. 

 

I have not used the 16/30/56mm f1.4 series,  but seems to be a hot topic now. These are also designed for APS-C size sensor. 

 

There are other reports here for Sony lenses.  Take a look around.

 

[Andy Perrin]

Is autofocus all that important for UV in the first place? I say get a few EL-Nikkors and call it a day. Mounting EL-Nikkors on mirrorless cameras is really easy. Autofocus is most important for when you need to focus quickly, and UV photos need such a long exposure that I've never once missed not having it. Buy an adaptor for each of your most-often-used UV lenses and it's just as convenient as having it be permanently mounted, right?

[dabateman]

Ok found some links

Sigma 60mm f2.8 art smooth on E-mount camera:

https://www.ultravioletphotography.com/content/index.php?/topic/2511-q-sigma-60-mm-f28-mft-in-uva/#comment-18591

 

Sony FE 50mm f1.8 lens:

https://www.ultravioletphotography.com/content/index.php?/topic/3363-sonys-nifty-fifty-seems-to-work-in-uv-fe-50mm-f18/

 

The Sony 16mm f2.8 and 20mm f2.8 pancakes are also reported to work in UV. But the link to Boon's website seems dead.