Kolari Vision flash cups for UV

[Jody Barends]

Hi guys. I'm looking for a good light source and filter combo to do some UVIVF photography. I was thinking of converting a regular flash to a UV flash using filters. However, owing to where I live its not easy to get Hoya U340 or even things like ZWB glass without using Ebay which I am untrusting of since I have to import.

 

I came across this pre-made version of the same sort of thing from Kolari Vision https://kolarivision.com/product/kolari-vision-kv-fl1-multispectral-ir-uv-flash/ for 300 USD. From what I can tell, it seems like the flash outputs the entire spectrum and then you use these filter cups https://kolarivision.com/product/replacement-set-ir-and-uv-flash-head-filters-for-full-spectrum-kv-fl1-flash/ to limit the range to what you want (IR or UV).

 

Does anyone have any experience with these product? What are those filter cups made of? I know Kolari makes UV bandpass filters and my guess is that this is just those but cut to fit the flash but there isn't much information. They provide a chart with the transmission curves but how legit are they. I would like to avoid visible light leaks as much as possible, especially in the blue zone. You can buy the filter cups without the flash so it might be cheaper to buy those as standalone and then fit it to a second-hand Godox or Yongnuo with their UV blockers removed, but would it work?

 

[dabateman]

I would guess to say their transmission plots are accurate.  But I don't own them to verify.  That UV plot reminds me of 3mm zwb1 glass.

Ir long pass filters are easy to buy cheap.

Instead of using ebay, you can directly contact some sellers or use Ali.

For UVIVF, you might be better off with a UV led flashlight. To avoid visible leaks. Just paint your subject.  Or use fixed led light bulbs, if you can photograph in a studio. 

[Jody Barends]

2 hours ago, dabateman said:

I would guess to say their transmission plots are accurate.  But I don't own them to verify.  That UV plot reminds me of 3mm zwb1 glass.

Ir long pass filters are easy to buy cheap.

Instead of using ebay, you can directly contact some sellers or use Ali.

For UVIVF, you might be better off with a UV led flashlight. To avoid visible leaks. Just paint your subject.  Or use fixed led light bulbs, if you can photograph in a studio. 

Thanks for the reply. So I'm not too fussed about IR, only interested in the UV parts. I've been messing around with a 365 nm lightfe 301D UV torch which isn't bad but its not as good as I would hope for without adding some sort of filter that I can't seem to get my hands on. I want to identify and photograph fluorescence in animals so painting subjects is definitely out of the question. 

[Nate]

9 hours ago, Jody Barends said:

I want to identify and photograph fluorescence in animals so painting subjects is definitely out of the question. 

I light painted a grasshopper to try to keep the torch out of it's eye as much as possible, it works fine at night to see fluorescence 

[ulf]

19 hours ago, Jody Barends said:

Hi guys. I'm looking for a good light source and filter combo to do some UVIVF photography. I was thinking of converting a regular flash to a UV flash using filters. However, owing to where I live its not easy to get Hoya U340 or even things like ZWB glass without using Ebay which I am untrusting of since I have to import.

Do you have bad experiences buying non domestic things via eBay?

 

I have bought things there for the last 23 years, with a very high success rate.

When there is a problem it is mostly due to transport issues, but that happens rather seldom.

There have been a few incidents with bad sellers, but not very many. 

In some cases there has also been problems with sellers not understanding what they sell.

 

The worst one I had was more than 20 years ago when buying a used lens from the US!

That seller, the used lens department of a well known big camera store in NY was really bad and issues did not got resolved.

I bought a  reasonably expensive lens declared as in good condition. It was completely unusable as almost al 20 lens surfaces had mould infestation. 

 

Form that I have learned the cultural difference in how to describe the condition of the goods, between nationalities, but I have not stopped trusting Americans in general.

There will always be ignorance and some bad apples in the barrel in all countries, but with some care you can often avoid those.

 

For filters to convert a flash there are a few good Chinese sources present on both eBay and Aliexpress.

If you want to convert a flash you should know that not all flashes are suitable as they often have limited UV output.

 

There are several discussions about that in this forum.

For good results you need a rather powerful flash that have a high UV-emission.

[Andy Perrin]

11 minutes ago, ulf said:

The worst one I had was more than 20 years ago when buying a used lens from the US!

That seller, the used lens department of a well known big camera store in NY was really bad and issues did not got resolved.

I bought a  reasonably expensive lens declared as in good condition. It was completely unusable as almost al 20 lens surfaces had mould infestation. 

I have had a similar instance of bad faith dealing on ebay with what I strongly suspect is the same NY US store and it’s not just “cultural differences,” it’s that the store is badly run and full of unpleasant people also. 

[Jody Barends]

6 hours ago, ulf said:

Do you have bad experiences buying non domestic things via eBay?

 

I have bought things there for the last 23 years, with a very high success rate.

When there is a problem it is mostly due to transport issues, but that happens rather seldom.

There have been a few incidents with bad sellers, but not very many. 

In some cases there has also been problems with sellers not understanding what they sell.

 

The worst one I had was more than 20 years ago when buying a used lens from the US!

That seller, the used lens department of a well known big camera store in NY was really bad and issues did not got resolved.

I bought a  reasonably expensive lens declared as in good condition. It was completely unusable as almost al 20 lens surfaces had mould infestation. 

 

Form that I have learned the cultural difference in how to describe the condition of the goods, between nationalities, but I have not stopped trusting Americans in general.

There will always be ignorance and some bad apples in the barrel in all countries, but with some care you can often avoid those.

 

For filters to convert a flash there are a few good Chinese sources present on both eBay and Aliexpress.

If you want to convert a flash you should know that not all flashes are suitable as they often have limited UV output.

 

There are several discussions about that in this forum.

For good results you need a rather powerful flash that have a high UV-emission.

I haven't had a bad experience yet but it would be a lot of money to lose. I guess I just prefer buying from a store of some kind rather than a private seller.  It also takes very long for things to be shipped