Discussion on cameras and lenses for UV

[rfcurry]

John,

I have some old photos that I took as I was installing the filter.

Here is the lens mounted. Note the different rings that would have been moved in harmony by the original camera motors. I move them by hand to get the effect I want, but it is not smooth zooming in a video

 

http://uvroptics.com/Canon/Canoncrop1400px.jpg

 

Inside the lens, under the plate shown with a chain and screw above, we find the simple lever for toggling from visible to UV. The 2x lens that was removed is to the right.

http://uvroptics.com/Canon/Lever600px.jpg

 

The filter holder - without filter - is to the left.

http://uvroptics.com/Canon/Canon1crop600px.jpg

 

The filter holder moved half way

 

http://uvroptics.com/Canon/Canon1Advancedcrop600px.jpg

 

The filter holder all the way across, the lever is now seen to the left.

http://uvroptics.com/Canon/Canon1AdvancedFullcrop600px.jpg

 

If you notice, the internal gears move the next glass element as the holder moves into position. Neat, eh?

 

BTW, it is a Canon lens.

[Andrea B.]

Reed, thanks for that very interesting lens post. Never seen anything like that!

How cool to be able to easily flip from Vis to UV and vv.

 

Is this a lens I should be adding to the UV Lens Sticky? If so, may I please have any deets I'm missing here?

Canon 50-150mm f/1.5 with lens doubling mechanism which can be modified to hold UV filter.

UV capability? Focus shift?

 

F/1.5? Now that is fast.

 

*************

 

I had an email from Klaus about the X80QF. I'll talk to him and see if he is open to telling us a few things about the lens beyond what is on his blog: Photography of the Invisible World. http://photographyoftheinvisibleworld.blogspot.de/2014/03/x80qf-made-to-order-f3280mm.html

[rfcurry]

Hi Andrea,

 

It is hard to say about focus shift, as the gears automatically shift the closest glass element when you move into and out of UV. I will need to get it out and use it again. It is fun to use. Most zooms have too many elements/groups to pass much UV, so we don't commonly have zooms to play with. This is fast enough to compensate. And it is 15mm - 150mm, which means you get some very wide-angle opportunities. However, because it is C-mount, vignetting is common even on the Lumix at certain settings. It comes with a generous rubber hood, not shown in the photos.

 

Regards,

Reed

[Alex H]

Question:

 

Anyone have any experience or advice on Shmitt's X-series lenses?

 

He has recently announced what he is calling the X80QF, described as a made to order apochromatic 80mm f/3.2 Quartz Fluorite lens.

 

I know there were once other similarly named “X lenses” but there is seemingly little detail to be found about them.

 

I think the best would be to ask Klaus himself for details.

[JCDowdy]

I think the best would be to ask Klaus himself for details.

 

Some time ago, I did inquire directly about the previous X-Lenses.

 

Unfortunately I only learned that they were discontinued.

[Alex H]

Well, if they are discontinued, and not available second-hand, and none of us has any to try, than I do not really see the point of looking for them. He probably made too few of them.

[Andrea B.]

Klaus' old X lenses were not designed/manufactured by him. I don't recall what the underlying 'brand' was, but Klaus adjusted them for UV use with several tweaks. Again I don't recall exactly what adaptations were made.

 

But as both JD and Alex have noted, these old X lenses are no longer available so the point is moot. :D

 

*****

 

I do have written to Klaus asking some questions about the new X80QF asking for his permission to make a little report/interview here.

So I'll pass along what I learn when I hear back from him. It's a nice effort, methinks.

Meanwhile, there's fotos from the X80QF on Photography of the Invisible World.

 

*****

 

The UV photography world is very small, so we try to report anything we hear about filters, lenses or other. Most of the info winds up in the UV Stickies which I do try to keep updated. I will give folks a platform to report their inventions, finds and products as long as it is clear that Bjørn and I do not endorse any specific products or permit selling or promotion posts via our website here. We will simply report what we discover about any product, be it good, bad or "meh". :D

 

If there is some demand, we may open a For Sale section someday so that folks can resell old UV equipment or post ads. We haven't yet considered what the 'rules' should be for such a Section.

[msubees]

Anyone has a sample of UV shot with unmodified Nikon D40? I just want to confirm it is as sensitive as a D70 (unmodified) when it comes to UV shots. Thanks, Zach

[nfoto]

It is even better.

[msubees]

Bjorn,

 

Thank you! Zach

[msubees]

I am not sure why I bought from ebay (probably 2-3 years ago?). but it is not a nikon, so I am not sure if it has UV transmission or not.

 

 

I was able to play with it today, but surprisingly, when I added a 12 mm extension tube, then stuck this into it, i was able to take photos...but why moving the lens at different distances did not seem to change the focus? only magnification. using a longer tube i got higher mag. not sure I will be able to test for UV tomorrow after I borrow a D70 (because of longer exposure).

 

[Andrea B.]

It looks like an enlarger lens? Many of them do indeed have some UV-capability. So give it a try and let us know.

 

I read somewhere that some DO Industries lenses might have been made by Fujinon. Is this lens sharp?

 

You could get a focusing helicoid for it from Ebay. It prolly has an M39 screw mount? Get an M39-M42 adapter ring (very inexpensive) and an M42-Nikon helicoid (maybe about $30).

[Alex H]

Here is a link to old discussion on NG with transmission chart for the D.O.Industries lens: http://nikongear.com/live/index.php/topic/40343-uv-few-questions-about-legendary-jml-5035/?hl=%2Bdo+%2Bindustries&do=findComment&comment=328935

 

I have one and used it long time ago.

[msubees]

Oleksandr, thanks. I might have read your post a long time ago and bought this...then forgot about it.

 

Andrea, Ole has tested the UV transmission of this lens, quite good. but, it is a triplet and not possible to focus far away...i tried last night, with 12 mm tube (and the lens also recess inside, so about 6 mm total), i got 72 mm to fill the width of the frame of the D40X so about 3:1 mag (1/3 of life size). it becomes larger if I used a 36mm tube.

 

rear side is 39 mm male, and front side seems 42 female.

[JCDowdy]

Does anyone know the flange focal distance of Zach'e 50mm D.O. Ind enlarger lens?

 

If it is comparable to the 50mm EL-Nikkors then infinity focus is likly impossible on his Nikon.

[Andrea B.]

I had also forgotten about Alex's post on NG. :)

 

Those FFDs are hard to find listed for enlarger lenses given that they were never meant to be used at infinity. And with enlarger lenses the FFD may very well vary within the brand. (Nikon ELs for example).

Thankfully we have the NEX and Lumix cameras with shorter register distances if we want to try UV focus-to-infinity.

[Alex H]

Just to get everything straight.

- Klaus provided the transmission graph for the lens

- I have the same D.O.Industries 50mm F/4.5 lens and used it long ago, but I do not have any pictures to show.

 

With triplet lenses and nearly symmetrical double gauss designs, the optical center of the lens will be somewhere "inside" the lens, so the flange distance of the 50mm lens will be less than its focal distance. With Nikon's flange distance of 46.5 mm, most of these lenses will need to be very close to the camera mount or even recessed. But there are other capable UV lenses with bigger focal length that can be mounted on Nikons without any problems. One has to choose - either stick with Nikon and be just a little bit more limited (not really that crucial) when it comes to using lenses at infinity, or stick with a particular lens and find another camera brand to mount it on. I am brand-agnostic when it comes to cameras and UV.

[nfoto]

Many lenses designed to be used as enlarger lenses don't perform at all well towards infinity. Some might do better, in particular if they are symmetric designs. However, do try a makeshift approach to get infinity before you put too much efforts (and money) into making a given lens go to infinity. This irrespective of what brand of camera the lens is attached to.

[msubees]

I tested the O.D. Industries lens yesterday. This is part of a flower of Clivia miniata at my house, I opened the patio door to let sun light in.

 

1. visible light: F8, 1/125, Nikon D70 + 12mm Extension tube + ODI lens, have to move tripod to focus, hand held the ODI inside the extension tube (why no light leak? pretty amazing for 6 seconds during uv).

 

 

2. UV. F8, 6" , Nikon D70 + 12mm Extension tube + ODI lens + 2" Baader UV pass filter in front (all by hand!). for under $15, this is not bad at all! focus shift not too bad. the VIS one was focus on the lower left stamen instead of the ones near the center.

 

[msubees]

I do not see the "Topcon UV" or "Topcor UV" lenses listed in the database here or tested by kds...so I assume the UV here does not imply UV transmission at all?

 

Zach

[igoriginal]

I do not see the "Topcon UV" or "Topcor UV" lenses listed in the database here or tested by kds...so I assume the UV here does not imply UV transmission at all?

 

Haha. Welcome to a topic that many of us have already pondered before (and even some of us have mistakenly wasted our hard-earned $$ on. Including myself).

 

A lot of UV photography "new-comers" have mistakenly bought those "UV Topcon" lenses, wrongfully presuming that the "UV" part of the label meant that these lenses transmit UV.

 

However, the "UV" label on this particular lens line actually was intended to advertise the exact opposite: That these lenses are good at blocking UV. (given the use of multi-coatings).

 

In other words, these lenses were touted as having exceptional UV-blocking coatings. Whether there is any truth to that (or just a marketing strategy), I don't know. But it wouldn't really matter, in the age of digital cameras, anyway. Because unlike the film era (involving film that was UV sensitive to varying degrees), many of today's unmodified digital cameras are already designed to adequately suppress UV, as it is. (Although coatings on modern lenses help with other things, such as improving contrast, controlling flare, etc.)

 

In any case: Don't waste your time or energy in the "UV Topcon / Topcor" line, in terms of assuming that they are designed for UV photography in mind. They are not.

[msubees]

Igor, thank you! you saved me $30....

[igoriginal]

Saved you more than just $30. Saved you the adapter that you would have to track down (or even design yourself), to make the lens mount on this lens usable with your camera. :)