In this part, an UV torchlight with an inside 365nm Nichia LED is placed in front of a full-spectrum camera. Then a picture for UV photography is taken with each lens tested to show the UV light transmission through it. The parameters are not changing between each shot:

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KFM LED produces nearly 75% greater light output than traditional KFM models.  KFM LED is equipped with LEDs arranged across two semi-circular modules.  This design allows for virtually shadow-free magnification and excellent color rendering.  The modules consume a total of 11W of energy, are infinitely dimmable, and include a 9/4 hour automatic shut-off functionality.

Hence, 35mm lenses are more usable for landscape photography as they require shutting down the aperture to obtain a good sharpness.

Magnifying Lens

A 5″ diameter optical-quality glass lens combined with powerful LED lightsource, makes KFM LED one of the best multi-purpose heavy-duty round lens magnifier on the market today.  The quality and exact positioning of the LEDs allows for virtually shadow-free magnification and excellent color rendering.

Flange focus distance on the Nikon EL-Nikkor is 90mm for the original version. The newer one (105mm f/5.6N) has a flange focus distance of 100mm. The new model isn’t as good for UV photography.

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A ring of LED modules with a color rendering index of >80 surround the magnifier, offering glare-free, clear vision capability no matter what the work environment lighting is like. The two-dimensional head joint and convenient dimming function add to user comfort and convenience.

The goal here is to show the maximum level of UV signal coming on the sensor with the configuration given below. Here are the results:

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No knobs to tighten, nothing to adjust.  A flexible, self-balancing shade and hands-free neck design allow the lamp head to be secured in any position.  The spring-balanced arm provides maximum vertical and horizontal movement, and will always stay in the right position without drifting.

The Omnivue Series combines durability, superior light output, control of positioning, and distortion-free optics of up to 15 diopters. Three 9-watt fluorescent lamps provide shadow-free illumination and offer two settings for adjusting light output. 3 diopter magnification is standard, and additional Add-x lenses are available for even greater visual acuity.

KFM LED is supplied with a 3- (1.78X) or 5-diopter (2.25X) 5″ diameter optical-quality glass lens.  A cloth shade cover is provided to protect the lens from unwanted dust and debris.  Colors: Black, Light grey, and White.

This indoor comparison confirms that all 50mm lenses offer close results and are all usable with studio strobes. While the Steinheil 50mm is still the best 50mm lens.

These 3 categories have one similar point: they are all cheap. Indeed, each UV-capable lens tested in this article will not cost more than 150$, with a mean price of 70-80$. As a comparison, professional dedicated UV lenses made of quartz have the following prices:

A range of professional, performance magnifiers ranging from the heavy-duty Luxo KFM LED Magnifier to specialist ‘Woods’ Light Illuminated UV Magnifiers.

Contrary to 35mm lenses, here all 50mm lenses are really close in term of contrast and shooting parameters. These results relativize the previous theoretical comparison as the Yongnuo 50mm lens is offering the same performances than the two Nikon 50mm lenses. The Steinheil 50mm keeps offering the best transmission to reach a much detailed portrait.

What helicoid adapter did you use for the Nikon EL 105mm? I just picked one up as well as one of your UV Bandpass filters and I’m having trouble figuring out what adapter I need.

OPTICLUX is a modern magnifier luminaire featuring a robust magnifier with 1.9x magnification, the latest LED modules, ergonomically tested arm joints and intuitive operation. OPTICLUX’s biggest plus is its daylight-quality light field, its outstanding colour rendering properties and its maintenance-free life cycle. The OPTICLUX is an approved medical device which can be versatilely used in dermatology, human medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine, in laboratories and for monitoring sterilized products.

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For the outdoor test, a cloudy day in the end of winter was chosen. The UV rate was the lower possible, allowing to use the UV transmitting bandpass filter of Kolari in the worst UV condition. This test shows that even without hard sunlight, UV portrait is still possible. Moreover, it informs about the worst adjustments you would have to do to shoot in UV. This way, you are assured to make better adjustments than those of this test.

Follow this link to read more about the principles of magnification, and how a Luxo magnifier can be a valuable tool for a variety of applications.

I use a K&F concepts E to M42 adapter with the Fotasy 35-90mm helicoid. The M42 adapter is one with a standard M42 45mm flange distance, and not one of the ultra-thin filters that just adapts the physical mount.

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In this part, all the lenses have been used for outdoor and indoor shootings with the UV transmitting bandpass filter of Kolari. Now than the theoretical performance has been tested, it is time to evaluate the concrete performance of each lens in term of exposure, contrast and sharpness for UV photography.

The 21st Century series ‘Woods’ light provides all of the functions of a hand-held ultraviolet light for specialties such as dermatology or ophthalmology, and adds two 6300° K daylight fluorescent bulbs for general illumination. The magnifier is augmented by an integral 6x bifocal lens for enhanced magnification and the whole unit comes with a 3 year warranty (bulbs excepted).

As explained in the presentation of UV photography, not all lenses can be used with UV transmitting bandpass filters because of anti-UV coating applied on their elements. UV-capable lenses can be divided into 3 categories:

Here, the Optomax and the Soligor have really close performance, while the Nikon has a lower capacity to transmit UV light.

The soligor has become rather difficult to find in good shape, at least, as of 6/21/22. The one or two I did find seem to be fetching a much higher price tag than 40$ now.

To sum up, 50mm is the easiest focal lens to use: it is easy to find an UV capable lens for each camera brand. As a result, when adding a macro extension tube, these 50mm lenses are capable of easily shooting macro photography.

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KFM LED has a heavy-duty, all-metal construction with a sleek design, adjustable arm and excellent light output making it suitable for a variety of industrial applications.

Here the Steinheil 50mm F/2.8 appears to have the best performances. Both Nikon D and E have close results with a small advantage for the D version. Finally, the Yongnuo 50mm F/1.8 has the worst theoretical performances.

Enlarging lenses offer an impressive sharpness for close portraits, despite their rarity and the requirement of a focusing helicoid adapter.

The indoor test was realized in a studio using professional Broncolor strobes. Contrary to the outdoor test, here the setup is fixed to show the difference of exposure of each lens.

Why ValleyMed? We’ve been Canada’s trusted partner for medical and scientific lighting, laser safety products and much more across three decades.

OPTICLUX Woods Light: a robust LED magnifier with 1.9x magnification, ergonomically tested arm joints and intuitive operation with easy to use controls. It boasts a 6500K daylight-quality light field, outstanding color rendering properties and a ‘Woods’ light option that provides a double duty for your medical facility or lab. As an approved medical device, it is ideal for dermatology, veterinary medicine and dentistry, as well as in laboratories or monitoring sterilized products.

Magnifying glass

The 45mm flange distance of M42, plus 35mm from the helicoid gives a minimum flange focus distance of 80mm. We we get infinity focus about 10mm off the stop, plus about 45mm focus throw. Reproduction ratio is about 0.4x.

For each lens tested, the sensibility was fixed at 1600iso and the aperture was adjusted to obtain the same exposure and the best sharpness for a shutter speed faster than 1/6s. This limitation is the maximum shutter speed allowing neat static portrait using a tripod.

The best shot at 35mm is given by the Soligor, which allows the best contrast in the center and the best sharpness. A large amount of vignetting is due to the wide aperture required by the low UV rate.

MLD magnifier with its distortion-free 3.5 diopter lens provides the precise visibility needed for close inspection work.