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105/4.5 UV Nikkor
All Sold Out, Gone, Bye Bye, Done, No More, Nada, Zero, Zilch!
The 105/4.5 UV Nikkor is one of the rarest and most specialized lenses ever made by Nikon. Most experienced Nikon shooters and collectors have never seen one. 105/4.5 UV uses included medical photography, forensics, industrial manufacturing and testing, art research / authenticating / restoration. Introduced in 1985 only in AIS mount, this 6 element quartz glass lens is designed for the 220nm to 1100nm wavelength range. "NM" = nanometer, one billionth of a meter, or one millionth of a millimeter. Built on the 105/4 Micro-Nikkor lens barrel, the 105/4.5 UV focuses down to 1:2. The instruction book promises "virtually no variation in the focus position between visible rays and UV rays." However, changes in temperature can change focus due to the fluorspar coating on some elements, so check the focus without the UV filter as temperatures change. "At all focused distances in every wavelength range, aberration is minimal and distortion is eliminated." For normal photography, use a UV or skylight filter to eliminate UV rays.
Instead of blocking out UV, the dark square filter eliminates visible and infrared rays. The UR-2 gelatin filter holder and a special square UV filter are packed with the lens. UV Transmission is optimized for 330, but 220nm to 420nm are allowed pass thru the filter. The filter is too dark to focus through, so focus without the filter, and then flip the filter up to cover the lens. Notice the concave front element. The focus can be locked down with the set screw. The instruction book calls these square filters "UV Transmitting Filter." They are expensive and hard to find: woe to you if you drop or lose it. While the lens is hard to find, Nikon's SB-140 flash for UV and infrared light is even harder to find. Although the UV Nikkor looks much like the standard 105/4 Micro Nikkor, it is completely different. The 105/4 Micro uses a double helical focusing mount. The 105/4.5 UV uses a VERY long SINGLE helical focusing mount. Filter size is 52mm. The early version 105 UV lens has a detachable lens hood. The later version like this one has a built in hood.
Exposure meters are useless for UV photography. You will have to determine exposures with tests and experience. Tele-converters or normal filters can not be used with the lens for UV photography as they will filter out the UV. The closest marked focus distance .48 meter or 1.57 feet. You can use the 105/4 Micro PN extension tube, or bellows, for 1:1 and beyond in UV photography. B/W films are used most often for UV photography. Color films usually give a blue monochrome color.
Revised: March 13, 2007 . Copyright © 2002-7 Stephen Gandy. All rights reserved. This means you may NOT copy and re-use the text or the pictures in ANY other internet or printed publication of ANY kind. Information in this document is subject to change without notice. Other products and companies referred to herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies or mark holders.