Nikon UV/IR Flash Unit

["Dave" <gannet@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Forgive me if this has already been brought up, but the recent posts 
about UV and flashes tickled my memory and I looked through my Nikon 
equipment references.

Nikon makes a handle-mounted speedlight for use in infrared and 
ultraviolet photography.  The model number is the SB-140.  This is a 
variation on the "normal" SB-14 flash, but also includes the 
following pass-filters for IR/UV:

SW-5V filter, 400-1100nm for normal photography
SW-5UV, 300-400nm and above 650nm for UV photography
SW-5IR 750-1100nm for IR photography

They list the following guide numbers:

105 with SW-5V (ISO 100)
72 with SW-5IR (with Kodak Spectroscopic Type 103-0 film in D-19 at 
68 degrees for 6 minutes)
52 with SW-5UV (with Kodak High Speed Infrared 2481 in D-76 at 68 
degrees for 10 minutes)

The above guide numbers are taken from the Nikon Full Line Product 
Guide I have.  It's probably a couple years old - it lists the N90 
and 8008s, but no N90S.  I wonder if they didn't reverse the film 
specifications for the IR and UV guide numbers.

Suggested List in the catalog I have is US$720.  Figure $450 or so 
street price and you would undoubtedly have to special order.  This 
unit also requires the SD-7 battery pack, which has a suggested list 
of $220.

Other differences between this unit and the regular SB-14 are a 
different sensor unit (SU-3 vs SU-2), and this unit cannot do auto 
fill-flash, only TTL, and that only for visible light.  TTL requires 
the addition of an SC-12 cord for the F3 series and an SC-23 for the 
F4 and N series.  Non-TTL should work on any camera.

This unit (or a pair of them) might be just the ticket for UV 
pictures of living creatures.

Dave

------------------------------

Topic No. 16