I was always wondering if reflected UV photography would have to be so drab in terms of colors. We humans are so used to a wonderful world of colors, so I thought I should experiment a bit with that topic. Well, I was curious to see how that Rudbeckia fulgida flower I have here would look like, if I would create a bit colorful background for it, when shooting it in reflected UV light using my "work horse" UV filter, the Baader-U filter. Well, here an example for that...
[click on image to see a larger one]
Rudbeckia fulgida:
Now this is "artsy" and still documents the wonderful and very prominent UV pattern this flower has, very well still useful as a documentary.
Stay tuned, more will follow on that fascinating subject...
More info on this very interesting field may be found on my site http://www.pbase.com/kds315/uv_photos
My BLOG about my journey into the invisible world of ultraviolet UV photography, simulated bee, butterfly and animal vision photography and the special lenses, filters and lighting needed to make it work - also in HD video + 3D stereo.
Friday, October 12, 2012
D.O. Industries 50mm old enlarger lens: reflected UV ultraviolet photography
I was digging through boxes, when some older, but new in box D.O. Industries f4.5/50mm enlarger lens fell into my hands. Well, I was curious to see how it would perform in UV, so I took a few shots in the Hermannshof park with it, using my "work horse" UV filter that never let me alone, the Baader-U filter. How nice that this lens has a 40.5mm filter thread, as not all enlarger lenses have that. A simple short M42 focusing helicoid served as a focusing aid and as it has a Leica thread mount (M39), so simple M39-M42 ring was all needed to make it fit. All shots were done at f8 in evening last sunlight with not much UV left to use.
[click on image to see a larger one]
Rudbeckia hirta, wild form from Illinois:
same, but closer:
Rudbeckia fulgida:
Quite impressive performance for a most likely simple Cooke triplet 3e/3g lens. Oh and I forgot to mention, is has no (or barely any) focus shift. Here is its transmission graph versus my usual reference lenses, which reaveals how well this lens transmits UV:
More research and testing needs to be done, but it could form the basis of a comparably cheap UV photography system; we'll see...
Stay tuned, more will follow on that fascinating subject...
More info on this very interesting field may be found on my site http://www.pbase.com/kds315/uv_photos
[click on image to see a larger one]
Rudbeckia hirta, wild form from Illinois:
same, but closer:
Rudbeckia fulgida:
Quite impressive performance for a most likely simple Cooke triplet 3e/3g lens. Oh and I forgot to mention, is has no (or barely any) focus shift. Here is its transmission graph versus my usual reference lenses, which reaveals how well this lens transmits UV:
More research and testing needs to be done, but it could form the basis of a comparably cheap UV photography system; we'll see...
Stay tuned, more will follow on that fascinating subject...
More info on this very interesting field may be found on my site http://www.pbase.com/kds315/uv_photos