Spring Flowers 2014: Competing for bee attention - 80mm Quartz Fluorite lens for reflected ultraviolet photography

Well, spring finally seem to have arrived in Weinheim where I live, so here a few shots of some first spring flowers, Crocus and Winter Aconite, obviously competing for bee's attention. Shots were done aside from visible photography in reflected ultraviolet using Baader-U filter and in simulated bee vision using my XBV6 filter. Lens used was an older f3.2 / 80mm Quartz Fluorite lens. Light source was sun. All shots were done at approx. f8.

[click on image to see a larger one]

Visible light image:  

UV image using Baader-U filter (approx. 320-395nm, effective peak approx. 375nm):  

Simulated bee vision image using experimental XBV filter:  


It is quite interesting to notice that Winter Aconite with UV reflection around 365nm and Crocus reflecting UV around 380nm are competing for bee's attention. I wonder which one wins, there haven't been many bees aroudn, mainly bumble bees, but I guess the Crosus does. This older quartz fluorite lens is reproducing this quite well and all that gets nicely visible.


Stay tuned, more will follow on that fascinating subject...

Spring Flowers 2014: Eranthis hyemalis - Winter Aconite - 80mm Quartz Fluorite lens for reflected ultraviolet photography

Well, spring finally seem to have arrived in Weinheim where I live, so here a few shots of some first spring flowers, like that Eranthis hyemalis - Winter Aconite.. Shots were done aside from visible photography in reflected ultraviolet using Baader-U filter and in simulated bee vision using my XBV6 filter. Lens used was an older f3.2 / 80mm Quartz Fluorite lens. Light source was sun. All shots were done at approx. f8.

[click on image to see a larger one]

Visible light image:  

UV image using Baader-U filter (approx. 320-395nm, effective peak approx. 375nm):  

Simulated bee vision image using experimental XBV filter:  


Winter Aconite has a prominent UV pattern, its center (anthers, stamen) is UV dark, and the petal ground seems to have some highly reflecting spots radially centered around the stamen. This older quartz fluorite lens is reproducing this quite well and all that gets nicely visible.


Stay tuned, more will follow on that fascinating subject...

Winter Aconite - Cerco 94mm Quartz Fluorite lens for reflected ultraviolet photography

Today about some early spring flowers, here Winter Aconite (Eranthis hyemalis) in reflected ultraviolet photography using my "work horse" UV filter, the Baader-U filter as well as my XBV filters for simulating butterfly and bee vision. Lens was a CERCO 94mm quartz fluorite lens. Light source was sunlight. All shots were done at about f5.6. So, on to the results now...

[click on image to see a larger one]

Visible light image:
 

UV image using Baader-U filter (approx. 320-395nm, effective peak approx. 375nm):
 

Simulated butterfly vision (UV - VIS) using XBV3 filter:
 

Simulated bee vision (UV - VIS) using XBV6 filter:
 

Quadtryptich of the above:
 


Winter Aconite has a prominent UV pattern, its center (anthers, stamen) is UV dark, and the petal ground seems to have some highly reflecting spots radially centered around the stamen which gets nicely visible.


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