Rudbeckia hirta on my balcony multispectral

[Dr Klaus Schmitt]

Rudbeckia hirta on our balcony has wonderful flowers again this year - here it is in human vision, reflected UV, simulated bee and butterfly vision (quadriptych is left to right, top to bottom).

All shot using a multispectral converted Panasonic GH4 with the trusted UV-Nikkor 4.5/105mm lens at f11 using a modified Xenon Studio flash as well as some special filters.

Best seen with "lights out" ;-)

 

[Asher Kelman]

Each has a different “presence”.

Any idea why reflected UV, the second one looks so 3 dimensional!

Asher

 

[Asher Kelman]

Also, have to tried using dense, non reflective super black matte paint as the b.g.?

 

[Dr Klaus Schmitt]

UV photography has on average about 1.7x resolution as compared to the visible light image - hence so much more details visible.
The BG is the blackest material available for sale today, from Japan a nano fiber coated material - which is also rather black in UV
(which mos other black materials or paints are NOT - except Semple 3.0 paint).

 

[Asher Kelman]

UV photography has on average about 1.7x resolution as compared to the visible light image - hence so much more details visible.

Why!

 

[Dr Klaus Schmitt]

Shorter wavelength means higher resolution: https://karlgaff.wordpress.com/optical-resolution/
Read also here: https://www.microscopyu.com/microscopy-basics/resolution

 

[Dr Klaus Schmitt]

More about it here on my BLOG: https://photographyoftheinvisibleworld.blogspot.com/2022/06/black-eyed-susan-rudbeckia-hirta-in.html

 

[Asher Kelman]

Could I add resolution by using a UV capable lens and processing that component separately to add as a layer in Photoshop?

If the separated UV component is converted to a visible color temperature, that might be a fine addition to increase apparent resolution of select parts of objects, like the compound eye of a fly, the markings of a the or the veins on leaves!

Asher

 

[Dr Klaus Schmitt]

YES, BUT only if that lens has NO FOCUS SHIFT, otherwise the images would not match!
So you would need a very well corrected quartz-fluorite lens like the UV-Nikkor or similar.

 

[Asher Kelman]

What would be the apparent increase in resolution gained in thr composite?

Asher

 

[Dr Klaus Schmitt]

Same as with using UV, about 1.7X I'd say...