Hello from Maryland

[winginit]

Hello, I’m a hobbyist beekeeper in Maryland, with no prior experience of UV photography. I do have some experience with pollen photography and microscopy.

 

My goal is to create a local floral index, to bring out the hidden floral guides in flowers that are often only revealed within the ultraviolet spectrum, and to incorporate this perspective into educational talks for the public.

 

For a camera, I am considering a Nikon D70. It appears to be one of the easier cameras to access and remove the IR/UV filter. It’s also inexpensive, so a botched first attempt won’t be devastating. I’ve not begun looking at lenses, I will need to cut off the spectrum at 650nm and above, as that extends beyond the visual range of the honey bee.

 

So, here I am, looking forward to getting started.

[colinbm]

Welcome to UVP, I am sure you will get all your answers here. Good luck with your project & show your progress here please.

[dabateman]

Hello,

I too live in Maryland.

The filters that capture UV and block above 650nm would be the 2mm BG39 and 2mm S8612. The latter allows more UV.

 

A Nikon D70 can work. But you may want a more modern camera with live view for focusing in UV.

 

If you want cheap and aren't afraid to program. The Raspberry pi hq camera with a board would be the cheapest option and works without any modification. You just need to customize your own python script.

The IR blocking filter allows UV and blocks above 700nm.

 

Otherwise I recommend an Olympus camera. Which also have weak UV blocking and can use almost any lens.

[winginit]

Thank you both for the welcome and advice. After some time of swishing my big toe in the pool, I’ve stepped in by procuring some equipment to get started. David, your posts were immensely helpful, as well as those by Andrea, Pedro and others. A big thank you to Steve for the beautiful floral photos. My chosen filter stack is derived from his Bee Vision examples.

 

Olympus E-M1(full spectrum) + Sigma 30mm f2.8 lens art lens with smooth focus ring + U-330 52mm x 1.5mm + S8612 52mm x 2mm.

 

This should get me started, and I’m definitely curious to learn more, such as how lenses are evaluated for UV photography. Right now, Dmitry’s photos are a mystery to me, but I will dig in. This site is a treasure.

 

Dave

[dabateman]

I hope you enjoy the Em1. I am tempted to buy a second for UV/visible. The used prices have dropped nicely.

The hld7 grip can help if you get the non responsive rear dial problem.

[Andrea B.]

Hi Dave and welcome to UVP. It looks like you got a good start on the gear. So I hope your UV adventure is going well.

 

We have hundreds of floral UV-signatures available and will welcome any contributions you have. (I will help with formatting any flower topics if needed.) Bee vision is quite fascinating and unusual. I strongly suggest familiarizing yourself with Horridge's work on this. Bees do not really "see" those UV floral signatures quite like we tend to think they do.

 

I've made some educational topics and posters over the years. I'll go look for links to show you.

Modeling Bee Vision with Stacks or Filters? Well, no, we can't really.

 

Book by Adrian Horridge: https://www.cabi.org...k/9781789240894

 

Poster for Bee Vision vs. Camera Vision: https://www.ultravioletphotography.com/content/index.php/topic/3156-what-is-really-seen/page__view__findpost__p__25999

Bees do not see UV signatures. Only a converted camera + UV-pass filtered lens can "see" a UV signature. Chart tells you why.

 

I hope this helps you learn about this fascinating area.

[winginit]

Hi Andrea, thank you for the links and suggestions, all incredibly helpful and interesting. I should mention that I don’t believe I received an accompanying email with your comment, though my notification options appear to be enabled for this. So, sorry for the very late reply.

 

Yes, I have been out taking photos and enjoying the camera. I’m including a few examples here, and will most certainly share more for possible inclusion in the botanical reference.

 

Photos were combined using ImageMagick, with simulated bee vision on the right. iPhone 8 on the left, just for comparison.

 

Olympus E-M1(full spectrum) + Sigma 30mm f2.8 lens art lens with smooth focus ring + U-330 52mm x 1.5mm + S8612 52mm x 2mm.

 

From top to bottom: common dandelion, narcissus, grape hyacinth

 

Thank you

[NA_joey]

Welcome from Baltimore, I am local too and I am about to start bee keeping myslef this year im going to try.

I have UV gear and my local farm has bee keeping im learning and getting equipment and bees soon.

 

I shoot in UV and have all the equipment Fuji IS Pro camera and 105mm UV lens and 25mm uv lens and bunch of keto clones and filters Venus U and now I got so e FF astro cameras that are meant for UV Apogee u9000x FF monochrome sensor https://andor.oxinst.cn/products/apogee-ccd-camera-series/apogee-alta#product-information-tabs

 

I need excuse to use my gear sitting around and play with. it

 

I can help you build a ridge for shooting UV.

 

Joey