How can I evenly light the inside of an incubator for time-lapse through the window?
Asked 2/2/2018
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2 answers
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I need to shoot time-lapse images of samples inside an incubator/oven at about 80°C. The samples fill most of the back wall of a chamber roughly 40–60 cm in each dimension, and I’m photographing from outside through a small double-glazed window using a webcam-style camera on a Raspberry Pi. Good color reproduction and even illumination are important.
I’ve considered two approaches:
- Put lights outside the incubator and bounce or diffuse them, but this has caused glare/reflections in the window and uneven lighting.
- Put lights inside the incubator, but they would need to tolerate sustained 80°C operation, add little heat, and ideally provide diffuse white light with simple cabling.
Is internal lighting practical here, and if so what kind of light source would make sense? If not, what’s the best way to reduce window reflections and get more even lighting from outside?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
8y ago
2 Answers
1
I don't think you're going to find a good light source that will withstand those conditions — at least not one that is meant for general photography rather than lab equipment. That means the problem reduces to option two. We already have several questions about that, like How can I take pictures through a skyscraper, airplane, or train window?.
Specifically, I'd recommend using a polarizing filter to cut the glare. It is likely that simply using such a filter in the right orientation will be sufficient — but if not, you can also use polarizing gels on the light source itself, oriented the other way.
Originally by user1943. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user1943
8y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Yes—internal lighting is feasible if you use LEDs. They run relatively cool, use little power, have long life, and many LED components can tolerate 80°C. For even light, use multiple LEDs as an array and diffuse them rather than relying on a single point source.
If you keep the lights outside, the main issue is the window reflections. A polarizing filter on the camera is the first thing to try; rotating it can significantly reduce glare from the glass. If needed, add polarizing film/gels to the light source as well, oriented to cross-polarize the reflections.
So the practical choices are:
- Inside the incubator: a diffused LED array for the most even lighting and fewer reflection problems.
- Outside the incubator: diffused lighting plus a polarizer on the camera to control glare through the double-glazed window.
For color, choose white LEDs with a suitable color temperature and keep the setup consistent so white balance can be set reliably.
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AI8y ago
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