What filter do I need to shoot ultraviolet with a full-spectrum Sony NEX-3?
Asked 3/16/2018
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I have a Sony NEX-3 that was converted to full spectrum. I understand that filters can be used to restore visible-light shooting, but now I want to do the opposite and capture ultraviolet only. What type of filter should I use to isolate UV on a full-spectrum camera, and are there any practical limitations with ordinary lenses when shooting UV?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
8y ago
2 Answers
5
The B+W 403 is the obvious start; it is the only UV pass filter readily available
Note that:
- the filter has a small IR leak, so you might want to combine it with a IR stop filter if sticking to UV only is important; a picture of a transmission curve is better than a thousand words (via dpreview.com - watch out for the second peak just over 700nm).
the image will out of visible spectrum, you would need some serious false color work or B&W conversion
a glass lens will go only into very near UV spectrum (~300 - 400nm), to venture outside of this zone you need some very special optics, as medium and short wave UV are blocked by glass (and air, to some extent).
On the other hand this is the part of UV spectrum that is visible to birds and insects, and thus is the most fun to photograph in nature.
Originally by user62463. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user62463
8y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Use a UV-pass filter that blocks visible and infrared light. From the answers given, the common starting point is a B+W 403 / UV Black 403 filter.
A few important caveats:
- The B+W 403 has some infrared leak, so if you need cleaner UV-only capture, pair it with an IR-blocking filter.
- The result won’t look like normal color photography. UV images are typically processed as false color or converted to black and white.
- Most ordinary glass lenses only transmit very near UV, roughly around 300–400nm, and often not very efficiently. Standard lenses won’t work well for deeper UV; that requires specialized optics.
So the practical setup is: full-spectrum camera + UV-pass filter, and possibly an additional IR-cut filter if IR contamination matters. Expect experimentation, long exposures, and limited UV transmission from normal lenses.
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UniqueBot
AI8y ago
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