Black light and UV filters

T

tbm

Messages
459
Name
Mike
Edit My Images
Yes
I'm shooting an event in a week or so that will be lit substantially with UV light and would like to keep the UV filter on my lens in the interest of protecting the front element.

I found a post on another forum that suggested the filter wouldn't affect the transmission of black light as it's outside the wavelength range blocked by the filter.

However, according to the ever knowledable wikipedia this light has a wavelength of 320-400nm, so looking at this article it seems that the filter could reduce black light transmission to between 0 and 70%.

Does anyone have any experience of shooting in black light with a UV filter attached? The article suggests that the cheaper ones don't block anything anyway, so perhaps I might get away with it yet :D
 
Right, for alll of those also gagging to know the answer to this conundrum... :p

I understand the process more after a bit more googling. Apparently using a UV blocking filter is a good thing since the UV light only acts as an exciter to make certain surfaces (white for example) glow in the visible range (i.e. light that the camera can see and the filter won't block).

In addition to this, the filter should prevent / reduce a blue cast being created by any remaining UV light reflected from the subject.

Win. :cool:
 
I don't think a UV filter will make any difference.

As you say, the effect of so-called UV lights is to present colours in the visible spectrum and that is what you are seeing and recording, not actual UV light.

The sensor has a UV filter over it anyway.
 
As HoppyUK says there is a UV filter over the sensor in the camera anyway, so having a UV filter over the lens isn't going to do much anyway.

I suspect that the idea of the event is that items will be fluorescent under UV lighting and it's this visible light you will be using . In which case It shouldn't be a problem leaving the UV filter on.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top