Full Spectrum Photography w/Canon 5D or 30D

WildLight · 6th June 2006

I am working on a project to document aboriginal rock art using the full spectrum from UV through Visible Light to Infrared to determine as much as possible about the original artwork, colors used, background layers, fading, alterations, damage due to vandalism, etc. I will be shooting the rock art in both analog and digital, but will only be using the digital for UV through IR. Analog will be using medium format transparency film for a permanent record. This film will then be scanned at a high resolution for detail work in the visible spectrum.

I would like to use either my Canon 5D or 30D to record the UV and IR spectrum, as well as the visible wavelengths. From other posts, it looks like the 30D, which is similar to the 20D, can do IR using an IR filter and customizing the White Balance for it. Long exposures on a tripod are not a problem as all images will be shot using a tripod. Can you shoot UV similar to IR with a UV filter over the lens?

The best possible solution for me is to mount the camera (the 5D preferably) on the tripod with no filter, shoot the image in visible light, mount the UV filter and reshoot the same image, then mount the IR filter and reshoot the same image again. Then I would assemble the images in Photoshop, using Layers to hold each version--UV, Visible, and IR of every image. Is this possible? If so, what light sources & filters would I need for UV? If not, what other alternatives are currently available?

Thanks for your help

6th June 2006	#1
WildLight New Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 1	Full Spectrum Photography w/Canon 5D or 30D I am working on a project to document aboriginal rock art using the full spectrum from UV through Visible Light to Infrared to determine as much as possible about the original artwork, colors used, background layers, fading, alterations, damage due to vandalism, etc. I will be shooting the rock art in both analog and digital, but will only be using the digital for UV through IR. Analog will be using medium format transparency film for a permanent record. This film will then be scanned at a high resolution for detail work in the visible spectrum. I would like to use either my Canon 5D or 30D to record the UV and IR spectrum, as well as the visible wavelengths. From other posts, it looks like the 30D, which is similar to the 20D, can do IR using an IR filter and customizing the White Balance for it. Long exposures on a tripod are not a problem as all images will be shot using a tripod. Can you shoot UV similar to IR with a UV filter over the lens? The best possible solution for me is to mount the camera (the 5D preferably) on the tripod with no filter, shoot the image in visible light, mount the UV filter and reshoot the same image, then mount the IR filter and reshoot the same image again. Then I would assemble the images in Photoshop, using Layers to hold each version--UV, Visible, and IR of every image. Is this possible? If so, what light sources & filters would I need for UV? If not, what other alternatives are currently available? Thanks for your help