Diffused lightExamples

Different machine vision cameras will have different lens mounts and you’ll need to choose a lens with a matching mount. The most common lens mounts are C- and CS-mount. The major difference between two is the back flange distance -the distance between the base of the lens that touches the lens mount on the camera to the the focal plane of the sensor. For C-mount, the back flange distance is 17.526 and for CS-mount it is 12.5mm.  You can use a 5mm adapter to use a C-mount lens on a CS-mount camera but you can not use a CS-mount lens on a C-mount camera.

Diffused lightceiling

NF-Mount lenses offer a smaller footprint than both C-mount or CS-mount lenses. They are designed to have the same performance and functionality as regular C/CS lenses but take up less space and have less weight. The back flange distance on NF-mount is 12.0mm. It is possible to use C/CS-mount adapters with an NF-mount lens however it is important to know that larger sensors might be too big for the NF-lens and will produce strong vignetting on the image.

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The sensor format size is shown in inches such as 1/3″, 1/2″, 1″, etc. Camera manufacturers will sometimes also list the diagonal length of the format size in millimeters. It is important to know that format sizes in inches might have different diagonal lengths depending on the sensor manufacturer. For example, a sensor manufacturer can list a 8.35mm diagonal sensor as 1/2″ while another manufacturer can list a 7.9mm diagonal sensor as 1/2″. In most cases both sensors could use the same 1/2″ lens but sometimes this might not be the case. In the above calculator we list the diagonal sensor size (mm) associated with the sensor format size (inches) of the sensors in our camera portfolio.

Above Left: A properly paired lens with the correct sensor format size will focus light over the entire sensor area. Right: A lens designed for a smaller sensor will not allow light to reach the outer area of the sensor.

Diffused Lightfor Room

There is no better way of appreciating just how effective a diffuser can be at reducing high contrast and strong shadows than by taking comparative shots with and without one. Carrying a diffuser is the equivalent to having your own portable miniature cloud for use on sunny days.

Growing in a meadow bathed in sunlight, the left shot is as found with the sun shining directly on the orchid and the grass behind. By using a small diffuser to block out the sun falling on the orchid only and not on the background, resulted in an enhanced tonal variation of light reflected from the two. The background appears brighter because I had to re-meter the flower and adjust the exposure. This can be a useful way of separating a subject which has a similar colour and tone from the background – notably grasses against green vegetation.

The sensor format size is important to know because every lens is designed to focus light onto a specific sized area of the sensor. Sensor format size is also know as optical class, image circle or image sensor type. In most cases you’ll need to choose a lens that either matches your sensor format size or exceeds it. If you mistakenly use a lens that is designed for a smaller sensor format size your image would encounter lens vignetting around the edges because light is unable to reach their entire area of the sensor.

These three comparative pairs show how dramatically diffused light can change the appearance and mood of a close-up subject.  By experimenting, you will soon appreciate that some subjects work fine when lit with direct light, while others are enhanced by diffused light.

Diffused lightphotography

A focal length of a lens is the distance in millimeters between the point of light convergence in the lens to the sensor in the camera. The shorter the focal length of the lens the wider the angle of view and the closer your target object can be. Higher focal lengths give smaller angles of view while also increasing magnification. The higher the focal length the farther your target object can be.

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I am often asked what is my favourite lighting. Since no type of light suits all subjects, I don’t favour any particular one. However, soft diffused light gives stunning results for many flowers – especially pastel-toned ones; whereas direct sunlight is good for bold reds and oranges and creating shadows that can add a dynamic element to the composition.

The first pair of images feature a crocus. On the left, the flower is spotlit by sun beaming through trees at 4:10pm in March. The result is a dramatically lit flower emerging from its surroundings completely in shadow with no hint of the adjacent plants. When a large Lastolite Tri-grip diffuser was held between the sun and the crocus, this dramatically reduced the contrast (and the light level by two stops). Whenever a diffuser is used, the light needs to be re-metered with it in position. The exposure for the first shot was 1/30 sec at f/18 and, with a diffuser, I retained the same aperture and changed the shutter speed with an exposure of 1/8 sec at f/18.

Unlike the chestnut coloured conkers produced by the European horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum), those of Indian horse chestnut (A. indica) conkers are dark brown. They were discovered lit by strong sunlight, when the texture within the deep tones were lost by the conspicuous catchlights from the sun. So a diffuser was used to even out the light and eliminate the harsh shadows.

The second shot is more restful to the eye. It also more informative since it reveals the ground beneath the crocuses is carpeted with attractively patterned cyclamen leaves.

The second pair of images was taken in Chile and shows one of many terrestrial Chloraea orchids, which are typically white and green, with some yellow and green species. This one is Chloraea volkmannii.

Diffused lightarchitecture

The aperture was kept constant for both shots at f/11. In sunlight the ISO was 160 and the exposure 1/400 at f/11. With a diffuser used for the right-hand shot, I pushed the ISO up to 400 and the exposure was then 1/250 at f/11.

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Welcome to my blog based on my life as a biologist turned peripatetic wildlife photographer/writer to 50 countries – 32 visits to China alone – over four decades.

Above: Whether it is a fixed focal lens, varifocal lens or zoom lens, the mount type must match on both your lens and camera. This is due to different back flange distances: C-mount – 17.526mm, CS-mount – 12.5 mm, NF-mount – 12.0mm

What is diffused lightfor plants

The focal length can usually be located on the label of your lens. If you do not know what focal length you need enter in the distance to your target object and the lens calculator will calculate the appropriate lens focal length.

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