Bee vision and UV photography

ChrisLilley · Joined: 01 Jan 2008 Posts: 1767 Location: Nice, France

Reading over simulated bee vision we learn that bees can see uv, and cannot see red - their entire visual spectrum is shifted relative to ours.

There are photos there where the blue channel is discarded, and replaced by the uv one; also, 'bee vision' photos like the above but discarding the red channel. The result, if I understand correctly, is thus two channel, green plus UV:

red -> delete
green -> green
blue -> delete
uv -> blue

However, with that visual range, bees can see blue perfectly well I assume.

I wonder what the results would be like with the following mapping:

red -> delete
green -> red
blue -> green
uv -> blue

in other words, shifting their visible spectrum into ours, while retaining three channels?

But perhaps I have misunderstood how many channels are taken from the uv exposure?

kds315* · Expire: 2021-03-09

Well Chris, I think I should answer since this is actually my BLOG your referring to and the results of my work of the last years...

UV, B, G has to be "translated" in a way that we humans with R, G, B sensitivity can see it. Now that problem starts, since the simple mapping:
UV --> Blue
Blue --> Green
Green --> Red
actually from my experience collides with how our human brain works. I our head we have "Bees can't see red" and then we get an image which has red in it and the confusion is complete!!

Well, this is why I use the following mapping successfully (if I may say that) and it works best of course if that flower does not have blue in it:
UV --> dark Blue/violet
Blue --> light blue
Green --> Green
so I actually "compress" the UV into the blue channel and preserve the "no red" statement. And no, the blue channel information was not suppressed nor deleted!

Some examples may help understand that (this is the common Buttercup which has a very prominent UV bullseye pattern - or the "helicopter landing zone" as I call it):
VIS image:

UV image (310-390nm):

Synthesized Bee Vison version (UV-B-G):

Here's another example, bumble bee on Mexican Zinnia, VIS + UV shot:

and my "bee vison" version of that:

P.S.: Any reason why you post that here and not in that highly specilized Nikon forum we both know so well...?? I have an idea why, but at least I wanted to ask... Wink

kds315* · Expire: 2021-03-09

Was digging through my files and found a direct comparison of the mappings.

Top left: visual image
Top right: UV image
Bottom left: UV-->blue, Blue-->green, Green-->red mapping
Bottom right: UV-->violet/blue, Blue-->blue, Green-->green mapping

visualopsins · Expire: 2025-04-11

Mantis Shrimp vision, blows my mind!:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080513210456.htm

ChrisLilley · Joined: 01 Jan 2008 Posts: 1767 Location: Nice, France

kds315* · Expire: 2021-03-09

Well it was meant more for the other readers Wink

I actually meant nikongear with Bjorn (Mr UV) as a moderator.

So could you follow my arguments or would you like the other mapping better (with red in it)??