Atelier Bonryu(E)
zone plate photography
Gallery: Zone Plate Photographs
Zone Plate Macro-Photographs (1)
As described in the “Laboratory of Zone Plate” it is rather easy to take a zone plate macro-photograph unlike a pinhole photograph. When we take a photograph of an object placed apart from a zone plate by 100 mm (or 200 mm) by using a zone plate with the focal length of 50 mm (or 100 mm) which is placed apart from an image sensor by 100 mm (or 200 mm), we will get an image with an actual size on the sensor. To take a picture with the magnification factor of two the distances to the object and the sensor from the zone plate are 75 mm (150 mm) and 150 mm (300 mm), respectively. With increasing magnification factor a blur circle of an image of a point light source becomes larger and, therefore, it becomes more difficult to take a zone plate macro-photograph with a higher magnification factor.
By using zone plates with the focal lengths of 50 mm and 100 mm we have taken photographs of small objects in our immediate surroundings. We show the photographs grouping them under (1) flowers and plants, (2) living creatures in our garden, and (3) miscellanea. The first page is on “flowers and plants” where zone plate macro-photographs of flowers of hogweeds and garden plants are displayed. Flowers of hogweeds are generally very small but we are impressed by the fineness of them seeing big close-ups of them. For example, diameters of flowers of a persian speedwell and a stitchwort are only about 8mm and 6 mm, respectively.
As the Olympus E-300 which we used to take the photographs is a four-thirds format camera the sensor size is 17.3 mm x 13 mm. We used a zone plate with the focal length of 50 mm (100 mm) for the light with the wavelength of 550 nm. As we placed the zone plate apart from the sensor by 100 mm (200 mm) and apart from the object by about 100 mm (200 mm), the magnification factor of these macro-photographs must be unity. But magnification factors of these photographs are different because the wavelength of the most intensive light from the object is different each other.
(slide show)
<=====(Japanese Edition)=====>
(English Edition)
Complete Guide to
Zone Plate
Photography
Lensless Photography by Rings of Light
Volume of
Stones
Volume of
Birds
Volume of
Flowers
