I’ve seen a lot of posts here where people say “UV is UV,” so I wanted to share a side-by-side that helped it finally click for me.
Same samples, same setup.
Left: UV without a ZWB2 filter.
Right: UV with a ZWB2 filter (this was taken with an Ultrafire RUV3).
Without the filter, there’s a lot of visible blue spill washing everything out. With proper filtering, the fluorescence pops much harder and details are way easier to separate from the background. The rocks themselves didn’t change ,,the signal-to-noise did.This also explains why some “395nm” or unfiltered lights feel underwhelming for mineral or forensic-style work. You’re not missing power, you’re missing spectral control. True 365nm + proper filtering seems to matter more than raw output.
by afwaefsegs9397
2 Comments
Do you use any glasses with UV light? I read everywhere that it is very dangerous for the eyes – even reflected light. I want to buy a stronger 365nm light, S12 or the new Sofirn that is coming out today, but for this reason I am hesitant.
I don’t think I’ve read here anyone saying UV is UV – maybe on different subs?
Without a doubt the filter makes a difference. I have several professional lamps but I still carry a white/UV light without filter. Modern UV emitters are much better than they were a few years ago and function well enough for most casual purposes.