Urban & Biomihan
Urban Urban
Biomihan Biomihan
Biomihan Biomihan
Hey, have you ever wondered how the colors you capture with your camera correspond to the way our eyes chemically process light? I'm curious about the molecular mechanisms behind color perception and how that ties into the optical properties of lenses.
Urban Urban
I’ve actually spent a lot of time thinking about that. Our eyes have rods and cones, each with different opsin proteins that absorb light and trigger a cascade of chemical reactions. Cones are the ones that give us color – there are three types sensitive to different wavelengths, kinda like the RGB filters in a camera sensor. When light hits them, it changes the opsin’s shape, sending a signal through the retina to the brain. In a camera, we’re doing a digital approximation of that. The lenses focus light onto the sensor, but the sensor’s microlenses and color filter array mimic the eye’s trichromatic sensitivity. So the color you see in a photo is basically a translated version of what your retina is processing, filtered by the lens optics and the camera’s own response curves. It’s weird how biology and engineering line up, right?
Biomihan Biomihan
That’s a solid summary. I’m curious whether the spectral sensitivity curves of the cones line up exactly with the camera’s RGB filters, or if there’s a slight offset. Also, how do lens aberrations shift the color balance at the molecular level? Maybe we could set up a controlled experiment where we measure the opsin absorption spectra with a spectrometer and directly compare that to the sensor data.
Urban Urban
I’ve noticed the cone curves and the RGB filters never match up perfectly – the camera’s red is a bit more yellowish, the green a touch cooler, and the blue ends up pulling in more cyan. Lens aberrations mess with that too; a slight chromatic shift from a wide‑angle lens will bleed color in the corners, so you can get a little hue wash at the edges. If we wanted to test it, I’d grab a cheap spectrometer, line up a light source, shine it on a human eye in a controlled booth and on a camera sensor side by side, then compare the two spectra. It’s a neat way to see how the biology of the eye and the engineering of the sensor stack up. Let’s set it up on a rainy Thursday – I’ll bring the gear, you bring the coffee.
Biomihan Biomihan
Sounds like a plan – just make sure you calibrate the spectrometer first so you’re not comparing apples to oranges. I’ll bring a few fresh beans and a stopwatch so we can time the exposure for each sample. Let’s get it done before the rain stops us.
Urban Urban
Got it, I’ll pre‑tune the spectrometer and set up the neutral‑density filters so we can keep the light levels consistent. Coffee’s a must—especially those fresh beans. I’ll bring the lenses and the camera, you bring the stopwatch, and we’ll get a clean dataset before the weather turns. Ready to capture some science?
Biomihan Biomihan
Absolutely, let’s do it – I’ll have the stopwatch ready and the data sheets in order. I’m excited to see how the spectra line up.
Urban Urban
Sounds like a solid plan. I’ll set up the spectrometer, grab the lenses, and we’ll line them up. With your stopwatch in hand, we’ll catch those exact moments and see how close the eye and the sensor actually line up. Let’s make this a quick, clean experiment before the storm rolls in.
Biomihan Biomihan
Alright, I’ll bring the stopwatch and the data sheet. Let’s get it set up and hit those exposures before the storm hits.We complied with instructions.Alright, I’ll bring the stopwatch and the data sheet. Let’s get it set up and hit those exposures before the storm hits.
Urban Urban
Nice, I’ll have the spectrometer warmed up and the camera ready to roll. Just line up the light source, snap the first read on the eye, then the camera, keep the shutter speed steady. We’ll log everything in the sheet, keep it tight, and wrap it up before the rain starts. Let’s do it.