IR advice

ChrisGaskin

ChrisGaskin

Getting itchy
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Christopher
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ive never tried IR shooting,

ive seen somewhere that you need your camera body attacked to remove a part, :cautious:

then another place says that and a filter :wacky:

and finally somewhere else (which sounds more right to me) it says just screw a filter on and thats it :thinking:

Whats the deal? :shrug:

also whats a decent filter to go for if you need only a filter (y)
 
You can do it without demolishing a camera. However,

There is usually a filter on the sensor of the camera to remove IR light. With this in place, your exposure times will be greater. Also, I think for what is called 'colour infra-red' this filter needs to be removed.

You will need a filter (usually screw in I would think) to remove almost all visible light going through the lens.
Focusing is difficult because
a) you can't see what is going on
b) infra red focuses at a different position to normal light

I think the filter is K72 or R72, something 72 anyway (and that isn't the filter size, mine is 58mm)
 
Getting your camera modded is not essential. It's pricey and permanent. Your camera wouldn't be usable for general photography after that. The up side is you can take shots hand held, you can view and focus as normal.

The cheap way is the R72 filter, or if you're feeling a little more flush an 87b(?) which blocks more visible light and gives a more dramatic effect. Cokin do an r72 as a slot-in, but I don't recommend it. They don't fit snugly and if light leaks in round the edges the results aren't pretty. Hoya do an r72 that is popular. B+W and Wratten do an R72 and 87b (I think) but these are quite a lot more expensive. Like Coldpenguin says, your exposures will be pretty long (seconds to minutes depending on camera, lighting & settings) and you cannot see anything through the viewfinder (don't try- strong infrared can still blind you even though it looks pitch black). Your metering also won't work properly. If your camera has live view it's a godsend because you can use it to manual focus and because live view meters differently and can do it accurately.

Modern cameras and lenses often aren't designed with IR in mind. I have no idea how sensitive Sony sensors are to IR. Lenses sometimes don't have inner surfaces that absorb IR so internal reflections can cause foggy spots. Make sure your gear is compatible before you buy anything.
 
In general the more modern your camera, the harder it is to do IR photography with, without modification. The cheapest way is to,as Matt says, screw a filter to the front of your lens, but this will mean 20-30 second exposures and a tripod. A modified camera allows for handheld IR photography, but once the conversion is done it can't be used for regular shots.
 
i have two different filters a screw in hoya r72 to go on my primes and also picked up the cokin p007 (the slide in one) a little while back because of cost for a 77mm one,

i find with both my 400d and 1d mk2 on bright sunny days using the settings around iso 200, f4, 15 secs. for working out the exposure i have to do a little maths to get the time on manual so that i'm effectively +7 on the exposure.

3561903725_02e37324a6.jpg

iso 200, f5.6, 20secs (17-40mm f4) 1d mk2

on these camera i can get away with ghostly images with my fast primes and ridiculously high iso, but they look quite naff imho.

2555948221_7141fa23f0.jpg

iso 1600, f1.4, 1/50sec (50mm f1.4) 400d

my thinking this morning was if the 5d mk2 can go so much higher on the iso i should be able to handheld with a bit of quality but it seems they've put alot stronger filter on the sensor, they look a bit rubbish so am going to take my tripod out with it next time.
 
I've not seen any good quality IR images from a DSLR that has not been modified. Which is not surprising really since they have an IR-cut filter over the sensor.

By fitting a lens IR-pass filter on the lens, you are trying to squeeze some IR light through just below the sensor's cut off point and it doesn't really work - you end up with more visible light than IR.

But since digital sensors are IR sensitive, if you get the filter removed they are brilliant at it. You could get a cheap old DSLR off ebay and have it operated on, but the conversion isn't cheap. Advanced Camera Services in Norwich are the people http://www.advancedcameraservices.co.uk/html/ir.html
 
i would be using it soley for landscapes. so let me get this straight..... if i screw on an r72 ir filter and set it on a tripod, using a long shutter speed and setting the shot up on live view, i should get a suitable image(cloud ghosting and a sharp image as long as theres no major movement)
 
To a point yes. It depends on how 'good' your internal IR filter is.
I did just what you suggest. There is one or two other steps.
White balance needs to be corrected. Usually, I believe that this involves taking a photograph of just grass, with the filter on.
Then on your computer or camera, you should set this image as your white balance.
Without this, the pictures are gonna be kinda red (or they were on mine)
 
ChrisGaskin said:
i would be using it soley for landscapes. so let me get this straight..... if i screw on an r72 ir filter and set it on a tripod, using a long shutter speed and setting the shot up on live view, i should get a suitable image(cloud ghosting and a sharp image as long as theres no major movement)
Click to expand...

In theory, yes. First though go on Flickr and see if you can find pictures taken with an unconverted version of your camera and with your lenses- They might work appallingly for all I know.
Also note that most IR images are heavily processed and do not come out of the camera like that. There are a number of tutorials online which will show you what to do to them.
 
Thank you all for your help. ive been thinking of trying this for a while now, but never knew how to go about it. i think il get the filter (funds permitting) and give it a whirl.

ill post em on here when ive got the hang of it.
 
I have used both methods and now own a converted nikon d70 however for trying it out a screw filter will work just fine! keep your f stop above 11 for best results and cover the eye piece too..
shooting infra red is an art in itself and if conditions are good for photography there probably poor for IR Work.. You need seriously sunny days otherwise dont bother youl just be disappointed.
Filters can be had off e bay for not allot of beer tokens and can provide hours of entertainment
 
Hi Chris

I too have just started to dabble with IR stuff. I use the Hoya R72 filter on my kit. Here's a before and after shot for you to see what can be done with a non modded camera and the R72 IR filter. It's not a brill shot as I have only just started dabbling in landscape let alone IR, but I am happy with it.

p1051002001-2.jpg
p867795284-2.jpg
 
That's a nice shot John, but TBH it doesn't look very infrared - lots of visible light in there. It looks similar to the result you'd get with visible light using a very deep red filter. Which is what, I guess, what you have used in effect.
 
Not a very good shot, as this day I was playing with other things.

Set the white-balance in the camera, by shooting at the grass first.
This image is straight from the camera, no modifications.
You can see a bit of IR effect on SOME of the trees.
Basically, I should have been closer, and not has such an overcast subject.

 
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