INFRARED (B&W) - anyone?

Donnie

Donnie

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Sooooo, for some reason Ive fancied something a bit different, shooting M43 (olympus) and only 2 lenses (one mainly for everything)

Anyway, rather than the usual try a million lenses and sell on (been there done that) saw a thread that intrigued me, ie infrared!

So, bought a IR Panasonic G3 already converted for IR B&W and cant wait.

Any tips for landscape infrared B&W?
 
With a converted camera; no tips, just do it.

Some stuff will work, some stuff won't, but if I gave you some "rules", you'd probably miss out on some good results. Heavy overcast skies are problematic, but even then, the IR can help to bring out some cloud variation.

Have fun!
 
How deep into the IR spectrum are you looking to go ? I've got an 830nm X-E3 and love it with the 35mm f1.4 (50 equiv) - I've been doing pano stitches with it, and would like to echo Boots' comments about clouds. A bit of PP and even a boring scene can be fun to look at (maybe not portfolio stuff, but this is all for personal viewing)

I've also recently found this https://robertreiser.photography/diffraction-in-infrared-photography/ calculator, and whilst I too have been obsessing about lenses with hot spots, I had just been shooting at f8 as I know the lens looks good there, but that's from my visible shooting with the lens: I need to grab a tripod and test out the suggestions on the page, but I might have to open up more than I'm used to.
 
minimaltoo said:
How deep into the IR spectrum are you looking to go ? I've got an 830nm X-E3 and love it with the 35mm f1.4 (50 equiv) - I've been doing pano stitches with it, and would like to echo Boots' comments about clouds. A bit of PP and even a boring scene can be fun to look at (maybe not portfolio stuff, but this is all for personal viewing)

I've also recently found this https://robertreiser.photography/diffraction-in-infrared-photography/ calculator, and whilst I too have been obsessing about lenses with hot spots, I had just been shooting at f8 as I know the lens looks good there, but that's from my visible shooting with the lens: I need to grab a tripod and test out the suggestions on the page, but I might have to open up more than I'm used to.
Click to expand...
The idea of sticking to f/8 is something based on film experiences & the slow feedback available in the past. With live-view (especially in an EVF as in many mirrorless cameras) this is quite unnecessary - you can now see to focus with the filter in the light path, so using exactly the wavelengths the sensor will see. With mirrorless cameras the cameras meter system is also using the main sensor so will get your exposures near perfect right away.

Even without the luxury of live-view & a converted camera it can be practical to record handheld IR with digital cameras. When I first started IR I simply added a filter to me K100d and was able to manage handheld shots that could be stitched in to a panorama (I needed a fast lens, strong sunlight & high ISO for the camera):
Infra red Panorama by Mike Kanssen, on Flickr

With my current toys things are much easier - my converted GF2 (with a 720nm added) is able to take shots like these using everyday settings:
sky P1010994 by Mike Kanssen, on Flickr

Round house IR 1 by Mike Kanssen, on Flickr

My camera is full spectrum converted so can combine parts of the visual with IR & even UV to give coloured IR images, which you can't manage with a 830nm or 850nm conversion - but I know many people don't go for colour IR, and it doesn't fit the thread title...
 
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I was keen on IR and monochrome photography a few or more years ago.
I enjoyed the way it made me think about my subjects and scenes. My local club did not share my enthusiasm for IR (" Oh, not another lone tree!?") and I learned to try to take photographs that worked better in the club comps. My enthusiasm for photography withered and all but died.
Now a new enthusiasm has been awakened in lockdown, so I will make images that I like, not to suit others (that's not to say that constructive criticism is unwelcome). So I dug out my IR converted camera, an Oly PL1 and a set of various filters, bought a Lumix M43 camera for the regular stuff and am looking forward to getting out again.
STANDINGSTONES.jpg
 
Cluster said:
I was keen on IR and monochrome photography a few or more years ago.
I enjoyed the way it made me think about my subjects and scenes. My local club did not share my enthusiasm for IR (" Oh, not another lone tree!?") and I learned to try to take photographs that worked better in the club comps. My enthusiasm for photography withered and all but died.
Now a new enthusiasm has been awakened in lockdown, so I will make images that I like, not to suit others (that's not to say that constructive criticism is unwelcome). So I dug out my IR converted camera, an Oly PL1 and a set of various filters, bought a Lumix M43 camera for the regular stuff and am looking forward to getting out again.
View attachment 309776
Click to expand...
Work well in IR AND it's not a 'lone tree' :)
 
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