Digital IR

[Ari]

While I do have a stash of 35mm Kodak HIE, a box or two of Rollei IR 4x5, 275 square feet of 12" wide Konica infrared film, and assorted infrared-capable flashes and light meters, this thread has convinced me that digital is 100% where it's at for infrared imaging.

I agree, Jody.
I've spent the last 3 months on a veritable IR binge, even going so far as to inquire with a film manufacturer about getting HIE made again (too expensive, no one will do it).
I shot about 150 rolls of bulk-loaded 35mm, almost as much 120 film, and now I'm ready to shoot IR digitally. Current IR film is just too weak for me to keep spending money on, i.e., it's not really IR, it's a pale substitute for the HIE of old.
But I'm glad I went through all that IR film, I got it out of my system and I'm set to move forward.
This week, I'll receive two IR-converted cameras, one tuned to 830nm, the other to 950nm. I'll keep whichever suits me better.

[Peter De Smidt]

Ari, I'm looking forward to seeing some of your pictures!

[Ari]

Thanks, Peter. And I look forward to more of yours.

[jon.oman]

Peter, I really like this image. The small chapel sets it off!

[jon.oman]

I ran across a really good infrared tutorial. It would be really helpful for someone first coming into digital infrared photography. It is Adobe Lightroom Classic centric though. Still a good read for anyone starting out.

The main link: https://robertreiser.photography/inf...aphy-tutorial/

How to set the proper white balance (camera profile): https://robertreiser.photography/pro...-in-lightroom/

How to avoid diffraction in infrared photography: https://robertreiser.photography/dif...d-photography/

[Peter De Smidt]

That's kind of you to say, Jon, and thank you for the links. I've been mainly shooting at f/8. I'll have to try shooting more wide open.

This is what I've been doing, which is not to say it's a "best practice" or anything.

I focus normally, and then switch the camera to manual focus, if needed. Adjust focus to the IR mark on the lens. I set my exposure to a guess. (I've been taking a lot of IR photos lately, and so I'm pretty good at guessing.) Put the filter on the camera. Block the viewfinder. Take the picture. My exposure times are normally between about 15 seconds and 2.5 minutes. The photos will eventually pop up on the camera's LCD. It will be red. I don't care. I look at the RGB histogram, making sure that the red channel isn't clipped on either edge. If it is. Adjust. Sometimes I focus stack. I did with the barn to make the front fence sharper.

I don't like any kind of stacking, generally, as leaves move....

I have photos of the barn at f/11, f/8 and f/4. F/8 is sharper than f/11, but in this case my f/8 shot is sharper than f/4. Maybe I wasn't accurate enough adjusting to the IR mark.

[Ari]

Thanks, Jon. I had that bookmarked for when my camera arrives, but I wanted to try it out first before recommending it.
It's the best all-around solution I've found so far, though, so I hope it means relatively smooth sailing for novice digital IR shooters like me.

[jon.oman]

That's kind of you to say, Jon, and thank you for the links. I've been mainly shooting at f/8. I'll have to try shooting more wide open.

This is what I've been doing, which is not to say it's a "best practice" or anything.

I focus normally, and then switch the camera to manual focus, if needed. Adjust focus to the IR mark on the lens. I set my exposure to a guess. (I've been taking a lot of IR photos lately, and so I'm pretty good at guessing.) Put the filter on the camera. Block the viewfinder. Take the picture. My exposure times are normally between about 15 seconds and 2.5 minutes. The photos will eventually pop up on the camera's LCD. It will be red. I don't care. I look at the RGB histogram, making sure that the red channel isn't clipped on either edge. If it is. Adjust. Sometimes I focus stack. I did with the barn to make the front fence sharper.

I don't like any kind of stacking, generally, as leaves move....

I have photos of the barn at f/11, f/8 and f/4. F/8 is sharper than f/11, but in this case my f/8 shot is sharper than f/4. Maybe I wasn't accurate enough adjusting to the IR mark.

Peter, One of the benefits of a converted camera is that you do not have to worry about the IR mark on the lens. The conversion takes care of that for you. There are two conversions. To a specific lens, or to 'live view'. I'm talking a DSLR here. If it is to a specific lens, that is the only lens you can use. If it is live view, you can use any lens you have.

Because of the conversion, you can use auto focus. You do not have to fiddle with the dark filters you can not see through. You can hand hold the camera. You only lose about one to two stops of light compared to a non-converted camera.

It is even better if the camera is a mirrorless camera. The type of focus is even better, and the conversion is easier.

[Peter De Smidt]

Jon,

I use a lot of lenses, including manual focus ones. Right now, I'm leaning towards getting a new main camera and having my D600 converted to 720nm. I can probably afford a new camera....but there's no way I can afford replacing my lenses with similar lenses for mirrorless. I'll stick with a dslr for my next camera.

[jon.oman]

Jon,

I use a lot of lenses, including manual focus ones. Right now, I'm leaning towards getting a new main camera and having my D600 converted to 720nm. I can probably afford a new camera....but there's no way I can afford replacing my lenses with similar lenses for mirrorless. I'll stick with a dslr for my next camera.

New or used? I have had good luck with keh.com. I try to buy EX or EX+.

My next camera will probably be something like the Nikon z7 with the FTZ adaptor. That will allow me to use all my current lenses, even the manual focus ones. Like the Nikkor 300 mm AIS I have.

I could then have it converted at lifepixel.com to full spectrum. The advantage is that the camera can still be used as a normal camera and take normal images, and also take the full range of infrared images. They talk about it here: https://www.lifepixel.com/shop/our-s...rum-conversion

Just another option.