Infrared filters

Antonio Correia · June 25, 2008

I was reading an English magazine announcing an Infrared Filter for digital cameras.
I think that using an IR filter, we can get infrared pictures without any modification of the camera.

I can remember I have done IR photography with slide film, but that was some 40 years ago...:wink
However, the magazine was saying that certain digital cameras have an IR blocking filter.
I have been googling for a while now and I could not find any information about this matter concerning the Canon 350 D the Canon 20 D or the Canon 5 D.

Using one of these cameras and an IR filter do I get IR photos ?:dunno

Thank you people !

:thumb

rpcrowe · June 25, 2008

Using an IR filter over the lens is a way to attain IR imagery without having to dedicate your camera to full-time IR. One problem with the use of IR filters is that the exposure times are usually so long that a tripod is needed.

http://dpfwiw.com/ir.htm

http://www.wrotniak.net/photo/infrared/

http://www.echeng.com/photo/infrared/

http://www.flickr.com/groups/d70ir/

Here is a shot with a Canon D60 that was converted to full time infrared. 12-24mm Tokina f/4. 1/200 second at f/11 ISO 200.

ziggy53 · June 25, 2008

Antonio,

You can most certainly purchase IR pass filters that allow most dSLRs to produce IR images. The process can take a pretty long exposure and there may be other disadvantages like extra noise from the long exposure and focus and composition will be pretty much "blind" and guesswork. A tripod is almost certainly required.

If you want to pursue the method, the Nikon D70 has a relatively weak IR cutoff filter and it works pretty well with just an IR pass filter in front of the lens. (Most Canon dSLRs have a very strong IR cutoff filter and would not work very well for IR work unmodified.)

I purchased an older unmodified Minolta Dimage 7 digicam and IR pass filter and used it to take these images:

attachment.php?attachmentid=21964&stc=1&d=1194822823

attachment.php?attachmentid=21964&stc=1&d=1194822823

Note that these were originally mostly red tones and there has been considerable PS work.

To see if a particular camera works well without the IR conversion, see here:

http://heim.ifi.uio.no/~gisle/photo/ir.html

Antonio Correia · June 26, 2008

Thank you both.

You gave me nice links.:D

I will ask Canon Portugal if they can remove the IR filter from the Canon 350 D in order I can use it always as an infrared camera with the corresponding filter, the Hoya R72 or the Wratten 89B.

Cuong · July 1, 2008

Antonio Correia wrote:

Thank you both.
You gave me nice links.:D

I will ask Canon Portugal if they can remove the IR filter from the Canon 350 D in order I can use it always as an infrared camera with the corresponding filter, the Hoya R72 or the Wratten 89B.

Antonio, if you're considering modifying your camera permanently for IR then you might want to have it done by MaxMax or LifePixel. I don't know about MaxMax, but I know LifePixel does accept international order.

Cuong

Antonio Correia · July 2, 2008

Thank you Cuong

D
In fact here there is a lot of good and usefull links to lots of information

and possibilities.

Meanwhile, I found two threads of Andy - 1 and 2 - about this and my compatriot Rui Leal from Lighting Modes - whith whom I took lunch one of these days - gave me a link to the USA shops you just gave me and I mailed Canon Portugal asking if they could do the transformation.

Canon Portugal didn't care at all and gave me no answer.
They think ... well what do they think ?

Or do they think at all ?

I am going to mail Conon Spain because my problem is the Customs on the re-entry in the Community about paying taxes and so forth.

Thank you

jogle · July 2, 2008

I ordered the filter from lifepixel and modded my old Canon 10D myself. I love it, not having to deal with filters and tripod makes me use it much more often

also some taken from a plane here http://www.ogle.co.nz/gallery/3132401_knmSq#323890142_NxSTH

Antonio Correia · July 2, 2008

jogle wrote:

I ordered the filter from lifepixel and modded my old Canon 10D myself. I love it, not having to deal with filters and tripod makes me use it much more often

also some taken from a plane here http://www.ogle.co.nz/gallery/3132401_knmSq#323890142_NxSTH

Thank you.
Yoy did yourself ! That is something I would never do because I would damage the sensor, I think.
Very nice pictures you have done !

BigAl · July 2, 2008

Antonio, I don't know if you still have a Sony F7x7 camera, as that works a lot better unmodified than an unmodified dslr.

The African bush with a Sony F707 in nightshot mode with an R72 and an ND8:

Antonio Correia · July 3, 2008

Hello Big All.:D

I almost forgot to write you.

Thank you for the information but I never had the Sony.

I am going ahead with the modification of my Canon 350 D (US Digital Rebel).

Some more useful links on this subject here.

Cuong · July 3, 2008

Antonio,

Here are a couple links that talk about IR: http://www.wrotniak.net/photo/infrared/ , and IR conversions: http://www.wrotniak.net/photo/infrared/slr.html , that you might find useful.

The topic covered by the 2nd link should answer your question in the other post. You can't just remove the anti-IR (lowpass) filter without replacing it with a clear or IR filter.

Cuong

jogle · July 4, 2008

Antonio Correia wrote:

Thank you.
You did yourself ! That is something I would never do because I would damage the sensor, I think.
Very nice pictures you have done !

If you are handy with a soldering iron and small sharp knives, then it's not too daunting.

Have a close read of this and if it excites you more then scares you then you might enjoy doing it yourself.

http://www.lifepixel.com/ir-tutorials/canon-rebel-xt-300d-digital-infrared-conversion-instructions.htm

One tip is to label each screw on a printout of the pictures and then to stick them on a long piece of sticky tape as you take them out and write on the tape as to what picture they came from.

I found it quite satisfying to mod it myself but not everyone is that geeky :devbobo

BigAl · July 5, 2008

Antonio Correia wrote:

Hello Big All.:D

I almost forgot to write you.

Thank you for the information but I never had the Sony.

I am going ahead with the modification of my Canon 350 D (US Digital Rebel).

Some more useful links on this subject here.

Hello Antonio, sorry, somewhere in the back of my mind I thought you were active on the Sony Talk Forum on Dpreview.

Antonio Correia · July 5, 2008

jogle wrote:

If you are handy with a soldering iron and small sharp knives, then it's not too daunting.

Have a close read of this and if it excites you more then scares you then you might enjoy doing it yourself.

http://www.lifepixel.com/ir-tutorials/canon-rebel-xt-300d-digital-infrared-conversion-instructions.htm

One tip is to label each screw on a printout of the pictures and then to stick them on a long piece of sticky tape as you take them out and write on the tape as to what picture they came from.

I found it quite satisfying to mod it myself but not everyone is that geeky :devbobo

D

Infrared filters

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