Infra Red - More Adventures

The converted Nikon D1x has proved an excellent base model, the IR capture capabilities are great, the only downside to the camera is the battery life. 

I haven't been out with the camera for a while..the weather just hasn't been up to it. I took these images back in May 2012.

Both images taken with a Nikon D1x 1/250 @ f8 ISO 100. (18-55mm AF-S f3.5-5.6G ED DX)

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Further adventures in Infra Red

The Nikon D1X has been stored in the camera bag for the last few months due to the perpetual cold, and the constant dull overcast skies and rain. Finally the weather broke and the sun appeared. So with the battery charged I ventured out.

Since getting the camera and thoroughly reading the manual I figured out how to stop the aperture moving with the focal length, buried in the custom functions menu was the option to turn this feature off. Off it went.

As I have been shooting IR for a while now, I have picked up an invaluable piece of information that relates to how the images that the camera records will convert to give that IR effect during the processing of the images.

The key is setting the White balance [WB]. I have seen that some IR shooters leave the camera on “Auto” but I have found that setting the WB to custom then using the captured shot to set the WB the easiest way to get the foliage the ethereal “white”.

The best results are by using a green background to fill the frame, shooting this then using it as the reference to set the balance. This will set the WB to give better foliage reproduction in the processed image. I also shoot only in JPEG, I have read that some shoot in RAW but as the images don’t require the same degree of adjustment I tend to keep it simple. Processing the images is where the fun starts. I have read various workflows, which always seem to increase in complexity, I’m sure these are for people who have hours to spend stuck indoors. I’d rather be out with the camera. 

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Nikon and the IR conversion

So a while back in early August I finally got the D1x and figured out how it actually worked (still can’t figure out why in aperture priority mode the f value shifts with focal length!) and took it out for a few pre conversion shots. As I have never really used Nikon it was quite refreshing to use, it seemed a very nice photographic tool, and extremely easy to use. The fast shooting speed seemed strangely addictive.

It was time to get the camera boxed up and sent away to Protech Photographic again to perform the conversion, this time I had decided to have the 665nm conversion performed, which suits the false colour infra red photography better than the 720nm filter conversion. Once securely boxed up away it went.

It didn’t take long until the converted D1x returned. The only trouble seemed that the weather had yet again turned to the rainy season again – stifling any real opportunities to get out and try out the new shooter. After waiting a week or so, the weather finally broke and the sun appeared in the sky and brightened things up.

Heading back to one of my favourite local spots I managed to get some photographs using the converted D1x.  

Pollok House Gardens
Nikon D1x 1/200 @ f8 ISO 100. Shot at 18mm (18-55mm AF-S f3.5-5.6G ED DX)

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An Infrared Conversion 665nm – and a suitable Nikon.

After having the Canon EOS 10D converted last year using the 720nm filter, I had seen at the time the alternative conversion using the 665nm filter. This one gives the strange colour infrared effects that, as the black and white images produced by the 720nm conversion are just as ethereal and wonderful.

Having managed to get hold of the Canon on e-bay for next to nothing getting another one might be difficult. After a few months of looking nothing really was being offered, most sold as seen with none descript faults or just plain broken. It’s amazing how many cameras’ are crushed or dropped in the sea.

I would have kept looking but had seen that the early Nikon digitals were being converted using the 665nm filter; indeed the initial conversion I had seen was for a Nikon. I had read some where on my web travels that the Nikon sensor was based on a Sony manufactured unit which had been present in some of the early compacts that had started the digital infrared interest.

Back to e-Bay and weekly trawls soon indicated that early Nikons of the D series were also hard to come by, and getting one was looking difficult. Luckily for me I managed to find a D1X body, with charger and two spare batteries, that was on sale for a decent price; and it helps that no one else bids, the only down side was that I’d need to find a lens for the camera. Now these are pretty decent digital shooters, from what I’ve read on a few of the well know review sites, so I was looking forward to getting it and taking it out for a pre conversion check.

Well it got here last week, I managed to borrow a 28-80mm off one of my Nikon friends and have a quick play about.

Well, it’s a great camera; it’s solid and looks the part, not being familiar with the whole Nikon chic it was a bit of a learning curve to get the thing fired up and doing what I wanted.

After a weekend of shooting I managed to pretty much figure it out, I should receive a nice 18-55mm AF-S f3.5-5.6G ED DX in the post in the week too.

D1X Review

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Conversion to IR

After a couple of months using the G2 the IR shooting was progressing. Whilst on E-Bay looking for second hand Digital SLR's I came across a listing for a IR conversion of a Nikon D60. I took a look. I had come across these conversions before but had considered them as a expensive luxury, and that I'd just persevere with the filters I already had. 

It didn't take too long before I thought I'd get the conversion. There was one slight problem though, the listing was for a Nikon. I knew that there were a few places out there that did these conversions for Canon DSLR's, as the web was starting to highlight the increase in IR shooting using converted DSLR's. So I contacted the shop that was listing on E-Bay to enquire if they would convert a Canon. 

They did. And it was a similar price to the Nikon conversion.

Now for the tricky bit: Convert my EOS 30D? or look for a cheaper older model of the EOS DSLR range. I had used a EOS 10D before, so I started to see if I could pick one up for a decent price. The 10D is one of the more IR sensitive models, so this seemed a good option. 

I found one pretty easily on E-Bay. It was basically being given away. It had the Err99 fault. This is where the power of the internet helps. A lot. A quick look into the fault code threw up a few possibilities of what it could be, the easiest being dirty lens contacts. I took the chance and bought the faulty 10D. 

It took all of 5 minutes to get it working. Always have a pencil with an eraser on the end handy.

After resolving the fault I send the camera off for the conversion. 

http://www.protechrepairs.co.uk/

These guys are good. I had the 772nm filter conversion performed, which removes the IR blocking filter over the sensor and replaces it with the IR filter. 

And this is what happens after the conversion:

Canon EOS 10D IR 1/45 second @ f8 ISO 100. Shot at 24mm (EF 20-35 f2.8L)

Update: Since posting, the converted 10D has been out on a few trips. The results are inspiring after some basic post shoot processing. As the winter months are now on us, the chance to use the camera may be limited but that doesn't mean it isn't going to make an appearance..

Canon EOS 10D IR 1/125 second @ f8 ISO 200. Shot at 20mm (EF 20-35 f2.8L)

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Beyond the Visible....

A few years ago I found a film called Kodak HIE. It came in a yellow and black box. To load it into the camera you needed to hide in the dark, and when processing it do the same. It was pretty difficult to use too, you had to guess your exposures and assume a ISO rating, which I have now forgot. 

The images if you just got it right were superb. The ethereal world of the Infra Red image was enough to inspire you to put aside the difficulties of using the film and head out as soon as the sun emerged from behind the clouds. For anyone wanting to delve deeper into the film side then I'd recommend the book "Infrared Photography Handbook" by Laurie White (Amherst Media, Inc). I think that the Kodak Film is now discontinued, but I might be wrong, I'd check that out if you were keen to try it.

So bringing us right into the age of digital photography, after looking around on the web it transpired that the digital camera could take beautiful IR images. Having previously dabbled with the concept years earlier I thought I'd try it out.

This is where it got interesting. So you've got a digital camera? My first attempts based on the details gathered from evenings browsing the web were slightly disappointing. Something was wrong. I've got the filter (they cost a fair amount too), stuck it on the camera and cranked the exposure. Huh? Something was not quite right. 

Further research seemed to point the finger in the direction of the sensitivity of the sensor to IR wavelengths (there's a lot of Science here too, not for the fainthearted...) I had managed to buy a pretty impervious beast to the good intentions of the IR wavelengths. As well as that the dreaded white balance crept in. Red images! Not good. 

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