The unmistakable characteristics of an infra-red image are deep black skies, bright white foliage and that magical, sometimes eerie diffused glow. Many scenes, which under normal lighting conditions maybe considered ordinary to some are often transformed when captured in infra-red. With digital infra-red there are a number of different ways in which the final image can be processed and presented to the viewer, giving the photographer complete artistic control.
Camera Choice?
Camera Choice?
The images contained within this Blog have been taken with an assortment of non-converted, off the shelf, digital cameras. I have, in the past, thought about having one or two models converted, but I'm happy with the results I get, from the cameras I use.
My first venture into digital Infra-red, back in 2003/4 was with a 2mp Olympus C-2020, possible one of the most sensitive cameras to Infra-Red, without any internal modifications. The C-2020 and a Hoya R72 were a formidable duo. Once you mastered the art of channel-swapping you were home and dry with this little beauty. The only problem being the small image size and the lack of RAW shooting.
By this time I had decided that I wanted a camera, which was small and light, would work equally well with normal photography and infra-red. Last, but by no means least, I wanted something that wouldn't break the bank! Enter the Nikon D50. The D50 delivered on all counts. It's 6.1 megapixel censor produces excellent 16" x 12" prints, the large LCD screen makes for easy viewing and the battery life from the EN-EL3E is phenomenal.At the end of the day, without putting to finer point on it, the camera is but a tool, a means to an end. The most important criterion is being able to see the potential in a shot, to envisage the final print before tripping the shutter. Nonetheless, any of the 6.1mp Nikon's will do a very competent job of shooting Infra-red.
Use the Infra-red Archive to discover more about the world of Infra-red Photography
9 comments:
hey i've been wanting to get into infrared and i also have a d50. what filter do you use with it? im totally new to ir, so any recommendations or tips would be great!
The filter I have used in the past has been of the 720nm variety. This gives good results, but with some normal light-waves leakage. The filter I'm using at the moment is slightly stronger, 750nm's, which blocks out most normal light-waves allowing for a better infrared capture. If you take your time and read through this Blog you will find many hints and tips to help you along the way. Alternatively, you could take a preview of my book, "Digital Infrared Photography", available now from blurb.com
A D50 was the first foray I had made into SLRs in at least fifteen years, going from my beloved film based Pentax ME Super to the D50 was the most natural thing in the world. That being said I really love the D300 I have now!
Andrew Culture
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Hi. first of all let me say that i like your blog. Great content. Thanks.
WOW! I'm so glad I came across this blog... I spent all day with my D50 and D2X trying to get the hang of IR photography.... I'm using a 950nm filter, but I believe it may be too dark. The D2X didn't really cooperate with me, but the D50 did ok.... just had a hard time getting crisp and non-blurry images with the tripod. Any suggestions? Anyone?
Rich Leighton
(Florida, USA)
January 25, 2010 at 2:32 pm
fabulous images! wow.
I got some great information about IR photography from this site http://www.nature-photography-central.com/infrared-photoshop-tutorials.html.
A professional photographer who specializes in infrared – too cool!
I thought it was an outstanding tutorial.
Rich, you'll probably not be able to use the auto-focus with the lens filter attached. My recommendation would be to set the focus to manual mode, focus to infinity and then put the filter on the lens.
Some may find what I do with IR photography interesting - I use it to locate buried archaeology. My website explains how it all works - http://huntergeophysics.eb2a.com/fot/near-infrared-photography-training.html
Rich - this maybe a bit late, but I've only just come across this forum. I have a D50 which I use as an alternative to my Minolta Dimage 7 (NOT the 7i which is IR insensitive) which is a top IR camera (unmodded) but eats batteries at an unbelievable rate.
My tips for the D50 are 1) use a Kood IR filter - the camera will autofocus in brightish light. 2) Set ISO to 200 and shut down aperture as low as possible for max depth of field. 3) Be prepared for long exposures. 4) use the timer (if you don't have a remote) and hang a bag of rocks from your tripod's centre post. 5) buy a second hand Minolta Dimage 7 (and a LOT of AA batteries) - it's slightly more sensitive than the D50 (handheld shots are just about possible) and the EVF means you can see what you are shooting.
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