Just Sharing First 590nm Infra Red landscape stuff

[Lindsay Pennell]

I recently treated myself to a new toy, a D200 converted to 590nm infra red. Here are a few of my first efforts (using Affinity to do red/blue channel swapping):

 

[David_MC]

That looks really neat. I need to look into that.

 

[Minor Problem]

Interesting, just for the uninitiated why the red blue swap? I'm used to seeing white foliage and dark skies with IR shots but this is new to me.

I quite fancy having my 2nd backup camera converted but dont fancy sending it to the US for a prolonged time. Where did you get the conversion done?

 

[ed taylor]

Very different. But I like them.

 

[Lindsay Pennell]

Thanks guys.
@Minor Problem the more usual IR shots in digital use a filter to pass the 720nm wavelength of IR, and this normally works best in black and white to turn green things white as you mention, and thus get some wacky and great b&w contrast. What I've got is a camera converted to 590nm wavelength pass-band, which produces interesting b&w but is particularly fun for colour rendition. The unconverted picture is as below, but conventionally with this version, the red and blue channels are converted in post-processing so as to produce what is known as "goldie" images (like above), making blues bluer, and greens yellow. However sometimes people tweak the conversion to produce pink foliage rather than yellow. There's lots to play with!


I bought my D200 IR camera on eBay for £200-odd, the guy who sells them usually has a range of Nikons in different wavelength conversions and sometimes other cameras. There are other people who do it too, but I do recommend him: Ebay IR Conversions

 

[Minor Problem]

Thanks guys.
@Minor Problem the more usual IR shots in digital use a filter to pass the 720nm wavelength of IR, and this normally works best in black and white to turn green things white as you mention, and thus get some wacky and great b&w contrast. What I've got is a camera converted to 590nm wavelength pass-band, which produces interesting b&w but is particularly fun for colour rendition. The unconverted picture is as below, but conventionally with this version, the red and blue channels are converted in post-processing so as to produce what is known as "goldie" images (like above), making blues bluer, and greens yellow. However sometimes people tweak the conversion to produce pink foliage rather than yellow. There's lots to play with!
View attachment 314165

I bought my D200 IR camera on eBay for £200-odd, the guy who sells them usually has a range of Nikons in different wavelength conversions and sometimes other cameras. There are other people who do it too, but I do recommend him: Ebay IR Conversions

Thanks for that excellent information!

 

[SeanNeedham]

That's an interesting wavelength; I'd not thought of having something done in that region. I've got a machine that's more open to the red spectrum (close to an astro) but not thought of different range conversion.

@Minor Problem there's a place in Norfolk (ACS) and also Protech in East Sussex that do conversions on user supplied bodies.

 

[Lindsay Pennell]

Some IR nerds hold that the best option is to get a camera converted for "full spectrum" IR, ie removing the IR filter from a camera and just replacing it with clear glass. Then you buy a set of IR filters to screw on the front of your lens, one b=per wavelength (590, 680, 720/760, 850, 950). I believe they are available on eBay with the make Zomei being recommended by various people. A full set costs well under £100 from what I can see. The downside is having to use external filters, and having to focus and lock before attaching the filter as they are so dark you and the AF cannot see through the lens once the filter is on.

 

[Minor Problem]

That's an interesting wavelength; I'd not thought of having something done in that region. I've got a machine that's more open to the red spectrum (close to an astro) but not thought of different range conversion.

@Minor Problem there's a place in Norfolk (ACS) and also Protech in East Sussex that do conversions on user supplied bodies.

Cheers Sean, I have a spare D850 with dead AF that I am unable to get repaired (long story) that I've been using for timelapse and backup that I could possibly have converted if there's enough value in it for me.

 

[Minor Problem]

That's an interesting wavelength; I'd not thought of having something done in that region. I've got a machine that's more open to the red spectrum (close to an astro) but not thought of different range conversion.

@Minor Problem there's a place in Norfolk (ACS) and also Protech in East Sussex that do conversions on user supplied bodies.

Cheers Sean, I have a spare D850 with dead AF that I am unable to get repaired (long story) that I've been using for timelapse and backup that I could possibly have converted if there's enough value in it for me.

 

[SeanNeedham]

Cheers Sean, I have a spare D850 with dead AF that I am unable to get repaired (long story) that I've been using for timelapse and backup that I could possibly have converted if there's enough value in it for me.

Irresistible force against immoveable object? Just done it with the prototype I'd spent all day tweaking, other half thought I was going to boil, but it's a proto and it was bound to happen sooner or later.

 

[Isac]

I love anything creative that's outside the box and Lindsay you've done a great job with these. You have got my creative juices flowing to do something in Photoshop - Unfortunately, it's all I can afford at the mo.

 

[Lindsay Pennell]

Go for it @Isac Thanks!

 

[Petrochemist]

Some IR nerds hold that the best option is to get a camera converted for "full spectrum" IR, ie removing the IR filter from a camera and just replacing it with clear glass. Then you buy a set of IR filters to screw on the front of your lens, one b=per wavelength (590, 680, 720/760, 850, 950). I believe they are available on eBay with the make Zomei being recommended by various people. A full set costs well under £100 from what I can see. The downside is having to use external filters, and having to focus and lock before attaching the filter as they are so dark you and the AF cannot see through the lens once the filter is on.

That's always been my preferred option especially with mirrorless cameras (so framing & focusing can be done through the filter).
There are actually many other filters that can be used as well:
The 590nm is basically a standard Watten 25A red filter, orange & yellow can be used for more permissive long pass filters.
If you have a variable ND this will adjust the visible portions brightness, but has relatively little effect on NIR.
Blue & green filters tend to be more unpredictable but some can work well. BG3 technical glass is one of my favorites amoung these.
With some lenses you can shoot both visible & NIR together (no filter fitted) here's an example taken on a overcast day (reducing the IR):
Full Spectrum grid by Mike Kanssen, on Flickr
Note the teams jackets/shirts etc are black & orange not brown..

 

[Isac]

With some lenses you can shoot both visible & NIR together (no filter fitted) here's an example taken on a overcast day (reducing the IR): Note the teams jackets/shirts etc are black & orange not brown..

Amazing what the camera sees after some mods and filters etc. Strange to me though how the black on the car and the road didn't show brown as well.

 

[Isac]

Go for it @Isac Thanks!

Here you go Lindsay. I wrote 2 actions - one using a Hue/Saturation method and another using the Channel Mixing method. If anyone wants to play or change them, they are HERE if you want to take a look. Item 9 one page 1, included in the "FUN STUFF" action set.

 

[Petrochemist]

Amazing what the camera sees after some mods and filters etc. Strange to me though how the black on the car and the road didn't show brown as well.

It's possibly because the paint used a pigment while the cloth is a dye, but when shooting plain IR I've often seen huge difference in how black fabrics behave. Some reflect IR & come out bright, others don't so remain dark.
IR can also be interesting looking at inks, some become nearly invisible so you can read printed text thats been censored with a sharpie, or just had a blob of ink spilled on it (if your lucky). IR photography has often been used in fraud detection spotting some significantly altered cheques, and apparently it can help read charred documents.

 

[Isac]

It's possibly because the paint used a pigment while the cloth is a dye, but when shooting plain IR I've often seen huge difference in how black fabrics behave. Some reflect IR & come out bright, others don't so remain dark.
IR can also be interesting looking at inks, some become nearly invisible so you can read printed text thats been censored with a sharpie, or just had a blob of ink spilled on it (if your lucky). IR photography has often been used in fraud detection spotting some significantly altered cheques, and apparently it can help read charred documents.

Thanks for that info Mike, I never knew (but now I do, thanks to you!). I find this subject fascinating because we humans can't see the IR, just as dogs can hear a 50-kilohertz whistle and we can't. Our range is only 20 htz to 25khtz.

 

[hooferinsane]

The downside is having to use external filters, and having to focus and lock before attaching the filter as they are so dark you and the AF cannot see through the lens once the filter is on.

Having used IR filters on my Fuji mirrorless, you can actually focus in live view (and see adequately) with the filter on.
@Minor Problem - Barry you have an XT2 I think?

edit: the only problem is hot spots with certain lenses. I have the 35mm f2 WR which has no hot spots. There is a list online about this, some lenses there are no hot spots at certain aperture range of a given lens,whereas at the other apertures you get one. Mind you, even got hot spots with Canon lenses trying this a few years back

 

[Petrochemist]

Having used IR filters on my Fuji mirrorless, you can actually focus in live view (and see adequately) with the filter on.
@Minor Problem - Barry you have an XT2 I think?

edit: the only problem is hot spots with certain lenses. I have the 35mm f2 WR which has no hot spots. There is a list online about this, some lenses there are no hot spots at certain aperture range of a given lens,whereas at the other apertures you get one. Mind you, even got hot spots with Canon lenses trying this a few years back

Any mirrorless camera should shown IR on the EVF/rear screen as much as the sensor see's it. Whatever radiation the sensor sees is shown via RGB pixels in the display. Makes mirrorless bodies ideal for IR (or UV) imaging IMO.

Hotspots are often more of an issue with more highly corrected lenses, They are rarely a problem with manual focus SLR lenses.
I find the number of variables far too great for any on-line list to be of much use. I've used a lens on a standard camera with a IR filter, without issues but had bad problems with the same lens/filter on a converted camera. On other occasions aperture setting/direction of lighting/focusing distance have all effected how noticeable a hot spot was.