IR on the CHEAP

[wolfie]

Don you may find this interesting

http://www.flickr.com/photos/matt/se...146318/detail/

[Don Hoey]

Thanks for posting that Harry. It must work then.

As I do not have any more film I will do a mod on my bellows hood to seal off the 75mm square filter holder to make the thing light tight with the Cokin filter, and then try firing a flash though it.

Don

[Don Hoey]

Well I cobbled together a method of firing a flash through the Cokin IR filter. A second IR filter Hoya R72 was fitted to the camera lens.

The pics were taken in the workshop which was lit by flourecent tubes only - no daylight. A straight flash shot was taken with the the pop up flash to give a master to guage the IR effect.
As I am unlikely to take pics in pitch black, for the IR shot I selected an exposure that would benefit a bit from the workshop lighting. I really needed a more powerful flash than the SB-80DX as there is significant light loss. Exposure for the IR shot was ISO800, 2secs at f8, with the flash 30 inches from the subject.

Processing of the IR was Auto levels followed by the False Colour action I have previously mentioned, so nothing fancy.

Apart from foliage, which would reflect IR light, I added what I considered a IR dead object in the shape of the camera, again to see the effect. Glad I did now as there is a newly observed side effect to IR. Check out the self timer and lens release buttons on the front of the camera. IR light has seen straight through the plastic. A bit like an X ray.

I am well impressed with this first effort. I need to aquire some film now to try out a film filter which would make it an easier to handle flash set up. Even get back to multiple flash guns.

Managements calling, so I've got to go and help Stevie with her gardening now.

Don

[andy153]

Hi Don, of course Nikon used to make the SB-140 flash that had three changeable sensors, one for normal, one for UV and one for IR. This link explains http://www.ultraviolet-photography.com/
Also spot the other link on that page for "Beyond Visible". I notice that Nikon do IR flash adapters for the SB-600 & 800, - I like your shot of the camera & rose. By the way one of these articles speaks briefly about the effect of the fresnel screen on the front of the flash and how it lessens the power of an IR flash.

[Don Hoey]

Thanks for the link Andy.
Saw the prices in $$ and nearly fell off my chair.
I will read through the linked pages at my leisure.

I will mod my Metz 45 first with a Cokin IR filter, and then the Vivitar 283 and Nikon SB80-DX with film filters all for a lot less than that.

As far as power loss goes you are right, but then multiple flash exposures on a single frame is a cost free way round that problem as I will only be doing still life.

Don

[wolfie]

Don, as I mentioned in my PM. I went out today with the sole purpose of shooting a little IR, unfortunately before I got where I was going the heavens opened up, so IR was really out of the question, but even so here is one taken inbetween the raindrops

Harry

[sassan]

Sorry guys if I haven't follow this topic from begining.
Just to jump in, if you don't mind, I learn a lot while web shopping.
Here is one eg. Just go throught the page without playing the role of buyer and a lot of basic info is well shown especially make sure to go throught the sample images.

_ _ L I N K _ _

[Don Hoey]

Nice one Harry.
Just goes to show that there are IR possibilities even in conditions one might not expect. The sky says it all about the conditions that this pic was taken in.

Sassan,
How I wish I had seen those White Balance comparisons when I started with my first film filter shots at the start of this thread. They explain a lot. A great link and thanks for that.

Harry has totally saved my life with his input in this thread so I am much in his debt.

Still early days for me, but as the D100 has two shooting banks, I have one set for Auto WB and the other on Harrys suggested custom WB taken from bright grass. Auto WB gives good B&W and Custom WB for false colour. Still to play with a B&W from custom WB. BTW the flash experiment shot was taken using shooting bank B, with custom WB from bright grass.

Setting a WB to suit certainly seems to be key even if you are shooting RAW.

I guess I am doing IR with a ball and chain round my ankle.
Hoya R72 filter rather than an IR conversion, manual focus lenses that cannot communicate with the camera, and a limited understanding of photoshop. Still I am loving the challenge and it's really broadening my photographic horizons.

Don

[andy153]

Very good Harry, nice shot.
Sassan, thanks for the link, I think they pinched the examples from Life Pixel or someone who does conversions.
Keep at it Don. My D100 should be here any day.

[postcardcv]

I've just been re-reading this thread and have got myself slightly confused, why are you converting a flash for IR? Without the mod the flash will output IR and visable light and the filter on your camera will block the viable light leaving only IR to be recorded by the camera. I'm struggling to see the advantage of adding an IR filter to the flash, but that's probably just me being slow.

As an aside I decided to order a screw in IR filter to give it a proper go, they are relatively inexpensive so will give me a way to try it out before spending out on a conversion.