Which Lumix Cameras Will Shoot Infrared

Infrared, or "IR" photography, offers photographers of all abilities and budgets the opportunity to explore a new earth – the world of the unseen. Why "unseen"? Because our eyes literally cannot see IR calorie-free, as it lies merely beyond what is classified as the "visible" spectrum – that which human being eyesight can observe. When we have photographs using infrared-equipped flick or cameras, we are exposed to the world that tin can often look very dissimilar from that nosotros are accepted to seeing. Colors, textures, leaves and plants, man peel, and all other style of objects can reverberate IR low-cal in unique and interesting ways, ones that cannot be mimicked with tools such equally Photoshop (aye – there are limits to what Photoshop tin do!).

Like any form of photography or art, however, it is a affair of taste. I would strongly urge people to explore the world of IR. As the number of cameras-equipped devices proliferates and the associated technologies improve, IR photography may offer the opportunity for photographers to aggrandize into new arenas and differentiate their offerings from those of others.

Terminology

For purposes of this article, I will refer to the infrared light spectrum as "near-infrared", or simply, "IR". Near-infrared refers to the spectrum of light only beyond the range humans can detect with their eyesight. This light range is between 700 – 1200 nm (nanometers). Another attribute of the IR spectrum, above well-nigh IR, is associated with thermal imaging. Thermal engineering was popularized by movies such as, "Patriot Games" and other thrillers, whereby intelligence agencies or military personnel were able to notice villains past measuring their body heat under nighttime conditions. Today's mutual digital camera sensors are not able to detect thermal images. Under the correct circumstances however, digital cameras can practice an excellent chore of recording IR.

History Of Infrared Photography

The commencement forays into IR photography, using special moving-picture show plates, began in the early part of the 20th century. During WWI, IR photography proved extremely valuable, as images using the IR spectrum were not affected equally much past atmospheric brume equally normal photos. IR images were besides able to show stark distinctions between vegetation and buildings, meliorate identifying potential enemy targets such as camouflaged munitions factories and other key sites. Rivers, streams, lakes, and other waterways were depicted in a very dark hue, making them much more obvious.

During the 1930s and 1940s, filmmakers introduced a variety of infrared-sensitive films that attracted both amateur photographers and Hollywood filmmakers. The military extended its use of IR photography as well, as information technology sought every possible advantage during WWII. During the 1960s, IR photography saw a number of converts, as some of the leading musicians of the day, such as the Grateful Dead and Jimmy Hendrix, popularized its use via their psychedelic album covers. With the advent of the digital camera in the tardily 1990s, both regular and IR photography were nearly to change substantially. In addition to professional person and amateur photographers, constabulary enforcement officials rely on IR photography to detect forensic evidence not discerned through normal eyesight.

IR Light Qualities

Reflected IR low-cal produces a fascinating array of surreal furnishings. Vegetation appears white or well-nigh white. Skin takes on a very milky, smooth texture, although veins close to the skin surface can be accentuated and take on a rather ghoulish appearance. Eyes can appear a bit ghostly with the irises registering very dark tones and the whites of the eye taking on a grayish hue. Black article of clothing tin announced gray or white depending on the fabric. IR low-cal can laissez passer through sunglasses that, to the eye, appear extremely dark or mirror-like (see image beneath). Blue skies take on a much more dramatic advent besides.

The other aspect of IR photos is a fleck tougher to draw and classify. I take institute that there is a certain type of contrast, or what I refer to every bit "crispness", rarely seen in normal photography. High contrast B&W images are the closest in nature to IR photography, but even those don't seem to have the aforementioned look and feel as IR images. These effects and others are what provide the magic of IR photography – simply about everything looks very different from what y'all are used to seeing within the visible low-cal spectrum.

IR calorie-free passing through sunglasses and skin smoothing result

IR Photography Options

35mm IR film is still readily bachelor for as little every bit $xi for a ringlet of 36 prints. It is easy enough to use in your existing SLR, thus enabling you to experiment with IR photography, without committing to annihilation more a roll or two of film, and some development costs. Depending on your lab'southward capabilities, nevertheless, you may discover that you accept to ship the IR motion-picture show to another lab that has the ability to process it, much equally is required for loftier-end B&W film.

Another alternative requires ownership a circular IR filter (like to a UV or round polarizing filter) that attaches to the front of your photographic camera lens. The IR filter prevents visible light from passing through while merely allowing IR light to strike your camera's sensor. These filters will vary in price depending on the size of the filter and the specific portion of the IR spectrum they address. The main deviation betwixt the filters is how colors are rendered (more on this in a scrap), just this is primarily a affair of gustation. Spending more money on a filter that focuses on a unlike part of the IR spectrum doesn't necessarily guarantee that you will like the results more than an IR filter costing much less.

What are the downsides of using an IR filter that attaches to your lens? The main effect is motion mistiness. Since your DSLR has an IR blocking filter in front of it, very fiddling, if whatever, IR light reaches it. The IR filter allows simply IR light to reach your sensor while filtering out the visible light. The combination of the IR blocking filter and the IR filter on the front end of your lens requires very long exposure times. Since the IR filter is very night, yous besides have to focus earlier attaching the IR filter to your lens.

The specific exposure time will vary based on the specific IR filter used, sensitivity of the camera sensor to IR, the specifics of the DSLR'due south blocking filter, and of course, the amount of IR calorie-free. When I first experimented with IR photography using my Pentax K10D in 2007, I plant that I needed to exit my shutter open for 45-60 seconds on a sunny summer twenty-four hour period to become a properly exposed IR photo. That might be fine if you are taking photos of buildings or other inanimate objects, but doesn't piece of work so well with annihilation that moves, such as people, animals, leaves, flowers, etc. But if y'all want to go into IR photography rapidly with minimal investment, you could buy an IR filter such as the Hoya R72 for as lilliputian as $64 (depending on the filter size required) and determine if information technology is for you. The R72 is probably the most pop IR filter, since it addresses a broad spectrum of the IR range, is economical, and produces excellent IR images.

The concluding option is to have a DSLR converted for sectional IR use. This is more costly, but it produces the best results and offers the most flexibility.

DSLRs Converted For Defended IR Photography

This option requires the IR blocking filter that sits in front end of your DSLR's sensor to be removed, and substituted with i that allows just IR calorie-free to be passed through. It is the equivalent of taking the external IR filter I previously described and substituting it for the IR blocking filter. What are the benefits of this approach? You can use your DSLR but as you practice today, relying on normal exposure values and shutter speeds. Looking over my IR photograph metadata, I have institute that on a typical sunny day from May through August, at f/8 and ISO 100, I achieved shutter speeds of at least 1/125 and often much higher. No long exposures, no fourth dimension focusing and then needing to shift your focus style from AF to manual, no fiddling with IR filters on the front end of your lens. Near chiefly – no blurred images.

The cons of using a dedicated IR camera are price, the inability to employ the converted photographic camera for annihilation other than IR photography, and voiding your DSLR's warranty (gulp!). Y'all take two options relative to converting a DSLR for IR utilize:

Send it to a reputable IR conversion company
Practice it yourself

I would strongly recommend selection 1 unless you are comfortable with the following: watching an instructional video, beingness very comfortable with very small-scale, sensitive electrical components (heavy-duty consumers of caffeine can terminate here!), disassembling your camera to accomplish the sensor in an ultra-clean environment, removing the IR blocking filter, replacing it with the IR filter obtained from the conversion company, putting your camera back together, and dealing with whatsoever trivial issues such as… dust, hairs, and other particles getting in your camera, as well as whatever operational issues encountered by some aspect of the disassembly/assembly process. While I have seen the instructional video, and corresponded with a number of people that have performed this operation, I would simply say that it is non for the faint of heart!

There are a variety of companies that specialize in infrared conversion services. One of the near well-known is Lifepixel. I used Lifepixel on ii occasions and have nothing simply praise for the professionalism of their staff and the quality of their piece of work. Lifepixel first converted my Nikon D40X. 2 years later, I sent them my D90. I have to admit that I felt quite a chip of trepidation when I starting time shipped my Nikon D40X to Lifepixel. The D40X was make new and I didn't even have a unmarried movie with it before sending it off in a well-padded box. Something did not feel right about sending a brand new camera to someone other than Nikon to disassemble, change, and in the process, voiding my warranty!

Before doing so, all the same, I spoke extensively with Daniel, one of Lifepixels client support representatives. I emailed him with an exhaustive list of questions and concerns. Daniel was extremely patient and thoroughly addressed every result I raised. Other Lifepixel representatives were only as responsive and helpful. And in nearly 4 years of shooting IR, I can't indicate to a single problem with either of the IR-converted DSLRs. One give-and-take of caution – whichever company you select for your IR conversion, make sure that you lot investigate them thoroughly and feel confident in having them modify your DSLR.

Capturing IR Images

Since the DSLR has been modified for IR only purposes, you tin can use it just every bit y'all did when photographing images inside the visible light spectrum. ISO, shutter speed and aperture combinations will work in conjunction with one another but as they do with any non-IR DSLR. Matrix metering is always a safe bet with IR, although you may want to experiment with your camera, lens, and lighting conditions to determine if eye-weighted metering provides better results in a given situation.

My D40x required me to adjust the exposure compensation push at times, dialing upward/downward by as much every bit 1.seven. Normally, the range of adjustment was smaller – +/- .3 – .vii. Although I accept the same IR filter on my D90 even so, I have noticed that the D90 requires much less aligning of the exposure compensation. This was likely a result of the D90 and D40X using different camera sensors. It takes a bit of trial and error to understand what a "good" RAW epitome looks like in your LCD. With time, withal, you lot will come to recognize when you lot have properly exposed an IR paradigm and if you need to adjust the exposure bounty.

What Nigh Lenses?

Nosotros are trained to believe that the all-time lenses will produce the best results. However, in the world of IR, the lens that works best in the visible spectrum can be a complete dud in the earth of IR. Conversely, lower-cost lenses may perform much better than their counterparts. The chief flaws with poor IR performing lenses are twofold; producing a hotspot in the center of the image (slightly different exposure and colors than the rest of the paradigm), and being more susceptible to flare. You may minimize the advent of the hotspot in post-processing, but it can take quite a flake of work.

And but as with flares associated with the visible light spectrum, IR flares cannot easily be fixed without extensive Photoshop work. Worse, IR flares are harder to observe. When photographing in the visible light spectrum, you lot tin can often tell when you are on the verge of introducing a flare based on the angle of the lens relative to the dominicus. With IR however, you don't always receive the same visible cue, since yous tin can't see IR low-cal. Thus it is of import to check your LCD as you shoot IR to ensure that you are not introducing flares into your photos since you cannot trust your eyes.

The best strategy is to use lenses that are known to piece of work well for IR photography. Such knowledge isn't easy to come beyond. While yous can always find a myriad of quality lens reviews, few, if whatever, address the consequence of IR operation. 1 such source is Bjorn Rorslett's site. Roreslett is 1 of the few that specifically tests lenses for IR use. As yous can come across from his site, the apprehensive Nikon xviii-55mm is an excellent performer compared to some other lenses costing a salubrious multiple of its cost. Over the years, I have come to rely heavily on my Nikon 16-85mm VR. It rarely comes off my infrared D90, since it provides excellent IR operation, is extremely sharp, and has a very useful zoom range that covers just about anything I would wish to capture. And since I take a variety of lenses and experimented with their IR functioning, I can vouch for many of Roreslett's IR recommendations.

Processing IR Images

RAW files afford the well-nigh flexibility for mail-processing IR images, just as they do for photos taken with visible calorie-free. The RAW images viewed direct from the camera are not very impressive – tiresome, pink in color, defective in contrast. RAW images from an infrared DSLR would probable not persuade many people to delve much deeper into this style of photography. The IR paradigm below (Pennsylvania Memorial in Gettysburg, PA) possesses a decent dissimilarity level, but others can appear blander or "muddied".

What gives information technology this pink tone? A number of factors influence the expect of the RAW IR image – the specific DSLR sensor used, the IR filter installed on the DSLR by the IR conversion company, and software algorithms used for white balance top the list. IR images really accept no color to them, simply your DSLR's sensor has to assign something to the red, dark-green, and bluish sensors associated with the Bayer pattern. While each photographic camera's IR images will announced slightly different than those of others, virtually modern DSLRs will produce a RAW file that looks somewhat similar to the image above.

I process my IR images in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, using a preset that serves as a skilful starting point for adjusting the white remainder, tone, contrast, sharpening, etc. The most important of these settings is the white balance, which I set to a temperature of 2100 and a tint of -72. The resultant paradigm looks like the one beneath. Now the image is shaping up and looks much amend than the sea of pinkish from the original RAW file. Alarm: Changing the white residual settings of IR images can result in some drastic psychedelic experiences!

I so import the image above into Adobe Photoshop CS5, where I have created a few actions that bandy the red and blue channels to varying degrees. I am fractional to a series of actions that consequence in a mixture of blue and yellow colors. How did I get in at these settings? Pure experimentation… When I find a particular look that I similar, I quickly create a Photoshop action while I have all the settings in patently view and can recall the associated steps. Sometimes I will reduce the colour saturation depending on what I am attempting to attain and/or the nature of the image in question. Other times, I will modify the hue of a given color. Again, since IR does non incorporate whatever existent colors, those that you see are the result of a myriad of factors that will vary from camera to camera. Thus my Lightroom presets and Photoshop actions might produce somewhat unlike results if applied to photos taken with your specific IR converted camera make and model.

Below is the final version, after some additional processing, noise reduction, and sharpening:

Summary

IR photography opens up exciting new worlds for photographers to explore, peculiarly because the flexibility that IR converted DSLRs provide. This article is merely an introduction to the various issues and considerations associated with IR. If you would like to sympathize more than about this subject field, drop me a note beneath, and I will be sure to cover additional aspects of IR photography in future articles.

Update:
Since I wrote this article and others related to infrared photography, many people take emailed me with questions related to IR and communication regarding IR conversion services. Over the last few years, I have recommended Kolari Vision. Kolari Vision has converted iv DSLRs for me. I take been very impressed with the quality of the service, turnaround time, value, and operation of the IR converted DSLRs. Ilija Melentijevic, Kolari Vision's founder, has been especially patient and helpful in explaining the technical and nuanced aspects of converting and using digital cameras for infrared photography. Kolari Vision offers a full range of infrared, ultraviolet, and other specialized digital camera solutions and related filters.

Source: https://photographylife.com/introduction-to-infrared-photography

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