My Infrared Photography Gear Testing Day
Okay, let’s be real here. Finding that perfect camera for infrared black and white ain’t no cakewalk. Most websites just list specs til your eyes glaze over. So I grabbed my dusty bag o’ gear and went old-school: trial by fire in my own backyard.
First up was the hunt through my closet full of forgotten cameras. Pulled out that old Nikon DSLR from like, 2010? Yeah, that brick. Figured it might be a decent candidate since older sensors sometimes play nicer with IR light. Snapped on a cheapo Hoya R72 filter – that deep red one that blocks almost all visible light. Man, looking through that viewfinder? Pitch black. Literally couldn’t see a thing. Felt like trying to shoot blindfolded.
Here’s how it went down step-by-step:
- Set up tripod first. No way around it. With that filter on, exposure times get crazy long. Even on a bright sunny day, I was staring at like 30-second exposures. One slight wobble? Blurry mess.
- Pointed at the old oak tree. Leaves in visible light? Green. Supposed to go bright white in IR. Hit the shutter, waited forever… boom. There it was. But the leaves looked kinda… grayish. Not that crisp, ghostly white I craved. Weird noise patterns too. Fiddled with ISO, made it worse.
- Tried the Canon mirrorless next. Newer sensor, maybe less IR “hotspot” mess? Viewfinder blackout again sucked big time. Used live view this time – slightly better, just a dim, red-tinted sludge on screen. Tried focusing manually on the fence before slapping the filter on, locking it down. Result? Decent sharpness finally! But the raw file looked pink. Weird.
- Felt stubborn. Pulled out the old Fuji point-and-shoot I modded years back – replaced its internal filter with one meant for IR. This thing sees pure infrared light all the time. No extra filters needed. Charged its ancient battery (took hours!), popped it on a mini-tripod. Instant live view! Saw the world in funky false color, but brightness was normal. Snap! Got that classic white foliage effect straight outta camera. Raw file was monochrome ready. Eureka moment.
The conclusion felt kinda obvious after sweating in the sun all afternoon. Using a regular camera with a screw-on IR filter? It’s like boxing with one hand tied behind your back. Possible? Yeah, maybe if you got saint-like patience, a rock-solid tripod, and don’t mind guessing every shot. That hotshoe level? Mandatory. But hunting for a used, already converted camera – like that trusty old Fuji – makes life a thousand times easier. Live view works normal, exposure stays reasonable, you get that pure, striking IR effect way cleaner. Costs money? Sure. Saves sanity? Absolutely. Watching blades of grass turn glowing white through a proper IR viewfinder never gets old.
