Infrared on the S2

OlaE Hofshagen · Sep 5, 2002

For those who might want to have a go at infrared photography on the S2, I can report that it works very well.

A Wratten 89B filter is ideal, and you can expect 4.5 steps EV compensation when putting on the filter.

A special treat for would-be IR photographers is the S2's ability to show histograms for all channels separately. A camera as good as the D1X, for example, in reality just shows the histogram for the green channel, and that is quite worthless when shooting IR, as an exposure adjustment based on this histogram invariably causes clipping of highlights in the red channel.

Here is an example:

--
Hofshagen

Joseph Larson · Sep 5, 2002

Great shot. Since I haven't done any digital infrared work, tell us how you took this shot (i.e. exposure, iso, shot in color or B/W mode, any postcapture work, etc.). Also, since I haven't memorized all the wratten filter numbers, is the 89B tottally opaque or can you still view thru the viewfinder?

Infrared is something that I'm interested in when I get my S2.

JLarson

Ola-E. Hofshagen said:
For those who might want to have a go at infrared photography on
the S2, I can report that it works very well.
A Wratten 89B filter is ideal, and you can expect 4.5 steps EV
compensation when putting on the filter.
A special treat for would-be IR photographers is the S2's ability
to show histograms for all channels separately. A camera as good as
the D1X, for example, in reality just shows the histogram for the
green channel, and that is quite worthless when shooting IR, as an
exposure adjustment based on this histogram invariably causes
clipping of highlights in the red channel.

Here is an example:

--
Hofshagen

Paul W. Walters · Sep 5, 2002

I've played with infrared also a bit and can answer some of your questions.

You won't be able to preview your picture through the viewfinder, nothing but black. Here's a link where you can read a bit about Infrared:

http://www.cliffshade.com/dpfwiw/ir.htm

You should shoot in color, it'll give you more postcapture ability.

Iso, as always, will give you less noise at 100. Exposure, etc., requires a much longer shutter speed. A tripod is esential! I find that if possible, a longer shutter speed, and smaller apperature gives you clearer pictures (as always).

The most difficult part about getting into it is buying a 72mm Infrared Filter! They can be quite expensive! ($150-$450).

Enjoy!
Paul

JLarson said:
Infrared is something that I'm interested in when I get my S2.

JLarson

Ola-E. Hofshagen said:

For those who might want to have a go at infrared photography on
the S2, I can report that it works very well.
A Wratten 89B filter is ideal, and you can expect 4.5 steps EV
compensation when putting on the filter.
A special treat for would-be IR photographers is the S2's ability
to show histograms for all channels separately. A camera as good as
the D1X, for example, in reality just shows the histogram for the
green channel, and that is quite worthless when shooting IR, as an
exposure adjustment based on this histogram invariably causes
clipping of highlights in the red channel.

Here is an example:

--
Hofshagen

Click to expand...

Charles Bandes · Sep 5, 2002

I'm still waiting for my new 89B, but from past experience with one I can tell you that for all intents and purposes, it's essentially opaque. It's possible that if you looked at a REALLY bright light source through it, you'd see a red spot of light, but the viewfinder is not useful for composition while using one of these filters.

(This is one of the nice things about P+S digicams for IR work, you can use the LCD viewfinder/preview for composition purposes on them.)

But hey, you probably want to be on a tripod for IR shooting anyway, so take a shot, check it out in play mode, and reshoot if the composition isn't what you wanted. It's a little bit of a nuisance, but worth it if you want the IR effect. (IMHO)

JLarson said:
Great shot. Since I haven't done any digital infrared work, tell
us how you took this shot (i.e. exposure, iso, shot in color or B/W
mode, any postcapture work, etc.). Also, since I haven't memorized
all the wratten filter numbers, is the 89B tottally opaque or can
you still view thru the viewfinder?

Infrared is something that I'm interested in when I get my S2.

JLarson

--
Charles Bandes
http://www.bandesphoto.com

wilfried danner · Sep 5, 2002

Hi Ola-E.

great shot! How did you focus? I ask, because newer lenses often have no IR mark, and i dont believe, that the AF works with the filter on.

Thanks and kind regards, wilfried

Ola-E. Hofshagen said:
For those who might want to have a go at infrared photography on
the S2, I can report that it works very well.
A Wratten 89B filter is ideal, and you can expect 4.5 steps EV
compensation when putting on the filter.
A special treat for would-be IR photographers is the S2's ability
to show histograms for all channels separately. A camera as good as
the D1X, for example, in reality just shows the histogram for the
green channel, and that is quite worthless when shooting IR, as an
exposure adjustment based on this histogram invariably causes
clipping of highlights in the red channel.

Here is an example:

--
Hofshagen

OlaE Hofshagen · Sep 5, 2002

Paul W. Walters said:
Iso, as always, will give you less noise at 100.

Hmm. Iso 200 (default setting on the S2) actually deliver less noise than Iso 100 when shooting IR. This has to do with the shutter-times involved. A photo at Iso 100 and 1 sec has more noise than at Iso 200 and 1/2 sec. Do the comparison and look at the blue channel in particular and you'll find that I'm right. Iso 200 and 400 are sensible settings noise-wise on the S2.

OlaE Hofshagen · Sep 5, 2002

wilfried danner said:
Hi Ola-E.

great shot! How did you focus? I ask, because newer lenses often
have no IR mark, and i dont believe, that the AF works with the
filter on.

I try to place an object with a great deal of contrast under the center-focussensor before I attach the Filter.

This photo was taken with a gelatine-filter, and it is easy to compose through the viewfinder, tighten the tripod, slide the filter in and then fire away.

The camera has so far been able to focus with the filter on. The CCD is sensitive to IR light even though you aren't.

OlaE Hofshagen · Sep 5, 2002

JLarson said:
tell us how you took this shot (i.e. exposure, iso, shot in color or B/W
mode, any postcapture work, etc.). Also, since I haven't memorized
all the wratten filter numbers, is the 89B tottally opaque or can
you still view thru the viewfinder?

Infrared is something that I'm interested in when I get my S2.

JLarson

The 89B isn't totally opaque, but it's quite dark. Very bright objects are hinted at more than actually seen. Composing through the viewfinder and then attaching the filter is the way I've been doing it, but the LCD can also be used as a viewfinder, so that approach will also work.

This photo was shot in color mode, and the only postprocessing work was adjusting the levels in the blue channel until complete black, performing an autolevel on the green channel and then adjusting the hue and saturation, cropping and resizing. The photo was shot at iso100 and at that iso there is a substantial amount of noise in the blue channel. That's why I didn't want to include the blue channel in the final photo.

The really great thing about IR is that we can only see false-colour representations of the infrared light; we really don't know what the right perception would be! For that reason you are totally free to give your IR-images your personal touch. One interpretation is just as valid as another.

Traditionally IR has been associated with the Brown-effect look. B/W, diffuse glow and plenty of grain. Well, with the S2 it ain't necessarily so!

Regards
Hofshagen.

Mike Delaney · Sep 5, 2002

Here is a link for an excellent I/R filter, from Harrison in California.

http://www.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1021&message=2726270

Hope this helps!
--
Mike D
http://www.pbase.com/miked

OlaE Hofshagen · Sep 5, 2002

The link you gave opens up a thread with the title D1x- Perfect for IR.

As I pointed out earlier in this thread, the D1X only shows the green channel's histogram and thus is not "perfect" for IR photography.

A link to a very useful resource on digital IR and UV photography (as well as a good read) is http://www.naturfotograf.com/index2.html
Enjoy.

Hofshagen

Mike Delaney said:
Here is a link for an excellent I/R filter, from Harrison in
California.

http://www.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1021&message=2726270

Hope this helps!
--
Mike D
http://www.pbase.com/miked

--
Hofshagen

Robert Jensen · Sep 5, 2002

Can I ask where you got the info that the D1X uses the green channel for it's histograms?

Thanks,

Robert Jensen

Joseph Larson said:
Ola-E. Hofshagen said:

A special treat for would-be IR photographers is the S2's ability
to show histograms for all channels separately. A camera as good as
the D1X, for example, in reality just shows the histogram for the
green channel, and that is quite worthless when shooting IR, as an
exposure adjustment based on this histogram invariably causes
clipping of highlights in the red channel.

Click to expand...

Joseph Larson said:
Joseph Larson said:

--
Hofshagen

Click to expand...

OlaE Hofshagen · Sep 5, 2002

Robert Jensen said:
Thanks,

Robert Jensen

--

That information was given to me by Bjørn Rørslett, the author of the article on IR colour to be found at http://www.naturfotograf.com/index2.html .The author is a dedicated Nikonian and knows what he¨s talking about..

Hofshagen

Robert Scultz · Sep 5, 2002

first thanks, for the nice shot.
question , which one of the filters ??
B&W 89B = 092 ? any good heliopan filters ?
is there some sort of flipup, screwin filter holder ??
anythink with a cokin P holder as a workaround?
what do you use ? 62mm, 77mm,...sheet
thanks, cheers, Robert Schultz
--
http://www.RobsPhoto.com

Mike Delaney · Sep 5, 2002

Ola-E. Hofshagen said:
A link to a very useful resource on digital IR and UV photography
(as well as a good read) is http://www.naturfotograf.com/index2.html
Enjoy.

Hofshagen

Mike Delaney said:

Here is a link for an excellent I/R filter, from Harrison in
California.

Click to expand...

I was trying to get you in touch with a very good, LOWER COST I/R filter, not trying to convert you to a D1x! You will notice that in that link, the post deals with the PHONE NUMBER for Harrison in Ca. From which, a 77mm I/R was about $80., I have the filter, and it works very well, and, here's the surprise, it dosen't seem to know what camera it is installed on! Go figure- (next time read the entire post, before deciding it doesn't help)

OlaE Hofshagen · Sep 5, 2002

Mike Delaney said:
Ola-E. Hofshagen said:

A link to a very useful resource on digital IR and UV photography
(as well as a good read) is http://www.naturfotograf.com/index2.html
Enjoy.

Hofshagen

Mike Delaney said:

Here is a link for an excellent I/R filter, from Harrison in
California.

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

I was trying to get you in touch with a very good, LOWER COST I/R
filter, not trying to convert you to a D1x! You will notice that
in that link, the post deals with the PHONE NUMBER for Harrison in
Ca. From which, a 77mm I/R was about $80., I have the filter, and
it works very well, and, here's the surprise, it dosen't seem to
know what camera it is installed on! Go figure- (next time read
the entire post, before deciding it doesn't help)

--

Sorry about that, Mike, I did NOT mean to offend you. I read the tip about the supplier, and, of course, for those looking for a filter that is a very useful tip indeed. I just found it mildly funny that just after I had lauded the S2's ability to show histograms for individual channels, comparing it to the D1X's inability to do the same, up pops a link that says D1X- perfect for IR.

My reply to your post was not meant to be critical in any way of your post's helpfulness. English is not my mother tongue, and I am afraid my grasp of small (and big) nuances is too weak to avoid offending people that I have no intention of offending.

Hofshagen

andrew turner · Sep 6, 2002

There's a thread in the Minolta forum with some comparisons - consensus is that it has superior tonal range.

Robert Schultz said:
first thanks, for the nice shot.
question , which one of the filters ??
B&W 89B = 092 ? any good heliopan filters ?
is there some sort of flipup, screwin filter holder ??
anythink with a cokin P holder as a workaround?
what do you use ? 62mm, 77mm,...sheet
thanks, cheers, Robert Schultz
--
http://www.RobsPhoto.com

Charles Bandes · Sep 6, 2002

I asked Harrison+Harrison if they could make me a filter to fit Cokin P mount, they said "sure, but it'll cost ya" - basically their filters are laminated glass, so the metal ring mount is important for adding strength and rigidity. A cokin mount version would be very very fragile, and also very expensive, so they recommend against it. But if I had insisted, they would've gladly taken my money.

I really like the Harrison+Harrison folks, they are super-friendly on the phone, their prices are WAAAAY better than anyone else, and I think they give good advice, rather than trying to sell the expensive stuff

Robert Schultz said:
first thanks, for the nice shot.
question , which one of the filters ??
B&W 89B = 092 ? any good heliopan filters ?
is there some sort of flipup, screwin filter holder ??
anythink with a cokin P holder as a workaround?
what do you use ? 62mm, 77mm,...sheet
thanks, cheers, Robert Schultz
--
http://www.RobsPhoto.com

--
Charles Bandes
http://www.bandesphoto.com

Charles Bandes · Sep 6, 2002

Paul W. Walters said:
The most difficult part about getting into it is buying a 72mm
Infrared Filter! They can be quite expensive! ($150-$450).

Harrison and Harrison charge around $70 for an 89B in 77mm. I suspect 72 is similarly priced - if not, get a step-up ring

--
Charles Bandes
http://www.bandesphoto.com

Felipe Rodríguez · Sep 28, 2002

Hi everyone!

I'm upgrading to a S2 pro from a Dimage 7, and I've enjoyed this camera a lot with IR shots. I think it's the perfect camera for IR, because of its inexpensive 49 mm filters (my Hoya IR72 did cost just around 30$) and of the EVF feature that lets you preview the real exposure very accurately. Knowing that S2 is capable of IR shots helped me to decide the upgrade. But it is not easy to find 72 mm IR filters, or if you find them, they are prohibitive.

Could, please, someone help me? California is really far from Spain, so I'd need some on-line shop.
Thanks in advance!

Charles Bandes said:
I really like the Harrison+Harrison folks, they are super-friendly
on the phone, their prices are WAAAAY better than anyone else, and
I think they give good advice, rather than trying to sell the
expensive stuff

Robert Schultz said:

first thanks, for the nice shot.
question , which one of the filters ??
B&W 89B = 092 ? any good heliopan filters ?
is there some sort of flipup, screwin filter holder ??
anythink with a cokin P holder as a workaround?
what do you use ? 62mm, 77mm,...sheet
thanks, cheers, Robert Schultz
--
http://www.RobsPhoto.com

Click to expand...

--
Charles Bandes
http://www.bandesphoto.com

--
http://www2.photosig.com/viewuser.php?id=4907
'Who are you going to believe, me or your own eyes?'
Groucho Marx

Mike Delaney · Oct 11, 2002

Here is a link to a quick shot takes of an old bridge with this filter, S2 set to B&W.

--
Mike D

Infrared on the S2

Forum Enthusiast

Well-known member

Senior Member

Senior Member

Well-known member

Forum Enthusiast

Forum Enthusiast

Forum Enthusiast

Senior Member

Forum Enthusiast

Well-known member

Forum Enthusiast

Robert Scultz

Guest

Senior Member

Forum Enthusiast

Leading Member

Senior Member

Senior Member

Senior Member

Senior Member

Keyboard shortcuts