Near IR shooting?

[dalemccready]

I wonder if it will be possible in any way to mod the camera in much the same way that people are modding their DSLRs to shoot near infra-red images? Ideally a reversible adjustment of course!:biggrin:

[Brook Willard]

Do you have any links to this SLR modification?

[Matt Redmond]

People have been doing this with video cameras for tracking infra-red markers. Done on webcams by stripping the coating off the lens from memory.

[jbeale]

Seems to me that would be a scary mod to a DSLR, except for that very small percentage (early Kodak models?) with the IR-cut filter that is removable by design. The other thing- the longer the wavelength, the less resolution you have, this is not just due to diffraction effects but also scattering length within the silicon sensor. Still, with the large pixels that Red has it would be less of a problem than with a normal video camera, I suppose.

[Ace]

The IR look is somethign ive been inlove with for a long time. The dreamy snowlike landscapes are a sight to be seen, and in motion this would could present a whole new cinematographic effect.

[Mick van Rossum, NSC]

Do you have any links to this SLR modification?

http://www.lifepixel.com/

They "did" my Nikon D100 with great result. It still has the speed of a normal DSLR. Since IR has different wavelenght and focus, they "calibrate" the sensor in such a way that there is no focus issue for by example the 18-70 zoom, but for other lenses you have to find out where the focus is . Even the red dot on my old manual 28/2 Nikkor is not correct....
Since the Red sensor is upgradeble maybe an interchangeble sensor for the RED ?

[Eugene]

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0608/06080904fujifilms3prouvir.asp
It depends where Red gets their CMOS from.
I don't think there is enough demand for Red tom make a UV-IR video camera. But Fuji makes a fine DSLR that is UV-IR. No need to hack your Nikon and void the warranty. Besides the fuji chip is better at detecting UV-IR, filter or no filter.
http://www.dpreview.com/news/0608/fujifilms3prouvir-01.jpg
http://www.dpreview.com/news/0608/fujifilms3prouvir-02.jpg

[dalemccready]

Yeah I had read that it was a case of removing a filter on some DSLRs.

It seems to me there might be room sometime for a motion camera that could shoot these IR images, they are quite beautiful and I know that TVCs would eat it up (on occasion).

I'm always interested in weird tweaks such as this and also on film cameras such as when people remove the shutter mechanism and use strobe lighting to get the shutter back. Although that one wouldn't work on Red with no physical movement of film past the gate.

I guess there'll be a whole new set of tweaks in a digital motion picture age. I know that music videos and commercials could use a few new tricks!

[Eugene]

Ok, the MIRICLE 307K is not HD, but it is IR. Read about it anyways.
http://www.thermoteknix.com/content/english/products/miricle/307k/index.html
http://www.thermoteknix.com/content/english/products/miricle/307k/images/307KC%20-%20infrared_camera_core.jpg

[JohnF]

Isn't this just an issue of having a removable IR filter in front of the imaging chip? (the ability to focus and to grade the image accordingly is really a side issue)

A clip-on filter of the chip should be a simple engineering job...(?)

And by the way, yes I would like the ability to film in the near-IR for creative effect.

Another point Canon brought out a non-IR filter digital SLR for the esp for the astrophotographer market as the IR filter cut out certain wavelengths of light that resulted in much longer exposures for popular imaging targets.

JohnF