Infrared and Black and White photos with a
Nikon D200
For quite a while I've been
playing with the idea of infrared photography. Infrared film is a
specie at the verge of extinction. So I have to scratch infrared film
photography off my ''Love to shoot'' list. Recently I bought an
infrared filter to convert myself my Nikon D100 to infrared light
from Life Pixel.com. Because my infrared pictures are ocassional, I
decided to leave a perfectly working camera as is and went the Hoya
IR-72 filter way.
Infrared filters are expensive,
since I was going to experiment, buying a 77mm IR-72 filter was a
liitle steep for a filter I'll use every now and then on my Nikon
17-55 AF-S F/2.8. Actually, the price of a 77mm Hoya IR-72 in
many reputable web dealers is as high as almost having my Nikon D100
converted to IR. Given the price factor, I decided to go with a
smaller version of the infrared filter and ordered a 52mm. It is
substancially cheaper then the 77mm counterpart. Once I got the
filter, I was amazed to see how much light is lost with it. If you
ever seen one of those goggles iron workers use, you can get the idea
of how dark this Hoya Infrared filter is.
With a 52mm filter, I'm somehow
limited to 2 lenses I have, my Nikon
35mm F/2 and 50mm F/1.4. All
infrared pictures shown here have been taken with my Nikon D200
coupled to the Nikon 35mm F/2. My local camera dealer, gets every now
and then the new Nikkor 18-55 DX lens. This lens is included as a kit
on the Nikon D40, D40x and D50. Many folks usually upgrade to another
lens giving the 18-55 as trade in. Since the Nikon 18-55 is a very
modest lens, it can ne found in the $70-$99 range depending on
condition. You've guessed it, I'm getting a Nikon 18-55 exclusively
for infrared photos and still I'm saving money compared to the 77mm
filter for my
17-55 AFS-F/2.8.
With the infrared filter on front
of your lens there are a few downsides. First, forget about auto
focus, since the filter is so dark, there's nothing your camera can
''see'' to focus on. You have to manually focus your scene and then
attach the filter to the lens. But hey, be careful, lenses are
designed to focus visible light; since the image you are recording is
done with light invisible to our eyes (and your camera), your
pictures might turn out blurry, out-of focus. There are markings on
your lens especially for IR. Usually a colored dot on your lens, if
in doubt, refer to your lens manual. I have tested mine in several
ways and mostly, a little trial and error is involved to achieve the
correct focus. However, I found good results when using my lens near
to infinity.
Shutter speeds with infrared
photography when using a filter: This can be dissapointing and
challenging as well. The pictures you are seeing on this page were
taken in ISO 800 between F/5.6-F/8 at noon for shutter speeds in the
3 to 7 seconds. Needless to say, a sturdy
tripod is mandatory. Given this factor, wind becomes our enemy
when shooting at these speeds. Because of the wind, our pictures
depicting foliage may look blurry due to the movement during the
exposure. In this case, our photographer greatest virtue (patience)
is our ally. I usually shoot on very calm days. Depending on the wind
conditions, it is wise to wait camera on tripod and shoot when it
becomes calm. In no time you will develop your own skills and
judgment to overcome this drawback. Please bear in mind that the
Nikon D200 has a very strong IR filter already built in and that's
why shuuter speeds are very long. Longer than the D70. So if you have
a Nikon D70s, the camera could be better suited for this type of
images because Nikon has a weaker IR filter on front of the sensor.
But don't be discouraged by this, if I was able to do it with a D200,
so can you!
-RAW or JPEG?
-Actually it up to you, however I
strictly shoot RAW.
-If shooting with a Nikon D200: -Should you shoot color or
Black and White directly on my camera?
It is also up to you but I prefer
to photograph in color. The files out of the camera will have a red
overall cast on the pictures. If you use AUTO LEVELS in Adobe
Photoshop (or the photo editing of your chioce), you will see like
magic how your infrared pictures will have a distinctive tint
especially on the sky known as ''false color''. You can later on
enhance this using the Channel Mixer.
-Should you convert your
camera to Infrared or should you stick to a filter?
I can't answer that, in my
personal case I'll be shooting IR every once in a while, so although
I almost got converted my Nikon D100, I changed my mind at the last
minute. Having the camera converted has some advantages. The best one
is the ability to shoot pictures at faster shutter speeds and not
being constrained to a tripod, you cameras will focus and meter as normal.
-You've heard that noon is not
the best time for normal photography right?
Since Chlorophyll in foliage
reflects infrared light, I found that the harsher the noon light, the
cooler looking pictures I get.
*If you have
questions or if you'd like to discuss about this lens,
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