Digital B&W IR Camera????

[John Stitt]

For years one of my photographic loves has been infra-red black and white pictorial prints. I shot these with a Leica M6, Kodak IR film and fully opaque IR filter. It worked great. The rangefinder, versus a SLR let me see what I was shooting through the filter. At one time I had a Minolta A2 that would shoot IR and took a filter. The IR image would show up with the EVF. Unfortunately I sold that camera to a work associate, and with the sale of Minolta to Sony am not sure I would want to buy another used.

Now I am hunting for a camera to do Black and White IR digitally. I find that my current cameras do not record IR or are so slow at it that it is not practical. I am shooting Digilux 2 and Canon 5D. Neither do IR and the SLR is out of the question because one cannot see the image.

Can someone give me a recommendation of a Prosumer or better EVF camera that will take filters? Lots of scene modes are not necessary. Manual focus and zoom options preferred but I will consider more point and shoot.

Surely someone else has found a sweet system for IR photography. Your recommendations and experiences please.

John Stitt

[Ray West]

Hi John,

This OK????

http://www.ciao.co.uk/Canon_EOS_20Da__6269083#productdetail

Best wishes,

Ray

[Diane Fields]

Many of the Canon cameras can have an inexpensive adaptor added from Lensmate and be very capable of shooting IR--but not handheld--altho' the Lensmate page suggests that you can with the G7 and G9 (see link below).
http://www.lensmateonline.com/newsite/G7.html I think by the very nature of IR, its almost always been on tripod because you can't see to focus. I did quite a bit of IR with the old G1 and a number of other bodies including the 10D and 20D.

One of the older Sony's was very capable of shooting IR handheld though but I doubt you can find that camera--and not sure what it was. You can, however, have D30s and D60s (and probably newer bodies) converted for IR use only. I had considered having my old D60 converted but felt it was an expense for not shooting IR too often.
http://www.lifepixel.com/digital-infrared/samples5.html

I haven't shot IR for a good while---but have just ordered a Lensmate adaptor for the new G9 which allows me to use filters and I've resurrected a 62mm Hoya R72 I've used in the past plus a step ring for the 58mm Lensmate.

I also have Hoya and some other IR filters I've used experimentally with the 5D on tripod--works with most of my lenses but not all (some have 'hot' spots in the lens when using an IR filter). With my SLRs. I prefocus on tripod, have already figured out experimentally what manual settings work best, and then put the filter on and shoot. I do think the G series will allow me to use faster shutter speeds.
http://www.lensmateonline.com/newsite/G7ir.html
See here http://www.pbase.com/lensmate/ir&page=all

Hope this helps.
Diane