full IR conversion w/D5100? anyone with experience?

shl3608

Senior Member
Hi,

I'm seriously considering "recycling" my D5100 by spending $250 for the full(true) IR conversion for my boyfriend. There is a local shop known for their excellent service and I plan to take in the camera after bit of research here in this forum and various other sources online.

Anyhow, I'd like to hear from anyone who has extensive experience with IR photography and/or might already own a full IR converted D5100 (or similar bodies, post D90) and gain some insight.

Is this a good camera body for IR conversion? I'm reading various opinions in this regard, some think it's good, some think that it's not as good as older dslr models (i.e. pre-D90)

Also, which IR filter should I install for him? I know he likes really extremely abstract, creative shots using IR photography but I know that he has been frustrated with his outcome using the IR filters he purchsaed. Is 720nm the most versatile? What are the CONs and PROs of something like 550nm or 800nm?

Any input will be appreciated.

I'm just hoping to configure the camera in the most useful format for him that will be give him the most flexibility.

Thank you.
 

shl3608

Senior Member
Thanks, gqtuazon.
LifePixel is def one of the online resources I am utilizing and they do have awesome ref materials. I will need to watch some clips when the BF leaves the house!
How are you enjoying your D80? What are some of your regrets or wishes now that you've used it??
 

gqtuazon

Gear Head
Thanks, gqtuazon.
LifePixel is def one of the online resources I am utilizing and they do have awesome ref materials. I will need to watch some clips when the BF leaves the house!
How are you enjoying your D80? What are some of your regrets or wishes now that you've used it??

My regret is that I realized that I am not into post processing. I don't like to spend a lot of time manipulating the colors so my camera doesn't get a lot of use at all. You need to research and figure out which lenses works best with IR.
 

BackdoorArts

Senior Member
I had my D7000 converted by Kolari Vision after reading about them on Nasim Mansurov's blog. I am extremely happy with mine. As Glenn suggests, getting into IR means you have to be into post-processing your shots. It took me a while to come up with some presets that help me get close to where I want to be fairly quickly, but it's still a 10 minute minimum with most. And you need to shoot RAW, particularly with Nikon as it is next to impossible to achieve a proper in-camera IR white balance with some Nikons.

I heartily recommend the folks at Kolari Vision. For similar money they will also calibrate the camera to one lens, which is very important since IR wavelengths are slightly different and you will not necessarily get crisp focus without it, particularly without using Live View. I have gotten great results with the D7000 and my 18-105mm (a perfect lens for IR). Feel free to poke through my Flickr account to see some of what I have done with it, and check out this post if you want an idea of what kind of color schemes you can get from the 720nm conversion I did. My experience with Kolari Vision was excellent. I traded several emails with them before deciding to send my camera in and they answered all my questions quickly and thoroughly. I have a D90 lying around that I may send in for a full spectrum conversion next year some time.

As for which filter to go with, they can all be abstract. 720nm, to me, is the purest IR conversion, while the others let in more color. If that's extremely important to him then perhaps you want to go with either a lower wavelength conversion, or possibly full spectrum or two-spectrum conversion? With the latter you essentially have a camera that filters out no light whatsoever (or just UV in the second case), so you would need to apply filters to the lens to only allow in what you want. I'm on the fence now about full or two-spectrum. In any case, there are some great examples on the Kolari Vision website.
 
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shl3608

Senior Member
BDH, upon perusing Kolari and Lifepixel, I'm now debating if D5100 should be kept and if my old Sony NEX5n should be converted?
It appears that the mirrorless have some advantages over the traditional dslr.
Plus, I gather having a smaller 2nd body to carry around might be more ideal than to have to travel with D600/610 (depends on what he chooses) and a D5100.
I know... I'm being fickle. I need to study bit more. And I need to take a look at your gallery after work today.

Quick questions:

1. when you mention Live View, do you mean the little preview he can see on the LCD monitor of D5100?
2. I read about 16-85mm being a good lense for IR also. BDH, you mentioned 18-105mm being a good lense for IR. Any specific reason?
 
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