FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Digital infrared photography & conversion FAQ
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Which digital cameras do you modify to infrared & what is the conversion price?
Can I just order the infrared filter and do the conversion myself?
I attempted to convert the camera to IR and broke it, can you repair it for me?
Why is this better than using a infrared filter in front of the lens to block visible light?
Can I use the camera metering after infrared conversion?
Can I use the camera custom white balance function after conversion?
Do I need to manually focus to the IR mark or will the auto focus work for infrared?
Do you make sure there is no dust trapped during the conversion?
Do you provide focus adjustment instructions for DIY filter customers?
Is this permanent or can the camera be converted back to original?
Do you provide instructions or tutorial on how to make color and black & white infrared images?
Will point & shoot digital cameras have the same infrared image quality as DSLRs?
How do I clean the infrared filter in my modified digital camera?
ANSWERS
Camera
Models |
Conversion Price & Filter Type | ||||
Nikon Digital Cameras: |
Super Color IR Filter |
Enhanced Color
IR Filter |
Standard IR Filter |
Deep BW IR Filter |
Full Spectrum IR Filter |
D40,
D40x, D50, D60, D70, D70s, D80, D90, D100, D200,
D300, D300s, D3000, D5000 |
$450 |
$450 |
$400 |
$450 |
$450 |
D700 |
$550 |
$550 |
$500 |
$550 |
$550 |
D1, D1x, D2x, D3, D3x |
$600 |
$600 |
$550 |
$600 |
$600 |
Coolpix 950, 990, 995, 5400, 8400, P5000, P5100 |
$400 |
$400 |
$350 |
$400 |
$400 |
Canon Digital Cameras: |
Super Color IR Filter |
Enhanced Color
IR Filter |
Standard IR Filter |
Deep BW IR Filter |
Full Spectrum IR Filter |
D30, D60, 10D, 20D, 30D, 40D, 50D, 7D, DRebel (300D), DRebel XT (350D), DRebel XTi (400D), DRebel XSi (450D), DRebel XS (1000D), T1i (500D) |
$450 |
$450 |
$400 |
$450 |
$450 |
5D,
5Dmk2, 1D, 1Dmk2, 1Dmk3, 1Dmk4 |
$550 |
$550 |
$500 |
$550 |
$550 |
1Ds, 1Dsmk2, 1Dsmk3 |
$600 |
$600 |
$550 |
$600 |
$600 |
G2, G3, G5, G6, G7, G9, G10, G11, SD800 IS, SD850 IS, SD870 IS, SD880 IS, SD960 IS, SD 1100 IS, S3 IS, S5 IS |
$400 |
$400 |
$350 |
$400 |
$400 |
Fujifilm Digital Cameras: |
Super Color IR Filter |
Enhanced Color
IR Filter |
Standard IR Filter |
Deep BW IR Filter |
Full Spectrum IR Filter |
FinePix
S3 Pro, FinePix S5 Pro |
$450 |
$450 |
$400 |
$450 |
$450 |
What's the difference between the filter choices you offer?
The detailed explanation and image samples can be found on the Sample Images page.
I have a scratched sensor, can you help me?
Absolutely! We can replace your scratched sensor assembly's low pass filter with a scratch free filter. We only use original manufacturer filters and all work is performed in a class 5 clean air environment for a 100% dust free repair.
The scratched sensor repair order can be placed on our website at the order now page. The price for this service is the same as for infrared conversion services priced above.
How do I order?
To order just go to the "Order Now" page of our site and proceed to checkout. Once you purchase the conversion service an email receipt is sent along with instructions on how to send us your camera.
Do you accept international orders?
Absolutely! We have customers all over the world and are happy to accept international orders. You can place your order here.
What is your turnaround time?
Our average turnaround time is 5 to 15 business days from the time we receive the camera.
We do offer a rush service for a 20% surcharge. Rush turnaround time is 3 to 5 days.
Could you ship back in the same box and packing materials?
We always reuse the original packaging materials unless the box is damaged and would be unsafe to reuse or if we feel the packaging was inadequate.
Can I just order the infrared filter and do the conversion myself?
Yes! Please visit our Order Now page for pricing and availability.
Can the Fuji S2 pro be converted to IR?
Unfortunately no, the Fuji S2 uses a sensor were the hot mirror is fused to the sensor chip and so it cannot be modified to infrared. We are converting the S3.
I attempted to convert the camera to IR and broke it, can you repair it for me?
Unfortunately no, we don't do repair work. If you attempt to convert to infrared yourself and break your digital camera we cannot help you, you will need to send the camera to the manufacturer for repair.
I recently purchased your IR/clear filter and have since decided I'd rather have you convert the camera for me, can you use the filter I purchased and what is the cost for you to convert?
As long as it is in good condition without any scratches or digs we'd be happy to use it and discount 30% off the conversion service price.
Can the converted camera be used for thermal imaging?
No, infrared converted cameras are sensitive to about 1200nm only, thermal imaging requires sensitivity from about 7,000nm to over 14,000nm.
I am interested in astronomical photography and would like to have have my camera converted for full spectrum sensitivity, do you offer clear filter conversion service? or I would like to use one camera and still be able to shoot either UV, visible or infrared by changing an external filter on the lens, do you install clear filters?
Yes, we convert cameras to full spectrum sensitivity here is the complete list.
What exactly do you do to the camera?
Digital imaging sensors in most cases are just as sensitive to infrared light as to visible light. Camera manufacturers stop infrared light from contaminating the images by placing a hot mirror filter in front of the sensor which blocks the infrared part of the spectrum while still allowing the visible light to pass.
We remove this hot mirror filter and replace it with our custom manufactured infrared or clear filter. Then we adjust the focus, compacts are adjusted for the built in lens and DSLR cameras are adjusted to a 50mm 1.8 II lens (Canon) or 18-70DX lens (Nikon/Fujifilm).
Why is this better than using a infrared filter in front of the lens to block visible light?
The internal hot mirror filter blocks most of the infrared light from reaching the imaging sensor, thus making the exposure time much longer, usually seconds long and requiring a tripod. That long of an exposure makes it difficult to photograph people and really slows you down as you have to set up a tripod for each shot.
Also because you place the opaque infrared filter in front of your lens you can't see to compose and focus, making it even more difficult and time consuming to take each shot.
After conversion the exposure times are much shorter, as an example a converted D100 on a sunny day on ISO 200 at f/8 would have ashutter speed of around 1/400th of a second. This makes handheld shots easy and since there is no filter in front of the lens you can focus and compose like normal.
What type of filter do you use?
Our filters are custom manufactured to
our exacting specifications. The filters are made of high quality
optical glass offering excellent infrared response and better than
10/5 scratch/dig rating.
Here is our standard infrared filter response graph:
Can I use the camera metering after infrared conversion?
The metering will work as usual. Keep in mind that the amount of infrared light varies from scene to scene even if overall brightness is the same. Since the camera light meter senses only visible light you may need to dial in some exposure compensation, example: +1.3 stops.
Can I use the camera custom white balance function after conversion?
Most cameras will set a custom white balance just fine after conversion with the exception of Nikon D40 and FujiFilm S3. With these cameras you will need to shoot RAW images and adjust the white balance to your liking in post production.
Do I need to manually focus to the IR mark or will the auto focus work for infrared?
We adjust the auto focus and can attain
f/2.8 accuracy in most cases. For Canon DSLR cameras the lens we
calibrate to is the 50mm 1.8 lens and for Nikon and Fujifilm DSLR
cameras we
calibrate with the18-70 AFS DX lens.
Each lens diffracts infrared light differently so some lenses may be a bit
off in one direction or the other and with zoom lenses the focus may be different
on each zoom setting and most different at the opposite ends of the range.
In most cases you can stop the lens down to f/8 or higher and get good results.
We also offer a custom lens calibration service were you can send in your Nikon or Canon brand lens and we will do our best to calibrate the camera to this lens as tightly as possible. If a zoom lens is sent then we will calibrate it too the middle average of the range, unless specificaly requested otherwise.
Do you make sure there is no dust trapped during the conversion?
We have a specifically designed process for dust elimination working in class 5 clean air and can get as close to a dust free conversion as is practical but in most cases there will remain a few dust specks normaly invisible in photographs.
Do you provide focus adjustment instructions for DIY filter customers?
We do not provide instructions for focus adjustments. For most accurate focus please send your camera to us for conversion.
Is this permanent or can the camera be converted back to original?
Any time you decide you want the camera converted back to original just send it to us and we'll convert it back to normal for 1/2 of the current conversion price.
Can I see some example infrared images?
Sure, to see sample images please visit the Sample IR Images page.
Can I see a full resolution image?
You can download a full resolution infrared image taken with a Canon Rebel XT converted with our standard IR filter here.
Do you provide instructions or tutorial on how to make color and black & white infrared images?
Yes, our infrared photography instructions page contains a how to video on how to do this in Photoshop.
Will point & shoot digital cameras have the same infrared image quality as DSLRs?
DSLRs usually produce better quality images over point and shoots; the noise is lower, have less jpg artifacts and in most cases infrared images are more colorful. The Nikon Coolpix 5400 doesn't do well with color IR using our standard filter, with these models installing our Enhanced color IR filter will result in color IR images with a look somewere between our standard and enhanced filters.
How do I clean the infrared filter in my modified digital camera?
The infrared filter can be cleaned using the same accepted methods used to clean regular digital camera sensors and are in fact more durable than the original hot mirror filters.
Do you have an affiliate program?
Absolutely! We offer excelent affiliate terms, please visit the affiliate page for further info.
If you have any further questions please feel free to email us.