Infrared R72 filter on Sony A6500

[dav1d]

Hi, I've been trying to take infrared photos using a Hoya R72 filter on my A6500 however I've been disappointed by the results. I've followed several non camera specific Youtube videos on shooting a processing but I can't see to get an infrared effect.

I've heard that the IR filter on Sony is particularly effective hence the R72 filter method doesn't work. I just wondered if forum members could confirm this and I would need to go for a conversion?

Thanks

 

[Alan Clark]

I use a full spectrum conversion A7R from Ebay, and I love it. It is infinitely superior to using an unconverted camera. I use a 850nm filter for pure infrared, and the B+W 090 filter for the Goldie effect.

 

[dav1d]

I use a full spectrum conversion A7R from Ebay, and I love it. It is infinitely superior to using an unconverted camera. I use a 850nm filter for pure infrared, and the B+W 090 filter for the Goldie effect.

Thanks for the info - just not sure I want to go down the get another camera and convert it at the moment

 

[pointreyes]

Thanks for the info - just not sure I want to go down the get another camera and convert it at the moment

Find a used full spectrum so that with an IR Cut filter you can revert the camera back to visible light usage if you don't enjoy IR. In my case that is easier with full frame thanks to Kolari now providing drop-in filters so that my A7iii can be a visible light camera with an OEM rated IR Cut filter to drop in. Another fun thing with full spectrum is that you can attach what is known as a IR Chrome filter (from Kolari) which gives it an "Aerochrome" look without dealing with channel swapping in post processing and another bonus is no hot spots even with lenses that normally have them.

 

[dav1d]

Great idea, thanks for the advice - I'd not thought of that

 

[lev29]

Hi, I've been trying to take infrared photos using a Hoya R72 filter on my A6500 however I've been disappointed by the results. I've followed several non camera specific Youtube videos on shooting a processing but I can't see to get an infrared effect.

I've heard that the IR filter on Sony is particularly effective hence the R72 filter method doesn't work. I just wondered if forum members could confirm this and I would need to go for a conversion?

Thanks

Hi, dav1d! I have a fundamental question which was not addressed in your post; please forgive me if you took it for granted. Did you have your Sony a6500 camera converted to Full Spectrum, Dual Spectrum, or with some high [wavelength] bandpass filter? If so, which type? If not, then I know why any high bandpass filter with 50% transmission at ~720 nm or greater is doomed to failure (unless one enjoys taking loooong. exposures.)

lev 29

 

[dav1d]

Hi, dav1d! I have a fundamental question which was not addressed in your post; please forgive me if you took it for granted. Did you have your Sony a6500 camera converted to Full Spectrum, Dual Spectrum, or with some high [wavelength] bandpass filter? If so, which type? If not, then I know why any high bandpass filter with 50% transmission at ~720 nm or greater is doomed to failure (unless one enjoys taking loooong. exposures.)

lev 29

Hi lev, no conversion. I'm ok with long exposures but seem to struggle getting light foliage like most IR shots

 

[lev29]

Hi lev, no conversion. I'm ok with long exposures but seem to struggle getting light foliage like most IR shots

Dear dav1d,

I have been formulating a response over the past few days, so consider this message to be part 1 of 3.

I do not want to come across harshly nor do I want you, with one exception, to think that I'm judging your value system. Please understand that while I don't pretend to be a multispectral photography expert or professional, I was a (Medical) Radiologist and have accumulated a few years of experience now doing near-Infrared, as well as Thermal, plus over the past two years, some Ultraviolet, photography.

Whether anything I took is artistic is another matter. I just uploaded (on 02 Sept 2022) into the Landscape Gallery one Multispectral montage consisting of 3 separately acquired photographs, two of which employ different color IR filters and a (Full Spectrum) converted Sony a6000 camera. On 01 Sept 2022, I uploaded 4 MS montages into the Nature Gallery, which include not only some color IR and IR-only images, but a UV and a color UV photo as well. By "color", I am not referring to adding color or adjusting the hue in post-processing (the only exception is selecting from a limited number of manufacturer-based color presets with respect to thermal images.) Aside from converting images to monochrome and cropping, my multispectral photos taken with my Sony digital cameras are SOOC (Straight Out Of the Camera.)

You own a digital mirrorless camera, which is superior (at least in the hands of newcomers,) to digital SLR cameras for acquiring UV and near-IR images. Why? Because ...

(to be continued in part 2)

 

[dav1d]

Dear dav1d,

I have been formulating a response over the past few days, so consider this message to be part 1 of 3.

I do not want to come across harshly nor do I want you, with one exception, to think that I'm judging your value system. Please understand that while I don't pretend to be a multispectral photography expert or professional, I was a (Medical) Radiologist and have accumulated a few years of experience now doing near-Infrared, as well as Thermal, plus over the past two years, some Ultraviolet, photography.

Whether anything I took is artistic is another matter. I just uploaded (on 02 Sept 2022) into the Landscape Gallery one Multispectral montage consisting of 3 separately acquired photographs, two of which employ different color IR filters and a (Full Spectrum) converted Sony a6000 camera. On 01 Sept 2022, I uploaded 4 MS montages into the Nature Gallery, which include not only some color IR and IR-only images, but a UV and a color UV photo as well. By "color", I am not referring to adding color or adjusting the hue in post-processing (the only exception is selecting from a limited number of manufacturer-based color presets with respect to thermal images.) Aside from converting images to monochrome and cropping, my multispectral photos taken with my Sony digital cameras are SOOC (Straight Out Of the Camera.)

You own a digital mirrorless camera, which is superior (at least in the hands of newcomers,) to digital SLR cameras for acquiring UV and near-IR images. Why? Because ...

(to be continued in part 2)

Dear lev29,

Thanks for the effort and the images, happy to take critique. I should have said that I'm looking at BW versions of IR images, hope that helps. Look forward to parts 2 & 3.

dav1d

 

[lev29]

Well dav1d, now that I've reviewed the entire thread and see that you are aware of converting a camera to Full Spectrum (or something more restrictive,) I needn’t be judgmental (which could be construed as harsh,) whatsoeve. Thus, there is only one more "part", appearing here, indicated.

As the French would say, "À chacun à son goût!" You either lack the funds or don’t value doing near-IR photography. As a mathematician or physicist would put it, your employing a brute force technique.

To that end, I can only ask you whether you have explored every means of increasing the exposure to IR light in spite of leaving the Hot Mirror filter intact on your camera's internal digital sensor.

So have you done ALL of the following and still get an unsatisfactory result?

A. Maxxing out the ISO?
B. Increasing the exposure time (at the cost of foregoing using the camera handheld)?
C. Maxxing out the lens aperture?
D. In post-processing, maxxing out the exposure level and tweaking both the brightness and contrast levels?

Do I have any experience in doing the above? Umh, yes, to a limited extent when using my Ultraviolet lens.

I conclude here, wishing you good luck.

lev29

 

[dav1d]

Thanks for your reply lev29. I've tried the things you suggest to no avail. I may make an investment at some point, at the moment I'm just hoping to dabble

dav1d