Give an old camera a new life? Maybe infrared photography?

[FowlersFreeTime]

4 years ago I gave my old a6000 to my mum, she has not used it once. She is absolutely addicted to the instant gratification of cellphone photography and sharing on facebook or whatsapp with family. So I think this Christmas I'm going to take it back. I know that sounds bad, but trust me, she won't miss it.

I'm kind of curious to try infrared photography, and I thought that maybe bringing this old camera body home and getting it converted would be a fun experiment. Looks like that would cost me around $300, which will eat into my savings for another lens, but perhaps it would be a better learning opportunity than simply trading it in for a few quick bucks.

Who here has done it? thoughts? guidance?

 

[Alan Clark]

My A7R came to me converted to full spectrum and I use it for infrared with Kolari clip-in filters, mostly mono (some of my images are on this site). I love the effect of dark skies and white foliage - some images do not work as well in visible light. If you also like the effect then I can recommend it. One drawback is that it is more weight to carry around if you also want to shoot in visible light as well.

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

My A7R came to me converted to full spectrum and I use it for infrared with Kolari clip-in filters, mostly mono (some of my images are on this site). I love the effect of dark skies and white foliage - some images do not work as well in visible light. If you also like the effect then I can recommend it. One drawback is that it is more weight to carry around if you also want to shoot in visible light as well.

My main camera is an A6700, so carrying a modified a6000 body wouldn't be too much bulk, plus both bodies can use the same lenses.
I think I need to do more research because I don't even understand which options to choose:

Sony Mirrorless Infrared Conversion

With this conversion service we will replace the internal hot mirror filter with a high quality custom made infrared glass filter. This will allow your camera to capture infrared light instead of visible light. After IR conversion you won't need any filters in front of the lens and the camera...

www.lifepixel.com

470nm? 720nm?

 

[Alan Clark]

I am surprised that they don't do a full-spectrum conversion, but 470nm is the closest, only blocking ultraviolet and extreme violet. This would give you flexibility in your choice of filter - you can shoot colour images using the red end of the visible spectrum, or all infrared, or far infrared. If you choose 720nm then you are restricted to infrared only, so only pick that if you are certain that you do not want to record visible light at all.

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

I really like the ones you shared recently (south bank, skyscrapers, Westminster). I guess my confusion is that I really like these monochromatic shots, but the different wavelength ratings don't mean much to me yet, maybe as you suggest I would do 470nm. Going to watch a whole boat load of videos on the topic.

 

[Unframed Dave]

For similar money, you can buy something already converted off ebay.

I keep thinking about it, but never manage to convince myself that I'd use it.

 

[lev29]

4 years ago I gave my old a6000 to my mum, she has not used it once. She is absolutely addicted to the instant gratification of cellphone photography and sharing on facebook or whatsapp with family. So I think this Christmas I'm going to take it back. I know that sounds bad, but trust me, she won't miss it.

I'm kind of curious to try infrared photography, and I thought that maybe bringing this old camera body home and getting it converted would be a fun experiment. Looks like that would cost me around $300, which will eat into my savings for another lens, but perhaps it would be a better learning opportunity than simply trading it in for a few quick bucks.

Who here has done it? thoughts? guidance?

I have had three of my Sony mirrorless cameras, a6000, a7ii, and the a6700, converted to full spectrum, all by Kolari Vision, which is based in New Jersey, USA.

I have not read through the entire thread, following your post, but understand this: besides converting the camera itself to full spectrum, you will also be purchasing some external filters! If you buy them from American or British retailers, even online, they will be relatively expensive compared with most filters purchased for visible light-only cameras. If understanding more of this is of interest to you, please feel free to ask me as I have had experience with a variety of different filters for multi-spectral photography.

Also, not all lenses are the same; specifically, some lenses have infrared hotspots, which can degrade image quality significantly. There are some lists of lenses out there as to which ones are good for infrared and which ones are not. In addition, it is a major criterion for me when I purchase a lens, I always check for hotspots. Again, if this is of interest to you, please feel free to contact me.

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

I have had three of my Sony mirrorless cameras, a6000, a7ii, and the a6700, converted to full spectrum, all by Kolari Vision, which is based in New Jersey, USA.

I have not read through the entire thread, following your post, but understand this: besides converting the camera itself to full spectrum, you will also be purchasing some external filters! If you buy them from American or British retailers, even online, they will be relatively expensive compared with most filters purchased for visible light-only cameras. If understanding more of this is of interest to you, please feel free to ask me as I have had experience with a variety of different filters for multi-spectral photography.

Also, not all lenses are the same; specifically, some lenses have infrared hotspots, which can degrade image quality significantly. There are some lists of lenses out there as to which ones are good for infrared and which ones are not. In addition, it is a major criterion for me when I purchase a lens, I always check for hotspots. Again, if this is of interest to you, please feel free to contact me.

Good to know! I think I've backed off the idea somewhat, but I still look at IR photos with interest. Feel free to post some here if you're keen to share.