Shooting Infrared with a Sony Nex-7

 

Garrapata State Park, Carmel California

18-55mm lens 18mm (27mm) 

f/11 1/125 ISO 100

 

This will turn out to be a multi-part conversation regarding shooting infrared (IR) images with a Sony Nex-7.  On April 11th I gave a teaser about the subject; on May 3rd I gave some brief samples of the images captured shortly after I got the camera back from Life Pixel.  Now, I go a little more in depth on the subject of shooting IR with the Sony Nex-7 along with the processing of the files.  The good, the bad and the ugly.

Garrapata State Park, Carmel California

18-55mm lens 18mm (27mm)

f/11 1/125 ISO 100

 

 

Bixby Bridge, Big Sur California

As shot, converted to black & white and Color conversion

20mm (30mm) f/11 1/80 ISO 100

 

When I first began looking at the Nex-7 as a candidate for conversion I found little written about it.  The most information I found was located on the various websites that offer the conversion services.  So far to date I've not found one instance of anyone writing about their experience. 

 

Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, Big Sur California

20mm (30mm) f/16 0.6 seconds ISO 100

Yes, you can "smoke water in IR
 

I highly recommend a visit to Life Pixels website as you'll find a wealth of information on the various filter choices, camera choices as well as sample of images and tutorials that include a multipage eBook "Digital Infrared Photography Primer" found here.  I figure why reinvent the wheel when the kind folks at Life Pixel already has one rolling?  You'll find much more information here than what I can hope to offer so go visit the site.  

 

A word about Life Pixel.  I am not associated with the company, nor was I asked to indorse them in anyway.  I feel that when you find a great company to do business with it's beneficial to spread the word.  After all I want them to continue providing the great service for years to come.

 

Garrapata State Park, Carmel California

18-55mm lens 50mm (75mm)

f/16 1/100 ISO 100

 

As written earlier, I choose to convert the Nex-7 the same as I did the 1DsII; using an "Enhanced Color Infrared Filter".  This filter transmits more of the visible red and is similar to a Wratten 70 gelatin filter.   Since it passes more visible red light the IR images have more color in them; more color in the sky as well as foliage.  The files can also be processed in Photoshop to produce a pleasing end result.
 

There's a problem though.  First, the filter is slightly darker thus the view from the LCD and Viewfinder is darker, much darker.  The best I can describe it is that it's like looking at the LCD through a pair of sunglasses.  I've got a friend who shoots infrared using a 720 filter which is brighter.  He keeps the camera in "P" mode and gets excellent results.  I tried that and quickly found it doesn't work for me and went back to the way I normally shoot which is "M" (manual).  I found by shooting manual I can see the scene clear enough in bright sunlight using either the Viewfinder or LCD.  All the images included here were shot in manual mode.

 

 

Same image from Tucson, Arizona

first converted to black & white the second converted to color

20mm (30mm) f/8 1/500 ISO 100

 

Okay there's another problem.  I figured to get rid of the bad first.  Photoshop and by extension Camera Raw can not properly process any infrared image which has a White Balance set for IR.  All's not lost.  If you use a Nikon or Cannon you simply use the software that came with the camera to open the file and then save as a Tiff.  The same holds true with Sony.  Sony has a program they call "Image Data Converter".  That's the good news.  The bad news is that it doesn't support 64bit which is what I have on my computer.  There's a work around.  I open the program and save 2-files to Tiff then close it down before it stalls and quits.  Then I open it again and do 2-more.  It sucks but until Sony gets around to supporting 64bit I'm stuck with this type of workflow.  One other thought before I end this portion.  I shoot RAW files as there's so much more information included than with a Jpeg.  Please, if you're going to shoot IR do yourself the favor of using the best possible capture you have available and shoot RAW.
 

RAW file as seen in Photoshop

 

Same file as seen in Sony Image Data Converter

 

Image seen after opening in Photoshop and converting to color

20mm (30mm) f/8 1/640 ISO 100

 

A typical file when opened in CS6 is 6171x4114 pixels (17x11) at 360 dpi resolution and 16 bit.  We're talking enough information/resolution to print almost any size you want.  This file as an example (DSC0030) as shot was 23.88 MB; once converted to a Tiff the size is now 145.29 MB before any further processing is done.  Using a false color action the file is now 290.57MB.

 

Entering Death Valley California

20mm (30mm) f/16 1/100 ISO100

Converted to black & white and cropped to suit

 

Lenses used:  The Nex7 came with what appears to be a good 18-55 "kit lens".  Normally I shy away from using any kit lens as they are routinely not the "best".  I did however use it on this outing; primarily to see what it would produce and to get a better feel for the camera.  I ordered the new Sony 20mm pancake while the conversion was taking place.  My thoughts were that it would make for an even smaller footprint (which it does) and with the crop factor of 1.5 it would keep me close at 30mm of what my widest lens on the Cambo and Phase One DF is.  (I've included the 35mm focal length as follows 20mm (30mm) or 18-55mm lens 18mm (27mm)).

 

Along the to Death Valley California

20mm (30mm) f/11 1/125 ISO100

Color conversion, cropped to suit

 

Mesquite Sand Dunes, Death Valley California

20mm (30mm) f/16 1/125 ISO 100

Color conversion, cropped to suit

 

Death Valley, California

20mm (30mm) f/8 1/125 ISO 100

Color conversion, cropped to suit



As an end note to this section; I liked the way the Nex7 handled so well that I've since ordered another one to keep as a color camera.  Additionally I've ordered the newly released Zeiss 12mm and 32mm lenses to be used on either camera body.

 

20 Mule Team Canyon, Death Valley California

20mm (30mm) f/9 1/160 ISO 100

  



20 Mule Team Canyon, Death Valley California

20mm (30mm) f/9 1/160 ISO 100

I decided I liked the coler better

 

I think I've included enough sample images to prove that the Sony Nex-7 is a great candidate for infrared conversion and with just a little bit of extra work you'll get great images either as they are, color converted or black & white.

 

Zabrisike Point, Death Valley California

20mm (30mm) f/11 1/200 ISO 100

 

There's going to be more to this so stay tuned.  If you have any questions, comments or suggestion please feel free to contact me.



Furnace Creek Ranch, Death Valley California

20mm (30mm) f/8 1/160 ISO 100

 

 

 

Don



 



 

 

 

 

 



Sony NEX-7 Infrared

The Sony was returned yesterday after undergoing surgery at Life Pixels.  I bought the little NEX-7 for the sole purpose of converting it to shoot infrared in the 665nm range.  I choose to go in the 665nm range as that's what I had another camera converted to and was pleased with the files.  The 665nm blocks wavelengths shorter than 665nm allowing those longer than 665nm to pass through.  This conversion is well suited for color infrared photography due to its broader transmittance properties. Color is more saturated; black and white while possible might not be as dramatic as the 715nm filter.

The camera:

One of the smallest (it fits in the palm of your hand) 24.3 megapixel (native print size at 360dpi is 16.667x11.111) with an APS-C sensor amounting to a 1.5 crop factor for 35mm.  The camera came with a 18-55mm lens (comparable to 27-82.5mm 35mm focal length).  The camera by itself weights in at 10.3 oz (292 g).  The thing is small but carries a huge punch.

 

 

I wanted a smaller format lens than the kit lens and opted for the new Sony 20mm f/2.8 which is approximately 1.5 inches long.  The 20mm is comparable to 30mm in a 35mm format.  In checking focal lengths of my medium format I found the 40mm I use on my Cambo WRS tech cam is comparable to a 25mm while the 55mm lens on my Phase One DF body is 34mm.  I see this lens fitting right in; and it can fit in my pocket!

The weather in Tucson has made a turn for the worse with red flag warnings and visibility less than 10 miles.  The sky (if you can see it) is dull with blowing sand/dust/dirt/crap.  Not a great time to test/get used to a new camera.  So what do you when?  Shoot close up.

 

 

There are four-samples of the same image included here.  The first image shows the file directly out of the camera.  Number-two shows the same image with just a touch of contrast added (added to taste).  Number-three shows the effect of an old infrared action I used with my older camera (and still works with the NEX-7).  The fourth-file shows the result of processing Number-three through NIK Silver-Efex Pro2.

I've got a trip to California next week where I'll end up shooting this along Big Sur before heading to Death Valley on the way home.  I'll be sharing more information/images as I get use to the camera. 

  

Don

Along the Colorado Plateau

Located on the Arizona-Utah state line, near Four Corners is an area rich in history and beautiful scenery.  This area has the greatest concentration of US National Park units in the country.  Ten National Parks, Grand Canyon, Zion, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Canyonlands, Arches, Mesa Verde and the Petrified Forest are all located here.  Seventeen National Monuments including Hovenweep, Wupatki, Sunset Crater Volcano, Grand Staircase-Escalante, Natural Bridges and Canyon de Chelly are also located in the area.  Added to this list is a vast segment of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands as well as the Navajo Nation.  The Navajo Nation occupies portions of northeastern Arizona, southeastern Utah and northwestern New Mexico and is the largest land area assigned on any Native American jurisdiction in the United States.

 

 

Among the beauty listed above is Tsé Biiʼ Ndzisgaii (meaning valley of rocks) or Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park. 
 

 

Growing up as a boy I loved watching old black and white western movies primarily John Wayne.  One can not visit Monument Valley or see images from there without seeing the landscape that captured the imagination of thousands as they watched John Wayne battle the bad guys.  I like to say that visit Monument Valley and you'll see the most two-most famous Johns in American film history;  John Ford the director and John Way the actor.

 

 

 

We've been going to Monument Valley several times a year and each time always visit Valley of the Gods which is situated less that 30-minutes east.  This last trip has turned into what we believe is the best due to extremely great weather conditions.

Sandy and I stayed the View Hotel located right on the rim overlooking Monument Valley spending 2-days hiking and shooting the area.  The equipment used to capture the images here were simple; Sandy used her Canon 1DsIII and a EF24-70 lens while I used a Phase One DF body, Phase One IQ160 digital back and a Schneider 55mm leaf shutter lens.  We also captured several minutes of time-lapse video which will be included in our next DVD.

 

Monument Valley is primarily a location you drive using a 17-mile loop around the valley floor.  There is however a hiking trail that allows one a closer look.  Wildcat Trail (3.2 mile loop) is a fairly level/easy route that loops around the West Mitten Butte.  No matter the time of year you should be cautious making certain you carry plenty of water.

 

 

These are just teaser samples of what we were fortunate to capture during our stay.  There's still plenty of processing and test printing to do.  Most of the images will eventually end up in Volume 5 of our DVD with a couple being offered for sale as a print in our web gallery.   

 

 

Thank you for allowing us to share and remember, your comments are always welcomed.  Stay tuned for more and watch for the release of DVD Volume 5 coming within a couple months.

 

Sandy & Don