IR Converted Fujifilm F30

erich6

Ok guys and gals. I've been eying maxmax.com's IR camera conversions for a while and they now have the Fujifilm F30 with IR conversion for $560.00. This is the lowest price you can expect to find and get into digital IR.

My question is whether you think the $560 is worth it. The next level up is $950 for a Canon 350D.

I've already decided against going through the hassle of buying a used camera and having it converted. When you add up all the shipping and handling it comes close to buying it direct from maxmax and you get a new camera to boot.

Main pro's for the F30: compact, low price. Let me say it again: compact and low price.
Main con's for the F30: JPEG only (no RAW), xD memory, no wide angle (35 mm is max), need IR blocking filter

So, does the portability of a P&S win over the image quality and choices of a Canon SLR? I already use a Canon 20D so this would only be for specialized shooting when I'm out hiking.

Erich

erich6

:help

Andy

My opinion is to use a larger sensor DSLR. Like the rebel. IR is already noisy, the small sensor just exacerbates it.

Still, I'm sure the Fuji will be nice

erich6

Andy wrote:

My opinion is to use a larger sensor DSLR. Like the rebel. IR is already noisy, the small sensor just exacerbates it.

Still, I'm sure the Fuji will be nice

Thanks Andy. I hadn't thought about the noise.... Can you say how much the noise increases in terms of ISO...say for a Canon SLR conversion? I mean, does an ISO400 look like an ISO800 or worse?

Erich

Mr. 2H2O

Erich,
I would recommend going the cheapest route for now so you can develop how you like to shoot IR. For instance, do you like to go on an outing for just IR photography? Do you like to carry two bodies and shoot some scenes in visible light and some in IR? Are you passionate about IR photography or at this point just wanting to try it out to see if you enjoy it?

I do agree with Andy that a larger sensor will give more pleasing smoothness. I have found that with my F717 conversion, the digital noise increases when recording IR like doubling the ISO setting on that camera. If I use the entire composition, it looks fine and does not show up in small prints (5x7). If I crop, I use NeatImage to smooth it out.

It is very convenient to do a whitebalance adjustment. My Sony has a custom setting and I have developed different colored target cards from different materials to set a custom white balance with very pleasing results. I am not aware if the Fuji allows for that. In my opinion, its pretty frustrating to take a magenta image and try to do something with it other than B&W. I enjoy playing around with the colors in my IR photorgraphs by first manipulating the whitebalance in custom mode.

-Mike

k2c1959

Ir
i have been thinking of having my extra camera (a 350d) converted. which is better or what is the difference between them? IR-Only or IR+Visible..
any idea?

Andy

k2c1959 wrote:

i have been thinking of having my extra camera (a 350d) converted. which is better or what is the difference between them? IR-Only or IR+Visible..
any idea?

IR only is best.

erich6

Mr. 2H2O wrote:

Erich,
I would recommend going the cheapest route for now so you can develop how you like to shoot IR. For instance, do you like to go on an outing for just IR photography? Do you like to carry two bodies and shoot some scenes in visible light and some in IR? Are you passionate about IR photography or at this point just wanting to try it out to see if you enjoy it?

I do agree with Andy that a larger sensor will give more pleasing smoothness. I have found that with my F717 conversion, the digital noise increases when recording IR like doubling the ISO setting on that camera. If I use the entire composition, it looks fine and does not show up in small prints (5x7). If I crop, I use NeatImage to smooth it out.

It is very convenient to do a whitebalance adjustment. My Sony has a custom setting and I have developed different colored target cards from different materials to set a custom white balance with very pleasing results. I am not aware if the Fuji allows for that. In my opinion, its pretty frustrating to take a magenta image and try to do something with it other than B&W. I enjoy playing around with the colors in my IR photorgraphs by first manipulating the whitebalance in custom mode.

-Mike

Mike,

Thanks for your thoughtful post. I can't say I'm passionate about IR photography since I've never done it but I do find some of the IR photograph's I've seen from others very compelling. There's a certain mystical look that is very attractive to me. I can see myself dedicating an outing (a short trip/half-day) to just IR photography but I'm not sure I would go on a multi-day trip without being able to take regular photographs...but that could change.

I don't think I would enjoy carrying around two DSLR bodies with me but it wouldn't be a big issue either (I have a camera backpack and I think I can make room in there for another camera body). However, the main appeal for going to an F30 (aside from the lower cost) is that it is compact.

Noise is also not something that bothers me too much particularly since a certain amount of noise in B&W images can actually enhance the picture. I can also process the images in DxO or Photoshop for noise reduction so the loss of an f-stop doesn't hurt my head too much. It would be a no-brainer if the F30 shot RAW--but it doesn't--so this could be an issue....

Like Andy said it's better to have IR-only so with the F30 I'll have to buy a blocking filter. That rounds up the cost to ~$600. For $350 more I can get an XT IR body and the ability to use my Canon lenses. Tough choice!

I know you guys can't decide for me but are there other factors I should consider in this?

Erich

Mr. 2H2O

Erich,
I went though some thought last fall about the cheapest way to get an IR camera. I concluded for me converting my F717 was the best way to go since I already had it. While looking, I was also considering a used Nikon Coolpix 5400 and getting it converted at Lifepixel. The 5400 is 5MP, compact, shoots Nikon RAW, and Lifepixel can convert it to IR only which means you get the image preview through the LCD (it has an optical viewfinder). If you use Ebay to get the camera for less than $150, Lifepixel for $200, and accessories for maybe $20, shipping totals maybe $30, you can get a good, compact, inexpensive solution to play around with without adding external filters.

I've had great success pushing noise down pretty far with NeatImage.

- Mike

patch29

I have been waiting to see the FinePix IS-1 from Fuji. It seems it will open up a lot of options.

Fujifilm has also announced a specialized infrared sensitive version of the SLR-like S9100. The new IS-1 joins the quietly introduced S3 Pro UVIR in providing additional sensitivity to the infrared spectrum, used mostly for law enforcement and specialized scientific applications. Additionally you can purchase an add-on hot mirror filter to block IR light and produce results similar to a normal digital camera. Just like the S9100 the IS-1 has a 10.7x optical zoom lens and nine megapixel Super CCD sensor. The IS-1 will be available in February for around $900.

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