My D70 lives on, IR converted

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I converted my D70 to IR -- MaxMax.com did the work -- several years ago, and every once in a while I take it

along just for fun. I converted it when I got my D200, since put aside for a D700.

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Yesterday I drove in Rocky Mountain National Park, instead of hiking, which meant everything could go along. D70,

D700, an assortment of lenses, and a tripod. (When I hike, as I did the day before, I take an Olympus E-P1 with a 17mm pancake

lens.)

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Along Trail Ridge Road, at about 12,000 ft., I noticed some distant mountains partly obscured by haze. Time for

IR! I put my Nikon 70-300mm zoom on the D70, set for 70mm (35mm equivalent of 105mm).

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No zone system for me... I just pushed the button.

Here's what the NEF file looked like when I first brought it into Lightroom:

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<img src='http://basepath.com/images/photo.net/TrailRidgeRoadView-original.jpg'>

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And here's after I converted it to B&W and made lots of other adjustments:

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<img src='http://basepath.com/images/photo.net/TrailRidgeRoadView.jpg'>

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Proves that 6MP is plenty, if you use them well. ;-)

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If you're interested, I wrote a little <a href='http://basepath.com/articles/infrared.html'>article</a> about my

conversion a few years ago.

<p>Great to read your post and see an old camera still being used. I love IR photography and since Kodak discontinued HIE 35mm I've been wanting to convert an older Nikon body to IR. Recently got ahold of an old D1x which has a good IR signature so I'll be converting that soon. Good work.</p>

<p>great! i may do the same...how much did it cost!</p>

<p>nice image!</p>

<p>I got my D70 IR converted at Life Pixel 2 years ago and use it a lot for BW photos.</p>

 

<p>And here the converted, Used NX2 with NIK color Efex Pro filters.</p>

<p>Never really seen the attraction of IR, but that shot of yours Marc is a real stunner. Focus looks to be spot-on. Did you just guesstimate it?</p>

<p>After reading your post I went out on the porch and got this. It was pouring so much, I could hardly see. Like you, <em>"I converted it when I got my D200, since put aside for a D700." </em>But my "conversion" is different. I just removed the AA filter, and stick in rosco gels behind the mirror box; took 15 minutes, and 5 min to change gels if I want a different cutoff. More examples in my folders.</p><div></div>

A few answers:

 

As I mentioned in the article (see my original post for link), the conversion cost $450 in 2007.

 

Focusing isn't a problem: The view through the viewfinder is normal, and the conversion adjusted the focus so it's accurate for IR.

<p>I just got ahold of an old Nikon D1x I want to convert for IR. The cost of Life Pixel's "Conversion" far exceeds the cost of the camera! However thanks to <a href="../photodb/user?user_id=425339">Indraneel</a> for the info. I will try and convert mine using a Lee 87c filter for $26.00</p>

@Jens: Love truck photo #1!

<p>Marc,<br>

Nice. I would suggest setting a custom white balance on the D70 for IR capture. Easy to do with the D70 and the NEF file will be closer to the final image in appearance. Use grass under bright, sunny conditions to set.</p><div></div>

<p>Interesting stuff! <br>

I have only just had my D200 converted to IR by ACS here in the UK. (after tax and postage I paid £366).<br>

Now I just need to use it. I'll try your tip for custom white balance first Marc.<br>

Thanks<br>

Stan</p>

<p>Big T-Storm rolling in....with a custom white balance set, close to the original NEF file with minimal tweaks in PS.</p><div></div>

<p>Nice one Dave.<br /> How do you know to set your custom white balance "close to the original NEF file" for this one and not to use "grass under sunny conditions"?<br /> I can see that I have much to learn here!<br /> The following was taken on my IR modified D200, using sunlit grass for white balance, but was subjected to some heavy curves in PS afterwards.<br /> Stan</p><div></div>