D70 infared conversion???

[bourboncowboy]

I've been doing some thinking lately about the future of my D70.

Since I've upgraded to the D200, it just sits around (in the

original box, of course) gathering dust. So, while I was sitting on

the sofa today, I began wondering about infared photography.

 

So here's my questions: Has anyone successfully converted a D70 to

infared usage? If so, how easy was it to do? If it was done

professionally, how much did it cost?

 

I've taken less than 5,000 shots with the camera and it doesn't have

a scratch on it. It performs beautifully. I considered selling it,

but I doubt I could get much for it. So, if I eventually decide to

keep it, I'd like to get some real use out of it. Any help or

suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks in advance,

Mark

[akira]

Hi, Mark,

 

I'm afraid that this is not a direct answer to your question, but at least you can make sure if you really like to explore the world of IR without modifying your D70.

 

All you have to do is to put your camera/lens combo on a tripod, put any available IR transmission filter (Wratten 89B, 87, 87C or their equivalents, gel or resin or glass) on any of your lens and then release. Some lenses may cause hot spots but then you can try another one.

 

A completely stock D70 can take very good IR pictures, which is something your stock D200 is never able to do. It's worth trying especially if your D70 is in "as good as new" condition.

 

Hope you enjoy your experiment!

[mars790]

Mark - Akira is right. it's funny that you posted this as i was just thinking the same

regarding my D70 since i haven't touched it since i got the D200. i remember seeing this

on Bjorn's site:

 

by Bjørn Rørslett Infrared (IR) photography with D70

 

"One pleasant surprise with many of the digital cameras is their ability to record useful

imagery outside the visible spectrum. Each generation of Nikon D-series cameras has had

its IR sensitivity decreased, or put the other way, the efficiency of the filter pack has

increased. D70 has an IR sensitivity approximately on par with D2H, this implies it has

nearly 2 EV less IR sensitivity than the D1-series models. This of course necessitates

tripod use, but as far as I'm concerned, tripods are the normal means of mounting a

camera anyway. No big deal.

 

Further test indicated however that D70, again similar to D2H, can be at least equally

responsive to IR as D1H, for some special contingencies. Probably, this relates to the more

gentle manner in which the internal IR filter rolls off its response toward longer

wavelengths (see next paragraph). Incandescent lighting is just such a situation in which

D70 may pick up more IR than you normally wish, and for which deployment of a hot-

mirror filter may be a sensible cure.

 

With the less dense Wratten 89B filter, the images lifted straight off the camera have a

quite strong reddish cast to them.

 

Wratten 87 is much denser than the 89B, and accordingly the exposure had to be

increased by nearly 4 stops.

 

Quite unexpectedly, D70 responded nicely to the even darker Wratten 87C filter, and the

main difference to the image obtained with Wratten 87 was a more muted and neutral

colour balance, and a slightly enhanced feeling of depth to the landscape. Since the basic

IR "look" is present already with a Wratten 89B or equivalent if you colour-balance the

pictures, this approach should probably be the more wise to follow. D70 otherwise might

run into longish exposures of sufficient duration to trigger troublesome hot pixels, if you

choose to shot under less than bright sunlit conditions.

 

IR images obtained by D70 matched quite closely to those produced by my D2H, so in the

future I can use either camera as a reliable backup to my customised D1 ("D1R") for

professional digital IR photography."

 

see his site for examples: http://www.naturfotograf.com/D70_rev05IR.html

 

hope that reinforces Akira's comment. try this first and keep your D70 for a decent IR

camera and still use it for those bad weather/hot summer 100 degrees inside the car

moments...

[dan_mcclain]

My unmodified D50 takes great photos with a Hoya R72 filter, which is by far the cheapest IR-only filter. On a bright sunny day I can get f4 1/30sec. I usually mount it on a tripod and use f11, so the depth of field corrects for any error in focusing for the different wavelength. The photos do come out with a strong red cast, but I convert them all to black and white anyway so it doesn't concern me.

 

If you have the D70 unmodified you can always take it on trips where you're too worried about theft or accidents to bring the D200.<div></div>

[dan_mcclain]

If you copy and paste that picture into your computer it'll appear much better than it does on the "large photo" link above.

[akira]

As Rick mentioned, my initial interest in IR digital photography was initiated by Bjorn's great website:-)

 

I personally have a D2H and enjoy photographing in IR. I use Fuji's asetate filters SC72, IR78 and IR84 which are equivalents of Kodak Wratten filter mentioned my first post and cost only about 9 dollars each. I also use Cokin 007 100x100mm resin filter (equivalent of 089B).

 

I think that the generation of D2H and D70 as well as D70s and D50 is the last generation that can take nice IR pictures without any modifications because, as mentioned in Bjorn's review, the IR cut filter in the DSLRs become better and better.

 

Here's my humble example of IR picture using Cokin 007:

[vivek iyer]

Reasons for converting:

 

1. Upto 7 stops more sensitivity.

 

2. You can see what you shoot without having to put a filter on the lens.

 

Your decision.

[akira]

Year, Vivek has given the ultimate answer. With a dramatically increased sensitivity to IR and a "visible" finder, you will be able even to hand-hold your camera. In addition, you'll be able to adjust the mirror so that you don't need to comensate for the focus error, which enables you even to use AF function!

 

Incidentally, Peter, can I ask one question? Has the 18-70 zoom ever caused any hot-spots?

[akira]

Sorry, my posts in this thread are full of mistakes:-(

 

"comensate" should have been "compensate"

[dennisprice]

Mark, just in case you haven't seen this site:

 

http://www.lifepixel.com/ir-tutorials/nikon-d70-digital-infrared-conversion-instructions.htm

[eric_boutilier_brown1]

I had a D70 converted by Nikon Canada a year ago and totally love it, using it 10X more than my colour camera (though, to be honest, I worked with IR film for a decade before this). Nikon Canada said they would charge $250 CDN for the conversion, but ended up doing it for free. As said above, the main advantages are being able to photograph without a filter, equivelent or higher ISO sensitivity to the unconverted camera (as opposed to painfully long exposures), and if you hack the focus yourself, the ability to use AF, even with large apertures, as I do with my 50mm f/1.4!

I have a full tech page on my site <www.evolvingbeauty.com> about the conversion and using the converted camera, in the tech section if you are interested.<div></div>

[ravi_swamy]

Just use a filter to make sure you enjoy IR before potentially damaging your camera. My D2X sucks for IR but the D70 and 89B (I think that's what I have) made these.<div></div>

[ravi_swamy]

Here's another.<div></div>

[ravi_swamy]

last one<div></div>

[richam]

I had my D100 converted at irdigital.net. I use my 20 year old Nikon AI lenses and get great

results even handheld. There are a number of images posted on my World War I <a

href="http://richam.smugmug.com/gallery/608733">Verdun</a> series.

[akira]

Peter,

 

Thank you for the information!

 

By the way, I like your "Telescope Peak" shot very much. The harmoniousness of space, silence and blue-grey is just great!

[eskoufos]

Mark,

I have been using my unmodified D70 for infrared photography (see my photos for examples) and it has been performing very well. I use an external viewfinder to compose, because you cannot see through the filter (I use R72). Tripod is also needed because of the slow exposures. I have been using a Sony F707 that has a removable IR filter and a modified Olympus digital camera and even though they are lesser cameras that my D70, the fact that they give me fast exposures and I can hand hold them, makes me pick them up first these days. I suggest that you modify your camera, much differece and you'd really enjoy it. Good luck!

 

Emmanouil