Trying to take some IR shots with a canon 350d using 100 iso but they are coming out really grainy?

Question

I've seen some crystal clear images on flickr taken using IR shots and I wanted to reproduce the same effect but all the shots I've taken on the 350d seem to be coming out really grainy. Can anyone help? give me some tips / pointers?

Answer 1

Fhotoace is right but you have a digital camera. Unless it has had the IR filter removed you can't get true IR photos. You can't truly replicate it in Photoshop. If you want your camera converted it will only take infrared shots though. You can switch it back but you would send it out again. Try the link below if your interested in converting your camera.

http://www.lifepixel.com/

Answer 2

Shooting IR is one of those processes that if done according to the "book" will provide nicely developed negatives, but with grain, since it is just the nature of that film.

However, many experienced photographers use special additives to the developer or use special "pre-washes" and altered development techniques to soften the grain.

These photographers have spent a lot of time researching and testing to get to where the amount of grain becomes acceteptable to them and keep those processes and additives a secret.

With some research, you may come up with some of your own ideas and be able to reduce the apparent grain in your prints.

Answer 3

Your Canon 350d is a digital camera using a CMOS chip so information on film and ways to develop it have little meaning here.

Over the chip that "sees" in all digital cameras is a glass filter called a number of things, a hot mirror, hot glass, hot filter.. and is also called a infrared cut off filter. Depending on the strength of your filter... the camera may have to work harder to let what IR thru you are giving it, depending on the IR filter you are using in front of your lens. A 87c or RM-90 are totally black to the human eye and only let in IR light. And you ARE using a IR filter in front of your lens, right..?

The grain, as you call it, is the camera is giving you most likely digital noise from the chip being forced to see what little IR it is getting. While your flooding the inside of your camera with IR light from the filter outside over your lens, the filter ON the chip inside is trying to reject it, thus, the chip is now in overtime trying to take a exposure "in the dark" so to say, giving you what any digital camera would in a like condition, grain (or noise).

My Fuji S-2 is this way and I couldn't really get around it. Changing the ISO didn't help much either, some, but not much. I found 4 to 800 ISO to work the "best" but I still had a fair amount of grain - noise..!

However, some cameras allow this IR cut off filter to be removed (at a cost, up to 3 to 500 bucks) but then to take normal pictures again, you would need to have it added back on. Sigma makes a camera with a user removable IR cut off filter. You can take it off your self then put it back on.. The Foveon..

Fuji offered, and their still out there, a couple different IR cameras. One, the so called CSI Forensic camera, the S-3 IRUV and it can see in IR or UV by using the proper filters. With no filters the over all image is pinkish in color but can be corrected in a good image editing program. Way too much work for a days shooting at the beach tho. The other camera is a Fuji IS Pro. Both do their jobs very well..

There are a number of cameras that can be converted tho and there are links below on this..

I have the S-3 IRUV and am still experimenting with it. B&W IR is rather easy but color requires more than just the want. There are a # of IR filters, from mild to wild, and they are no longer cheap.  Then, believe it or not, your Auto White Light setting can have an effect on the outcome of your IR shot, especially if in color... A 25a (deep red) is also a good place to start, when the camera is in the BW mode. A 29 filter is deeper red yet, but can still be seen thru. After this the filters become visually black letting no "white" light thru, just IR..

Follow some of the links below to help in understanding IR, filters and cameras.

http://lensmen2.smugmug.com/gallery/5321... - just a couple pics posted of IR shots..

Bob - Tucson