The improved DIY infrared filter for stygian photogs

If you have a taste for surreal photography then you'll want to pay attention, goth boy. The kids at Instructables have a new, improved guide for building an infrared filter for your digital cameras and camcorders. While the filter will work with any point-and-shoot, your camera should feature plenty of manual controls over the ISO, exposure, and white balance for best results. The effect is particularly interesting when shooting foliage since chlorophyl is transparent at these wavelengths. As such, scenic landscapes process as lurid white nightmares haunting jet black skies. The longer infrared wavelengths also cut through the dust and haze of the atmosphere (and your tortured mind) better than visible light. The filter assembly consists of an empty bottle of your mom's antidepressants, an old floppy disk of ennui, and a piece of unexposed film processed by the disintegrations of youth. That's it, you're ready to shoot, assuming you can even get out of bed. Now click-on to see the completed filter if you still possess the will.

[slug @ Jun 4th 2007 9:24AM]

sorry, can you repeat that in english? lol

[Richard Lai @ Jun 4th 2007 9:37AM]

Are we meant to format the floppy disc for best effect?

[Phillip Lamb @ Jun 4th 2007 9:59AM]

LOL, brilliant post. Er, I mean, uh, the angst in my black heart has temporarily subsided with the false hope your post brings.

[StrangeBum @ Jun 4th 2007 10:16AM]

Being the tortured soul that I am, I can't believe you would eat at the black abyss I call a heart. JK

Otherwise, this is actually a pretty cool little DIY project, makes me want to go out and buy a new camera to use make this and use it on. I'm thinking a Nikon D40x, then using this guide to construct a filter for it.

Wewt!!!

[chs @ Jun 4th 2007 12:04PM]

Instead of making a filter like this, with crappy optical properties (and crappy is giving it too much credit), if you're buying a D40X to shoot infrared with, just buy a Hoya R72 infrared filter in 52mm to fit the lens on your camera. It's optical glass, and they are inexpensive (around 40$).

Buy a real filter, it's worth it.

[Mike @ Jun 4th 2007 10:27AM]

Thomas: HA HA HA! Very creative post, love it. Great writing. Plus, that's a really cool and easy project. Thanks...you emo freak! Ha ha j/k.

[Juan @ Jun 4th 2007 11:04AM]

In between cutting myself, I thought I'd mention that I believe chlorophyll transparency to IR isn't responsible for the effect we're seeing. I mean, that's like saying because glass in transparent, it would show up white in a regular photo.

The leaf cells themselves (regardless of the chlorophyll) reflect the IR waves, which is why they show up brightly. Chlorophyll does fluoresce in the shorter IR wavelengths, but I'm not sure that will show up in consumer-grade instruments. Could be, though.

Going to go back to listening to bands with really long names now. :)

[Al @ Jun 4th 2007 12:04PM]

be aware when doing this that many cameras actually filter out the uv and/or infrared wavelengths with internal filters. these can often be removed, but when i was looking at doing it to a d70 the process was quite involved and obviously voided the warranty. one can also shell out some extra cash for a 3rd party to remove it. so yeah, if you end up with a black picture using this filter, this might be why

[Dalton @ Jun 4th 2007 12:14PM]

Al, while the filter in your digital camera does block out most IR, some does still get through. A filter like this will work on your D70 (I have one too) with a tripod and some patience...it just requires a longer exposure than usual.

[optV @ Jun 4th 2007 12:24PM]

This same tutorial has been all over the internet and almost all have the same major flaw: If you are using c41 (color print) negatives to build your filter you are technically using the EXPOSED part of the film (the leader). If you expose the entire roll to light, then you have much more film to work with.

A much better way to build the filter is to go into a camera store (not walmart) and buy either 1 roll of c41 120 film (120 film is medium format and is large enough for filter sizes up about 67mm) or buy 1 roll of 120 E-6 (transparency) film. For D-SLRs with large diameter lenses, buy a small box of expired 4x5 film. (The following is from my own tutorial)

Basically what you want to do is try to simulate (not exactly) the spectral transmission of a Wratten 87 or 88 filter by starting with some unexposed 120 or 4x5 sheet film (for larger than 67mm filters). You may choose E-6 or C-41 film.

For E-6: Do not shoot or expose the film, simply have a lab develop it and let them know that it will be blank and that you want the film back. Make sure that they sleeve your film and they do not fingerprint it up! Most labs will not charge you for a blank roll or sheet. Unexposed E-6 film is opaque and two layers of Kodak E-6 film has about the same spectral transmission as a wratten 87 filter.

For C-41: Completely expose the film by unwrapping the paper backing to daylight (120 film) or pulling out the sheet of film in daylight (4x5). Have it processed and tell the lab you want the black negs back. Make sure that they sleeve your film and they do not fingerprint it up!

[macona @ Jun 4th 2007 3:29PM]

I use Lee Polyester IR filters. More durable than Wratten gels. I think a 2" square filter is about $19. There are also screw on glass filters available for most cameras.


I use it with my modified Sony DSC-v3 that allows you to move the IR cut filter out of the way (like in nightshot) in normal modes. (not just in the basic point and shoot mode)

You can also us the filter material to cover a flash and then you can take pictures of people without being noticed. This was done in theaters to take pics of the viewers reactions to scenes. You need to be carefull doing this as the filter will absorb everything in the visible spectrum and the filter will start vaporizing if it is too close to the flash tube.

IR pics also have the tendency to show synthetic fabrics as white with the possibility of showing whats under the fabric.

[jim @ Jun 8th 2007 4:53AM]

How did you modify your V3 - did you have it done for you or did you do it yourself? I've been meaning to do something like that with mine(I use a Hoya filter with the tube adapter, but only in Auto and P mode), but I haven't found any information on how to do it...

Everybody else FYI: Using an IR filter on the Nikon D80s will work, but you'll have hotspotting in the middle from the internal filter.

[macona @ Jun 8th 2007 11:13AM]

I did it myself. I found that the device used to move the hot filter out of the way for the night shot mode is a small motor or rotary solenoid. Polarity of the power to it determines which position it is in. I traced the wires back and found a 8 pin soic that I determined was a small H-Bridge chip. I probe the pins while activating it and figured the pinout. I added a small momentary switch under the bottom cover that applies a signal to the input that moves the hot filter away. There is no switch internally on the filter to determine its position so the camera never knows its in nite shot mode. You can then use the IR filter of your choice. I was also working on a design for a high power IR LED based flash but I never got anywhere with that.

[slidetbone @ Aug 11th 2007 10:59PM]

Macona, have you ever thought of posting the details on modifying the DSC-V3? I will be buying a second one to try modifying it...just in case I mess it up. But if you have at least a text version step by step, it would be nice.

Just a thought :)

[Nelg @ Jun 5th 2007 3:22AM]

The white balance have to measured from grass at a sunny weather. Otherwise, pictures will be very red and black. But wait, doesn't that fit better for goths?

[macona @ Jun 8th 2007 11:16AM]

I found that using the manual white balance mode while pointing it at a white piece of paper or white painted surface will give you a nice black and white picture.

[Niha @ Jun 5th 2007 3:10PM]

"While the filter will work with any point-and-shoot..."
Does it mean it will with a Samsung Digimax S600?

[milo @ Jun 6th 2007 12:18PM]

http://amasci.com/amateur/irgoggl.html Here's an older article with the same technique using filter gels. I have used this method for many years with some really nice results