Infrared Photography; Rugged Terrain

I uploaded an image from about two or so years ago from the North Cascades National Park, using my full spectrum-modified Sony RX100 (Second Edition). There’s a serious issue known as a hotspot for this particular model of camera, so I tried to use a rather large aperture at which the hotspot is not so apparent and at which the image could be at least reasonably sharp.

This particular image was made with a Tiffen Red filter along with a Polarizer set to ninety degrees rotation, at ninety degrees of an angle away from the sun, so that I could enhance the effect of the dark sky. The Hotspot was a reason for some degradation of image quality after post processing in Adobe Camera RAW. I might be able to do this type of photography when there’s enough light around, using my Fuji X-T2 camera; I tested it out this December using an 850nm Infrared-Pass filter on a 7Artisans 60mm macro (which has infinity focus). For the test with the 7artisans lens, the sun was quite low in the sky, and the sky was overcast, but at least I was able to see an infrared image on the Live view screen, so Infrared photography with the unconverted camera (Fuji X-T2) should be possible in the months when sunshine is rather abundant. For the image above, the lighting conditions were perhaps less-than-perfect because the much of the scene was in shade, except towards the lower right corner where it is possible to see some sunlight making its way onto the mountain. The Red filter is quite possibly my favorite filter to use for a full-spectrum camera, because the colors that are produced with the filter are not just surreal, but also, downright beautiful! Also, the range of colors that are possible using Adobe Camera RAW’s Color adjustment panels is nothing short of incredible! I am absolutely thrilled myself to try to photograph a natural scene like this again, but next time with nicer sunshine available (more direct and less diffused). My next project might be likely to be a modified GoPro, although I am not quite sure which model to use (but probably 5th, 6th, or 7th of the Hero Black Edition). I want to be able to have something small with which I can use interchangeable lenses that are also small. With the modification, I will also be able to easily swap the hot mirror in front of the sensor, with an Infrared-pass filter, red filter, green filter, or other filter. The most serious problem with a modified GoPro action camera might possibly be that it might be difficult to find the exact filters necessary for such a camera. Currently, such modified GoPros can be bought; known as BackBone Modified GoPros, prices vary from about $400 for a GoPro Hero 5 Black, to about $850 for a modified version of the GoPro Hero 11 Black.

Stacking IR with Visible-Lighting In Photography

This is the start of the post:

With a camera being able to see a variety of lighting, including lighting beyond our normal human visual eyesight, it’s possible to do myriads of things involving color channels. This here, Sony RX100 2, Pure Infrared connection to RGB (visible lighting photo) of a random person’s backyard (mine!) on a beautiful afternoon. You got to love digital Infrared photography, especially when combining with visual wavelengths and channels.

Some notes about My exploration of UV and Infrared, Infrared Fluorescence photography

I really wished that I could get a bandpass filter to be able to filter out everything outside of 1000nm to about 1250nm, so that I could really test my camera’s limits of the Near-Infrared spectrum. I could push the camera, so to speak. It’s not much of a difference, in my opinion at least, to use such a filter even on a full spectrum camera (in comparison to something like an 850nm filter), but it might be more useful and might possibly be able to make for a difference when doing Infrared Fluorescence photography, caused by either Ultraviolet-induced fluorescence, or visible-induced fluorescence. Either way, it’s either quite expensive of a filter to find, and/or very difficult to source from somewhere. Maybe, possibly, I might be able to overcome the pricing challenge by going for an acrylic filter instead. If only I knew the true limit of my camera’s sensor with regard to the longest wavelengths that it can observe. I shined a 365nm Nichia Ultraviolet LED flashlight at the lens of a model of the Sony RX100 2nd version (it was pure, filtered lighting), but the lens seemed really “foggy” and “hazy”, which likely means (from some of what I’ve come to know) that the lens is an efficient Ultraviolet blocker and/or reflector.

Tilt Shift lens technique, modified Action Cams

Imagine modifying one of the higher end action cameras such as a Sony RX0 especially, or a GoPro HERO 10 Black Edition, to be able to make various types of imagery, by being able to mount onto it a macro lens, telephoto lens, or other lens from various brands and mounts. While it can be possible using a Back Bone Modification, which is what I’ve thought about again, I wanted to take it at least one step further. Imagine using a tilt-shift telephoto macro lens on such an action camera such as a GoPro; you could in theory (but also in practice!) create photos with depth of field that is quite literally unlimited. Now, if only the macro lens included a very large aperture, it could be so much more useful! I even thought that it would be nice to get the budget that I may need, in order to be able to not only do the things mentioned, but also to be able to modify such a system for Infrared, Full Spectrum, and Ultraviolet photography. Although I’ve delved extensively online, researching each type of photography individually (UV, visible, Full Spectrum, and Infrared) to a rather large extent, and despite seeing many types of camera sensors being used, I’ve yet to come across an action camera for Ultraviolet photography; perhaps that might end up being simply an interesting fact at least for now, so let’s move on from this specific thought. Another interesting fact? obtaining a camera such as the GoPro HERO 10 Black (one that’s already been modified by Back Bone company), and getting a full spectrum conversion for the GoPro, is cheaper than the most high-end APS-C camera bodies, such as those from Sony & Sigma for example. Sure, you can, (with an APS-C camera) get a much larger sensor, but the lens is an extra cost- typically at least a few hundred dollars for a lens of fairly good specifications and/or set of features. Also, the GoPro HERO 10 Black for instance, can record arguably better video than an APS-C camera! It’s an interesting thought to be able to some day make a professional camera from an Action camera. For use with a telescope, the focal length of telescope & camera together will be much greater than that of the same telescope and APS-C camera together; in other words, much larger magnification. Sure, much larger magnification can be both a good thing and a bad thing, but I thought I’d mention it. It is also true for using an Action camera with a lens; particularly true if the lens is the same, being compared on the action camera besides the same exact copy of the lens, mounted onto an APS-C camera. Sure, I’ve not even mentioned Full Frame and Medium Format; perhaps I might’ve also mentioned Micro Four Thirds sensor sizes and maybe even one-inch type cameras, but let’s maybe leave it here for now, as this is getting to be something that might need to be meant for another, possibly more extensive, post.

Some Landscapes With Sony RX100 MK2

Red Filter, with Infrared

Some More About Reversing Lenses

Despite what many photographers might think, it would be really neat, but also useful, to be able to use all electronic functions of a camera’s lens system- such as image stabilization, autofocus, and manual aperture control via the camera- while using a lens in reverse. I’ve finally found such a solution, albeit for Canon SLR cameras. But there’s no such technology for any mirrorless cameras yet. Hopefully the accessory to allow for such a feat can be available (hopefully soon) for the Fujifilm X-mount system- which is what I use now. What’s great about the reverse lens technique is that about any lens within about 23mm to 50mm can be used on an interchangeable-lens camera, no matter what format or lens brand is used. For example, a full-frame lens can be used for APS-C, while a Nikon F-mount as well as any vintage-mount lens can be used for any SLR (and mirrrorless mount)! It’s important to use a lens of optical superiority (compared to the most basic lenses); more basic lenses are typically significantly thinner (shorter) which can in theory aid in increasing the working distance (distance from lens to subject) but the results are likely to be quite inferior to more advanced lenses when reversed. Sigma ART & Zeiss are among the most optically-advanced optics.

Update: I’ve found an expensive option to allow me to keep electronic functions

Are not all products made equal?

This is an infrared image of the Fuji X-T2. I’ve discovered that some of what’s black isn’t truly black across all spectrums. The black paint on the higher-end lenses of mine was indeed black in Infrared, while the cheaper lenses, such as the 7Artisans (~175 dollars) and Viltrox 23mm (~320 dollars) was silver! Goes, maybe to show that not everything is made equal, perhaps even high end cameras such as the XT2! The XT2 has been the most popular Fuji camera used by Flickr users for years now! Hopefully the camera might not depreciate in value after enough time goes by, but it might actually increase in value much like vintage cameras? There have been some times during which I’ve contemplated selling at least some of my lenses and/or cameras. I’ve been considering trading in my Fuji gear for a Sony A7RII, but of course, I don’t have even a single Sony lens at the moment- meaning that my potential switch to a marginally better camera system is arguable at best.

Neat New Lens for Sony; Initial Thoughts From A Fuji X User

There’s been a new lens announcement. It’s the Tamron 35-150mm F/2-2.8! I’m not a Sony ILC owner, but it seems like a truly fantastic lens. I’ve been really hoping that for the Fuji system, a Sigma ART lens could be made with such specifications! The aperture of F/2.8 of the Tamron is quite large of an aperture for 150mm of focal length! Such a lens can pass about as much light through it as a 50mm lens could at F/0.93 lens. F/0.9 isn’t the same as F/2.8 in terms of aperture, but in the example, it is accurate in regard to the exit pupil. This means that it could be a relatively great lens for lowlight photography! I’ve wanted to own a Sigma ART lens for some time, but never before had much of the chance to obtain one. Ideally, I’ve been thinking that Sigma could create a 35mm ART lens alongside (or separately from) a very bright aperture ART lens; such a set of lenses in particular could boost my photography creativity to a new level. Maybe an extremely bright 35mm ART could be enough? Probably not for my budget though.

UV/IR/Visible spectrum photography

Here’s a photo made from my full spectrum camera; the great thing is, the sky’s blue (for the most part at least)!

Please let me know how it looks to you! This Oak tree, is currently the most interesting part of the forest this time of year.

Vacation Isn’t Cancelled!

Vacation has simply been “reorganized”. Instead of going to Alaska, the plan is to visit mainly Utah, Arizona (including the largest dark sky park in the United states, possibly the world) and later, Colorado! I’ve decided to take a full spectrum camera which can do quite well for a compact camera for photographing our home galaxy at night, a DJI Air 2s, and a Fuji X-T2 with a variety of lenses there! It might be very interesting to test the 1 inch BSI sensor against the APS-C sensor of the X-T2 for astrophotography! The 50mm F/1.2 lens for the Fuji is extremely bright as compared to the lens on the Sony RX100 series, but I’ve got no star tracker so I will likely need to use manual tracking- but it won’t truly be tracking, but simply moving the camera in between individual images before stacking using Sequator. The 50mm lens is a telephoto, so it doesn’t require much exposure time for the Earth’s spin to affect the way that the light from the stars can appear on the image. With a star tracker, the much larger entrance pupil as compared to the Sony’s 28mm F/1.8 lens could be very evident as opposed to using a stationary tripod. Interestingly, the Sony is an ISO-invariant camera (but I’m not getting into that here), and the X-T2 might also be.

-I’ve been extremely eager to obtain a BSI Medium Format camera also, but that’s something that might need to wait a considerable amount of time because of the extremely costly investment! I’ve even imagined that such a camera could be without the Bayer CFA, but that’s much more costly! I’ve got an idea myself, as to how I can save a great percentage of money for that objective to become reality (approximately 20 to 40 percent) but I prefer not to let people know exactly what that includes (at least for some time being), as it’s a secret!