cjherlihy

their wisdoms with us newbies as to how we might use them in exploring special effects of photography. Thank you.

snowbear

DSLRs have a filter built into them that block a good portion of infrared light. I believe you can capture some of it, but the camera usually needs to have that filter removed and replaced with a piece of clear glass (which will require yo to use a filter on the lens) or replace the original filter (ir-blocking) with an infrared filter (like the 950).

Without getting into physics, there are different wavelengths of infrared light, much as there are different colors to visible light. The 950 cuts out light that is "shorter" than 950 nanometers. It's kind of like the signs at amusement parks - "You need to be at least this tall to ride."

The other issue with dSLR conversions, is the auto focus has to be adjusted for IR - the focus point is not the same as visible light. Older lenses frequently had a red dot or a red "R" on the focus ring to indicate the focus point for IR.

There are a few sites around that explain how to do it - I've heard there's a bit of trial and error involved. Try to Google "digital ir photography."