IR Filter Recommendations...

[Remorhaz]

I'm thinking about experimenting with some IR photography - I'm not quite ready to modify a DSLR body for this so I was thinking of starting with one of those screw in IR filters. I'd like to get a 77mm one and so...

anyone with any experience with these - do they work satisfactorily
any recommendations for brand/type/model/etc of filter
anything tips or anything else major I should consider when using one of these

Thanks...

[aim54x]

Rodney,

Unless you are planning on purchasing a D70/D70s you are not going to get very far with just a screw in IR filter. Your D90 and D7000 are both very well filtered against IR light, and will not produce much without modification. Do you have an older digital compact camera?

There are a few different cut off frequencies to consider:
590-665nm - "super colour" or "goldie" these create very interesting false colour effects as they let a bit of visible light through

720nm - "plain jane" this is usable for both false colour and deep BW photography

890nm - "deep black" produces wonderfully contrast and tone in black and white, even with a dedicated IR camera this filter will require slower shutter speeds

If you are keen to play with screw-in IR then there are a few routes:
-Hoya R72 (720nm) these are good quality and not impossible to get
-B+W 093 (720nm) about $264 from Mainline Photo, but be aware that they may not be in stock and you may have to be patient to get one due to low production of these.
-Citiwide 72 (720nm), as the name suggests, and OEM filter from ebay, I currently use one of these on my Samsung EX1, I got my 52mm for $15

Ebay is a good source for cheap IR filters, if you are not ready for a conversion, then maybe experiment with and possibly even try the different cut off ranges.