How to Make a Digital Toy Infrared Camera

[kadhal]

here are the pictures taken with the camera

http://www.flickr.com/photos/zachstern/

and here is the link to make the camera

http://home.comcast.net/~zachstern/toyir/toyir.html

but you have got to read this before you begin

Don't attempt this project on a camera that you can't afford to destroy. I initially tried this project with my much loved Sony F717 (which inherently has a nice IR capability even without modification) and unfortunately I destroyed a fragile internal flexible connector in the process, converting the camera into a door stop. I'm still very sad about this, so don't bring it up when you see me unless you want me to cry.

[Case]

You can buy IR filters i wouldnt want to do this to a camera to be honest

[Hoomamooma]

That is really cool. I love the pictures you can take with that. The only thing is I don't know where to get a cheap camera that I could do this with, I'm kinda short on buget right now.

[keith]

Good piece of introduction!!

[Case]

I cant express enugh that this is a horrible idea to do. specialy if you dont know what your doing.

You can buy IR Filters that go over the lens and will do the EXACT same thing

[triumph]

I cant express enugh that this is a horrible idea to do. specialy if you dont know what your doing.

You can buy IR Filters that go over the lens and will do the EXACT same thing

I guess I am not understanding your complaint. Are you saying don't do this at all, or use a different camera?

[Case]

Im saying that this method is acomplishing a effect that you can get by getting IR Filters for your camera. If you pull apart a camera to ass a IR Filter not only are you stuck with that wavelenth of IR but also you run the rick of killing the camera

[xboxgamer733]

Are you sure of what you're saying, Case?

Kadhal's tutorial involves allowing IR light into photographs, while using an IR filter, like you said, will block IR light.

[keith]

IR Filter don't kill the camera, Case.
that's utter rubbish.

[Case]

I did not mean a IR Filter will kill the camera what im saying is taking apart a complex digital camera is abad idea because you can easily break a complex thing such as this...

Thats why you can do the same thing with a IR Filter that goes on your lens. And this way you can have 100's of diffrent filters and get more flexabulity with what you want to shoot even be a peeping tom with soem of the high grade ones for example:

http://www.kaya-optics.com/images/kodak_6.jpg
With PF4
Shutter speed: 1/4 second

Here you can see it is possible to get a perfectly acceptable "See-Through" image with the CCD of a digital camera.

theres a nice tutorial here on IR (http://www.apogeephoto.com/may2003/odell52003.shtml) photography

http://www.apogeephoto.com/may2003/Fig2.jpg
Unmanipulated color photo shot through the infrared filter. (This is what the image looks like on the LCD viewer of the camera with the infrared filter in place.) This photo is from that above artical.

So like i said Its 100% possible to do this without the need to mod a camera... So i dont see any reason to do this to a perfectly good camera and risk f'ing it up royaly. This is only a project you should fo if you have a camera you care nothing about and only then it should be atempted unless you have experience with digital camera repair.


http://blogs.warwick.ac.uk/images/nathanbarrow/2006/06/15/0617.jpg

This Infrared photo taken in bright sunshine on a Fuji FinePix S602z with a Hoya R72 filter.

I my self shoot now on a Canon 20d Digital and i do infact own 2 IR filters from Tiffan

[keith]

Ah..... Case that's creepy :p to take those see-through photo....
you even goes for see-through model.... wonder, what you'll be really doing with real human... >_<

[Case]

well this is what the orignal sony DV cams did out of the box and every one complained and they ended up fixing it so it wasnt the right IR amount to do that. Although you can buy Sony DV cams pre modded to do just that. but again id rather have the filters

[micsaund]

What if there is an IR *removing* filter or lens inside the camera, as the howto suggests?

To avoid saturation of the sensors by infrared light, which would produce unnatural looking pictures, conventional digital cameras include an infrared blocking filter or mirror (sometimes called a “hot-mirror”) in the optical path to reduce the amount of infrared light that gets to the sensor. Because some infrared light still gets, it is possible to take an infrared photo with a conventional camera using a long exposure and an infrared pass filter (i.e., a filter that blocks almost all light except for infrared light) to prevent visible light from saturating the sensors and to allow the sensor to gather every bit of the small amount of infrared light that gets through the infrared blocking filter. Unfortunately, such long exposures limit the situations in which infrared photos may be captured with a conventional camera. If the infrared blocking filter is removed, high speed digital infrared photos become possible, allowing greater flexibility, although some infrared pass filtering is still required to prevent visible light from saturating and dominating the image.

So, even if you put an IR filter (which passes IR only) on the outside of the camera, if the internals of the camera filter or reduce that IR, you end-up with either long-exposure time or dim photos. Some cameras may not do this internal filtering, or will do a reduced amount, since certain models are known to be better for IR photography than others.

I agree that this is not a mod to be undertaken by someone who's not skilled in hacking delicate mechanisms, though I do believe that you can likely achieve different results by removing the internal filter vs. using an external one. At the very least, as that article states, your camera will be IR sensitive in normal light levels and will work without tripods, special exposure settings,etc. (presuming you don't hose the camera up in the mod ;) )

Mike

[Case]

The internal filter if there is even one because on many cameras there is not specialy low end digitals, on the higher end camera like my 20d and 1Ds i use at work at times, does have a IR Filter built in to protect the CCD but only to the spectrum that WILL DAMAGE the CCD not the FULL IR Spectrum. if you want a full digital IR Spectrum to come trough then you need to buy a specialty CCD so the IR FILTER WILL WORK! you just can record certin IR spectrums this is due to the high sensitivity of many cameras.

This is where having access to a real camera store is usefull.. B&H photo (http://www.bhphoto.com/) here in the city i can ask to see any product and use it on my camera and test run in the store, virtualy anything.

[micsaund]

Yeah, it would be super cool to live close to a B&H. I get their catalog and it kicks ass - I cannot believe how much stuff they carry and it ranges from basic to pro-level, so it's kinda neat for someone like me to be able to see what the pros use.

Mike

[Case]

B&H's catalog is not any where even close updated quickly not to mention even show every thing they have... The main floor has a convayerbelt system and a trolly system for carts carrying your items with your "cart number" to the center check out area. once you comit to buying some thing you get a receipt with your carts contents as you wander around the store buying stuff they take your receipt and give you a updated one... the main floor is HUGE. Than theres a upstairs. the second floor is the used department, great place to find stuff companies no longer need or use in great condition at good prices.

Once your ready to check out you go to the cash side or credit side of the 2 lines (theres 2 line sets that split off) pay and than you get put into a new line the pick up line. That has like a multi window booth setup with maybe 12 to 13 people at a time being services that get all yoru items waiting for you together into bags from the bins as thye show up to them from the delivery system... its really a intense store.

[micsaund]

If you could snap some photos of that store conveyor/etc. sometime, I'd love to see what it's like!

Mike