Saturday, October 2, 2010

Backyard Foliage - D700 Infrared Test


I've had the Nikon D700 for more than two years, but until today had not tried shooting infrared with it.  I was not expecting much because reviews say that the D700 has significantly reduced IR sensitivity compared to earlier models, like the D100.  I actually got a nice surprise.  This is the same setup as my previous post, "First Fall Colors", so I won't show the color version here.  I thought I'd share the processing steps for anyone interested.


This is the image as it came from the camera.  I used the Cokin P007 filter, which is deep ruby red and nearly opaque.  It is equivalent to the KODAK 89B written filter with a spectrum transmission of 50% at 720 nm.


The first processing step is to adjust the white balance and tone mapping.  I have a IR daylight custom white balance that I applied, the used the new Lightroom 3 develop preset "General - Auto Tone".


IR captures tend to be very flat, so a levels adjustment is always needed.  I pulled the shot into Photoshop CS5 and used the auto level button.


The grainy sepia version is a close runner-up for the final version.

The Nikon D700 is, in fact, less sensitive to IR than the D100 by about three stops.


Camera: Nikon D700 
Lens: AF NIKKOR 180mm f/2.8D IF-ED "Leni" lens
Exposure: ISO 200, f/4 @ 1/13s, Cokin P007 filter, auto WB, RAW, tripod
Lighting: Filtered daylight
Location: Home GPS
Processing: Lightroom 3, Photoshop CS5 and Nik Silver Efex Pro 

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