Do you have an old digital camera that you don’t use much anymore? If you do, one way to make it useful again is to convert it to infrared for black and white landscape photography.
Why would you want to do this? For me, the main reason is that it gives me a new way of working in black and white. Yes, infrared converted cameras can give you color images as well as black and white ones, but for me, the strange colors are more of a gimmick than a useful tool. With black and white,it’s different. In infrared photography, the tonality of the photo changes, giving you new and interesting ways to capture the landscape.
What is infrared photography?
The simple (non-technical) explanation is that infrared light is a kind of invisible light, formed of electro-magnetic waves that are undetectable to the human eye.
Human skin reflects a lot of infrared light, so does vegetation. These these things appear very bright in black and white infrared photos. Inanimate objects, such as roads, stones, and buildings, don’t reflect as much infrared light and can look remarkably similar to regular black and white photos when photographed in infrared.
What is an infrared conversion?
Digital camera sensors are sensitive to ultraviolet (UV) light and infrared light as well as the visible wavelengths of light. Because of this, digital cameras have filters to block both ultraviolet and infrared light. The infrared filters on most cameras do let some infrared light through, but not enough to affect the image.
During an infrared conversion the technician removes the infrared filter so that the sensor can now see infrared light, and replaces it with a filter that blocks visible light, so the sensor can only see and record infrared. The process isn’t complex, and because of that isn’t particularly expensive. If you are technically minded you could even try it yourself. There are videos on YouTube that explain how. You just need the right tools and parts.
The usual caveats apply. If your camera is still under warranty that will be voided, and bear in mind that you can damage your camera if you don’t know how to do it properly. You should only attempt it if you know what you are doing!
The infrared conversion on my camera was done by Protech Photographic in the UK (they also handle orders from mainland Europe). LifePixel and Kolarivision are US based companies that also do infrared conversions. If you know of any other reliable companies, please let us know in the comments section below.
Types of infrared conversion
There are several types of infrared conversion. These are some of the most common.
Full spectrum conversion
The UV and infrared filters are removed. Your camera’s sensor can now see UV and infrared light as well as visible light. You control the effect by using filters (on the lens) to block different amounts of visible and/or infrared light. This may be interesting if you like to experiment, but the disadvantage is that you need to buy filters, adding to the cost. Filters also block light, so you need to use slower shutter speeds or higher ISOs to compensate.
720nm conversion
The technician places a filterin front of the sensor that blocks all wavelengths under 720nm (nm = nano-meter and is a unit of measurement equivalent to 1/1,000,000,000 meter used for measuring wavelengths of light). In other words, it only lets infrared light through. It’s the type of conversion best suited for landscape photography, giving you a color image that’s easy to convert to black and white. This is probably the most common type of infrared conversion and the one you should go for unless you have a specific need for one of the other types.
830nm conversion
The sensor is fitted with a filter that blocks all wavelengths under 830nm. This gives a more intense type of infrared effect, with very little color. It’s ideal for dramatic black and white landscape photography.
Some companies offer different types of conversion in addition to these, so check their websites for details.
Camera types and infrared conversions
When it comes to converting digital SLRs to infrared there is something you need to bear in mind. Infrared light focuses at a different point to regular light. Your camera is calibrated to focus visible light, which means that if you try to focus on something using a wide aperture (which gives less depth of field) then your focus may not be accurate. It is possible to calibrate a lens to focus accurately with infrared, so check with the company that is going to handle your infrared conversion for details.
But for landscape photography, where most photographers use wide-angle lenses and stop down the aperture for sharp focus, it is not so important. If your camera offers some sort of contrast detect autofocus in Live View (where the camera focuses by taking a reading from the sensor rather than using the camera’s phase detection autofocus system) then you will have accurate focusing in Live View (just not when using the viewfinder).
Mirrorless advantage
Mirrorless cameras have an advantage over digital SLRs for infrared because they are able to focus from the camera’s sensor. That means that if you plan to hand-hold the camera and look through the viewfinder to take photos (rather than put the camera on tripod and use Live View) then a mirrorless camera is an excellent choice as you won’t get any focusing errors.
Another advantage of cameras with electronic viewfinders is that when you set the camera to its black and white mode the camera displays the scene in black and white in the viewfinder. This makes it easy to visualize how the photo will come out in black and white with the infrared effect applied.
Lenses and infrared photography
Another consideration is that not all camera lenses are suitable for infrared photography. Older lenses in particular tend to show a hot spot at the center of the frame, especially at wide aperture settings. Before converting your camera you should check and see if there are any reported problems with the lenses you intend to use with it. Kolarivison have a comprehensive list of infrared compatible lenses.
Infrared filters
Another option, if you don’t want to convert a camera to infrared, is to buy an infrared filter that blocks out visible light and just lets infrared light reach the camera’s sensor. The Hoya R72 filter is a great option and not very expensive, especially if you have smaller lenses. It blocks wavelengths below 720nm, just like a 720nm infrared conversion.
Note: shop for the Hoya R72 Filter on Amazon.com or on B&H Photo’s site.
You may remember that digital cameras have a filter that blocks most infrared light. An infrared filter is opaque, so the result is that not much light reaches the sensor. In effect, an infrared filter is a strong neutral density filter as well as an infrared filter.
The strength varies according to the camera used, but don’t be surprised if you lose 16 stops of light. A tripod is essential. Luckily, this is not necessarily a bad thing for landscape photographers. If you are prepared to work within this limitation then an infrared filter could be for you.
Test first
The infrared filter on some cameras is so strong that no light reaches the sensor at all. This makes using an infrared filter impossible. There’s a simple way to check to see if your camera’s sensor can detect infrared light. Do this test first before buying an infrared filter.
Set your camera to Live View and focus on the end of a television remote control while pushing down one of the buttons. If you can see a light (the infrared communication in action) then it is sensitive enough to infrared light to use with a filter. It’s probably easiest if you ask somebody to hold the remote control for you.
This photo (below) was taken with a Hoya 72 filter. It required a shutter speed of 180 seconds, even though the cliffs were lit by the light from the setting sun.
All the other photos in the article were taken with a Fujifilm X-Pro 1 converted to infrared.
Conclusion
That concludes our overview of converting cameras to infrared for black and white landscape photography. Have you tried this yourself? What camera did you have converted and how did it work out? Please let us know in the comments.
Table of contents
Landscape Photography
GENERAL
The dPS Ultimate Guide to Landscape Photography
10 Most Common Mistakes in Landscape Photography – and How to Overcome Them
Responsibilities of Landscape Photographers
PREPARATION
How to Find and Photograph Wild Landscapes for Epic Images
The Three Dangers of Landscape Photography
How to Plan the Perfect Landscape Photo
How to Find the Best Locations for Landscape Photography
The Importance of Scouting for Landscape Photographers
Why Goal Planning Is the Key to Growing as a Landscape Photographer
What is Your Favorite Landscape Location?
8 Tips to Avoid Crowds at Popular Landscape Locations
SETTINGS
5 Tips for Setting the Focus in Your Landscape Photography
Understanding Aperture and Landscape Photography – Why F16 Isn’t the Only Choice
Guide to Creative White Balance for Landscape Photography
How a Short Versus Long Exposure Will Affect Your Landscape Images
How to Get Super Sharp Landscape Photography Images
Getting Landscapes Sharp: Hyperfocal Distances and Aperture Selection
The Best ISO for Landscape Photography (in Every Situation)
5 Reasons To Should Shoot Your Landscape Images in RAW
How to Work with Different Shutter Speeds for Landscape Photography
LIGHTING
Tips for Using Flash to Enhance Outdoor Nature and Landscape Photography
Landscape Photography: It’s All About the Light
How to Improve Your Landscape Photography By Understanding Portrait Lighting
Painting with Light in the Landscape
COMPOSITION
Aspect Ratios in Landscape Photography
6 Tips for Capturing Dramatic Skies in your Landscape Photography
How to Use Leading Lines Effectively in Landscape Photography
10 Landscape Composition Techniques for Breathtaking Photos (2021)
3 Reasons to Shoot Vertical Aspect Landscapes and 6 Tips on How to Shoot Them
How to Use Juxtaposition for More Compelling Landscape Photography
Using Layers and Foreground Interest for Better Landscape Photography
Include The Foreground For Dramatic Landscapes
How to Photograph a Minimalist Landscape
5 Framing Tricks to Help You Capture Better Landscape Photos
How to Use Balance in Your Landscape Photography Composition
5 Good Reasons to Add People into Your Landscape Photography
Include Clouds In Your Landscapes
Landscape Photography and the Human Element
How to Add a Sense of Scale to Your Landscape Photos
How to Solve 5 Composition Conundrums Faced by Landscape Photographers
The S-Curve: A Landscape Photography Composition Technique
Using Water to Lighten Landscape Photos
GEAR
5 Quick Reasons to Use the Nifty Fifty for Landscape Photography
Using Graduated Neutral Density Filters for Landscape Photography
How to Use Neutral Density Filters to Make Better Landscape Photos
How to Use Wide-angle Lenses for Landscape Photography
Tips for Shooting Landscapes With a Telephoto Lens
Six Tips For Using Filters to Improve Your Landscape Photos
5 Tips for Using a Tripod in Landscape Photography
Six Situations Where Tripods are Essential for Landscape Photographers
Wide Angle Versus Telephoto Lenses for Beautiful Landscape Photography
10 Essential Pieces of Landscape Photography Gear
Why you Need a Telephoto Zoom Lens for Landscape Photography
Circular Polarizers Versus Graduated Neutral Density Filters for Landscape Photography
Comparison – HDR Versus Graduated Neutral Density Filters for Landscape Photography
Polarizing and Neutral Density Filters: Essentials for Landscape Photography
Why I Always Use an L-Plate Bracket for Landscape Photography
Why I Switched From LEE Filters to Formatt-Hitech for Landscape Photography
Review of the Venus Laowa 15mm F/4 Wide Angle Lens for Landscape Photographers
Which Landscape Photography Camera Should You Buy? [video]
Essential Accessories for Landscape Photography
How to Choose the Right Tripod for Landscape Photography
ADVANCED GUIDES
10 Tips for Photographing Wide-Angle Landscapes
8 Tips for Fall Landscape Photography
5 Tips for Better Winter Landscape Photography
5 Ways to Create Dramatic Landscape Photos at Midday
How to Shoot Landscapes at Sunset
Tips for Shooting Landscape Photography Towards the Sun
8 Steps to Great Long Exposure Landscape Photography
15 Tips for Low Light Landscape Photography
The Night Sky In Landscape Photography
How to Make Storytelling Landscape Photos – 4 Steps
A Day At The Beach: Photographing Seaside Landscapes
Tips for Winter Landscape Photography on the Prairie
Landscape Photography – Shooting the Same Location Through the Seasons
3 Tips to Take Better Landscape Photos Regardless of the Weather
Time for Landscape – Weather and Landscape Photography
Tips for Landscape Photography in Exotic Places
Putting You Into Your Landscape Photography
5 Ways to Capture More Diverse Landscape Photos
Photographing Starry Skies for Nocturnal Landscape Without Breaking the Bank
CREATIVE TECHNIQUES
How to Take Creative Landscape Shots Using Intentional Camera Movement
How to Convert a Camera to Infrared for Black and White Landscape Photography
- What is infrared photography?
- What is an infrared conversion?
- Types of infrared conversion
- Full spectrum conversion
- 720nm conversion
- 830nm conversion
- Camera types and infrared conversions
- Mirrorless advantage
- Lenses and infrared photography
- Infrared filters
- Test first
- Conclusion
Tips for Making Dramatic Black and White Landscape Photos
6 Ideas for More Creative Landscape Photography
How to Create Glass Ball Landscapes – 6 Techniques
How to Get Landscapes Sharp with Focus Stacking
How to do Landscape Panoramic Photography
POST-PROCESSING
5 Easy Steps to Exposure Blending for High Contrast Landscapes
A Super Simple Way to Make Landscape Photos POP Using Lightroom
Making the Best Use of HDR in Landscape Photography
Landscape Editing Techniques for Fine Art Photography Using Lightroom
How to Use Adobe Camera Raw and Photoshop to Make Your Landscape Images Pop
Editing Gently: 3 Tips for Processing Realistic Landscape Photos
The Power of Post-processing for Landscape Photography
How to Use Neutral Tones to Craft Realistic Edits for Landscape Photos
Top 5 Nik Collection Filters to Improve Your Landscape Photos
How to Edit Landscape and Nature Photos with the Lightroom Gradient Tool and Range Mask Features
Lightroom Quick Post-Processing Tips for Landscape Photography
Tips for Processing Winter Landscapes in Lightroom
How to Use the Lightroom HSL Panel for Landscape Photo Editing
How to Process a Black and White Landscape Photo Using Lightroom
How to Give Your Landscape Photos Extra Punch in One Easy Step
Tips For Editing the Colors in Landscape Photos Using Lightroom (video)
Tips for Processing Landscape Photos – from Basic Edits to Artistic Interpretation
5 Tips For Mastering Contrast In Your Landscape Photos (video)
Using the Lightroom Adjustment Brush to add Dimension to a Landscape Photo
OPINION: Why Photoshop is Ruining Landscape Photography
INSPIRATION
An Interview With Landscape Photography Legend Art Wolfe – Part 1
27 Black and White Landscape Images
A Collection of Stunning Landscape Photographs
9 Striking Landscapes That Break the ‘Rules’
These Inspiring Landscape Photographers will Make You Want to Take Better Photos