[Leica] My modest infra-red attempts (M8, B+W 092, Noctilux)

[photo at frozenlight.eu (Nathan Wajsman)]

You did well, but I really prefer IR in black & white. Still, the M8 is 
brilliant for that.

Cheers,
Nathan

Nathan Wajsman
Alicante, Spain
http://www.frozenlight.eu <http://www.frozenlight.eu/>
http:// <http://www.greatpix.eu/>www.greatpix.eu
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<http://www.fotocycle.dk/paws>Blog: http://nathansmusings.wordpress.com/ 
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YNWA













> On 18 Sep 2016, at 19:08, Rei Shinozuka <shino at panix.com> wrote:
> 
> When the giants of the LUG talk, I listen!
> 
> A couple of weeks back there was a buzz of interest about IR photography 
> and the M8.  Well, gee, I still have one of those in my closet, and the 
> last time I dabbled with IR it was SFX200 in my Rolleiflex 15 years ago, 
> so I went out and ordered a B+W 092 filter to give it a whirl.
> 
> I'll bet you any reasonable person would say, "well you've got a 35 asph 
> lux, why not set it at f8 and bring back some keepers?"  Of course, 
> thinking exactly that, I went back to my safe place and chose the Noctilux 
> at f1.0 for my inquiry.  And the voices continued: "The Noctilux is 
> optically inferior especially at f1.0, it's too long -- more so on an M8, 
> and you'll never be able to focus it.  Oh yes, and don't even think of 
> trying it on human beings."
> 
> My improvident impulses prevailed, the results of which I've put on the 
> gallery:
> 
> From this weekend, in upstate NY with friends:
> 
> http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/shino/InfraOktoberFest2016/
> 
> From last weekend, moments from freeing the B+W 092 filter from its UPS 
> box, my very first attempts at exposing and focusing with the 092 filter.
> 
> http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/shino/IRTest-M8-Noct-BW092/
> 
> Comments:
> 
> Exposure: the M8 meter worked reasonably well with the 092 filter, I 
> occasionally had to dial it up +1 stop.  Exposures with the 092 at f1.0 
> ended up at 1/60 sec @ 160 or 320.
> Focus: using the focus scale on the lens was a non-starter for me, too 
> complicated and the numbers too darn small.  What I did end up doing was 
> to locate a point approximately 3/4 or 2/3 of the distance to my subject 
> and focus on that with the rangefinder.  After a little practice, this 
> proxy focusing method worked surprisingly well even at f1.0.  And you 
> always have the screen to check and adjust.
> Composition: Non-issue--love the optical viewfinder!
> Processing: Minimal.  I use Digikam on Linux.  The originals tend to look 
> like sepia prints.  I try to reset a white point, then adjust curves to 
> get back contrast, then dial back some saturation.  Images with sky look 
> dramatic, with Star Trek orange skies, terrestrial objects more subdued.  
> I didn't do any sharpening or channel switching or anything sophisticated 
> on these sets.
> 
> Thanks LUG for the inspiration and fun!
> 
> 
> 
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