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

[Rei Shinozuka]

Thanks Nathan, good to talk to you again.

Some of us produce art.

Some of us use filters that turn their friends' hair blue!!

-rei



On 09/19/2016 03:32 PM, Nathan Wajsman wrote:
> 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
> PICTURE OF THE WEEK: http://www.fotocycle.dk/paws <http://www.fotocycle.dk/paws>Blog: http://nathansmusings.wordpress.com/ <http://nathansmusings.wordpress.com/>
> Cycling: http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/belgiangator <http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/belgiangator>
> 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!
>>
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Leica Users Group.
>> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
>
> _______________________________________________
> Leica Users Group.
> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information