EVA1: IR shooting (conversion to greyscale)

S

Seanik

Well-known member
I will be working on a bit more creative project than usual, that may involve several B&W/monochrome segments. One method I am considering is perhaps shooting with the EVA1's IR filter removed then converting to greyscale in post.

I've done some reading up on (digital) IR photography, but nearly all the info involves adding specific grades of IR filters that cut varying degrees of visible light (I think). It seems to me that the EVA1 works differently, in that the IR cut filter is removed. Does that mean that I would be capturing IR+Visible Light? It's difficult to figure exactly what this setting is doing.

I'm only just starting to experiment with it now, but would love to hear from anyone who has tried this, or knows better how IR shooting on EVA1 relates to IR photography (if at all). Thanks!
 
Normally every camera has an IR cut filter in front of the sensor, making it only sensitive to visible light. The EVA1 allows this IR Cut filter to be moved out of the light path, making it sensitive to both visible light as well as infrared.

To achieve the look I believe you are after, you will most likely wish to add a filter that blocks some or all of the visible light spectrum while allowing the infrared wavelengths to pass. A "visible light" filter typically blocks all of the visible light spectrum while allowing the infrared to pass. Such a filter is also referred to as a 680nm filter, because it blocks all wavelengths beyond 680 nanometers (everything not infrared). It makes an interesting look.

Phillip Bloom shot a short piece utilizing the EVA1's IR capabilities.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWoSEH6Q_Mc

The VariCam LT has a similar capability, but requires one to physically remove the IR Cut filter rather than putting it on a motorized menu control. Here's a short promotional piece showing different looks possible with that camera's IR capabilities, which are similar to those of the EVA1.
https://vimeo.com/162794057
 
Aha! This makes sense to me now! The logic is actually very clear, lol.

I was stuck thinking that the 680nm filters, etc. were producing the effect in cameras that had an unremovable (?) IR filter, unlike the EVA1... making it a different process altogether, and perhaps rendering an entirely different result that I could expect with the IR filter moved out of the way. Rather, they must have been using cameras that were, in fact, modified (as sites like LifePixel have been trying to sell me as I browsed for more info on the subject).

Thanks once again Mitch!
 
Buying a Visible Light filter such as a 680nm is an unusual experience. What comes out of the box looks like a black sheet of glass. It's only when you put it in front of a camera with on IR Cut in front of its sensor that you can see what's actually going on. Kinda freaky actually.

Without a Visible Light filter I recently demoed the IR capabilities of the EVA1 for a DP who was going to shoot a doc piece on a sensory deprivation room (a space of absolute darkness). We turned off all the lights in the room and I lit myself with the IR spit out by a TV remote control. I couldn't see a thing but could tell it was working by the glow coming off the camera's LCD screen onto the DP's face. Pretty cool.
 
As I dig into this a bit deeper, I am discovering that the more visible light you cut out (e.g. 720-850nm filters) the weirder things become. Human skin tones becomes porcelain-like and virtually blemish-free, but if you overdo it, you run the risk of actually seeing their veins through their skin! Now that's freaky!

I don't think it's the right method for the particular project that I have in mind, but it is a fascinating possibility that the camera offers... one I will definitely like to explore in a different context. Lighting in visible darkness using IR beams is very cool.
 
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