I have gone through the same process of thinking about different alternative for IR photo.
I opted for a converted G10 for two reasons:
1: My photo buddy already have one that works like a dream.
2: When out photographing I often carry about 18 kg of equipment in my backpack for 6-10 km. So the additional weight of an converted 1Dsll or D5 was not that interesting.
And a converted camera works just like a normal camera, you dont have to fiddle with filters and black view finders or screens, Its like an ordinary G10, what you se on the screen is what you get.
And the IR10 (the converted G10) and my original G10 works mostly at the same shutter speed in daylight.
So now boring bright days many times gives extra possibilities for photographing.
I bought an G10 on “Gear FS or WTB” on this forum. The seller, MikeC (eminent seller), located in the US, then sent it directly to Life Pixel who converted the camera and sent it to me. It took about two and a half week from the time I bought the camera until I had it in my hand.
The only thing is noise, but that is normal with IR photo.
:lecture:
Regarding the temperature and this kind of IR photo, forget any ideas that you are photographing by thermal radiation from ordinary object at room temperature. They have their thermal radiation maxima around 10 micro meter for 20 celsius. We are using heat radiation from the sun in the “near IR range”. The IR10 is able to show “low” temperature radiation from about 425 celsius, depending on the emission from the surroundings. The noise level of the camera is to high for lover temperature and masks that thermal radiation.
:lecture:
I work professionally with IR thermography and it gives you a very warped sense for camera prices.
If you think DB are expensive, you should buy your self a top model of the IR cameras.
An extra wide angel lens for my SC640 FLIR IR camera costs about 5 000 €.
So my P45 was almost for free...
For those of you who would like to se what “real” IR is about, visit
www.flir.com
I have included one handheld photo that is only cropped and gone true Topaz for some adjustment of details and noise. I have not done anything to the colours. Phase One for Raw conversion.
With the camera on a tripod the picture would of course have been sharper. And the focus is on the horizon...
Ray