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NEX-7 IR?

Lisa

New member
Has anyone here gotten their NEX-7 (or NEX-5, for that matter) converted to full-time infrared? How has that worked out for you?

Lisa
 

Bigkidneys

New member
I am thinking about doing it. Just got my second body today and confirmed its a no go just using the R72 filter unlike my Xpro1.
 

scho

Well-known member
Has anyone here gotten their NEX-7 (or NEX-5, for that matter) converted to full-time infrared? How has that worked out for you?

Lisa
I had my NEX5-N converted (720nm) for dedicated IR imaging. Working just fine. Some samples at link below:
NEX5-N IR
 

rweissman

Member
My Techniques for Processing Sony NEX Infrared Images

Sony NEX cameras make excellent IR photographic tools, in part, because, being mirror-less, there are no focusing issues—the sensor ‘sees’ the image and establishes correct focus automatically with auto focus lenses and no focus shift related to IR.

To achieve a great IR conversion, establishing a proper white balance is essential. In the case of the NEX 5 (and perhaps other NEX models), the IR-equipped camera (either using a lens filter or a sensor conversion) is often unable to create a custom white balance in camera using the custom white balance feature. And Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom cannot establish a correct white balance on RAW IR files via post image capture processing, either.

But there are easy solutions to these problems using software that accompanies every Sony NEX camera. Here is a recipe for processing and converting NEX IR files and dealing with these white balance issues. I have used a Sony NEX converted by LifePixel, using a Super Color (590) filter and shooting in Sony’s RAW (ARW) format.

Here is a workflow designed to properly convert Sony NEX IR files and establish correct white balance in order to process and adjust files in Photoshop. The following workflow describes each step, from initial importing of the Raw capture through final adjustment in Photoshop.

Step One: Using a grey card or an appropriate grey element (such as a sidewalk), capture a reference image with the IR converted or filtered Sony NEX under the same lighting conditions as the series of photographs you will shoot.

Step Two: Create a new collection of images by opening your folder of IR images in Sony’s Image Data Lightbox SR program that came with the NEX camera. (File > Create New Collection)

Step Three: Select the white balanced target image and open it. Transfer this image to Sony’s companion Image Data Converter SR by selecting Features > Transfer > Adjust in Image Data Converter SR.

Step Four: Create a white balance adjustment that you will apply to all images in the series. Use the white balance eyedropper tool within the Image Data Converter by going to the white balance tab on the far right of the screen and use the “Specify gray point” option. Use the eyedropper to click on an area that should be gray. Save this color correction for future use by Edit > Image Process Settings > Save and give the color correction adjustment a name such as ‘white balance 1.’

Step Five: Open the image you want to edit in Image Data Lightbox and transfer the image to Image Data Converter (as you did in Step 3 with the white balance target) Features > Transfer > Adjust in Image Data Converter SR.

Step Six: White balance correct this image within Image Data Converter. Edit > Image Processing Settings > Load and Apply Settings and choose the ‘white balance 1’ file you previously saved. The IR image is now appropriately white balanced.

Step Seven: Transfer the white balanced file to Photoshop. Sony’s Image Data Converter does this automatically: Tools > Send Data to Adobe Photoshop 5. The rest of the editing process will take place in Photoshop.

Step Eight: In Adobe Photoshop 5, swap the Red and Blue color channels (Image > Adjustments > Channel Mixer). Make the Red channel color values (from top to bottom): 0, 0, 100 and the Blue Channel’s color values 100,0,0.

Step Nine: Balance/Correct levels: Image> Adjustments > Levels. You can either correct the image simply by selecting “AUTO” from the RGB view, or select each channel separately. I find the most subtle and flexible corrections come from adjusting each channel separately via aligning the black and white tabs with the histogram for each channel, and fine tuning each channel via the mid-tone (middle) slider.

Step Ten: Fine tune image Hue and Saturation: Image > Adjustments > Hue/Saturation. Adjust each channel’s hue and saturation separately based on personal taste. There is no ‘correct’ setting. Red, Cyan, Blue and Yellow channels will, in typical images, make the most impact on the final results.

Step Eleven: Sharpen the Image by applying Unsharp Mask, to taste. Filter > Sharpen > Unsharp Mask. Even though IR images tend to be sharper than normal images, in most instances, they can benefit from further sharpening.

Step Twelve: At this point, your image is ready for personal fine tuning, if any is needed. For further enhancements, you can add more local contrast and ‘punch’ via Image > Adjustments > Curves or add global effects by boosting brightness/contrast in the Image > Adjustments > Brightness/Contrast menu.

While these appear to be a fairly extensive workflow, in practice, I can process an image using these stops in 3-4 minutes or less, depending on how much fine tuning I do in steps 9-12.
 
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