I've really enjoyed the IR posts on this section of GetDPI. I've been wanting to get into infrared for awhile and am finally going to make the full spectrum plunge and convert my A7R. The cover glass on the sensor probably needs to be replaced anyway thanks to a bad cleaning job by myself (d'oh) and I figure for the price I may as well convert. I want to go full spectrum vs. dedicated IR because I'm selling my Nikon gear and need the visible light option as this will be my only 35mm system until I can save up for an A7RII. Anyway....
I was thinking about going with Life Pixel because it seems like a more cost-effective option compared to other vendors and it seems others posting here have had their cameras converted by them. Would anyone out there recommended Life Pixel or are there other vendors one would recommend instead? Seems the price for FS conversion is the same between LP and Kolari for the A7R. Maxmax quoted me a bit more for dedicated IR but I assume they're more $$ than LP or Kolari.
Where would it be recommended to purchase hot mirror/IR filters? I was just going to buy some from Life Pixel if I did the conversion there (hot mirror and 720nm IR to start) but I noticed some others are using Kolari in other posts. The price points seem similar between the two, any reason to go with one over the other? I wouldn't anticipate big differences in quality but others with experience may say otherwise.
As far as lenses go, so far I only have the 55mm f1.8 FE for the A7R. I need a wide angle and was debating between the 16-35mm FE and the Zeiss Batis 25mm. Obviously they're not really comparable for several reasons but opted for speed over zoom and to stick with a prime. Has anyone out there tried the Batis 25mm with FS/IR? If so, how does it perform? I ordered a Batis 25mm today but I imagine it will take awhile to get here and can cancel if others have had horrible experiences with it doing IR. I'm anticipating some hot spots but just hoping they're not too bad. What about the Sony 90mm FE Macro? That is the next E-mount lens I'm planning to budget for.
Sorry for the long post, any advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks!
Todd
I was thinking about going with Life Pixel because it seems like a more cost-effective option compared to other vendors and it seems others posting here have had their cameras converted by them. Would anyone out there recommended Life Pixel or are there other vendors one would recommend instead? Seems the price for FS conversion is the same between LP and Kolari for the A7R. Maxmax quoted me a bit more for dedicated IR but I assume they're more $$ than LP or Kolari.
Where would it be recommended to purchase hot mirror/IR filters? I was just going to buy some from Life Pixel if I did the conversion there (hot mirror and 720nm IR to start) but I noticed some others are using Kolari in other posts. The price points seem similar between the two, any reason to go with one over the other? I wouldn't anticipate big differences in quality but others with experience may say otherwise.
As far as lenses go, so far I only have the 55mm f1.8 FE for the A7R. I need a wide angle and was debating between the 16-35mm FE and the Zeiss Batis 25mm. Obviously they're not really comparable for several reasons but opted for speed over zoom and to stick with a prime. Has anyone out there tried the Batis 25mm with FS/IR? If so, how does it perform? I ordered a Batis 25mm today but I imagine it will take awhile to get here and can cancel if others have had horrible experiences with it doing IR. I'm anticipating some hot spots but just hoping they're not too bad. What about the Sony 90mm FE Macro? That is the next E-mount lens I'm planning to budget for.
Sorry for the long post, any advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks!
Todd