So I´m currently in Costa Rica and been putzing around (a lot!) with infrared (this country is sooo beautiful, and sooo green!) and although I´m getting better at it, I still think there is much room for improvement so I ask a couple basic questions
1)Is the use of a polarizer useful in infrared photography? I´ve tried using one, and I see some minor changes, but without much access to any editing software (or good computers), my knowlegde of how things are affected is very limited.
2)I´m finding that when I´m shooting things very far away (infinity), I definitely need to adjust the focus from what the camera thinks it should be.. but this can be fixed a little by closing down the aperature (using around f10 at 18mm). Using f10 and shooting things that are closer seems to work perfectly, and I don´t even need to adjust the focus. Has anyone had similar results?
3)I´m also finding that shooting in full manual produces the best effects. Is my light meter still accurate when the filter is on? (that´s what I´ve been using and just exposing in the middle)
I´ll try to add some pictures to my profile (very much unedited of course) of what i´ve been up to to give a few ideas. Unfortunately, I don´t have the time right now to fill in the details of the camera settings. And last note, they haven´t been sharpened after being shrunk. So if anyone has any advice, please let me know!
I´ll thank everyone in advance for their replies, as I won´t be using the internet for up to a couple days. So thanks!!
1. It's useful, but it's much more difficult to use. You will be able to get the same effects from the polarizer (darker skies, reduced reflections, etc.) but in some cases the outcome isn't what you would expect.
2. I believe the trick is to focus slightly past your real focal point. IR light focuses at a different distance than visible light.
3. I don't know about Nikon - on my 350D the light meter is absolutely useless with an IR filter on the lens.
2. I just let the camera focus itself with the filter on at f9-f22.
3. I use aperture priority and the light meter does work but tends to overexpose. I normally compensate by -7 but the have to watch the lcd for any burnt out bits which will appear bright cyan in colour, avoid this at all costs. You must cover the eyepiece or your exposures will be all over the place, this is crucial.
