# How To: IR modify an old camera.



## Garbz (Nov 25, 2010)

There's a lot of people who try to dab into IR photography time and time again. There's really only two options to produce fantastic IR results, shoot film, or shoot with a modified digital camera.

Digital sensors are HIGHLY sensitive to IR, so much so that there is a filter placed on the sensor that tries to block IR (called low-pass filter, or I've heard it referred to as a hot-mirror which IMO is a crap term). Putting an IR pass filter (high pass filter) on the lens like a Hoya R72 will then naturally cause problems as between the two filters you block most of the visible light. Additionally in some cases it's actually possible to get a reflection of the sensor on the IR filter leading to "hotspots" in the images. 

SOMETHING MUST BE DONE!


So without further ado I present our victim for the day:







The Olympus C-730 4mpx was a beast for many years. At the time it cost me more than any entry level DSLR. It features manual focus, complete manual, A S and Auto modes, as well as ... manual white balance. The only thing missing from this now is RAW, but since I'm not made of money this will have to do.

You'll need a #00 jewellers screwdriver to get the tiny screws out. Many manufactures will hide the screws in the battery compartments, under grips, and under the card cover, so open every door when looking for screws. Cameras are not iPods, they should come apart with no force once all relevant screws are removed.

DO NOT USE FORCE. Attached to the back cover will be a ribbon cable connecting electronics to the mainboards. These are incredibly easy to tear and nearly impossible to repair. At best pry the case open but never do anything that will result in suddenly opening more than 20mm or so should the case suddenly give way.






See? That's what I'm talking about. Those little ribbon cables are connected to surface connectors held in place by a piece of plastic which compresses the connectors. 

*NOW WE STOP! * Somewhere in this case is a 330V 230uF capacitor. Fully charged. Touching them the right way hurts like all hell. Touching them the wrong will can kill you. Accidentally shorting them out with something metal will cause an ungodly bang and melt the end of your screwdriver.

You can discharge the capacitor by putting a 1kohm resistor across the terminals. My standard resistor is glued to a paddlepop stick so I'm no where near it. Or you can proceed with extreme caution. I work with this crap on a daily basis so I'm going to proceed. If you're not confident find a friend who's doing electrical engineering and seek their help. Consider yourself warned 

To remove the ribbon cables, using your screw driver very gently push those tabs away from the connector. Once both sides have slid out the cable should be free to move out. 

Now we must remove the motherboard. Often the sensor will be on a daughter board connected by another ribbon cable behind it. Sometimes there's only one board in the camera. YMMV. Also again manufactures like to hide screws. Again remove the board carefully so to not tear any connections off from below. Again be careful, there's a capacitor in there somewhere.






Told ya so. The big black thing is dangerous. Keep away. The big green thing is the sensor daughterboard (analogue to digital converter sits there too). I suggest you don't touch the board if you're working on carpet without an antistatic strap. Go find somewhere you can keep your feet on the ground, or go touch the kitchen tap. 

One of those screws will often be an adjustment screw. The others hold the board in. The adjustment screw in this case is the red one on the top. Don't turn this as it'll pivot the sensor assembly and may throw off the focus on half the image. Now we remove the board, I left the ribbon cables intact and took care.






There's our sensor and filter. The filter will be red, or green, or clear depending on the angle you're looking at. We need to remove this filter. Sometimes it's glued in place and will need a little force. In this case it was just sitting on a rubber grommet.






Yeah I know it's a bit scratched, I used the wrong product, read on.
Now at this point many will be tempted to close the camera and call it a day. Not so. On a DSLR or a 4/3rds camera the light will optically hit the sensor nearly parallel. The low-pass filter will also be very thin. On most point and shoot cameras this filter will be significantly thicker, will almost be directly touching the rear element, and unfortunately may employ any manner of techniques that makes it part of the focusing system.

YMMV but I reassembled my camera and found that it wouldn't focus automatically nor manually unless it was zoomed in past the 8x mark. So I had to open the camera again.

The low-pass filter is actually just a coating. It's applied and baked under a vacuum like any coating on the front of your lens elements. This means if you scratch it hard enough you hit standard glass below 

Find yourself a cutting compound for a final polish finish for things like a car. The key here is the polish should be FINE. If it feels like toothpaste it's too rough, if you can feel it at all it's too rough. It needs to feel like a gel paste. Additionally to cut down to the glass we need something harder than glass. Find a polish that is based around Aluminium Oxide swimming in petroleum distillate. I used AutoGlym Paint Renovator. But also suitable will be "AutoGlym bodyshop ultrafine abrasive 02B", or if you're loaded "3M Finesse-IT Finisher". Or ask your local car shop for something similar. Remember ultrafine, usually some polish that will follow a 2000 grit or finer sand.

Then we need something flat. I suggest a sheet of acrylic, but since I didn't have one I used a kenko filter. I wouldn't recommend glass on glass though. I do have some fine scratches in the filter as a result of the surface of the glass not being perfect. But in my defence it worked quite well.






Now we rub, and rub, and rub, and rub, and break for coffee, and rub, and ... ad infinitum.

It took me more than an hour to get BOTH sides of the glass clear. The worst part is it's very difficult to see if the coating is off the top part of the glass if it's still on the bottom because the glass will reflect the green/red look regardless which side you look at it from. Anyway after a good hour of rubbing your glass should look like ... glass:






Put it back:






Box it up.

And go outside and push the button:






Smile smugly.

Then post a how to on thephotoforum. 


Just a tip this picture was taken through a Hoya R72 filter. The filter looks almost transparent to the camera now. The shutterspeed was insane. 1/800 at f/6.3 ISO64. Much better than the 15 seconds at f/4.5 ISO200 on the unmodified D200.

If you don't have a Hoya R72 filter to play with then you can put a couple of developed film leaders in it's place. You know the stuff with sprocket holes which comes from a lab looking brown with pictures? Yeah film. It'll come back from the lab with black ends. Use that bit 

If you're enterprising enough you can cut that film leader and sandwich it between the sensor and the ... glass too.

Now go on, go get that old P&S from your cupboard.

#00 screwdriver with a chrome vanadium tip: $2 
tweezers: $1.50
Autoglym paint renovator 325ml: $9.50
That 3M stuff I talked about 1L: $80 (don't bother  )


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## tirediron (Nov 25, 2010)

Great job! :thumbup:


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## Mitica100 (Nov 26, 2010)

Thanks Garbz, I have a 4MP Oly as well sitting somewhere in my garage. Works fine, just need to do the little surgery...  

Any idea what polishing compound we could use in the US? I found the 3M product here at about $20 for 16oz bottle but wondering what other options I should consider.


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## Mitica100 (Nov 26, 2010)

BTW, I found the 3M product on Amazon:

*CLICK*

Is that it?


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## Garbz (Nov 26, 2010)

Not the bottle I was talking about (but that could just be the "for machine use' difference).

I won't commit to saying if that 3M product is the same, even though it has the same name, but I found the Autoglym product on amazon too: Amazon.com: AUT 10325 PAINT RENOVATOR - 325 ML: Automotive

But as I mentioned any rubbing compound that is Alu Oxide based, and incredibly fine designed for finishing after 2000 grit sanding or thereabouts should do.

I suggest spot testing it on an old filter or picture frame


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## Mitica100 (Nov 26, 2010)

Thank you! Order has been placed. Will let you know about the process.


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## Garbz (Nov 27, 2010)

One thought, something worth doing is normally worth using powertools to do. If you have a dremel or other slow spinning rotary tool see if you can't get a woolen buffing wheel to help get the coating off


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## Mitica100 (Nov 28, 2010)

That's an idea... However, I might stick with hand rubbing, as I have more control. I don't mind the extra time. I do have two dremels with adjustable speed but I'll feel better doing it by hand. Thanks for the suggestion though.


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## Mitica100 (Dec 7, 2010)

Garbz, a question for ya...  I got to the sensor/filter part ok, now I need to remove the square filter but it seems to be holding on to what looks like a socket. I'm gently scraping off the glue on the sides hoping it will dislodge. I am adding a tiny bit of alcohol (90%) and it seems to help a bit. Do you know if I can use Acetone on this? It would probably make my life easier but I don't want to destroy the sensor.

Thanks.


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## Mitica100 (Dec 7, 2010)

Nevermind, it's safely off!


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## Mitica100 (Dec 7, 2010)

Done!!! Put it back together, attached an old Leica IR filter and shot some greenery and the sky outside, and voila! IR ready!!!

Here it's the first picture, sharpened in PS. You'll notice the edges (lower left and upper right) of my hand held filter, It'll have to do for now until I make a filter holder for it.


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## Mitica100 (Dec 7, 2010)

Oh yes, one more thing...  What I modified was an Olympus Camedia C-4000 Z.  Should anyone want the exploded parts diagram for this or the C-4100, just IM me and I'll e-mail you a copy.


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## Mitica100 (Dec 7, 2010)

A few more that I just took:
















Work in progress...


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## reznap (Dec 15, 2010)

Tried this with a Canon Powershot A85.

It's so damn difficult it can't possibly be worth it.  Probably will end up throwing all the parts in the trash.

Here's a great write up on how to do it.. makes it look easy.
thustra.com: Canon A70 - IR Modification


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## Garbz (Dec 15, 2010)

reznap said:


> Tried this with a Canon Powershot A85.
> 
> It's so damn difficult it can't possibly be worth it.  Probably will end up throwing all the parts in the trash.



So damn difficult is a matter of the camera you have. That writeup for the A70 just shows what an absolute mess of tiny parts the camera is. My above pictures on the Olympus were complete. The entire camera dismantled into 3 pieces to reveal the sensor. 

Being worth it is a matter of opinion. Given the afternoon spent doing this and the result:


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## Mitica100 (Dec 15, 2010)

FYI, I just bought another Olynpus Camedia to convert to IR! One morning should do it, now I know the steps.

Just looking at the Canon disassembly makes me shiver! Oly is so much simpler and parts are accessible. Yeah, I had to de-solder and solder back a few wires to gain access to the IR blocking filter but that was easy.


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## altitude604 (Dec 15, 2010)

very very cool!

i might just have to go buy a cheap p&s just for this. good project for working on when stuck inside this winter. lol


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## usayit (Dec 15, 2010)

There's a person/company that does this type of conversion for a lot of money!!!   I wonder if they actually get business?   He/She/It also sells filters too... 

The real reason for me posting this link is that they also have DIY tutorials for several cameras.   I've been meaning to do this to my Canon G5.... its been "waiting" for several years now.

LifePixel Digital Camera Infrared IR Conversion Services. DIY IR Tutorials


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## Garbz (Dec 16, 2010)

Mitica100 said:


> A few more that I just took:
> 
> Work in progress...



Sorry Mitica. I missed your post, ... somehow. Glad to see you got it working . I find that with my Olympus it works best with auto whitebalance, with exposure set to -0.3EV Otherwise it starts blowing out the purple into other colours and looks off. If you're using Lightroom or ACR to edit your images in black and white take great care with channel mixer settings. Hitting black and white defaults to a funky curve which looks great for colour focus but has a tendency to really screw up images that start off halfway between magenta and purple. I manually set all the channel mixer sliders to zero when converting to B&W.

If you set to B&W in camera you may not have this issue.

Again congrats


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## Mitica100 (Dec 16, 2010)

Garbz said:


> Mitica100 said:
> 
> 
> > A few more that I just took:
> ...



Thanks for the tip! I do actually work it in BW, with a 720 filter held in place by an adapter. I liked the idea of having the flexibility of changing filters without re-opening the camera. However, I might cut a piece of 720 filter and replace the IR glass altogether, with the new old Oly camera which should be here soon.

Thanks again!


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## Garbz (Dec 17, 2010)

Watch the thicknesses. You need a material of the same thickness and refractive index as the filter. The latter part is usually easy, but the former is not


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## Tim N (Dec 17, 2010)

Garbz said:


> reznap said:
> 
> 
> > Tried this with a Canon Powershot A85.
> ...


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## Tim N (Dec 17, 2010)

I have 2 Sony DSC-P72 camera (one working and one parts.)

I found Removing the infrared filter on the Sony CyberShot DSC-P72 which shows how to get to the filter glass and I have already done just that on both.  If I polish the glass as you have said for your conversion, is there another step that needs to be taken?  The website shows a not so perfect result from the camera and says you still need a filter?  Is there a way that you see to get around this? 

Just curious and have the bug to tinker with my old toys


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## Mitica100 (Dec 17, 2010)

Tim N said:


> I have 2 Sony DSC-P72 camera (one working and one parts.)
> 
> I found Removing the infrared filter on the Sony CyberShot DSC-P72 which shows how to get to the filter glass and I have already done just that on both.  If I polish the glass as you have said for your conversion, is there another step that needs to be taken?  The website shows a not so perfect result from the camera and says you still need a filter?  Is there a way that you see to get around this?
> 
> Just curious and have the bug to tinker with my old toys



Tim, as Garbz mentioned before, you can replace the original IR blocking filter with a square cut from another IR filter. The trick is to match the thickness of the original filter and its refractive index. Another way, also mentioned by the OP is to find a piece of light exposed and developed chrome (slide) film, usually from the leader of the film. You can get one for free at any photolabs that do slides. Cut a piece of it of same size as of the IR blocking filter that you just polished and place them both inside the camera, with lots of care so dust doesn't get on the sensor. That will turn your camera into an IR ready camera, no need for other filters.

I prefer having a filter that I can add in front of the camera because I then can vary the strength of the IR filter. Right now I'm using a 720.


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## Tim N (Dec 17, 2010)

Thanks for the reply.  Going to try to do the negative end piece.

I'm polishing the glass right now.  Not sure I'm getting anywhere.  I'm guessing you DON'T use 2000 grit sandpaper.  You only rub with the finisher until the coat is removed, correct?  Mines not changing from the looks of it.  But will keep at it.  Using a microfiber towel and the polish.


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## Mitica100 (Dec 17, 2010)

Tim, no 2000 grit pape, just the rubbing compound Garbz mentioned inthe OP. And do it by hand, in an irregular pattern, using an old filter that you don't need anymore (Sky, Haze). That will ensure the flatness of the IR blocking filter. At the end clean the glass with a little Windex or simply with some mild detergent, rinse and clean with a microfiber cloth.


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## Tim N (Dec 17, 2010)

Ok so I have it all done and put back together with the film piece between the sensor and glass, but the photos have a purple hue to them.  Is this something weird or should that be the case?


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## Mitica100 (Dec 17, 2010)

Purple is good!

Have you tried to do a White Balance? If not, point the camera at some vegetation and do the WB. Also, you can turn the pics into Black and White in-camera or in PS. I do mine in-camera, so all that comes out is IR Black and White.

Try the in-camera BW setting to see what comes out first.


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## Allen (Dec 17, 2010)

My old Nikon point and shoot is about to be cracked open.  
Thanks guys.


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## FemFugler (Dec 18, 2010)

Allen said:


> My old Nikon point and shoot is about to be cracked open.
> Thanks guys.



if i can find my old nikon P&S mine will be too!

So i'm assuming it can work with any old camera.... i have an old nikon coolpix l2 if i can find it then it will be the next victim.


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## Garbz (Dec 18, 2010)

Tim N said:


> Ok so I have it all done and put back together with the film piece between the sensor and glass, but the photos have a purple hue to them.  Is this something weird or should that be the case?



Purple is due to the fact that cameras white balance algorithms can only be pushed so far. Some cameras when you use autowhite balance they come out great, but for the most part the trick is to either convert it to black and white, or set the white balance to manual so you can do something with the weird colours that come out. 

An easy way to check is to take a photo of the tree compared to the sky. The sky should be darker than it would be in a black and white shot. 

To illustrate this here's a shot from the IR modified camera. I am holding a 720nm IR filter up. The picture was shot with autowhitebalance and came out very purpleish. In post processing I've slid the tint slider to 90% green. 







If you stuffed up the IR conversion the filter being held up would look completely opaque. Same with a film leader. The other way to check to see how well it worked is to take a photo of someone wearing sunglasses. Most sunglass lenses (not the psycho reflective surferdude style though) are transparent to IR. 




Allen said:


> My old Nikon point and shoot is about to be cracked open.
> Thanks guys.



OMG what have I started. 

I hear a disturbance in the force, as if thousands of point and shoots cried out and then ... nothing.


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## Tim N (Dec 18, 2010)

Garbz said:


> OMG what have I started.
> 
> I hear a disturbance in the force, as if thousands of point and shoots cried out and then ... nothing.



We've all upgraded cameras over time and I have a hard time parting with them, but not a hard time PARTING them.   I love to tinker and this project looks like the best I've seen in a long time.  Thanks to all for answering my silly questions.  Hope the end result is near.  And my new old D70 showed up at the door yesterday.  Early Christmas for me!

#1 First outside attempt / Auto Level PS





#2 Snow and Green Plant / Auto Level PS





Will cloudy skies still be white?  I'm getting white.  I'm guessing a blue blue sky will turn to black?  Have to wait on that one.


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## Garbz (Dec 18, 2010)

Yes clouds are still white. (See my beach picture above).

IR usability is a bit like polarisers. They work best on clear sunny days for maximum effect, or taking photos of things that you know don't reflect IR light (such as water).


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## kimmik (Jan 8, 2011)

I've done a similar mod of my canon A480 a while ago. I've found a funny effect that i'm wondering if you guys experience as well. I have three external IR filters - 720, 850 and 950nm.

If i take a photo with the 720nm filter, the picture turns out a bit out-of-focus like (when focused as well as possible).

when taking a photo with 950nm filter, the picture is pixel sharp.

i believe this is due to the achromatic lens, which will focus at 450-650nm simultaneously for visible light photos, but not simultaneously in 720-1200nm. thus if using a 720nm filter, the lens has to try to focus a much wider spectrum than if using a 950nm filter.

any thoughts?

what sucks for using the 950nm filter, is that the camera is much less sensitive than with the 720nm. however the positive is the more accentuated IR look - trees are whiter, skin is whiter.


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## Garbz (Jan 11, 2011)

Focus is dead on for me with the 720nm. Lots of effort is put into correcting aberrations in the visible spectrum, but none is put into IR wavelengths and beyond. How a lens element behaves in the IR spectrum is anyone's guess as it's outside of normal design bounds.

However this shouldn't make too much of a difference. The Canon A480 has a contrast detect autofocus system like all point and shoots. Unless it physically can't latch a focus point it should be reasonable at identifying the correct point as the point with the most contrast is the point where the picture is sharpest, and the method involves simply moving the lens about till that point is reached. 

If anything contrast based AF is one of the most reliable ways to focus in IR.


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## kimmik (Jan 11, 2011)

Interesting that focus is perfect for you. Like you say, each lens will be different as they're being used outside of design criteria.

However one point I disagree with, is that I believe some lenses "my a480 included" cannot focus at 720 and 1000nm simultaneously, as some lenses are not corrected for dispersion outside of the visible spectrum. Thus if a leaf reflects the entire IR spectrum, then my image will be like it has a soft focus filter on. But if the leaf is lit with monochromatic IR eg at 800nm, then the image is sharp.

Anyway, my original reason for posting was to see if other cameras had the same problem with dispersion induced soft focus. It appears the answer is not always lol.

Thanks


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## Garbz (Jan 11, 2011)

Yes soft focus is quite different from being unable to focus which is what I thought you were referring to 

The contrast detection should still provide the sharpest image, maybe stacking a highpass filter on a lowpass filter will help you. Unfortunately you'll only get those from optical labs and not camera stores. Then they naturally assume you have university grant money or do R&D for a multination and as such will proceed to rape your wallet


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