Another Infrared Picture Set

I wanted a different place to take pictures yesterday so I ventured out further west on my bike and stopped at Ontario Place. Ontario Place was a great amusement park when it opened some 40 years ago, but it has remained pretty much the same for four decades. Consequently, the number of visitors had been down each year and it was closed couple years ago. That's what happens when you become complacent. Not really sure what they are going to do; improve it? Get rid of it completely?

All pictures below were taken with the 20D & Pentax-M 20mm f4

Sugar Beach in Infrared with Pentax-M 28mm f2.8

I recently acquired a very cheap Pentax-M 28mm f2.8. There are many variations of this lens in the Pentax family, and I was especially interested in comparing it to the Pentax-K 28mm f3.5 which I have for a while, but hardly used.  But that has to come later.  I put this lens on the Infrared modified Canon 20D ran through a few dozen frames and like most Pentax primes, it's an excellent performer; I was not disappointed.  The Pentax-M 20mm f4, which I used pretty much exclusively on the 20D IR camera, is extremely sharp, but pictures coming out of the Pentax-M 28mm f2.8 is indistinguishable from the 20mm f4, except the angle of view of course.  Judging from memory, it's on par, if not better than the K28mm f3.5. Very nice lens indeed, and the best part is that this lens is reasonably cheap.

All pictures below were taken with Canon 20D IR and Pentax-M 28mm f2.8 at around f8-f11.

Infrared Picture Set with Pentax-M 20mm f4

For some reason, I have been itching to bring out the Infrared modified camera and shoot some IR pictures. The weather has been finally cooperating, and I took this opportunity to try an autofocus lens with the 20D. It's a known fact that IR spectrum affects the focus point; most camera's AF system are calibrated for visible light and if you take a picture with the default AF, the picture will come out blurry. For this reason, AF lenses are not very good for IR work, as you would always have to focus it abit behind the indicated focused point. For lenses with USM that support full time manual focus, this is much easier, but still, it's hard to know the exact amount of focus shift you need to do in order to attain critical focus.

I tried the Canon 16-35mm f2.8L II lens today with various degrees of success. For starters, this lens is not a good lens for IR. It has a large hot spot in the centre of the frame, even when there is no stray light hitting the lens. Almost all Canon USM lenses allow you to focus beyond infinity, and that's what is needed to achieve infinity focus for IR. Most pictures turned out to be in focus when the lens was set beyond infinity to the maximum allowed. This is good for pictures that focus to infinity, but not too good if the focus distance is closer. Some experiment is required. This is the reason I like using manual focus lenses, especially the Pentax-M 20mm f4, for IR. When set to infinity, everything is pin sharp from a couple meters away at small apertures.

Redpath Sugar Refinery in IR - Canon 20D IR & Pentax-M 20mm f4. Click for larger.

The cemetery - Canon 20D IR & Pentax-M 20mm f4. Click for larger.

Geese - Canon 20D IR & Pentax-M 20mm f4.

More Infrared Pictures

I surprised myself this year by taking so many infrared pictures with the modified 20D. Last year I was contemplating selling it, as I was not using it much. I am liking it more when the pictures were converted into black and white. With some subjects that do not have planation in them, they look just like ordinary black and white pictures, but with trees and grass, etc, the pictures take on a whole different look and I really like that. Again, the Pentax-M 20mm f4 is still the best lens for IR on my 20D. Wide enough but not so much that makes composition difficult, and it's sharp as a tack.

Abandoned Railroad Tracks - Canon 20D IR & Pentax-M 20mm f4. Click for larger.

Tall Ship & Sailboat - Canon 20D IR & Pentax-M 20mm f4. Click for larger.

Sailboat  - Canon 20D IR & Pentax-M 20mm f4

Tamron SP 17mm f3.5 - Infrared Photo Set

This is probably the last set of infrared pictures from the Spadina & Queen area, taken the day before my last day of work at lunch time.

I wanted to experiment with different wide angle lenses for IR photography other than the Pentax-M 20mm f4 lens I almost exclusively used before. Last time I tried the Flektogon 35mm f2.8 with good results, and I decided to try my widest manual focus lens - the Tamron SP 17mm f3.5. As it turned out, it wasn't bad at all. I was afraid I could not get infinity focus, but with aperture set at f8-f11, it was fine. What I really should have done, is try the Canon FD 20mm f4 against the Pentax-M 20mm f4, but there is always the next time.

The Tamron SP 17mm f3.5 is not as sharp the Pentax-M 20mm f4, especially at the edges, but it's a much wider angle therefore not a fair comparison.

The Hug Me Tree 2013 - Canon 20D IR & Tamron SP 17mm f3.5 Adaptall. Click for larger.

Spadina & Queen 2013 - Canon 20D IR & Tamron SP 17mm f3.5 Adaptall. Click for larger.

Grange Park - Canon 20D IR & Tamron SP 17mm f3.5 Adaptall. 

Tree outside Umbra building - Canon 20D IR & Tamron SP 17mm f3.5 Adaptall. 

Infrared Photography - Restarted

I felt really guilty about the Infrared modified Canon 20D not being used much, so I intend to change that this year and take it out more often, perhaps even with different lenses. Currently, the Pentax-M 20mm f4 has been used on the 20D almost exclusively. I would like to try the Tamron SP 17mm f3.5 and other wide angle lenses on it and see if I can get different looks.

IR photography has fascinated me with its eerie, surreal quality, and false colours. I don't like the deep infrared pictures that do not show any false colours as much. The problem with IR pictures is that after you see them for a while, the pictures have the sameness to them. I am hoping I will learn alternative processing methods to make them look more unique.

All the pictures below were taken with the IR modified Canon 20D and the Pentax-M 20mm f4.

Photo Essay: Around My Work Place in Infrared - Part 1

I have been working at Spadina and Queen area for the last 13 years.  If I could manage, I would usually go out and do some shooting during my lunch hour.  Regular readers will no doubt see many pictures of the same places.  Even with a lot of activities in the area, there is only so much you can shoot.  So, I decided to shoot the area in infrared (IR) to get different looks.  This will be a mini-series once a week for three weeks.

 This is Part I.  Hope you enjoy it.

Black Bull Patio -- Canon 20D IR Modified & Pentax-M 20mm f4. Click for larger.

Starbucks on Queen & John Sts -- Canon 20D IR Modified & Pentax-M 20mm f4. Click for larger.

Giant Tree in Grange Park -- Canon 20D IR Modified & Pentax-M 20mm f4. Click for larger.

[Yellow] Roses -- Canon 20D IR Modified & Pentax-M 20mm f4. Click for larger.

Old Buildings at Grange Park -- Canon 20D IR Modified & Pentax-M 20mm f4.