I have a digital SLR camera and a regular 6 megapixel point and shoot, and I would like to take infrared pics.

Question

How do I go about doing this with digital cameras? I have a regular film camera (Pentax k1000), But I would really like to avoid the hassle of processing infrared film. I also would rather not send out my SLR camera and have it altered to an infrared camera because it is the only one I use. Is there any (gasp) photo editing software that can change your photos to infrared?

Answer 1

Most digital cameras reach a little bit into the infrared spectrum, but not anywhere near to make for spectacular IR photography. To see if your camera works in this range, have someone point a TV remote at your camera while holding down a button. If your camera has any IR sensitiviy, you will see a bright dot in the picture.
Now comes the expensive part: for about $150, you can get an IR filter--necessary because normal light overwhelms IR light. After finding a way to attach it to your P&S camera, you should be able to take IR time-lapse photos.
The results are really disappointing, because the camera has a very limited bandwidth in this range... sort of like taking pictures with a camera where only the red pixels are working.

Answer 2

Yes there is a difference. A DSLR might not have as many megapixels, however the size of the sensors that take in the light that create the image in a DSLR are a lot larger than those normally in a point and shoot digital camera. This means the quality of the pixels can be much higher creating a cleaner picture in many situations. Secondly DSLR cameras have a lot more features that can be changed depending on the situation. This can be very beneficial in some situations, such as taking photos in the dark, or altering the focal point in a photo. Generally though, if it is just for personal use there is a significant price difference when buying a DSLR camera that might not be worth the cost. The cost of lenses can be $200 or more. There is also the cost taken in learning the different settings of a DSLR. There is certainly a knack to using one in comparison to a point and shoot camera! However if you want to take some really nice photos then a DSLR is a great way to go!

Answer 3

Infrared is light outside of the visible spectrum. The sensors in digital cameras are made for visible light. You cannot use a filter or software to give you something that is not there. Infrared film is sensitive to IR light.