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Photography Question 

Romen Vargas 		 

EOS 300 / Rebel 2000 and Infrared Film


I wanted to do some infrared photography but then I remembered reading my EOS 300/Rebel 2000 manual and it said that its not compatible with infrared film. Why? Isn't film just film? It registers spectrum on it and records it? Infrared film just registers another part of the spectrum, right? Or is it thicker/thinner or something? I just wanna know why I can't use it. (or maybe I can???)


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July 20, 2000

 

Jon Close 		  The EOS 300/Rebel 2000 is not compatible with infrared film because the wind/rewind system uses an infrared emitter to count sprocket holes on the film. It has no effect on standard daylight or tungsten-balanced film of any speed, but will fog infrared film (at least one edge if not the whole frame). The same system is used in the EOS 50/Elan II.

-Jon


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July 25, 2000

 

BetterPhoto Member 		  You can't use IR film on the EOS300 because the EOS300 uses an infra-red sensor to read the DX code on the film canister. This sensor will thus ruin the IR film.


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July 25, 2000

 

BetterPhoto Member 		  Sorry, my bad! Jon is correct on this :)


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July 25, 2000

 

John A. Lind 		  Romen, you're partly right. IR films have a panchromatic emulsion with extended red sensitivity into the infrared region (wavelengths longer than visible light). Because these emulsions are also sensitive to visible light you must use a special IR filter in daylight, artificial visible light, or standard flash to get a true IR image. In total darkness you can use a special IR flash eliminating the need for a filter.

What does this all mean?
1. Your auto-focus won't be able to focus. You will have to manually focus the camera. Can you switch the EOS AF system off and manually focus?
2. Even if the AF system could focus, it wouldn't do it accurately! Since IR has much longer wavelengths than visible light, it refracts at different angles through your lens elements and groups than visible light. All modern lenses are "achromatic" or "apochromatic" meaning they are corrected for chromatic aberration (different colors focusing at different distances). However this correction does not extend down into the IR region. Thus the focus distance is *different* (shorter) for IR than what you see and think is in focus using visible light through the viewfinder.
Many older, manual focus lenses have a red mark on them (a red line, dot, or "R") shifted slightly from the white mark that shows the focus distance. You manually focus with your eye using visible light, and then shift the focus distance from the white mark to the red one. In the IR region, the focal length of your lens is longer by about 0.25% of the visible light focal length!
3. Since, with the filter on, you have lost all (or very nearly all) of the visible light, your AE system will not likely work either, forcing you to manually set exposure. Can you override the AE and manually set exposure?
4. Many IR films do not have an "anti-halide" layer on them. This layer prevents reflection of light from the pressure plate (the plate in the camera back that holds the film flat across the film gate) back through the film. If it did, it would cause a "halo" effect much as if you had used a soft focus diffusion filter. If your pressure plate has a grid of small dimples on it like most do, you could easily see a faint rendering of this grid in your IR exposures. I don't think Canon has made a non-dimpled replacement pressure plate for your EOS Rebel.


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July 26, 2000

 

Romen Vargas 		  Awesome...thanks for the replies.. 8-) I'll just have to get another camera body now that doesn't use IR to for film wind...;p Thanks again.


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July 26, 2000

 

Abigail 		  So has anyone actually used the Canon Eos 300/ Rebel 2000 with infrared film? I'm also keen to try a roll but as mentioned above, this camera is not suitable. However I have read that some cameras which use the infrared sensor to read the DX code only fog a few mm at the bottom of the frame which you obviously allow for when you take the pictures. I'm just curious because this would be more desirable than buying another camera! Anyone?
thanks,
abigail


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August 09, 2001

 

Gary WW Steward 		  Run a roll thru the camera, using proper IR handling (beware hollow core doors, etc).


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August 13, 2001

 

Kym 		  You should not shoot infrared film in a plastic camera, period! not to mention the window on the camera door, or the pressure plate or the DX reader.!! Maybe black tape could help some of these it cannot help the fact that you should shoot infrared film in a metal camera.


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March 27, 2002

 

Jon Close 		  Kym, whether a camera has a plastic or metal body is not relevant. The EOS 10s is all plastic but is suitable for IR. The film window the may or may not cause an IR leak, it depends on the camera and how it and the film door are sealed. Kodak also warns that the black felt on the opening of the film cartridge leaks, so IR film must be loaded in complete darkness and stored in black, rather than clear, plastic cans.

With respect to IR leaks, Kodak states, "Although unlikely, an infrared leak in your camera is possible. To check for a leak, load the camera and move a strong tungsten light in front of and around the back of the camera for approximately one minute with the shutter closed. If there are no streaks on the film when processed, the camera should be infrared-tight."

DX sensors are simple metal to metal electrical contacts and emit no radiation that would effect IR film.

For a good source on shooting IR with EOS cameras see http://teladesign.com/photo/eos-ir.html#dx


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March 28, 2002

 
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