Making an Infra-red Digital Still Camera

[Detection]

I'm interested in making an infra-red camera from a normal cheap digital camera and some IR Filters I got from eBay

Just received the filters, I was under the impression that you shouldn't be able to see through them with the naked eye ?

I can see through them when I look at something bright like outside through the window, everything is purple.

I took a photo with my phone, and this is basically what I can see with my eyes too

I know I haven't fitted them to anything yet, but everything is blurry and distorted, even looking though them without a camera

Are these going to work if I replace the hot filter in a camera with glass and put one of these in-front ?

Anyone got any experience in making an IR Digital Still Camera ? :)

[HawkMan]

If filters jut remove the none if light, or most of it. It won't make the camera an ir camera as the sensor still won't see most of the ir spectrum.

To have an ir camera you either need a sensor that sees only the ir spectrum, or a sensor that sees significantly into it and filter. What you get there is just a very small part of their spectrum. If that.

That's as far as I understand anyway.

[Detection]

If filters jut remove the none if light, or most of it. It won't make the camera an ir camera as the sensor still won't see most of the ir spectrum.

To have an ir camera you either need a sensor that sees only the ir spectrum, or a sensor that sees significantly into it and filter. What you get there is just a very small part of their spectrum. If that.

That's as far as I understand anyway.

From what I have read, almost all cameras can see the IR spectrum, point a TV remote at your phone camera and press the button, you`ll see it light up the IR Diode

There is a filter inside digital cameras called a Hot Filter (The red looking lens), which apparently filters out IR light, or at least tries to.

Removing that filter and replacing it with clear glass and adding an IR pass filter supposedly turns your camera into an IR camera, but its not as easy as it looks

I've broken 2 digital camera so far and this is the best I have managed to get

[HawkMan]

yes, they see part of the spectrum, but they're not full IR cameras. they see the lower end of the spectrum, the area close to visible, but beyond what our eyes can see. but they won't see nearly as much as a full IR camera

[rfirth]

yes, they see part of the spectrum, but they're not full IR cameras. they see the lower end of the spectrum, the area close to visible, but beyond what our eyes can see. but they won't see nearly as much as a full IR camera

Sure, but you can still make an infrared camera in this way. It will only see near infrared light. For far infrared thermal imaging, you need different equipment.

You just need to take out the IR blocking filter and replace it with a visible light blocking filter. I've broken a couple old cameras trying this, with no success.

[Arachno 1D]

Nice write up here on the methodoligy http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/kitchenscience/exp/make-an-infra-red-camera/

[Detection]

Sure, but you can still make an infrared camera in this way. It will only see near infrared light. For far infrared thermal imaging, you need different equipment.

You just need to take out the IR blocking filter and replace it with a visible light blocking filter. I've broken a couple old cameras trying this, with no success.

Yea I completely killed an old Kodak, realised it was not going back together when I finally got down to the lens and it was impossible to replace the filter without breaking it anyway

Then tried a cheap vivitar I think it is, and it was easier to get to, but the hot filter was the only piece of the lens that was not removable and I had to smash it and smooth the hole out, but when I put the thing back together I couldn't remember which lens went in which order or which way up despite thinking I could remember by the way I had taken them out.

Finally got it back in the way I think it should be and the cheap lenses were all scuffed and everything is out of focus and blurry as hell so I gave up on that one too

Ordered some IR plates about 8cm sq, and a filter for my more expensive camera that I`m not dismantling and going to play around with them instead.

Might buy a day/night IP camera and play around with that with extra filters and extra IR lamps, looks like quite a fun hobby and might get me out the house and away from the PC for a few hours a day to take some photos