Infrared or not?...

Hi there!

     I know, it's been a while since my last post, but I've been a bit busy in the last months. Long story short: got a new job that kept me busier than normal, spring and summer came so I spent much more time outside, bought a Canon 7D finally... :) (thank you Alina ! ), autumn came, quit my job two weeks ago and now I have time for ME! :) OK, let's get to the main reason of this post...

     A couple of weeks ago I bought a new IR filter from Cokin since I changed all my filters from Hoya to the ones from Cokin. The reason is simple: cheaper and way more fun to work with. Not to mention the huge variety of filters available. Did I say cheep? Yes I did. And they are! And I can use them on ALL of my lenses. That's a BIG advantage! Some may find them to be a bit harder to use, but once you get to play with them for a while you'll see that it's actually faster.

    Ok, well the IR filter from Cokin turned out to be a BIG disappointment... It seems that the Infrared Filter from Cokin (P007) is not actually a IR filter, but much more like a red filter. A really RED filter... As I don't want anyone making the same mistake or if one might want to say that I'm wrong, please see bellow the comparison between Hoya InfraRed R72 55mm and Cokin P007 Infrared. All shots where taken with Canon 7D mounted on a tripod.

1. Test shot to take the white balance.

     I used the highest ISO available to save time...

     Canon EF 50mm 1:1.8 II / ISO 6400 / 50mm / f/1.8 / 1/8s with Hoya InfraRed R72 55mm:

2. Test shot after the custom white balance was set using the previous shot.
     See the foliage that turned white from green? The main clue that the IR filter works...
     Canon EF 50mm 1:1.8 II / ISO 6400 / 50mm / f/1.8 / 1/5s with Hoya InfraRed R72 55mm:

3. Another test shot.
     See the sky that was an amber like color? Another clue that the filter works...
     Canon EF 50mm 1:1.8 II / ISO 200 / 50mm / f/8 / 30s with Hoya InfraRed R72 55mm:

4. Another example...
     Canon EF 50mm 1:1.8 II / ISO 200 / 50mm / f/4 / 30s with Hoya InfraRed R72 55mm:

 5. Found the perfect frame for the comparison test.
     Canon EF 50mm 1:1.8 II / ISO 200 / 50mm / f/4 / 30s with Hoya InfraRed R72 55mm:

6. Test shot to take the white balance.
     Tamron AF SP 17-50mm f/2.8 XR Di II LD IF / ISO 200 / 50mm / f/4 / 1.3s with Cokin P007 (89B) Infrared:

7. Test shot after the custom white balance was set using the previous shot.
     See the foliage that's still GREEN??? The main clue that the IR filter DOES NOT work...
     Tamron AF SP 17-50mm f/2.8 XR Di II LD IF / ISO 200 / 50mm / f/4 / 6s with Cokin P007 (89B) Infrared:

8. So what is it good for? Well almost nothing... It might be used in black and white photography to darken the blue sky (as you normally use a, much more cheaper, red filter), but considering the huge exposure time it requires... I don't think so!
     Tamron AF SP 17-50mm f/2.8 XR Di II LD IF / ISO 200 / 17mm / f/4 / 2s with Cokin P007 (89B) Infrared, in monochrome picture style:

So the only good thing about the Cokin P007 infrared is that you can use it as a ND (ND16 I guess) RED filter in BW photography... That wasn't what I bought it for! Shame though...

AirSoft @ Refractara and Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 test

A month later after the last airsoft battle... We felt the urge for another game, but the wagons were gone... So we decided to try the scenes at "Refractara". We talked with the guardian and we were inside in 5 minutes. I was a bit shocked seeing that the demolition process is going fast and that only the front building remains from the huge complex that once was. The airsoft game was only part of the reason why we choose this site, as I wanted to try out my new lens, a Tamron AF SP 17-50mm f/2.8 XR Di II LD IF, the version without "VC". I did some tests at home and I can say I am very pleased with the build and especially with the image quality. From a few dozens shots, there were one or two that had problems with the front focus and although the auto focus makes a lot of noise, if you don't change the focusing distance too much and too often, the noise is acceptable. I'll let you see the pictures now and, as always, please click on any image to go full-screen. These are only some of the shots, the entire set can be found on my facebook page. Enjoy!

Airsoft @ Wagons

Last month we took advantage of a clear sky and the beautiful snow for a little airsoft battle at a nearby abandoned train station. Hope you'll like my pictures, hope you'll enjoy watching them! More pictures can be found on my facebook page and, like always, please click on any image below to go full screen! Thanks!

White City

   As some of you might know, the last two weeks were incredibly fun for some and very tragic for most, here in Romania. Why this paradox? It's simple.

  When you think "winter", the first thing that pops in you head is "snow"! Right? Well, in the past two weeks it snowed so much all over, as I have not seen for many-many years in Alba Iulia. So you can imagine the joy of every child... it brings back great memories, doesn't it?


   But the tragic part is that lives were lost all over the country in these two weeks... The authorities were caught by surprise... again... in winter time... I'm not pointing any fingers, maybe just one!

   Getting back to photography... A week ago, when the weather conditions were more mild, I organized a small event with two friends on Facebook. Those who are following my page might have seen it. The main reason was to take this opportunity and take a few pictures of our white city, as most likely it will not be like this in the years to come.

Ok! The final results can be seen below and, like always, please click on any image to make it larger!
Please note that this a random selection. The entire set can be found on my Facebook page.
Enjoy!