Thanks to reader Mick Klass, who submitted his results for the new Nikon 20mm f/1.8 S Nikkor Z lens at 720mm infrared. His results showed excellent performance through f/8, with a mild hotspot appearing at f/11 and above. As such, I give the 20mm f/1.8 S Nikkor a “good” rating on my Nikon Z infrared testing chart.
I recently converted a Nikon Z6 mirrorless camera to capture infrared images. Along with my Image Doctors co-host Rick Walker, I tested most of the new Nikon Z-mount lenses to see how well they performed for infrared photography, including sharpness and the appearance of hot-spots. We also tested a slate of F-mount lenses using the Nikon FTZ adapter to see how well they performed on the Nikon Z6 in infrared.
Read: Nikon Infrared Lens Performance with Nikon Z-mount cameras
I took a much-needed break and spent two days photographing around Great Sand Dunes National Park here in Colorado. The dunes themselves are massive, and can be a challenge to shoot depending on the light. During the day, I utilized my Nikon Z6 camera that I recently had converted to capture infrared images (720nm/Standard IR). The infrared capture really made the clouds stand out on an otherwise hazy day at the dunes. Foliage is rendered bright/white when using an infrared camera, so it adds to the unique look. I finished off the processing using Silver Efex Pro 2, part of the Nik Collection by DXO.
Video: The Magic of Digital Infrared Photography (available free through July 31, 2020)
I’m pleased to offer a live class online Thursday, June 25th from 7-9pm US Eastern Time. Digital Infrared Processing: Fundamentals and Creativity is intended to show you how to work with digital infrared images in Lightroom, Photoshop, and Nik Collection plug-ins like Silver Efex Pro 2 and Color Efex Pro 4.
All registered participants will receive a video replay of the live class.
I’m back in Colorado after leading an incredible photo tour of London & Paris. My clients and I had so much fun photographing and exploring these cities as part of my creative travel photo workshop series. I always like to pack my infrared camera when I’m traveling, because it’s a great way to capture a popular subject in a totally unique way. To that effect, we had great skies during our morning at Montmartre, where we visited Sacré-Coeur. It was the perfect conditions for infrared photography.
