Customer Reviews

Opteka HD² 67mm R72 720nm Infrared X-Ray IR Filter

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have had this product for a few weeks now, and I am liking it more and more as I become better at infrared photography, and this has opened up a new genre of photography for me that I never really considered before.

I am no expert in this category, but I did try to do a lot of research before I purchased this lens. I mainly wanted one due to the really creative and beautiful black & white photos that I have seen taken with an infrared filter. I have purchased other Opteka filters that I liked for the quality and materials used, although they are on the pricey side.

I used this filter with a Canon Digital Rebel XTi, with a 17-85mm IS USM Canon lens, and it fit snugly. Some other filters I have tried sometimes fit very loosely, and always scares me to use them, so this was a relief for me. This filter also seems to be made of good construction quality.

Some of the research I did talked about higher-end digital cameras tend to filter out a lot of infrared light, and some people modify their cameras to remove this internal filter just for infrared photography only. I was a little worried my camera might limit the abilities of the filter, and there was little or no research I could find for my specific camera model, but the Rebel XTi seems to take really good infrared photos as far as I can tell. I usually use exposures of 30 seconds for daylight photos, and several minutes for night photos. I learned you could boost the ISO setting to shorten the exposure time (I wasn't sure if this would work with an infrared filter). I didn't notice any noise from reasonable settings, but I usually tried to keep the ISO setting as low as possible and increased the exposure time if shooting a still scene.

There are a few drawbacks to this filter (and possibly all infrared filters). It is sometimes hard to focus through the filter, especially at night, and even for setting up the scene it is impossible to see with the filter on, so I have had to remove the filter several times to set up the scene and lock the focus, then re-attach the filter to take the shot. Another drawback is that it is sometimes very hard (at least for me) to predict how a photo might look with IR. Some objects, such as foliage, leaves, the sky, etc, produce very lovely shots. People sometimes look bizarre though, especially their eyes and skin (sometimes you can see skin spots not normally visible and through makeup), but other times they turn out pretty well. A lot of times I find myself gambling to see how a scene might appear with the IR filter, but I am getting better at guessing as I practice more.

Overall I really love this filter. It has allowed me to be more creative, and to see the world differently.

Filter is very good, but D90 is not the best choice for IR shooting. You need 30 sec on ISO 1600 in bright daylight to get something. Since I bought it just for fun that doesn't bother me.

i really recommend this item. pictures are great and they are like alive. images are more clear with using this device.

I wanted to start with some basic infrared photography, this filter works great for starting out. Tip for using this filter, set focus without the filter on, then add the filter. I found best results in the middle of the day when the sun is bright. Creative new look on the world.

I don't know about other DSLRs, but it's so useless with Nikon D90... I can't see anything, only black... you need a direct sunlight & setting your camera on ISO 1600 or higher & a very slow shutter speed to start getting some results.

just a warning: this product does not work on all cameras.
usually newer cameras have strong filters to block out IR light.
this filter works great on my Nikon d50. but will not work on the Nikon d80 or other newer cameras.
I recommend you do your research on infrared photography before buying this filter.

The Opteka HD² 67mm R72 720nm Infrared X-Ray IR Filter is a lot of fun.
it blocks out most visible light, making it difficult to compose you photo.

If you want something new to do with photography and photo-shop processing, then I highly recommend this filter.

there really isnt anything special to this filter, as with most cameras you need to have the shutter open for a while with a really high iso setting, not to mention compensating the focus. in all honesty go spend the money on a converted camera, that way you dont have to spend 5 mins setting up your gear for a fuzzy photo. really not worth the money.

ps if you are using this to see through clothing just know that it does not work except on very rare occasions and circumstances.

I do not recommend this filter. Total waste of time.
Tutorials on the web, showing how to use an x-ray film tell you how to build your own IR filter and results are better.