$100 camera with a DIY mod takes incredible photos

This setup blew my already high expectations! I'm having so much fun with it. And the best part is, the camera is super affordable (I bought mine for just under $100, and it goes for $90-120 depending on color and condition). 12 megapixels is more than enough. And this DIY infrared mod is super easy to do! Don't worry, I'll show you how I did it so you can decide if you want to convert your camera to infrared as well.

I was tired of bad quality drivers, so I paid the price and got this iFixit set and couldn't be happier:

Rocket blower used:

You'll need a soldering gun. Mine is super old and basic, I'll probably grab this one next:

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[intersexcryptid]

Snappiness, single handedly proving you don't need expensive cameras to take great shots.

[biosfearmag]

Props for shouting out Flickr and the reward of hitting the Explore page.

[stew_redman]

I converted my Canon EOS R to Infrared. No regrets. Love the IR images. Autofocus works, even with a 24-105mm lens.

[kevinparkes]

Infrared focusses slightly differently to the visible spectrum due to the wavelength. Many vintage manual lenses have a small red mark to the side of the focus mark for infrared. When using infrared film you would focus normally and then move the focus point from the normal mark to the infrared mark for accurate focus.

[MicroFourNerds]

"It's really quite beginner friendly!"
*shows the naked insides of a camera with wires everywhere"
😂 that was such a good cut. These images are fantastic! I've got a converted Sony that I still haven't been brave enough to try yet. If I can get images half as good as yours I'll be very happy indeed!

[anthonymcneill]

THIS MAN SINGLE-HANDEDLY DESTROYED THE USED CAMERA ECONOMY 😭😭😭

[tammytrashbags]

my dyspraxic ass would 100% brick my camera in seconds trying to do this lmao but you *have* made me genuinely consider buying an IR modded camera for the first time... those aerochrome style images are really beautiful! maybe a 10mp era

[andybaldwinphoto]

I love the Aerochrome look. I might have to start looking for an old Olympus.

[readysetnogo]

The Olympus e-pl1 can have this done to it as well. I found one on eBay in the USA last week with a lens and all of the accessories for $75. The lens could sell for more than that alone, so it was a solid deal.

[diluteduk]

I think the focus issue is because IR light focuses at a different point. I used to shoot infrared film many years ago on a fully manual Pentax K1000. The 50mm lens had a little red dot on it which was the infrared focus point. If you were shooting wider than about F8 you had to focus the lens visibly, put your filter on, and then adjust the focus basically with guess work.

[JonathanAllen-AKA-Steeeve]

Great video as always!

I did this to an EM-5, initially I didn't replace the filter which led to some pretty bad focus issues, so had to disassemble it again to put a clear filter in. From my understanding removing the filter effectively increases the flange distance (and m43 sensors generally have quite thick filters making this more pronounced). If you have a lens that can focus past infinity this shouldn't be an issue.

There's a lens rentals article that goes into more detail about it.

Highly recommend doing the converstion, IR photography is a ton of fun!

[TomCalton]

Great video and lovely photos! I bought an already converted Fujifilm X-M1 a long while back that I've been meaning to make a video on. I LOVE the look of IR photography. Particularly the colour shots. 😍

[mjohnson]

I bought an epl2 and a 14/2.5 after seeing your short on this, intending to do the IR mod, but after shooting with it for a bit I'm just going to keep it as is. Really killer little camera/lens combo.

[Niei]

Cheap IR Chrome filter:
Lee 115 (a lighting filter you can buy in sheets) + GRB3.
I've posted these on the ultravioletphotography forums.

[KW-znjs]

Great video, I like the way you operate the camera, very sensitive, unlike some other videos where I had serious concerns about the camera surviving. And you´re fotos are amazing. There is a further option to get a infrared camera without opening the case, I have a Sony DSC f828 which comes with an infrared mode out of the box. You only need a neodym magnet and a filter and you´re ready to go. This also works with some earlier Sony cams. All in all a very affordable option for first timers.

[jorgealbertomartinezortiz]

I did the same to a Sony Nex3. And also love the results! It's amazing!

[Meg_A_Byte]

Literally just few days ago I dove deep into infrared coversions and decided to do one myself and now I see you making video about it. What a coincidence. Planning to covert my old Sony RX100 II. If anyone has any experience with it, please let me know.

[just_eirik]

This video inspired me to try this with my Fujifilm X-T100 and it worked I think. Meaning it’s back up and running after taking the filer out. But I have barely tried it yet.
I made mistakes and I think I damaged some screw hole threads, one screw got unusable and I forgot where some of the screws goes, so I ended up with unused screws. This was my first time taking a camera apart, or even any electronics apart. First time dealing with ribbon cables and first time since I was a young kid using a soldering iron. Had to take it super slow so it took many many hours. But the main thing is, this is totally doable on the X-T100! (Just so it’s clear, this is not the expensive overhyped X100v or whatever. It’s a beginner camera from Fujifilm that came out in 2018.)

[awesomecarl]

I just cut a piece of glass and stuffed it into the filter holder of my full spectrum D40X, I now have infinity and auto focus!

[joshuadtaft]

This is technically a full spectrum mod as it also allows UV light in, which you could probably get some interesting shots with an IR and visible light filter as well, but some of the replacement glass out there makes it to where it only allows visible and specific IR wavelengths in which works amazingly for astrophotography