We did some testing of the S3/5s infrared capabilities. Using a Hoya R72 infrared filter, with the iso set at 200 and the aperture wide open at f2.7, shutter speeds fall within the realm of handheld photography with the help of image stabilization. You could use a higher iso, but noise levels become troublesome. But when the choice is between using a higher iso or not getting the shot at all (as in windy conditions or moving subjects), we'll use iso 400. Take several shots when working with long exposures handheld to increase your chances of getting at least one sharp one. Using the EVF helps too - holding the camera to your eye is inherently more stable than holding it at arms length. For ultimate image quality though, iso 50 or 100 is preferred. This will probably require using a tripod and calm air, but if you want to make prints with good detail it's well worth it. If you want to make panoramas, the tripod is almost essential. Fortunately you can use a lighter tripod with an S3 than you would need for a DSLR. Though I often forget to turn the IS off when I use a tripod, this doesn’t seem to affect the results. When you do use iso200 or higher and want to make a print or larger web image and the noise is objectionable, it’s often better to simply remove the blue channel (where most of the ugly noise resides) in Photoshop or another program than to resort to detail-killing noise removal software. You don’t need to run out and buy PS CS2 or anything fancy – any older version of PS will do – (they used to be bundled with Canon P&S cameras) or any program that allows manipulation of the color channels.. Like the G7, white balance settings have a dramatic effect on sensitivity. These samples were shot in aperture priority mode, letting the camera select the shutter speed. At f2.7 and iso100, the shutter speed was .25 sec for all the WB settings except for Tungsten which was .4 sec and Custom, which was longest at .6 sec. – (custom WB was set on some grey/white clouds) Straight from the camera, I like those 2 settings best. Tungsten WB produces good detail and dynamic range with amber tones. Custom WB produces an interesting false color scheme - cyan shadows and mid tones with ochre skies and foliage which could be make for some interesting color post processing, as well as black and white conversions. If you’re making panoramas, avoid using the Auto WB setting as the balance can change from frame to frame. This pertains to color panos as well. The black and white 100% crops are to show details like shadow noise without the distraction of color. They were converted to grayscale, autoleveled and given a light sharpening (.4/50). If you’re converting to black and white, you might as well use auto, Sunny, or Cloudy (the two Fluorescent and Flash settings seem to have the most noise, and the camera missed focus in the fluorescent settings about half the time and also missed focus in the flash setting sample) for the fastest shutter speeds. The same rules regarding orientation to the sun in color photography apply to IR too – avoid front lit scenes when possible as they tend to look flat and uninteresting. Backlit and sidelit scenes work best - the challenge is keeping the sun off the lens to avoid flares. Though landscape photographers will generally avoid shooting when the sun is directly overhead, this setting can produce interesting results in IR. This panorama was assembled from 3 vertical images. I tried converting to black and white, then decided I liked the tungsten white balance results better. More images and information coming. Tony |
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