New Camera Whining!

[errantember]

...so my MaxMax X-Nite CC1 IR blocking filter came today. I need this kind of filter to take normal, visible-light pictures with my new Fujifilm IS-1. However, instead of being clear, it has a very strong blue tint. If you look a the color curve, which I evidently didn't do before I bought it, you can see that it starts attenuating at 500nm, which is just between blue and green, and slopes down at almost 45 degrees to the cutoff at 700. This despite the fact that it's marketed specifically as a hot mirror replacement for cameras with the hot mirror removed. What does this mean?

The Short Version is that the filter I need to make my camera *not* see glowing red halos on everything makes the picture seem blue instead, so I had to buy a more expensive one that doesn't do this. In the process I discovered a few "features" of my camera that inspire hatred and avarice.

For the Long Version, see below.



It blocks infrared, but it also block a lot of visible greens and reds, leaving photos with a strong blue cast. Blech! If I use a custom white-balance setting just for that filter, the images come out look pretty damn close to normal. However, I *know* that I'm losing intensity under that 45-degree curve, and my so-far least favorite feature of the IS-1 has revealed itself.

Although *all* of the internal presets for white balance alter what's show through the viewfinders, the two (thank *God* there's two!) custom white balances do *not*. So you can adjust the white balance for custom lighting and filters, but the *only* way you can see the results is to take the picture and look at the result! Everything you see in the viewfinder still appears in funny colors. Finally, although the IS-1 does support a Preview mode that will show you the picture you just took on the screen, you can't do *anything* with it without switching into view mode, which involves moving the main power switch. Not only can you not zoom in and pan around, you can't even delete it! At least as far as I've been able to figure out so far. All of which leads to the following repetitive drama.

1) Put on X-Nite CC1 to take visible light pictures.
2) Notice the pictures is now tinted blue.
3) Get angry.
4) Switch to custom white balance, actually sampling for a new balance if you haven't done so already.
5) The *camera* now has the correct white balance, but the LCD is still blue-tinted!
6) Get angry.
7) Take the shot, and look the preview. The white balance looks great! But did you actually *want* that picture? No! you just took it to test the white balance! And now, you can't delete it without switching the camera completely into Playback mode, which isn't some kind of hot button, it requires flipping the master switch.
8) Get angry.
9) Either delete the picture by hand now, or waste switch usages and battery power to switch into Playback mode just to delete the fucking picture.

So, as both because it's not *truly* visible light transparent, and because it leads to the above Neverending Story, I'm going to sell my $75 X-Nite CC1 and buy a $100 B+w UV/IR Cut #486 instead, which *is* completely transparent to normal light, allowing my camera to stay on Auto white balance.

Sweet. But guess what? The B+W filter doesn't have a thread. So it will *always* have to be the last filter on the camera, even if you don't want it to be.

Comments

[kiki39.livejournal.com]

My head hurts just reading this! :P

*puts on rose-coloured glasses and gazes beatifically at Flickr*

[eposia.livejournal.com]

Actually, I found it really interesting, even knowing nothing about cameras. Part of what I found interesting was that it read comprehensibly...hmm, perhaps I should look into getting me more photography knowledge after all, if obscure filter rants sound understandable.