IR cut filters

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May 15, 2005
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I read somewhere that these filters are needed on the R D1. Can anyone point me in the direction of more information?
 
I don't think the IR cut filters are generally required on R-D1 for decent colour work, but they can be very useful. The R-D1 is pretty sensitive to IR, although the difference against M8 is significant. I have both the Leica M8 and R-D1, and I actually tend to remove the filter when switching a lens from M8 to R-D1. Nevertheless, I think it is a good idea to try IR cut filters on R-D1 yourself to understand the effect they have in practice. The filters are quite pricey, so don't rush to buy a whole set based on Internet chat only.

Here's a photo using Summicron-M 50 (without filter) on R-D1 which shows the effect of the high IR sensitivity. I believe both the trousers on the woman and the man's socks were grey or black, I'm not so sure on the man's trousers. There is clearly a cast. This is an extreme example from what I have shot.

U39086I1296751759.SEQ.0.jpg
 
I haven't been an R-D1 owner for long, but in my opinion, depending on your photography style you may or may not need filters.

In my photography style I often take photographs of people under or near strong tungsten lighting - this turns black fabrics purple and can make skin get a purplish tinge too.

In normal situations I'd say it's not noticeable but for example at a concert or in a night market it may become apparent.

My example is much more extreme than Lasse's but it shows how strong the cast can be sometimes.

6859259160_fdccfbacf0_c.jpg
 
IR is a different wavelength than regular visible light, so while the filters look black like an ND filter they actually don't change your exposure value at all. They let regular light wavelengths through without trouble, while cutting off only the IR spectrum. Kind of weird and interesting really.
 
Thanks all. I am in the process of acquiring one of these cameras. It looks as if I will be seeking out IR filters too!
 
You can perfectly live w/o IR-cut filter, which is almost impossible with the M8 by comparison. Better bring one or two of them in your bag though, for tungsten mainly. Otherwise those filters have pros and cons as usual. Pros: they protect the front lens and give often more accurate colors; they can also improve the feeling of sharpness in color. Cons: Ghost images and flare like other filters of same quality; oversaturation of some natural greens, mainly grass and leaves in wet countries.
 
I guess the only up-side of my being partially color blind is that I don't notice some of the magenta cast from not ever using IR filters on my M8 :)

I end up converting a lot of shots to B&W so I don't have to ask my wife if something still has a purple cast while I'm working on it.
 
I use UV/IR cut filters under indoor incandescent light, which I find is particularly rich in the IR wavelengths that the R-D1 is sensitive to, resulting in pink color casts to skin tones.

::Ari
 
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