Topic: Pictures Just for Fun

[super pasty white guy]

I was playing around on my commute into work this week.  These are shot using a keychain toy camera (Vistaquest 1500), converted to shoot infrared instead of visible light...  riding one handed...








spwg

[Ecosse]

Like 'em!

Several years ago a NYC cabbie shot pix of the city through the windshield of his cab with a disposable camera. they came out great and ended up having a showing in a gallery if memory serves.

I was jealous as my pix with those damn things sucked!

[SD750F]

The composition and light of the first picture is my favorite! It should be a poster.

Scott

[Uncle Ernie]

What the heck are you talking about?!

(Cool pictures)

[333]

Rock Creek Parkway?

[Shenanigans]

Just out of curiosty how did you convert that camera to IR?

[super pasty white guy]

333-  right on the money.  

Shenanigans-  Inside most digital cameras is a filter that removes the IR spectrum.  You dissemble the camera and look for a piece of flat glass with a cyan tint.  Just remove it and put it all back together and re-adjust the focus.  Doing it this way gives you a camera with a really messed up color balance and it collects both visible and IR giving magenta tint images that need to be desaturated in p-shop.  Or the alternative is to buy a filter that blocks visible but passes IR (or use a piece of completely black exposed and developed film) in place of the cyan filter. 

If you're looking for more info, I promised my wife I'd convert one for her and I'll take pictures...

spwg

[Shenanigans]

Thats kind of cool, I never thought about doing it that way but it make sense. I always thought filters and film.

[333]

Have you ever messed with one of those "one time use video camcorders" that CVS offers?  The original idea is that you "rent" one for about $30.00.  It gives you about 20 minutes of digital video.  Then you have it "developed" for an additional $12.00, and get the video on a DVD.

Like most electronic devices, it can be hacked.  There's even a forum devoted to hacking those and a similar digital still camera.  They offer info on making a cable, where to obtain the software needed, and mods like the removal of a filter like you describe.  And it runs on standard AA batteries!  Their forum even offers a place to post videos like we might take on our motorcycles, or sending one up in a model plane or rocket.

[Ecosse]

  If you're looking for more info, I promised my wife I'd convert one for her and I'll take pictures...
spwg

Uh, excuse me for pointing this out but... how are you going to take pictures if the camera is going to be apart?

Didn't think that one through huh, Einstein?

[tramp]

nice shots

[bunghole]

Very cool!

More questions...

I assume it is a digital camera?

Also, did you have to convert the images to black and white as well, or is that how they came out?

What is the model of camera.  I found "Vistaquest" brands on Amazon, but not the 1500.

I would love to hear more about how you did this.  I like photography and have messed around with pinhole cameras and other "alternative" means of getting interesting pics.

[gerhed]

Great shots !
Innovative camera mod.
Reality is meant to be messed with.