Beyond Infrared — infrared photography

Choosing the best camera to convert for infrared.

The short answer

The best infrared camera is usually a body you already own or can buy used cheaply, sent for a conversion at the wavelength you want. If you only convert one camera, a full-spectrum mirrorless body is the most flexible choice, because it focuses off the imaging sensor and lets you change wavelength by changing a filter. If you want the lowest-cost route to real infrared files, a used DSLR converted to a fixed 720nm or 665nm does the job for a fraction of the price.

This page is not a ranked list of every camera on the market. I have not tested every camera on the market, and infrared results depend far more on the conversion, the wavelength and the lens than on which brand is on the front. What follows is the decision framework I would give a friend, plus honest notes on the ten bodies I have actually shot infrared with — my evaluation methodology explains what I do and do not claim to have tested.

The four decisions that matter

1. Mirrorless or DSLR

Mirrorless focuses using the imaging sensor, so a converted mirrorless body focuses correctly with any lens and any filter. A converted DSLR uses a separate phase-detect module, which must be calibrated at conversion time — accurate for the lens it was calibrated with, less so for others, and live view remains the fallback. That single difference is the strongest argument for mirrorless. Full comparison.

2. Full spectrum or a fixed wavelength

A fixed conversion is simpler and cheaper: one filter, no extra glass to carry, no vignetting surprises. Full spectrum costs more overall once you buy filters, but it makes one body do 590nm, 665nm, 720nm, deep infrared and even visible work. Full-spectrum and clip-in filters.

3. Which wavelength

If you want colour, 590nm or 665nm. If you want monochrome, 720nm or 850nm. This is the decision people regret most often, and it is worth reading the wavelength comparison before ordering.

4. Sensor generation and megapixels

Less important than people expect. Infrared is a bright-sunlight, base-ISO discipline, so modern high-ISO performance rarely comes into play. An older 10MP body in good sun will out-shoot a newer body pointed at flat overcast light. What older bodies cost you is live view, tethering and dynamic range in deep shadow.

The bodies I have shot infrared with

First-hand experience only. Bodies I have not owned are not listed.

Converted cameras used for the photographs on Beyond Infrared
BodySensorConverted toBest suited to
Nikon D706MP CCD, 2004590nmSomeone who wants to find out whether they like infrared before spending real money.
Nikon D706MP CCD, 2004720nmA beginner who wants monochrome straight out of camera on the smallest possible budget.
Nikon D20010MP CCD, 2005720nmBlack-and-white infrared landscape work on a small budget.
Nikon D75024MP CMOS full frame, 2014665nmAnyone who wants one dedicated false-colour infrared camera and already owns F-mount glass.
Nikon Z7II45MP CMOS full frame, 2020Full spectrumSomeone who wants every wavelength from one body and does not want to own several converted cameras.
Nikon Z7II45MP CMOS full frame, 2020850nmAnyone who wants the most dramatic, contrast-heavy monochrome and is happy to work in bright sun or on a tripod.
Canon 40D10MP CMOS APS-C, 2007Full spectrumCanon shooters who want full-spectrum flexibility without buying a new mirrorless body.
Nikon D40X10MP CCD, 2007720nmA compact, low-cost monochrome body for travel or hiking.
Nikon D30012MP CMOS APS-C, 2007720nmAnyone who wants a rugged APS-C DSLR for landscape and bracketing work.
Nikon D6010MP CCD, 2008590nmA beginner who wants false-colour infrared and the classic CCD look for very little money.

Nikon D70 — 590nm

The cheapest way into infrared I have found. CCD colour rendering gives warm, saturated false colour and the files hold up fine at web and modest print sizes. Live view does not exist, so composition is viewfinder-only.

Nikon D70 — 720nm

The same bargain body as the 590nm version, but converted to a deeper cut-on. 720nm strips out most colour and delivers the bright-white foliage, black-sky look with very little post-processing. Another low-risk way to discover whether infrared is for you.

Nikon D200 — 720nm

My monochrome body. 720nm on a CCD sensor produces the classic bright-foliage, black-sky look with very little work in post. Base ISO only — high ISO on a sensor this old is not worth using.

Nikon D750 — 665nm

The body most of the false-colour frames in the archive were made on. 665nm on full frame gives enough colour separation for a clean channel swap while keeping foliage bright. DSLR phase-detect AF needed a conversion-time calibration and is accurate with the lenses it was calibrated for.

Nikon Z7II — Full spectrum

The most flexible of the mirrorless bodies and the one I would buy again first. Because mirrorless focuses off the imaging sensor, focus is correct at whatever wavelength the filter in front of the lens is passing — no per-lens calibration. I switch between infrared, a 720nm look and an orange full-spectrum look by changing filters.

Nikon Z7II — 850nm

Deep infrared on a mirrorless body. 850nm is almost pure monochrome, with glassy skies and foliage that glows like snow. Exposures are longer than at 720nm, so a tripod helps, but the clean, sculptural look is worth it.

Canon 40D — Full spectrum

A solid APS-C DSLR converted to full spectrum. Like any full-spectrum DSLR, it needs a filter in front of the lens or behind the mount for every shot, and the phase-detect AF must be calibrated for the lens you use most. Once that is done, it delivers the same wavelength flexibility as a full-spectrum mirrorless body at a much lower price.

Nikon D40X — 720nm

A lighter, smaller CCD Nikon that delivers the same bright-foliage, dark-sky 720nm look as the D200. Controls are simpler and the files are clean at base ISO, though live view is absent and high ISO is best avoided.

Nikon D300 — 720nm

A more responsive APS-C DSLR than the older CCD bodies, with a larger buffer and usable live view for tripod work. Converted to 720nm it is a straightforward monochrome machine, though the phase-detect AF still needs calibration for your most-used lens.

Nikon D60 — 590nm

A small, late-model CCD Nikon. 590nm keeps enough visible colour for warm, golden-pink foliage, and the files share the same saturated CCD character as the D70. It is one of the cheapest ways to experiment with colour infrared.

Black-and-white infrared river landscape made on a converted Nikon D200 at 720nm
Duck River, Natchez Trace — Nikon D200 CCD, 720nm

720nm is often treated as a monochrome wavelength, but it does not have to be. With a custom white balance and a channel swap, a 720nm file can still deliver colour — just more subtle and pastel than the warmer cuts. The photo below is the same river, on the same Nikon D200 at 720nm, processed for false colour.

Duck River in pink false colour, made on a converted Nikon D200 at 720nm
Duck River, Natchez Trace — Nikon D200 CCD, 720nm, false colour

My recommendations, by who you are

These are editorial recommendations drawn from the ten bodies above and the wavelengths I shoot. They are not tests of every camera on the market — see the methodology. No prices are quoted here because they change; check current pricing at the source.

Best for a first infrared camera on a small budget

A used mid-2000s DSLR converted to 720nm

My recommendation
Buy the cheapest healthy used body you can find in a system you already own glass for, and have it converted to a fixed 720nm.

Why I recommend it

This is the route my Nikon D200 took, and it is still the camera I reach for when I want classic black-and-white infrared. 720nm needs the least processing to look right, so you spend your first months learning to see infrared rather than fighting a channel swap. Because the body is cheap, a conversion you later outgrow costs little.

Pros

  • Lowest total cost of any route into real infrared files
  • 720nm gives a strong result straight out of camera
  • Uses lenses you may already own
  • Nothing to carry in front of the lens in the field

Cons

  • Fixed wavelength — no colour work later without a second body
  • Older bodies have poor high-ISO and often no live view
  • Phase-detect autofocus needs calibration at conversion time

Infrared-specific considerations

  • Ask the converter to calibrate autofocus with the lens you use most.
  • Test each lens for hotspots at the apertures you actually shoot before committing.
  • Infrared is a bright-sun, base-ISO discipline, so an older sensor is less of a limitation than it sounds.

Compatibility to check first

Any DSLR can be converted, but the lens matters more than the body — check the hotspot guide first.

Alternatives

Want colour instead of monochrome? Convert to 665nm rather than 720nm. Not ready to modify a camera at all? A screw-on infrared filter on an unconverted body works, at the cost of tripod-length exposures.

See the recommended conversion service → (affiliate link, opens in a new tab)

Links to Kolari Vision are affiliate links: if you buy through them the site earns a commission at no extra cost to you. They are the shop my own conversions and filters came from, and the recommendation would be the same without the program — full disclosure.

Best for false-colour landscape work

A full-frame body converted to 665nm

My recommendation
If the pink-and-cyan look is what drew you in, convert to 665nm rather than 720nm.

Why I recommend it

Most of the false-colour frames in the archive — including the chemical ponds and the road in pink — are 665nm files from a converted Nikon D750. At this cut-on there is still real separation between channels, so the red–blue swap produces genuine colour rather than a tint forced onto a monochrome file.

Pros

  • Enough visible light survives for a true channel swap
  • Still bright, high-contrast foliage
  • One body, one look, no filters to carry

Cons

  • Less dramatic than 720nm if you mainly want black and white
  • Requires more processing knowledge than 720nm
  • Fixed conversion means committing to the colour route

Infrared-specific considerations

  • Set a custom white balance off sunlit grass at the location — this matters more at 665nm than anywhere else.
  • Adobe's 2000K white balance floor may need a camera profile made for converted bodies.

Alternatives

590nm for warmer, more golden foliage; see how the four wavelengths differ.

See the recommended conversion service → (affiliate link, opens in a new tab)

Links to Kolari Vision are affiliate links: if you buy through them the site earns a commission at no extra cost to you. They are the shop my own conversions and filters came from, and the recommendation would be the same without the program — full disclosure.

Best for one camera that can do every infrared look

A full-spectrum mirrorless body plus a filter set

My recommendation
If you can only justify one converted camera and it is mirrorless, convert it to full spectrum and buy filters instead of second bodies.

Why I recommend it

My Z7II is converted this way, and it is the one I would buy again first. Mirrorless focuses off the imaging sensor, so focus stays correct at whatever wavelength the filter is passing — no per-lens calibration. Changing the look is a filter change, not a second camera.

Pros

  • Every wavelength from one body, chosen per shot
  • Focus is accurate at any wavelength with any lens
  • The EVF previews the actual infrared image
  • Can shoot visible light again with a hot-mirror filter

Cons

  • Highest total cost once filters are included
  • Something always has to go in front of, or inside, the camera
  • Clip-in filters are mount-specific and mirrorless-only

Infrared-specific considerations

  • Clip-in filters sit between mount and sensor, so one filter covers every lens and ultra-wides don't vignette.
  • Screw-on filters work on any body but multiply with every filter diameter you own.

Compatibility to check first

Clip-in filters are made per mount (Nikon Z, Sony E, Canon RF, Fuji X). Confirm your exact mount before ordering, and confirm the filter set covers the wavelengths you want.

Alternatives

A dedicated single-wavelength conversion if you know the one look you want — simpler, cheaper, and nothing extra to carry.

Check the current filter options → (affiliate link, opens in a new tab)

Links to Kolari Vision are affiliate links: if you buy through them the site earns a commission at no extra cost to you. They are the shop my own conversions and filters came from, and the recommendation would be the same without the program — full disclosure.

The three routes side by side

Fixed 720nm conversion

Typical body
Cheap used DSLR
Look you get
Classic black and white
Flexibility
One wavelength only
Main trade-off
No colour work later

Fixed 665nm conversion

Typical body
Full-frame DSLR or mirrorless
Look you get
False colour after a channel swap
Flexibility
One wavelength only
Main trade-off
More processing to learn

Full spectrum + filters

Typical body
Mirrorless
Look you get
Any, chosen per shot
Flexibility
Highest
Main trade-off
Highest cost, filters to carry

Filter on an unconverted camera

Typical body
Any camera you own
Look you get
Weak infrared, long exposures
Flexibility
Low
Main trade-off
Tripod required; not a daily practice

Comparison reflects the routes discussed on this site. Bodies are examples, not an exhaustive market survey.

Next step

Where I had my own cameras converted.

All four bodies above were converted by Kolari Vision, and my filters came from there too. That is why they are the shop linked from this page. Pricing and turnaround change, so check them at the source rather than trusting a number in an article.

See the recommended conversion service → (affiliate link, opens in a new tab)Compare available converted cameras → (affiliate link, opens in a new tab)

Links to Kolari Vision are affiliate links: if you buy through them the site earns a commission at no extra cost to you. They are the shop my own conversions and filters came from, and the recommendation would be the same without the program — full disclosure.

Common questions

Do I need a full-frame camera for infrared?

No. Sensor size affects infrared exactly the way it affects visible work — depth of field and noise — not the infrared rendering itself. Two of the four bodies here are APS-C-era crop DSLRs.

Is a CCD sensor better for infrared than CMOS?

Different, not better. My CCD bodies give warmer, more saturated false colour with less effort; the CMOS bodies give cleaner files with more latitude in post. I keep both for that reason, and I would not tell someone to hunt down a CCD body as a first purchase.

Can I convert a camera myself?

Physically possible, and a bad idea for most people. Removing the hot mirror means opening a sealed sensor chamber, and a fixed conversion also needs the replacement filter to be the right thickness so the optical path length stays correct. Conversion services handle both, plus AF calibration.

What about Canon, Sony and Fujifilm bodies?

All are converted routinely and the decision framework above applies unchanged. I shoot Nikon, so I make claims only about Nikon bodies I have used — see the methodology page. Lens behaviour varies far more between individual lenses than between brands; check the hotspot guide before assuming your glass is fine.

Related guides

Links to Kolari Vision are affiliate links: if you buy through them the site earns a commission at no extra cost to you. They are the shop my own conversions and filters came from, and the recommendation would be the same without the program — full disclosure.