Infrared Photography With an Unconverted Canon 6D

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The allure of infrared photography has long captivated me, especially through the masterful black and white works of photography legends. After several unsuccessful attempts, a chance meeting with another infrared photographer in early 2021 reignited my interest. Armed with an old Hoya 720nm filter and a humble Canon 18-55mm kit lens discovered in the depths of my closet, I committed to a four-day experimental shoot, despite the technical challenges that unconverted cameras typically face with infrared photography.

Through this journey, I discovered something fascinating about Canon's cameras and their handling of infrared light. While most unconverted cameras struggle with infrared photography, requiring extremely long exposures or producing unusable results, the Canon 80D proved surprisingly capable. This camera sits in a sweet spot: its infrared blocking filter and sensor characteristics strike an ideal balance between blocking visible light while allowing enough infrared through, combined with effective Live View functionality. Unlike cheaper Canon models that struggle with Live View quality or premium models that block too much infrared light, the 80D delivers remarkably workable results.

Those four days transformed my approach to photography. Not only did I fall in love with the unique aesthetic of infrared imagery, but I also discovered an unexpected bonus – the ability to capture long exposures in bright daylight without expensive neutral density filters. This revelation led me to recently upgrade to a Canon 6D, hoping its full-frame sensor would add even more depth to my infrared work. While its infrared blocking filter is slightly more aggressive than the 80D's, the superior sensor quality compensates for this limitation.

This blog will chronicle my ongoing exploration of infrared photography using an unconverted Canon 6D. I invite fellow infrared enthusiasts to share their own approaches as we venture into this fascinating realm of invisible light.