I am in the market for my first DSLR after years of shooting work related and life related pics with your typical point and shoot cameras. I have interest in the SD14 primarily due to how easy it is to remove the IR filter since much of my photography is done in a motorcycle dyno testing cell. I am hoping to take radically better pics in low light of high heat engine parts like glowing turbochargers, exhaust systems and brake parts. I am well past the limits of what I can do with point and shoot cameras due to the short exposure required since in many cases to get the "hot" shots I have to shoot while the motorcycle in question is under full load on the dyno at high engine speeds and high rear wheel speeds.

So basically what I would like to know is if the SD14 is about perfect for my needs based on the collective knowledge base in this forum. I can get the Sigma SD14 through Amazon with all the remote accessories and Macro lenses, case and normal use lenses fro around $2000 to my door. This is a big step for me but, like most things in life anything worth doing is worth doing right!

Link to camera homepage: www.sigma-sd14.com
Link to Amazon Package: http://www.amazon.com/Sigma-SD14-Con...7757292&sr=8-3

A sample of what I am shooting:

I don't have an answer for you, but looks like some cool stuff

Welcome aboard!

Realistically I'm not sure you should expect to get much. Silicon is transparent to longer IR and most standard camera sensors might detect out to 900-1000nm but not far enough in to the IR to get in to the thermal IR range. I don't see how the SD14 will be any better than any other standard photographic camera for what you're talking about.

The SD14 as I recall doesn't have the best high ISO noise performance when compared to other cameras (most notably Canon and newer Nikons). I presume that's largely how you'd be using the camera. Could you explain more what kind of shooting parameters you use and how you are limited by them?

Emorphien is right, it definitely won't capture thermal IR but it should capture further into the normally invisible red wavelengths of light. I think you'll notice deeper reds and a more pronounced glowing for the shots you're looking for.

Astrophotographers love removing the cut filter since most DSLRs notoriously cut off a lot of the lower end red light spectrum. The gorgeous reds you see in nebula shots come from the lack of that filter. Those reds are definitely not from thermal emissions but are in the range that is normally filtered out.

It seems to be a decent camera, and the easily removable filter is a big selling point. So cool in fact that I wouldn't mind having one of these to play around with for astro stuff, as well as IR photography in general.

I am by no means an expert when it comes to photography. In the last 7 years I have shot about 20,000 work related shots. I do high end motorcycle tuning and R&D at AF1 Racing. The majority of my shooting is Macro of internal engine parts and failures but also I shoot a lot of indoor and outdoor product shots. For the last 2 years I have been using a p.o.s. Nikon Coolpix L4 4 MegaPixel. Product shots range from complete racing bikes and street bikes to internal parts smaller than a fingernail. Using the Macro photography you can easily wear and damage that is not really visible to the naked eye but has a substantial effect on how an engine runs and performs. I also travel a lot for work and fun and always keep a camera with me.

The SD14 has an IR filter that can be removed in seconds, a feature I have not seen on other DSLR's which on the surface seem to require a lot of work to mod to shoot in IR. The constraints I am trying to get around are not having any ability to manually focus the lens on my point and shoot which is very important when you are trying to get an image deep inside a cylinder or port of an engine. The other draw for me of the DSLR for my photography is the ability to gather much more light through a large lens and shorten the exposure time to add clarity to images of moving parts. The IR photography is a once a month project for me. Some of what you can see easily in the dyno cell with the naked eye is visually spectacular. When you look at the same thing in a digital photo from the L4 you can see yet another order of magnitude of thermal coloring.

I am not at all looking for full thermal imaging. Just the ability to capture moments in time in better clarity of the visually spectacular. A wide spectrum will not be required since many of the portions of the exhaust or braking assemblies will have surface temps of around 900 degrees F. In rare cases of highly tuned engines you have exhaust gas temps in the 1500F range.

I basically need a few recommendations of which lenses to get. I need a Macro lens suitable for super close up photography of very small engine parts that will also work with parts up to the size of a dinner plate. I need another lens which will be suitable for use at ranges of 6 feet to infinity. A good long range lens would be an added bonus. I will of course get plenty of 4-8 gig cards, batteries and such. Just based on a few months of reading the SD14 seems to be the only one that is the "right" one for both easy IR and basic shots.

I get to do a lot of cool racing type trips with my job. I understand the SD14 is not that good for high speed action shots but, I need to get one camera that does well, pretty much everything my point and shoot L4 does poorly.

Here is the normal dyno room shooting environment:



Here is a thread on my work website where probably a thousand shots reside: http://www.apriliaforum.com/forums/s...ad.php?t=87119

You can see the progress in the last year...but the L4 is definitely holding me back right now from capturing some really cool shots.

Here is a typical Maco example, just an intake air filter but with more detail than you would normally see by just looking at it.

Yeah basically I don't see any reason to get the SD14. At the same time there's no reason not to. Go to a store and check out as many of the cameras as you can, one downside to the Sigma is it's harder to get your hands on. Also you're more limited in your lens selection.

To put it in layman's terms, what he's talking about is getting bikes good and hot on the dyno until the first foot or so of exhaust headers are glowing to the visible eye. When he takes a picture with his point and shoot, there is even more glowing that becomes visible further down the pipe because the camera dips slightly into the infra red. The idea is that with a camera without a cut filter he can capture glowing exhaust pipes all the way to the muffler and maybe further. From that he can analyze what he sees.

The SD14 is pretty appealing just for the simple fact that you can remove and reinstall the filter in seconds, rather than with a lengthy surgery it would take for Canons and Nikons.

Can anyone recommend some Sigma lenses for him? I know nothing about that line.

I suppose it might be a little better in that regard, but it may have disadvantages for his other wants (using high ISO).

No recommendations on lenses. Sigma has you covered on most of the zooms you might get from any major manufacturer but IMO can be limiting in other areas. He may want a macro, and they have a 105 2.8 macro that is supposed to be pretty good.

what about renting a body that is modded? would that let you know if this idea will work?

5d $189 for a week
http://www.lensrentals.com/item/canon-eos-5d-infrared

xti $101 for a week
http://www.lensrentals.com/item/canon-eos-xti-infrared

Thanks for the input from everyone. Despite it's shortcomings I think I am going to go ahead and do the SD14...on the next credit card billing cycle.

Here is another shot from this week in the dyno room during a rear brake test on a customer's bike. This is 10 seconds of brake application equating to a 50 bhp brake load on the disk and pads.

This was shot with the Coolpix el crappo camera on a tripod. Overhead florescent were off, exposure about 2 seconds. It took only two sets of shot to get this one. For a 2 second exposure getting the bike into a stable rpm range and the load steady was critical...something that would have been much easier with a real camera, remote trigger and such.

You like?

That is an AWESOME shot. I can't wait to see what you do with a camera without an IR filter. And remember this: if you end up not liking the Sigma, you can always turn around and sell it without taking too big of a financial hit.

Originally Posted by distorto

what about renting a body that is modded? would that let you know if this idea will work?

5d $189 for a week
http://www.lensrentals.com/item/canon-eos-5d-infrared

xti $101 for a week
http://www.lensrentals.com/item/canon-eos-xti-infrared

That's a good idea as well. Also, check out the thread here about modding a Rebel for IR. For the price of the sigma you can get an old 300D, mod it for IR, and use the difference to invest in an XTi package. Just a thought.

Agreed with, Ted. That shot rocks, I can't wait to see what you produce with a real setup.

Here's the thread

I broke down and did it...and still buyer's remorse is foreign. Under $2K with 5 memory cards, two lenses, 4 batteries, grip battery kit, 2 a/c chargers, one dc charger....the accessories list is about endless. Now I sit...tapping fingers....waiting....most shipped already....needs to get here....cannot take much more waiting.....ahhhrrgggg!

We shall see what the Sigma SD14 can deliver soon enough. Next up for torture testing on the dyno at work is a new Ducati 1098 that makes the exhaust pipes light brightly dead stock.

So glad I got all those different remote triggers and tripods too....now the learning to use it phase...it only took me a few months to get the best out of my point and shoot, I suspect a "real" education is coming my way.

I can't wait to play with it either, if you're not careful it might disappear for a night or two so I can hook it up to the telescope.

100% sure that we can swap out rigs for as long as you like! Cant wait to play with the telescope too....maybe rent an RV and do the Big Bend "camping" trip with generator to run all your powered stuff? Eager I am, to get on with this whole "next step".