User TwoPynts has great photos taken with an Infrared lens. I'd like to be able to do the same. I sent him the following E-Mail and he stated that I should post to the forum to get more opinions:

Should I go for this camera:

Sony DSC-W200

or something like this:

Sony DSLR-A200

Someone who knows photography mentioned to me that a 6 or 7 Mega-pixel SLR camera will take much better photographs that a 10 or 12 Mega-pixel regular digital camera.

I'm hemming and hawing because the DSLR is double the price of the DSC camera.

What is your opinion?

Attached Link: IR thread

Ahh, I did not know you wanted the camera for infrared use. I would take a look at the IR thread first, but if IR is your prime motive, then that narrows the selection a bit. Fujifilm makes the only IR ready cameras out right now. Here is the least expensive: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Fujifilm/fuji_finepixis1.asp These two companies convert exisitng cameras: http://www.lifepixel.com/ http://www.maxmax.com/aIRProducts.htm

Yes, as I stated, I am very impressed with the images you have been shooting -- especially the Candyland series. I would like to try my hand at this.

I thought that you mentioned the Sony DSC-P200 as the camera you were using. The W200 is just this year's upgrade to the P200. Can I get IR filters for this or the DSLR camera?

Ah, I looked at the sites you mentioned and saw that you have to send the camera to a company and have it converted to IR. Once converted, does the camera always shoot IR or is there a hardware/software switch?

Quote - Once converted, does the camera always shoot IR or is there a hardware/software switch?

They remove the low pass filter so basically it's shooting mostly IR.

here's an interesting site

http://www.maxmax.com/

Attached Link: IS-1 Camera.

Thanks Bruce, I did provide that link, heheh. Art, they can convert it so that if you swap out the ir filter for a hot mirror filter, and then you can shoot standard photos again. If you want that, then my suggestion would be to get the Fujifilm IS-1. It comes readymade for that and is probably cheaper then getting a new camera and then having it converted. Check out the link. Your the low cost option is to take an older digicam and modify it yourself. There are how-to's on the web, with links in the IR Thread here in the forum.