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Old April 9th 08, 04:59 PM posted to rec.photo.digital,rec.photo.equipment.misc,alt.photography
Don Stauffer in Minnesota
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Posts: 464
Default Reflector for infrared photography?

On Apr 8, 1:56 pm, jbk wrote:
We have a digital camera that takes IR photos of animals at night when
they come by and trigger a sensor. The camera is IR sensitive and we
have a separate IR light that lights up the scene. We'd like to
improve the lighting by bouncing the IR light off a reflector, instead
of directly lighting the subject. Do visible-light reflectors sold in
camera shops reflect IR light? If not, what does?

Thanks.


Some do, some don't. Most metals oxidize rapidly with a clear/
transparent oxide coating. If that gets thick enough it can reduce
the reflectivity of the metal a bit in even the near IR where the
cameras work. Usually, however, the tarnish needs to get quite thick
to reduce near IR reflectivity so if it looks untarnished and shiny,
it will probably be okay. To be absolutely okay, professional IR
folks use gold plated reflectors, but this is overkill for the
occasional IR photographer. Gold is the "gold standard" for IR
reflectivity.