The SLR Magic Image Enhancer Pro filter is an ultraviolet to infrared control filter that is useful for digital cinematography as well as stills photography.
Well, that's what the filter's box states anyway. I wanted to see how well it would work for cutting UV and IR when used with my full spectrum converted camera, to be able to capture 'normal' (visible light) images.
In this post I'll share what I've currently got in my camera bag. Bear in mind that the kit I use may not suit what you shoot or the way you like to shoot. Although I do shoot some more 'considered' photography (such as UV), this is just a general purpose kit for taking snaps while out on a walk. It would likely also be my kit to take out when travelling, but I haven't had time to do any of that lately.
For what I use my gear for, it could be argued that I might as well just use a phone. And I wouldn't necessarily disagree with that. But I like using a 'proper' camera and the added flexibility it gives. Anyway, with that out of the way, let's look at what's in my camera bag.
I have a few projection lenses that can be adapted for taking photos with. The catch is these lenses have no aperture control, so they can only be shot wide open. I thought that it should be possible to add an iris either in front of or behind the lens to overcome this problem.
In this article I'll share my results, comparing a lens with a built-in iris, placing the iris behind the lens, and placing the iris in front of the lens. But if you want the quick answer, if you want aperture control then you'll need to buy a lens with a built-in iris.
There is currently a dearth of small, lightweight short to medium telephoto lenses for the Sony E mount 'full frame' cameras. And while some may be introduced in the future, I suspect they will be priced quite high.
So I thought I'd see how the Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM lens performs on my A7R II. This is a lens designed for APS-C, but the A7R II has enough megapixels that using an APS-C crop isn't a disaster.
The main points I wanted to check with this lens were: