Nikon 1 V1 - Full Spectrum Mod

[alfie]

I have done a full spectrum mod for the Olympus EPL1 before, but have no MFT lens. The V1 is a pretty good camera, and the build in EVF does make outdoor shooting easier.

I followed the instructions from http://www.fotozones.com/live/index.php/topic/46637-nikon-v1-ir-conversion/ but didnt put any replacement glass (Prefered it 'bare' so I can use different IR filters) Basically I took out the shaker and the IR-cut filter.

For those who wish to do it, few notes
1. There are two plastic pieces on each side when you take out the back, dun lose/break them as they can be quite fragile.
2. The eyepiece is very fragile, dont use anything too sharp to pry it out, i tore my slightly
3. Removing the eyepiece is the trickies, best way is to use a sharp flat screwdriver blade to seperate the rubber and body all around, after that it gets easier to remove. Do not attempt to remove the rubber eyepiece by pulling from the diopter dial hole !

The V1 sensor is definately IR sensitive and has a lot of space to photoshop around. Its a pity you can't set 2000K WB in body. I find the best setting is Incandescent B6 G6. (Yes you will be using the raw, but having this setting gives a nicer preview on the EVF/LCD)

The steps provided by the fotozone post is very accurate, and I don't need to provide photos on the steps. The following photos are just for entertainment purposes





Final notes.
1. I didn't put in any replacement glass and this has affected focusing to infinity on the Nikon 1 10mm/2.8
2. On the Nikon 28-300 G lens (I use an FT1 adapter) I can focus to infinity at 300mm, but at the 28mm end, I have issues focusing to infinity
3. The Nikon 1 18.5mm/1.8 focuses to infinity fine (and fast!)
4. There is no red/brights spots on all these lens !

Hopefully the clouds will clear up a bit and I can go do more test shots ! Stay tuned !

 

[alfie]

Test shot from room. This was shot with the Nikon 1 18.5mm/f1.8 and an 760nm filter.

 

[alfie]

The Nikon 1 colors and range is slightly different from my Olympus MFT sensor... adjusted my workflow to give better colors/seperation..


Park Connector Network by darkalfie, on Flickr

 

[alfie]

I keep obsessing bout shooting leaves, and i realised that shooting a bare tree with grass below.. give the effect of winter..


The Lonely Tree by darkalfie, on Flickr

 

[richiemccaw1]

Very interesting thread. Looking forward to more.

 

[Light Machinery]

The last pic is nice. Unique :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

 

[v0857]

love the humour of your "entertainment purposes" shots. Great stuff!

 

[sam5588]

Nice! Love the No.3, will be better if clone away the photographer.

 

[sanki]

Loved the 'Bare Tree' So many elements subtly working to make a visual treat!!

 

[alfie]

Thanks for all the comments.. yes, the Lonely Tree shot is a great favourite of mine, even without the IR elements, it was a fun shot. I'm loving how i can winterfy everything.

As an update for this mod, I did the mod slightly different from the link. I refused to pay USD50-200 for a replacement glass. Instead, I use the cheaply (and re-usable) IR filters that you can get out there. (It also gives me the option of going goldie (590nm), normal IR (720nm) or deep b/w IR (950nm). The problem for the V1 is that the IR cut filters were part of the optical formula. Without the glass, the total focal flange distance got extended. (Glass being denser simulates a longer path for a actual shorter distance) Long story short, I lose the ability to focus to infinty for most glass (The 18.5mm works fine, by the 10mm and kit lens both don't focus to infinty !) The lens is just too 'far' from the sensor now.



Long story short, an extended mod was required. I had to move the lens closer to the sensor, or the sensor closer to the lens. I didn't want to modify my lens as I do plan to buy the V3 some day.. so I had to shift the sensor. This proved to be quite simple.. from the photo below you can see the sensor is mounted to the front of the camera with this 3 holes (screw comes behind it) so all i had to do was file away the mounts.. i had a vernier caliper, and i filed away around 0.2mm of very soft metal... Blew all the metal dust out (be careful, dun let it fly on the main board) and tadah ! My lens can all focus to infinity ! I can't wait to go out to shoot with the wider 10mm now !

Here's another shot i took this morning at the Marina Bay area... (Still with the 18.5mm) Stay tuned for more shots with the 10mm ! (Hopefully the sky clears up)


Sakura in Marina Bay by darkalfie, on Flickr

 

[Light Machinery]

:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:, nice work Alfie.