Sony DSC-F828 full spectrum hack

Just recently learned about this and I know I'm VERY late to the party :D

I've been a long time fan of infrared photography and was actually deciding to get a full modified full spectrum camera from ebay.

Then my A700's AF drive got busted and triggered me to check used A-mount cams. Surprised that there are still a lot of them being sold. I can opt for a full frame (FF) A850 (D)SLR or the FF SLT A99. Decided that I dont need FF and will settle for an APS-C SLT w better low light ability - an upgrade from A700 will do.

Wondered if I can get a full spectrum body so I searched for 'Sony + full spectrum'. At this point I encountered the Sony DSC-F828 which is a bridge camera from 2003 AND it has this full spectrum (FS) hack using a (strong) magnet. Putting the magnet near the tripod mount will trigger the switch to FS. Switch it OFF to reset. Very cool indeed.

Long story short I got one locally and here's a sample:

Left is the 'visible light' (VL) version and on the right is the FS.

The advantage of a full spectrum camera is that you can add infrared filters like the R72 (720nm) without affecting the cam's meter. With a normal camera adding an R72 will darken the scene and register a longer exposure. With a FS, it will almost not affect the (light) metering. Apparently the 850nm does affect the metering but only by 2 to 3 secs depending on the scene.

Here's a sample of FS vs R72:

Very pleased with the F828 and FS hack. I just recently purchased the 850nm and will post when I get more sample shots.

But apparently all is not well with the F828.

One of the feature that makes F828 stand out from the competition during its release is the 28-200 (f/2.0-2.8) Carl Zeiss T* zoom lens. Almost constant! With the electronics getting old and stressed over time though, it is bound to have issues. I just discovered that the zoom will not take proper pictures when set to 3.1x (~86mm). And this is common with the model.

Tonight I played more with the zoom and noted the effect starting at 3.1x and here's a sample with MrBombay the cat

So just expect this issue if you're getting one or own a unit.

BTW, I might get an Axx SLT cam soon :D