Just traded in a Canon G9, a Oly EPL3 and a spare OM2n body to raise funds for a new Sony RX100 – and it’s very good so far. So if anyone’s wondering if you can shoot infrared with one the answer is yes!
A much more subtle range of tones than the Fuji F810 I usually use – not surprising as the Sony’s sensor is huge by comparison with the tiny one in the Fuji.
The R72 filter is just held over the front over the lens, and after a bit of experimentation a +1 exposure compensation and ISO of 400 to 800 ASA allows hand-held exposures at 28mm at f1.8 on a sunny day. Focus is a bit hit and miss. Shooting RAW allows for the inevitable post processing.
There’s a slight hot spot’ of brightness in the centre but it’s easily edited out. Processing consisting of de-saturating the red and magenta channels (there’s no other colour information).
In addition to the IR R72 filter, carrying a three stop neutral density filter in a shirt pocket allows the use of the widest apertures in bright conditions for ‘normal’ photography – the minimum shutter speed is 1/2000 th of a second.
Up close the IR results are grainier than a ‘normal’ shot, but at 20MP it’s nowhere near as noticeable as using a 12MP sensor.
With a bit of practice this should be a tiny, versatile camera in conjunction with the two filters.
Hope you find this useful – thanks for looking!
28mmf2 
How? please tell me how I can adjust the brightness in the centre!! pleaseeeeee!
Hi Enrico,
I used a lightening vignette – in ‘lens corrections’ in Photoshop or just ‘vignetting’ in DXO. It progressively lightens the edges of the shot (rather than darkening it for dramatic effect) but with some playing about seemed to reduce the problem. You’ll need to use quite extreme settings for the radius as it’s only designed to correct the outer portion of the frame.
Hope this helps.
Rob
thanks!!
IR hotspot
Hi Rob
About IR “Hot Spot”
Can you please upload original pictures with “Hot Spot” and same edited without “Hot Spot”.
So it is possible to evaluate how good RX100 is for IR.
Thanks
Hi Lasse,
Most of the shots on this post didn’t have any ‘hot spots’ – just the third one – so it’s not much of a problem, it does only occur occasionally. These shots were taken three years ago so I hope you’ll excuse me if I don’t post them up as it will take ages to find them again!
Incidentally I’ve now upgraded to the Mk3 and it’s nowhere near as good for IR (different sensor technology) so make sure you get the Mk1 for IR work (the Mk2 should work too it’s just I haven’t tried it).
Rob