IR Converted -vs- Color Camera Samples

While I was taking pictures during the holidays, I managed to get a shot of this colorful rocking horse in both color with a Nikon D80 and with the IR converted Canon G9. It makes for an interesting comparison of the way that IR cameras see a color scene.

First, let's look at the scene in color:

Then the IR version of the same scene:

One of the big differences is the red lettering along the bottom gliders, which of course the IR camera sees as white. the shadows along the neck and legs are also much more distinct in the IR, showing the lines of the horse much better.

Next we have the color horse shot converted to black and white using a standard Photoshop conversion:

The B&W conversion has a greater fidelity as it does not lose the red details, but the IR shot has a distinct appearance that is more striking and whimsial. It is this whimsical, angelic quality that drew me to IR.