Who runs this site

I’m Rob Shea, an infrared photographer and the author of Color Doesn’t Exist: A Practical Guide to Infrared Photography. I teach infrared photography on my YouTube channel and in my courses. I built this database so infrared photographers can find out whether a lens produces hot spots before they buy it, convert a camera for it, or plan a shoot around it.

Where the reports come from

Every rating comes from real-world infrared testing, never from spec sheets or simulation. Reports come from three places:

  • My own testing.
  • Photographers who submit a lens or camera through the Add a Lens form.
  • Test results that photographers share with me directly, such as spreadsheets from their own testing.

When a contributor asks to be credited, the lens notes name them and link to their site or profile.

How submissions are checked

Before a lens is added, I check each submission:

  • The lens is identified. The make, model, and version are confirmed against retailer and review listings, and the filter size and weight come from those listings. A submission that doesn’t name a specific lens isn’t added.
  • It goes on the right mount page. For example, Canon RF-S lenses are APS-C, so they’re listed on the Canon RF-S page, not the full-frame Canon RF page.
  • The rating follows the rules below. The rating is set from the ƒ-stop where the reported hot spot starts and how severe it is, using the thresholds for the lens’s sensor format.

How ratings are set

What the ratings mean. Hot spots usually appear as you increase the lens ƒ-number, so each rating depends on the lowest ƒ-stop where a hot spot shows and how severe it is, and the thresholds differ by sensor format.

Full Frame and Medium Format

  • Good: No hot spots, or one that starts at ƒ/11 or higher where diffraction impacts image sharpness.
  • Maybe: Contains a mild hot spot that starts at ƒ/5.6 or ƒ/8 and is correctable in editing.
  • Bad: A hot spot that starts at ƒ/4 or lower, or is hard to correct in editing.
  • Unknown: No data reported.

APS-C and Micro Four Thirds

  • Good: No hot spots, or one that starts at ƒ/8 or higher where diffraction impacts image sharpness.
  • Maybe: Contains a mild hot spot that starts between ƒ/4 and ƒ/5.6 and is correctable in editing.
  • Bad: A hot spot that starts at ƒ/4 or lower, or is hard to correct in editing.
  • Unknown: No data reported.

A rating applies to the setup it was tested with. The same lens can behave differently with another camera conversion, filter, or wavelength, so read the notes for the filter and camera used, and treat any rating as a starting point rather than a guarantee.

Repeat and conflicting reports

When a second photographer reports on a lens that’s already listed, their report is added to the existing entry’s notes, labeled as a second report, rather than creating a new row. When reports disagree, both stay in the notes, and I set the rating by weighing them against the rules above.

Report a lens

If you’ve tested a lens or camera in infrared, please share your results. Every report makes the database more useful.

Add a Lens