Opus Instruments – world leader in infrared reflectography

Opus Instruments, the team behind the Apollo and Osiris cameras, is the world leader in infrared reflectography (IRR). Their cameras have been used worldwide to examine thousands of works of art at leading auction houses, galleries, heritage studios and educational institutions. They have made a significant contribution to the conservation, preservation, restoration and art authentication of artefacts. Opus is based in Norwich, England. Our cameras are designed and developed here, while all camera manufacturing takes place at our ISO 9001-accredited facilities in Lisbon, Portugal.

The world-leading infrared camera

Apollo is the new standard in infrared reflectography. Following in the footsteps of the world-famous Osiris camera, Apollo uses an internal scanning mechanism to produce high-quality, high-resolution infrared reflectograms with unrivalled clarity and detail, with more than 65,000 shades of grey.

These images can be used to study different aspects of a painting, from the underdrawing and pentimenti to the underpainting in the work and the transmission of pigments at different wavelengths when using our filter set.

Unlike the Osiris’s line sensor, the Apollo uses an area sensor to capture thousands of details, each of which can be stitched together automatically and seamlessly with the new imaging software.

The camera represents a huge advance in dynamic range, capturing fine detail even in the demanding light and dark areas of the subject. The adjustable histogram within the software lets you get the most out of this dynamic range, both when viewing an infrared reflectogram and when getting the most out of the lighting during set-up.

The various preset exposure times mean that you can tailor the settings to the subject and respond to its demands. This is particularly good news if you plan to use the Opus Instruments filter set, which allows you to study the transmission of pigments across different bands within the camera’s spectral sensitivity.

Using the area sensor also allows us to provide a live preview of the current image tile, which can be refreshed in real time. This is fantastic news for focusing and significantly shortens set-up time.