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IR conversion of Canon DSLR?

bensonga

Well-known member
Hi folks,

Now that I have a Canon 7D, my 40D is likely to get little use and I was thinking of having it converted to IR. I did a quick search of the Canon forum but didn't find anything.....so just wondering if any one has recommendations re the best route I can take in this regard. I've seen references to the MaxMax conversion....does anyone here with experience with this conversion or have others to recommend?

TIA.

Gary
 

Howard

New member
Gary,
I had a Canon G9 converted at Life pixel a number of years ago. I then had a Panasonic G1 converted by Precision Camera. I have no experience with converting Canon DSLR's. I suggest that you check the following website which is dedicated exclusively to IR as someone(s) may be able to address your questions directly.

http://irphotocom.proboards.com/index.cgi

Good luck.
 

Don Libby

Well-known member
I had a 1DsII converted by Precision Camera and was very pleased. I went w/Precision as they were the only company that also required the primary lens for focus calibration.
 

fotophil

Member
I have had both my Canon 5D and 5DII converted by maxmax.com. Both conversions were full spectrum meaning tripod use only and the lenses required filtration for both visible and IR Photography. The Live View Feature of the 5DII eliminated all focus issues.
 

bensonga

Well-known member
Thanks for all the great info folks. I didn't even know about Life Pixel and Precision Camera IR conversions, nor the IR Photo forum. More research to do.....but I'm definitely going to convert my 40D to IR, one way or another. Figure I'll use the 17-85 EFS lens on it exclusively, so I can avoid any issues re lens focus etc.
 
I had a Rebel XSi converted to full spectrum by MaxMax about 3 years ago. They did a great job. Since we now have Live View, the need for focus accuracy in my own is great diminished (assuming of course you aren't shooting fast moving targets).
 

coulombic

New member
You can't go wrong with LifePixel or MaxMax. Both have certified clean rooms, and both correctly autofocus post-conversion. I've had work done by both, and felt equally happy with the results. I'm fairly reluctant about recommending any other service out there.

I have fairly regular contact with LifePixel, actually, having one of my images hosted on their website, and used for informational purposes in a pamphlet included with modified cameras. Customer service from them is also excellent.

MaxMax is fast with excellent customer service, as well, to be fair.

What wavelength are you thinking about, anyway? This may be a decisive factor between services, as I'm not sure if they offer quite the same conversions. (Other than the baseline 720nm.)
 

Stefan Steib

Active member
for the people in Germany /EU I have a recommendation for IR conversion:

http://www.optik-makario.de/

I had my 5DMK2 converted already over a year ago and it works flawlessly.
the removal of the Antialias filter plus the UV/IR cut removal made a new camera with I´d say 20 % more resolution, amazing sensitivity if needed (+2 without any filter for lowlight) and numerous scientific and artistic choices.
on this conversion even the Sensorcleaning is working.

Highly recommended

Greetings from Munich
Stefan
 
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