Do Your Research Before Ordering a Conversion

We recently added a new page to our website titled “The Wall Of Shame” which showcases infrared conversion work done by our supposed “competitors”. We frequently get cameras in from unsatisifed customers of these “competitors” who are fed up with the poor performance, focus, dust, etc and who are looking to get a good conversion once and for all.

We like to think that we have seen it all as far as bad conversions got but from time to time we still get a “surprise”. Here is a recent example:

The rainbow colored rings you see on the sensor is something called Newton Rings and caused by interaction of light between two touching glass surfaces. The resulting images look just like what you see, I can’t imagine anyone doing this, but they have.

You can see more examples on our Wall Of Shame.

Unfortunately these examples are all too common and we can’t help ourselves but feel sorry for the poor customers who get stuck with the end product. We try to help as many as we can but some get cameras back that are so damaged and are simply unrepairable. I’m just shocked and surprised that these shoddy places somehow manage to stay in business and continue to basically ruin good cameras, disappoint and discourage good customers and just create a world of mess for everyone involved.

It is a real shame that this continues to go on and on, year after year. Fortunately, there is a way to stop this cycle but only if photographers do their research, it doesn’t take much, really. A quick google search on the company you are considering with the keyword “review” or “reviews” will provide you with all the information you need. Unhappy customers are pretty vocal about their experiences and so word does spread quickly. Call the company, ask some questions, get a feel for the customer service before the sale. Ask a few fellow photographers, perhaps make a forum post about it. Remember it’s not just the price of the conversion but all the pain and possibly expense that you will go through afterward trying remedy to the problems.