Since upgrading to an EOS 1100D, 2 years ago, my old Canon EOS 350D (Rebel XT) has been on the shelf. Pretty decent camera, but not worth enough to sell it.
However, the price of specialist conversions have been coming down recently, and for 80 quid I could have the internal filters removed to turn it into a full spectrum camera. This would let me use it, with appropriate external filters, both as an infra-red camera, and for astro-photography with better response in the Hydrogen Alpha band.
It is actually possible to do the work yourself, but it looks fiddly and complex, so I’d rather give it to someone who knows what they are doing. At the moment, I am merely considering it – although even though there is a good chance it will be a five minute wonder with me, the ebay market for IR converted cameras is actually much better than for second-hand digitals. So even if I end up selling it, once converted, I doubt I will lose money on the deal.
The one thing that is holding me back is that although the 350 has a back screen for reviewing pictures, it predates Canon’s LiveView feature, and because of the conversion, focusing it using the normal viewfinder is more problematic. My 1100D is actually far more suited to conversion, but I am not letting anyone chop that one up!