According to Canon, infrared film can not be used in the A2 or most other EOS cameras. This is because the film advance system uses an infrared LED to count sprocket holes in the film. This is one of the only things about the A2 that I do not like, but I have learned that the problem is not nearly as bad as Canon would have you believe.

As it turns out, the LED only fogs the area around the sprocket holes. In some cases the very bottom of the frame is fogged, but due to the A2's 92% x 94% viewfinder coverage the area at risk is not even visible while composing. The fix is easy, compose with exactly what you see in the viewfinder and crop any fogging that may occur. Of course, it doesn't hurt to leave a little extra space at the bottom of the frame just in case, but I wouldn't worry about it too much.

Keep in mind that this is only a problem when using "true" infrared films with sensitivity that extends well into the 800nm range. This includes films like Kodak HIE and Macophot IR820c. Extended red, or "false IR" black and white films such as Konica 750 will not show any fogging because the LED is not within the sensitivity range of the film. The tradeoff is, that the extended red films do not display a distinct or dramatic infrared look as the true IR films will.

All cameras are a little different, so before you do any critical infrared shoots with your A2 be sure to run a test roll to make sure it will work. Most other EOS cameras use a similar LED system, but I have read reports from users that indicate the Elan series is prone to more severe fogging. It's quite possible that many other EOS models behave in a similar fashion to the A2. It's worth testing if you have any interest in infrared photography.

On a somewhat related note, this negative helps to disprove another common infrared myth - that plastic bodied cameras are transparent to infrared light. The A2 has a plastic back that is like most other plastic camera backs, and there is no fogging on the film anywhere other than directly above where the LED was located. I carried the camera in direct, bright sunlight for two days loaded with HIE film and experienced no problems whatsoever.

If you have a plastic bodied camera, give IR a try. A fair amount of the information on the Internet about infrared photography is written by people who are simply regurgitating unconfirmed rumors.

Here's another site that has information about infrared film and EOS cameras. It covers more than just the A2 model. PhotoNotes EOS & IR.

Notice how the white fogging on the bottom stops almost exactly where the frame begins. In some frames, the fogging extends a small amount into the frame, but not enough to warrant declaring the camera unusable for infrared work.