RASC Hamilton Getting a DSLR modified...

[Roger Hill]

A week ago I sent my Canon T1i down to Sumter, South Carolina to be
modified by a fellow called Hap Griffin.  The Canon cameras (with two
exceptions) only allow about 20% of the Hydrogen-alpha line though.  The
camera can be modified to allow much more through, but there is a
penalty, and a cost.  Hap has done hundreds of modification, and offers
several different types.

The first one is the replacement of the Canon Infra-Red blocking filter
with a clear glass filter.  This allows not only visible light through,
but also infra-red.  This makes it useless for regular picture taking
unless you use an external filter to block out the intra-red.

He also offers a choice of two different replacement filters.  One is
made by Baader and the other by Astrodon.  These filters allow you to
use the camera for normal daytime use, as long as you use a custom white
balance.  The Astrodon filter is $30 more expensive, but Astrodon has a
superb reputation for producing the highest quality filters for
astronomical use.  So, despite my predilection for choosing the less
expensive items, I went with the Astrodon filter.

The camera left Milton last Friday morning, and paid extra to have it
shipped quickly and I got a tracking number.  I enjoyed watching it,
vicariously, as it travelled from Milton, to Mississauga, to New York,
to Columbia in South Carolina and finally to Sumter.  It arrived on
Monday!

Hap modified it that night and sent it back on its merry way on Tuesday.
Again, with a tracking number.  It left Sumter in mid afternoon, arrived
in Columbia and then departed at 8pm.  Then, the trail went cold.  I
expected it to arrive in New York, but it did not.

After two days of no updates, and with visions of modified cameras being
lost, this evening, it showed up in Miami!  Apparently, though, it's
normal for the US Postal Service to send things hundreds of miles out of
the way.  

Uunfortunately, this means that I won't have it for the weekend.  I had
wondered about the cameras ability to record fireworks better with the
extended red response, but it could be a while before I can test that
out.

No matter...there's plenty of celestial fireworks to work on!


Roger Hill
Milton