RASC Hamilton Getting a DSLR modified...

[Andy Blanchard]

Great report Roger, and very informative. I had mine done at KW Telescopes a few years back and sent it Chile for a couple of years. It's a 40D Canon, works well and really does a great job. Gary C also has a modified camera and there is no doubt about how much more the color is improved in his pictures.

Andy Blanchard
905-465-2031H
905-847-7777B

On 2012-06-28, at 8:35 PM, "Roger Hill" <Roger.Hill at hiteach.net> wrote:

> 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
> 
> 
> 
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