RASC Hamilton Getting a DSLR modified...

[Roger Hill]

Gary C. did his own modification, but missed reconnecting one tiny
little ribbon cable.  He sent it to Canon to repair it.

I also know of one case where a Canadian modifier left too much dust
between the filter and the CMOS sensor, and although flat fielding takes
out junk on the lens side of the filter, the crud he had was almost in
focus and more difficult to remove.  Further, it was visible on all his
photographs, not just the astronomical ones.  He sent it back to them to
repair, but still wasn't happy when it returned.

In my case, the choice of filter determined who the person was who was
going to modify it.  If you want the Baader filter, there are a number
of choices, including KW Telescope.  If you want the Astrodon though,
you have to deal with Hap Griffin if you're in North America.  

There was a time when the Astrodon filters were markedly superior.  Not
only did they cover the entire visible spectrum, with an extremely sharp
cut-off at both the UV and IR ends of the spectrum, but they were
essentially opaque after that.  The old Baader BCF filters, if installed
backwards (pink side out).  The new Baader filter has essentially the
same transmission curve as the Astrodon. 

This morning, the camera has gone from the USPS sorting facility in
Miami and then to, and through, their International Shipping Centre
(sorry, CentER).  It is now somewhere between there and Gateway in
Mississauga.

Roger

-----Original Message-----
From: astronomers-bounces at hamiltonrasc.ca
[mailto:astronomers-bounces at hamiltonrasc.ca] On Behalf Of Andy Blanchard
Sent: Friday, June 29, 2012 8:13 AM
To: astronomers at hamiltonrasc.ca
Cc: astronomers at hamiltonrasc.ca
Subject: Re: RASC Hamilton Getting a DSLR modified...

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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