RAC

I'm also interetsed to see how you've fitted that DSLR in the cooling box as it's something I might do with the 1000D I've got.

That camera is totaly stripped, its got a heater on the AA filter in front of the sensor and it doesn't frost over even in open air at -4degC. I'll take a shot of it next time i open the box.

I had a play today and found the limits of the sensor thickness for testing sake. Its only in the corner and it still works. Looking at the flat photos i'm not holding my breath for how good this will be.

The best way to strip the sensor would be to have a small polishing mill that goes to a set depth. I had a play with a few old webcams(logitech 9000) and they have a sensor that is alot harder, after you pass the bayer filter there is nothing else to polish through, it stays flat and shiny with even colour unlike the Canon sensor. It would be interesting to play with other camers so i'll keep an eye out of dead ones for sale.

I'm hopping tomorrow night will be clear.

Mono 1000D by meg rac, on Flickr

Thanks Gina, so what are the advantages, or are we about to find out.

Its like taking its sun glasses off. If you were to put an ha filter infront of a standard dslr only one out of four pixels would be getting the light but with the bayer filter removed all four bixels will be getting the same amount of light.

I'll find out what its like to use on the first clear night i get. I don't have an ha filter yet but i think i should order a clip in one. But even just for luminance the sensitivity is massive over a standard sensor.

I have never seen a test like this for a dslr yet so it will be very interesting.

It's good to see that the Bayer mask is on top of the microlenses And it looks like the mask is softer than the microlenses.

Looking around the net it looks like the microlenses are on top of the bayer filter?. Haha well not anymore if they were!

I also want to have a go with a test sensor(even an old webcam senor) with some form of paint stripper to see if it'll work without damaging the sensor. This would make it more easy and should give a cleaner finsh.

Anyway its a good thing i didn't listen to the internet and not give it a shot.

All i used was a dremel with one of these tips(the rounded top one). I cut the tip a bit sharper. And this stuff straight on the end. Without the paste nothing happend. As so asl the clouds go away i'll get a photo. I might put this sesnor in my cooled camera or just run it uncooled for a quick test and compare imaging times verses my cooled colour one. Do a run of a few 5min subs at the same object for each camera maybe.

I haven't thought too much about the processing. I'll see what happens. It may not matter what the software does?

I thought i would have a go at the impossible. I've got two Canon 1000d's so i took it upon myself to either break it or make it. I looked all over the net and found nothing at all about doing this , no pics of anything! This could totaly change DSLR imaging if it works. Using an HA filter or any filter would now mean using every pixel.

Take one sensor.

Canon 1000d CMOS sensor by meg rac, on Flickr

Remove the glass. It pops off slowly with a small screwdriver. All i'm going to do is pollish the front of it to get rid of that green layer as this is the bayer matrix. I used a dremel with a pad thing sharpend to a soft point.

Meguiar's ScratchX was the past of choice.

Canon 1000d CMOS sensor without front glass by meg rac, on Flickr

First test. You can see how more sensitive it is !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

First test of seeing in the dark. by meg rac, on Flickr

Flat test. We wont be using the whole sensor as its very hard to get right out to the edges as there are lots of little wires so cropping will be a must. I'm going to have a better go at cleaning the sensor up.

Flat test by meg rac, on Flickr

So far for about an hours effort i think its a total success.

Mono Canon 1000D! by meg rac, on Flickr

By the way i don't recomend you doing this if you only have one camera or you arn't good with small things!