Which clip-in for my 1100D?

[Ags]

I have just bought a nifty fifty so I am looking forward to getting a clip-in filter to put behind the lens. But which should I get - the options are UHC, UHC-E and CLS. I can afford the UHC-E next month but the proper UHC would mean another month's wait...

Regardless of which UHC I get I will defintely get a CLS at some point this year.

My targets are widefield targets - like Barnard's Loop, nebulous regions in Cygnus and so on. The context is very severe light pollution.

I'm leaning towards the UHC-E because I can't wait and also it can be used to image comets as it lets through the carbon band.

[Ags]

Any ideas anyone?

[Auntystatic]

Is your camera modded? CLS for no CLS-ccd for yes

The UHC filters are primarily for visual work but do pretty much the same job, in order of light throughput they are....

UHC_E

CLS

UHC

You won't find UHC listed under the photographic filters on the Astronomik website, although they do list them in the clip filters part.

[angusb1]

I can't comment on the UHC filter options as I've not used one but the CLS vs CLS-CCD decision has been discussed before here.

The CLS-CCD basically cuts IR and UV as well as LP whereas the CLS cuts only LP. So CLS-CCD is useful for modified DSLR cameras used with refractors or most standard camera lenses (which refract rather than reflect), because they stop the "bloat" that is caused by IR being focused at a different point than the other light wavelengths. This is not an issue if you image with a reflector as all wavelengths are focused at the same point so no IR cut is needed.

If your DSLR has been modified by replacing the IR cut filter with a Baader BCF IR cut filter rather than by having the filter totally removed, then the CLS-CCD will not be needed as the IR cut will be done by the Baader filter.

So if you image with an unmodified DSLR, a modified DSLR with the Baader BCF, or a modified DSLR with IR filter removed but solely using reflectors, then the CLS filter is fine. For a modified DSLR with the IR filter removed used with refractors or standard camera lenses you should use the CLS-CCD filter.

[Gina]

Excellent explanation

[Ags]

Still wondering about this. I believe Auntystatic was wrong regarding the light throughput - the order is UHC (widest), UHC-E, UHC (narrowest). My source is:

http://www.astronomik.com/media/pdf_datasheets/astronomik/uhc_en.pdf

http://www.astronomik.com/media/pdf_datasheets/astronomik/uhc-e_en.pdf

http://www.astronomik.com/media/pdf_datasheets/astronomik/cls_en.pdf

Looking at these figures, and with my budget having taken a knock (car dented, fire wall required in loft) I think I may go for the UHC-E as an affordable compromise.

[Auntystatic]

You still have not told us if your 1100D is modified or not and if so to what degree.

The CLS filter will cut out all your light pollution and still allow other visible spectrum through.

The Ultra High Contrast filter will cut out your light pollution and much more of the visible spectrum, as its designed to be used to view dust lanes and nebulosity. It requires an infra-red filter to be fitted somewhere in your light path too.

Both Gina and myself have the CLS-CCD clip in as we removed both our 1100D filters, I think I'm right in saying that at this time, Gina is going to put the canon IR/UV back in to one of her 1100D's, allowing the use of the cheaper CLS filter and giving a bit of dust protection to the sensor, I broke mine so I will have to buy the MC clear glass replacement.

P.s you got your post wrong too lol.....

[swag72]

Do you think that you will use a UHC filter and that it will benefit you? I bought one and never used it!

[Gina]

Both Gina and myself have the CLS-CCD clip in as we removed both our 1100D filters, I think I'm right in saying that at this time, Gina is going to put the canon IR/UV back in to one of her 1100D's, allowing the use of the cheaper CLS filter and giving a bit of dust protection to the sensor, I broke mine so I will have to buy the MC clear glass replacement.

I haven't really decided yet whether to put the Canon filter back. Currently I have no Canon filters and the CLS-CCD clip filter fitted. I needed to clean the sensor with my DSLR sensor cleaning kit after it had been out of the camera for some time - there was one quite stubborn lump of dust. Now, a test with lens at f22 has shown just a couple of dust specks near the edge so I'll settle for that.

[Ags]

Sara, I know what you mean - I have a TS UHC for visual use that makes no difference at all visually so I don't use it. I've seen images taken with UHCs where the filter makes a big difference photographically, so I am giving it a go.

Is my camera modded? Not yet, but it will be.

[Auntystatic]

Agnes you will have to post some pictures up when you have your filter, and let us see the results.

Gina same thing happened to me, I use the visible dust system with green swabs to clean my sensor, if Vdust doesn't shift it Sensor Clear will.

[Ags]

I will, although I doubt my pictures will show the full capabilities of the poor filter!

[Gina]

Gina same thing happened to me, I use the visible dust system with green swabs to clean my sensor, if Vdust doesn't shift it Sensor Clear will.

Thank you I think the cleaning swabs I've got have done the job.

BTW - I have now done the filter job on my second sensor unit and this time I put the front/larger IR/UV cut filter back in and discarded the blue one. I changed my mind on the cold finger mod and decided to use the other sensor unit for the new cold finger rather than try to get the original cold finger out of the sensor unit. This meant another filter removal job on the second sensor assembly so decided to replace the IR/UV filter using its original sticky stuff round the edge - that was tricky.