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Modding DSLR, should I or not?

kirkster501

By kirkster501
in Discussions - Cameras

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kirkster501

kirkster501

Posted
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Pretty dab hand at DIY'ing things. But heard some horror stories too. Rather not blow £300 and wreck it but part of me thinks I need to do it to get better results. Then again, If i get a CCD in a year then unmodded would make a nice camera for day go day use.

Someone convince me one way or the other !!!!

Or should I buy a used 400d or something?

Steve

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Velvet

Velvet

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You must answer your own question there. Do you want normal camera, then dont mod. Will you be getting CCD very soon, then maybe dont mod, best of both worlds buy a used modded camera.

Thats my thoughts for what they are worth. I was lucky as I had 2 canon DSLR backs so i modded one of then (40D) kept 50D unmodded :smiley:

velvet

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Luke

Luke

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For me a mod is a gamble, so I would only mod keeping in mind that I could lose. If the thought of losing is too painful, I'd step away from the mod! I don't want to put anyone off, I had a mod go wrong after my first two went okay and it hasn't put me off, but I think it can't be guaranteed! Good luck!

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andyboy1970

andyboy1970

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I have modded my last 2 cameras, if you are in any way less than confident then don't do it. I am an Aircraft engineer (Avionics) and have served an apprenticeship involving electronic circuit repair and even then I had my doubts about doing the mod as its my own money i'm risking.

This is a new company in the midlands offering DSLR mods and ready modded cameras - http://www.focused-astronomy.co.uk/

Might be worth giving them a call.

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Gina

Gina

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You need to be both confident and competant at working with tiny screws and electronics. Although much of this is perfectly straightforward it's all too easy to catch one of the surface mounted devices and damage it or it's connection to the circuit board - I know, I've done it and I'm fairly experienced in this sort of thing. Great care and slow, methodical working is the answer. Removing the glass filters is tricky too and again much care and a steady hand is needed plus a lot of patience. You must be prepared to end up with a non-working camera if things go wrong.

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  • 3 weeks later...
pixueto

pixueto

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Also, it's no good treating all the mods equally. Different cameras present different challenges. Modding my Canon 350D was a bit of a horror story. Everything went wrong. The screws where too tight, it was very hard to desolder, the ribbon cables and connections where in inaccessible places, etc. Everything that could have gone wrong it did go wrong and I ended up with a non-working camera.

On the other hand, today, I've modded my replacement: a canon 450D. I gave it a lot of thought before going for it because of my bad experience with the canon 350D. I'm glad to report that the mod, this time, went well. In the canon 450D there isn't any soldering-desoldering work involved and the ribbon cables are by far easier to reconnect.

In terms of difficulty, I would give the canon 350D mod a 9 out of 10 whereas the canon 450D would be a 4 out of 10. Not very scientific but it gives you an idea about the different level of difficulty involved in each mod.

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Chris

Chris

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I was apprehensive about modding an 1100D a while ago so I bought an old 300D from Ebay to mod as it wouldn't be the end of the world if it all went pair shaped. Luckily all went well but it was very fiddly so you have to take things very slow and carefully, I prepared for the mod like I was going into surgery and I think it took something like 5-6 hours to complete in the end. I no you've had second thoughts but if you have a second whim then maybe this would be a low risk way forward for you?

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kirkster501

kirkster501

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I found a nice modded 450d on ABS and bought that instead :) It's got a shutter count of 20000 so will only probably last another year or so before becoming a brick.

I will get a CCD one day. Just want to be sure I can sustainably get on with DSO AP before shelling out a months wedge on the CCD.....

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pixueto

pixueto

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I was apprehensive about modding an 1100D a while ago so I bought an old 300D from Ebay to mod as it wouldn't be the end of the world if it all went pair shaped. Luckily all went well but it was very fiddly so you have to take things very slow and carefully, I prepared for the mod like I was going into surgery and I think it took something like 5-6 hours to complete in the end. I no you've had second thoughts but if you have a second whim then maybe this would be a low risk way forward for you?

Starfox, did you find modding your 1100D easier than the 300D?

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Chris

Chris

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Starfox, did you find modding your 1100D easier than the 300D?

I know that theres no soldering with the 1100D but I ended up not modding the 1100D and sold it instead! I decided that I worried to much over this new shiny camera and would be much better off tinkering with older models, I also sold the modded 300D very cheaply to someone starting out in imaging. I now have two Canon 350D's as I like how light and compact these are, ones modded and one standard at the moment. The last one only cost me 81 pounds so I don't worry about scratching it, not that I have:D

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pixueto

pixueto

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Thank you guys! I have a funny feeling of accomplishment today :grin: Maybe I'm not as clumsy as I thought I was... or maybe I am as I killed my trusty 350D!

I can't wait to see what difference it makes to my pictures.

By the way, I didn't replace the filter; all I did is to leave the LP1 UV filter and remove the IR one. Will I be able to use the camera with my soligor 200mm lens? It's not clear if I'll get bloated stars or not with that LP1 filter. Different people say different things in the forum.

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pixueto

pixueto

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I found a nice modded 450d on ABS and bought that instead :) It's got a shutter count of 20000 so will only probably last another year or so before becoming a brick.

I will get a CCD one day. Just want to be sure I can sustainably get on with DSO AP before shelling out a months wedge on the CCD.....

I thought you would like to know that according to canon (Canon discloses camera shutter life expectancy) http://photocamel.com/forum/canon-forum/79862-canon-discloses-camera-shutter-life-expectancy.html your camera is still leaving adolescence. The life expectancy for the canon 450D is a shutter count of 100000

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pixueto

pixueto

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Well, I managed to have a go at the heart nebula tonight. Hopefully tomorrow I'll process the images. I noticed that after removing the filter, I had to reduce the exposure time a bit or the camera will end up flooded with light. Is this so or is it only the different sky conditions for tonight? I can't really tell since this has been my first chance to try the camera after the mod.

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