Doing the DSLR mod myself....am I crazy?

[redmoo]

So, I have been going backward and forward over whether to do this, but thought I would ask if anyone on here has ever tried it, and more to the point, are there any horror stories out there that I should listen to before I go and destroy my camera!

It is a 1100d, but it only cost me 90 pound on ebay....it is not a total loss if I screw it up. 

Thoughts?

Thanks

[Spikey]

Take your time and make sure you put the screws in the right order. I used masking tape reversed to stick them to. To be honest it's fiddly more than anything else because the ribbons are a bit of a pain. Apart from that its very straightforward if you organise the bits.

[PhotoGav]

You would definitely not be mad as it is the best thing you can do to a DSLR for astro use. I modded my 60D last year, here's the thread: http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/201827-self-modding-an-eos-60d/ and it was a success. As Simon suggests, take your time, be methodical about it and keep all the screws stuck down, I used blu-Tak, with a guide to what came from where and you will be fine. It's great when you power up the camera for the first time and it comes back to life!

Good luck!

[ronin]

Answer: Marginally, but no worse then many others.

[laser_jock99]

Stick the screws to a strip of tape in the order you took them out- makes re-assembly a doddle

Here's an online tutorial if you haven't seen it already

http://www.lifepixel.com/tutorials/infrared-diy-tutorials/canon-drebel-t3-ir

[redmoo]

Stick the screws to a strip of tape in the order you took them out- makes re-assembly a doddle

Here's an online tutorial if you haven't seen it already

http://www.lifepixel.com/tutorials/infrared-diy-tutorials/canon-drebel-t3-ir

Cheers, I had seen a tutorial, but that one looks better.

Thanks guys, guess I know what I am doing this weekend!

[redmoo]

Well that was an adventure! All the screws and cables were fine, a few were a bit tight but no biggy. Getting the actual filter out though.....wow was that tough! I followed the videos, removed the glue etc, was trying to get the ir filter out and CRACK, it breaks down the middle!!

I took lots of care getting all the bits out, it ended up coming out in about 10 different bits, i thought for sure it had damaged the front uv filter. Put the camera back together ( with a little panic when it didnt power up, but that was a loose ribbon cable) and low and behold, it all works!

Couldnt wait to test it, so quickly set up the scope to nab some shots of orion. Wow. A 6 second sub now completely blows away a 5 minute one i used to take! Perhaps tomorrow will offer better conditions!

In conclusion, this is not for the feint of heart, but the results are amazing!

thanks

[PhotoGav]

Hooray, many congratulations. That darned filter got what it deserved!

I look forward to the first light image. Tomorrow night could be the chance.

[frugal]

Did you put a replacement filter in? I was under the impression that you needed to put in a replacement UV/IR cut off filter otherwise you get star bloat.

[kalasinman]

Congrats! I hope my upcoming D5100 mod goes no worse.

[redmoo]

Did you put a replacement filter in? I was under the impression that you needed to put in a replacement UV/IR cut off filter otherwise you get star bloat.

As far as I can tell, I only removed the terrestrial colour correction filter, not the IR/UV block one (the front filter). I know my camera will never work with normal lenses, but seems as I dont have any normal lenses, this is not a big issue!

Congrats! I hope my upcoming D5100 mod goes no worse.

Good luck! As is echoed many times on this forum, take your time, set up before you start and get a decent set of screwdrivers! Also, the tip about using tape to hold the screws in place works really well!

[Spikey]

Did you put a replacement filter in? I was under the impression that you needed to put in a replacement UV/IR cut off filter otherwise you get star bloat.

No that's not the case (at least in my experience).

Redmoo only removed the bluish filter that is closest to the sensor, this should allow a lot more of the Ha signal though (it blocks 95% of it).

Only if the full spectrum mod (both filters removed) is carried out would you have to make a decision to replace the front filter or not. I understand this is because it moves the focal point of the UV/IR slightly inwardly thus capturing de-focused signal and manifesting as star bloat on long exposures. 

For normal astrophotography use I wouldn't see any advantage to removing both filters, just the colour correction nearest to the sensor should suffice most people.

[Daveb3650]

\sound advice here....