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Hi all

I'm taking my next huge step after years of visual observing thru my wee etx 80. I am delving into astrophotography.  However I have hit a snag in my research, I am wondering what type of dslr mod is required? I seem to find different mods at different prices.

I have just purchased a EQ6 Pro mount and ordered a Orion ED80T CF which is a triple APO , i will be ordering a guidescooe and cam shortly. I have DIYd a 120Ah leisure battery pack consisting of 6 x car charger plugs and 4 × USB. Im an electrician, so it shouldn't blow....

The camera i am planning on buying is a 600d, is this a decent dslr? And as above, what modding does it require? Ill probs buy one used off one of the sites that sell them pre modded. The camera wont be used for daylight photography.

Is it worth modding a dslr? Or should i just buy a starshoot G3 or similar priced colour CCD.  I will be taking most of my images from the UK dark site at Ennerdale Cumbria as I live about 5 miles away.

Hope you guys can help

Rob

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You could start with an unmodded Canon.

The normal mod is where the colour correction filter is replaced with a clear or UV-IR filter. This enhances the red response and gives better recording of the Ha wavelengths.

(The other mod is where BOTH internal filters are removed to provide a better FULL spectrum coverage - generally only of interest to guys like me who do spectroscopy)

 

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Modding a DSLR all depends on what you want to image. If your interested in galaxies and Star clusters then you won't benefit a great amount from the mod. If your interested in dso such as nebula then getting it modded will enhance your images greatly. If your only going to use it for astrophotography then you'll only need the basic mod. I got mine from Juan at cheapastrophotography.co.uk along with alot of others on this site. He provides a great service and keeps you updated so your not waking up each morning wondering if you'll have a delivery today.

The 600d is, in my opinion, an awesome dslr to use for astrophotography. That's what I used to use until I bought a mono ccd with filters etc. It also has a swivel screen which is a huge bonus when trying to get perfect focus as you don't need to get yourself into awkward positions just to see the live view screen.

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Thx for the responses, my main shots will be of nebula, if all goes well... I shall take a look at the website at the 600d..

And it looks like ill be looking for a full spectrum mod if shooting nebula..

Thx again

Rob

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I am not a fan of modded cameras unless it is a filter replacement that keeps a reasonably good white balance, the issue I have is that a poorly implemented mod can cause bloated star images with refractors and camera lenses and even prevent focus being achieved if using vintage lenses. The newer cameras I have tried like the 650 D do seem to have a good enough Ha response without the need for mods, well for me anyway.

Alan

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19 hours ago, Bramisheu said:

Thx for the responses, my main shots will be of nebula, if all goes well... I shall take a look at the website at the 600d..

And it looks like ill be looking for a full spectrum mod if shooting nebula..

Thx again

Rob

I used Juan From cheapastrophotography for my 100d and wouldn't hesitate to do so again..He does a header conversion too if you would like to use it for normal use..abit more expensive but as mine is just for astro I just went for the normal conversion..best if luck

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First off, you live in a fabulous, if slightly 'over-populated' ;) spot. Where I would choose if I didn't live here. :) Lucky you! (no I'm not envious, honestly....)

Clearly you are into Astronomy and have some pretty decent kit already, whilst I don't do much AP at all, I'm with Alan above, in that I'd hone my skills with un-modded kit to give me a mental benchmark before considering modded kit vs dedicated kit.

PS, please do consider some daylight landscape photography, if only to please me.

All the best, Rich

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Thanks all

I do have an unmodded DSLR that i have used for Wide Angle short exposure shots, i did buy a Astronomik CLS clip in filter to help with the light pollution.  I'll give that a whirl thru the scope and see what the results are, although i am tempted with a CCD (QHY8L-II) they are expensive but i dont mind splashing out for the right equipment....

And Rich, i agree, the lakes are awesome for astrophotography, and with ennerdale being an official dark sky site and a stones throw away from me, im really looking forward to packing the tent and disappearing.  I do a lot of wildcamping in the lakes but somehow, i think ill struggle lugging an EQ6 and scope up scafell pike.

Regards Rob

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I can say from experience with my ED80T CF that using my unmodified D3300 camera with it I get very wide field images. So I don't use my DSLR very much on my telescope.

But when I was starting out, I decided I would be better off getting a DSO camera because my aim was to image Nebulae.

I can advise to NOT make my mistake with the Orion G3. I'm suffering along with what I think was a poor choice.

Some day I hope to be able to get a better camera.

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Have you considered a new generation CMOS camera like the ZWO currently available or the Atik in the pipeline?  The ones at the bottom of this page might be of interest. https://www.firstlightoptics.com/zwo-cameras.html Unlike DSLRs they are designed for astronomy.

I have to say that, for emission nebulae, I would always prefer a mono camera in order to be able to shoot the Ha efficiently, using every pixel rather than only a quarter of them. (Even a modified DSLR is only sensitive to Ha on a quarter of its pixels.)

Olly

 

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