Modified DSLRs - plug and play (especially for a colour-blind person)?

[Dezerker]

Can I ask some potentially stupid questions about modified DSLRs, please?!

Context:  I'm very interested in getting a modified DSLR, potentially with a good narrow-band filter (not sure, but I like the look of the tri-narrowbands that do Ha, Oiii and Sii?).....but I'm red-green colour-blind.  Considerably on the red, and slightly more so on the green.  I'm using a star-adventurer to get tracked longer exposures (and am considering getting a longer lens and potentially a guiding set up).

Which leads to me a few questions:

- How "plug and play" are modified DSLRs?  Do you take images (with and without filters) just as you would with a non-modified camera, process them in the same way etc?

- There's different types of modification.  I think I've read that the full-spectrum astro-mod gives you the greatest sensitivity?  Are there any downsides to this mod that actually favours the others?  What are the benefits of the other types of mod?

- How does it work with the white-balance (with and without a filter)?  I've read something about need to correct this manually, and that makes me very nervous.  Never leave me in charge of anything colour-related - it is not going to end well!!

- I've seen people post single frames (straight off the camera) that are bright red when using an Ha filter.  Presumably you can convert the whole image to monochrome if you choose, but (especially if I went tri-narrowband) what processing wizardry do you have to do to take the filter's colour out of the background but not the imaging target?

My current processing approach is to use colour-specific stretches using levels (in photoshop) until my colour-sampling tool tells me my background is reasonably neutral, and then hope that the rest of the image looks something like it should do!

Huge thanks for your help on this - I'd love to get into it, but am genuinely scared of messing up on the colours and presenting something that's all kinds of wrong!

[PeterCPC]

I am not colour blind so I cannot answer anything related to that. Yes. they are "plug and play" but will give more of a red cast to your images. This can be edited. My Canon 1200d has just the "normal" astro mod (not full spectrum. Full spectrum mods can cause issues of star bloat and other issues. Modded cameras are considerably more sensitive and will cut down the exposure time required. White balance - don't worry about it - it can be easily adjusted in processing software. I don't use an Ha filter as I'm not so sure about their effectiveness with DSLRs but some people do and get good results. If you are in a fairly dark sky area I wouldn't bother with Ha.

Hope that helps.

[Alien 13]

As above by Peter, I would add that a full spectrum mod will most likely disable the auto sensor clean and ability to auto focus unless the sensor is re shimmed correctly and may not work at all with camera lenses due to large amounts of star bloat unless an IR cut filter is added. 

Alan

[Dezerker]

Peter, Alan, many thanks for your advice and reassurances on this - very much appreciated!

Interesting trade-off, by the sounds of things.  Slightly greater sensitivity with the full mod, but at the potential cost of some functionality and star bloat?  I have some thinking to do!

Thanks again!