Dslr mod for dso

[barrie greenwood]

Hi guys .

I've read a lot of threads about modding my dslr nikon  for dso and I'm even more confused than I was .

So looking for a quick answer to the question of if I remove the filter in front of my camera sensor fo I or do I not have to replace it with another filter .

I was under the assumption that if I removed it that was it and happy days but after reading all the different threads I'm not so sure it's even worth doing .

As always thanks in advance guys .

Kind regards Baz

[teoria_del_big_bang]

Have you read the advice on this website or asked the questions on this website , he is very good.

cheapastrophotography

So long as the camera will only be used for AP then I do not think there is a need to put another filter in the camera itself, I certainly didn't.
I just had the IR filter removed, not the LP1UV filter and then shimmed out to maintain auto focus. capability.

I will not profess to know all about astromodding DSLR's so not sure what other advice you were given, I just sent my camera off to Juan on this website and for about £80 it was all done for me and seemed to work just great.

Steve

[R26 oldtimer]

You can remove it completely (making it full spectrum sensitive). You will be ok if imaging with an all mirror system (Newtonian without CC). If you're using a refractor or CC in a Newtonian you'll need a filter ( uv/IR cut, or  cls-ccd, or dual narrowband, depending on target and LP)

P.S. I think that Nikons ( most of them at least) have their filters bonded together as one, so no option for astro conversion by removing one of the two (astromod)

Edited December 14, 2021 by R26 oldtimer

[barrie greenwood]

Well I'm using a skywatcher 200p without a coma corrector so is it OK to remove the whole shebang and just have the raw sensor is so what can I expect to improve if anything. 

The camera won't be used for anything but astrophotography via my newt so won't need auto focus .

Here is a pic I've got from my unmodded d90 will the modded improve this .

Thanks guys 

[barrie greenwood]

3 hours ago, R26 oldtimer said:

You can remove it completely (making it full spectrum sensitive). You will be ok if imaging with an all mirror system (Newtonian without CC). If you're using a refractor or CC in a Newtonian you'll need a filter ( uv/IR cut, or  cls-ccd, or dual narrowband, depending on target and LP)

P.S. I think that Nikons ( most of them at least) have their filters bonded together as one, so no option for astro conversion by removing one of the two (astromod)

What should I expect full spectrum mate 

Regards Baz

[R26 oldtimer]

 

3 hours ago, barrie greenwood said:

What should I expect full spectrum mate 

With your Newtonian it will be ok, there won't be any bloated stars as you would expect from a refractor.

It doesn't make much difference for broadband targets such as galaxies (although it will capture much better the red Ha parts in the spiral arms), but you'll see much more in Ha nebulae.

Here is my full spectrum d5300 with a newtonian on broadband targets

[barrie greenwood]

Thank you. 

Do you have any of the formentioned ha nebulae to show .

Regards Baz 

[R26 oldtimer]

Not anything decent, moved to dedicated mono since, but plenty of threads here to see examples pre and post modification. If you shoot nebulae just go for it, makes a huge difference (4x more Ha signal), and grab a dual band filter such as the optolong l-enhance or l-extreme or the IDAS NBZ, the results will be great!

[Budgie1]

29 minutes ago, barrie greenwood said:

Do you have any of the formentioned ha nebulae to show .

I don't know if this is of any help but, this was 1 hour 52 minutes of NGC7000. Taken with a Canon EOS 1300D with just the IR filter removed by Juan. I used the Samyang 135mm F2 lens, set to F4, 30 second exposures at ISO400.

[barrie greenwood]

Thanks guys .

The nikon filter us as stated a bonded unit so it may be a full spectrum is the only option .

I can't lie I had a d70 a few years back and stripped out the filter and reassembled it and I had no idea what I was doing took a few pics and everything had a red hue ....I thought I had ruined it and threw it away I later discovered it was supposed to be like that 😝😝.

I never had chance to use it astro wise so I've now gained a little more knowledge and I have purchased a new D70s thst I plan on converting .

I do a range of objects galaxy and nebulae so I think I'll do the full spec mod and if the results are poor on galaxy I can drop back to the unmodded d90 .

Thanks for the help and advice guys itsore than appreciated. 

Kind regards Baz

[barrie greenwood]

Hi guys .

Ok after some real testing I found that the nikon D70s can't be controlled via APT .

This in mind it would be a shame to rip apart the Almost new 17k operations D70s as it would not give me what I was looking for such as plate solving in APT .

This in mind I've now got a nikon D90 to convert .

Its again in really good condition and I need a little more info from  anyone who has modded their camera to the naked sensor mod .

In specific assuming I've taken the lot out as the nikons are bonded can I only use the camera for astro work or would I be able to put a lense on and do ir photography .

And processing what do I need to do differently to to tame the red in the photos that gives an overall red cast or do I use an auto wb or a custom wb .

Sorry for the questions but I need to know before I potentially ruin a perfectly good camera 

As always guys thanks in advance and all the best for the new year and have a great Xmas. 

Best regards baz 

[R26 oldtimer]

You can indeed use it for IR daytime photography. Processing depends on IR filter bandpass. For filters >720nm, white balance on foliage & maybe red/blue channel swap.

For filters <680nm, white balance on gray card.

If you put a UV/IR CUT filter in front of the lens, you get a normal photo.

Ofcourse IR photography processing can get pretty tricky, if you're after a really good result.

[barrie greenwood]

Thanks old timer and hope your having a good day .

That's a nice shot .

Did you find it did not focus through your lenses or did you replace the glass etc .

I'm thinking of the naked sensor mod and was reading it can mess up your focus .

Regards Baz

[R26 oldtimer]

15 minutes ago, barrie greenwood said:

Did you find it did not focus through your lenses or did you replace the glass etc .

Screwed the three sensor retaining bolts almost full (give a bit of room for tilt adjustment), as to place the sensor as forward as possible. All lenses focus at infinity except for one wide field lens paired with one specific filter.

[barrie greenwood]

I think I'll just do it and strip  it over the next day or two see what I've got once it's done .

So I seem to remember that when I did the d70 all pics had a pink or red cast to them am I correctvin thinking this is removed  by adjusting the Wb to shoot a custom one and if so do I use the custom wb when shooting astro stuff or use the gradient extractor in processing regards Baz 

[michael8554]

The Raw images will have a red caste.

You can use a Custom WB, or just correct in image software after Stacking

You can decide whether or not to apply a Custom WB when the Raw is loaded into DSS etc.

Michael

 

[barrie greenwood]

Thank you ill post up some images of the  strip down and ifcthe sky ever clears some photos of the results. 

Thanks again guys 

Regards 

[barrie greenwood]

Hi again guys .

Ok I'm reading a lot of info on this subject but I'm getting really confused the more I read. 

If I remove the ir blocking filter from the camera do or don't I  need another filter fitting for astro photography and ir photography. 

I've read this article about removing the filter on the D90 

https://www.randombio.com/d90infrared.html#wb.

But it does seem to suggest I would still need a filter for astro and ir .

I'm more than a bit confused with the subject 😐. 

Is there anyone that uses the modded unfiltered camera for astro and ir terrestrial photos if so will I need a filter on the lense for terrestrial  .

Best regards Confused ??

[sharkmelley]

A full spectrum mod will allow you to do astrophotograpy and terrestrial infra-red photography.  For terrestrial IR photography you may want to use a specialised IR filter. For astrophotography you will want to use a UV/IR blocking filter to prevent IR diluting the colours.  Also, IR often comes to focus in a different plane to the visual spectrum which could lead to star bloat unless a UV/IR blocking filter is used.

[Shibby]

Many years ago I modified a D70 and used it for both terrestrial and astrophotography. If you want to to any terrestrial photography with autofocus, my understanding is that you need to replace the colour-balance filter with a clear one in order to keep autofocus working properly. If you want to do any astro imaging at all involving glass (e.g. refractors, coma correctors) then you need to use an additional IR blocking filter to prevent stars from bloating. This filter would be attached to your telescope adapter. If you want to do terrestrial IR photography, then the replaced (internal) filter should be clear so that it doesn't block IR. i.e. "full spectrum".

[900SL]

The other aspect about modding is sensor tilt. On the D5*** series you have to remove the sensor assembly to take the filter off, and getting it back in orthogonal to the lens axis is, I assume, pot luck without any equipment for calibration.  

[R26 oldtimer]

On 07/01/2022 at 13:33, Shibby said:

keep autofocus working properly

For newer models, daytime autofocus with a lens works fine as long as you autofocus in liveview mode.