Canon 400D Any good for AP

[Kerrp30]

Hello,

Is the Canon 400D any good for AP? or am I better getting the 1000D or a 450D?

Thanks

Paul

[jgs001]

Paul do you have a 400d ? If so, it'll do a good job. I think it suffers from Amp glow, which means you need to get darks to deal with that. If not, the 1000d is probably a better bet. Is it purely for Astro use, or for Daytime use also ?

[iamjulian]

The 400D is a great camera. I used it for some widefield astronomy photos but nothing serious. The problem is lack of live view so focusing is a pain. And the ISO above 800 is poor. I just sold it to MPB photographic and it is currently on their site for £239 which is a great price, especially as I only took 5,200 photos with it. The 1000D and 450D would both be better, though more expensive.

[Kerrp30]

I have not bought it, they are on eBay but I was afraid that the live view was not available. That's cleared that up 1000d or if I can talk the wife round the 450

Paul

[brendant]

There is no amp glow on the 400D, one of the first models not to suffer the problem. It may not have Live view but is still a very capable camera.

[jgs001]

Ah... thanks Brendan... Didn't know that...

Paul, what's the intent for the camera ? Is it solely for Astro or do you want it for daytime too ? The reason I ask, the kit lens on the 450d is supposed to be much better than the one on the 1000d (Unless you can find a kit with the IS lens).

[Psychobilly]

The initial 1000D kits came with the IS lens as standard... Later dropped to the non-IS version to make the 450D IS kit more attractive and get rid of the non IS stock I suppose..

I have used a 1000D for the last 16 months and love it and was about to buy another one the weekend when Deneb came along with his perfectly timed 2nd hand Modded 450D so I have gone for that instead

Peter...

[Kerrp30]

Paul, what's the intent for the camera ? Is it solely for Astro or do you want it for daytime too ?

I want to use it for both AP and family picture use. Can you remove the ir filter and replace it when using it for everyday use.

I think I have decided on the 450d.

Paul

[Cornelius Varley]

I want to use it for both AP and family picture use. Can you remove the ir filter and replace it when using it for everyday use.

I think I have decided on the 450d.

Paul

You need to disassemble the camera to remove the IR filter. Once it is out it cannot be put back in. You can create a custom white balance, I think, for normal daytime use.

Peter

[lukebl]

Can you remove the ir filter and replace it when using it for everyday use.

My advice, for what it's worth, is that you will be able to get absolutely brilliant results before resorting to modifying the camera. I haven't modded mine, and probably won't bother (not yet, at least). I'm getting great images of DSOs with my Canon 400 + 200mm Newt combo, imaging stars down to mag 17.5 and beyond and getting great images of a whole range of objects (galaxies, comets, nebulae, etc). I still use it for everyday photos.

There's (literally) a whole universe of stuff out there you can image really well with a trusty unmodded Canon 400D! Just make sure you get plenty of darks & flats & be prepared for endless experimentation and practice with a decent processing package (e.g. Photoshop).