Modifying a Canon 60D for astrophotography 

Awesome! I’m glad you got it. I hope you enjoy it. Happy holidays and clear skies.

Fantastic. Nice job. I hope you enjoy it.

I hope you enjoy it and it brings you lots of awesome images

Fantastic! Enjoy it. Clear skies.

@@GarnettLeary I have a problem now with the intervalometer, as it won't work on this camera, its OK on my other. Is there a ribbon cable that operates this. Thanks

All good again another loose ribbon , phew. Cheers

Typically they are three wire. Should be a ground and two others. Not ribbon cables as they are continuity switches. Try a dust blower into the port and see if that resolves the issue.

Great! I replied to the previous prior to reading this. Glad you sorted it out.

Thanks for watching and good luck.

You might try referencing some other videos to see it clearly. They’re all the same typically. It’s hard to see but the cable itself is flat with a small hole in it usually. Often they’ll have one side notched. The hinge part is on the receiving end. It’s a very small, hard to see, flap that snaps down in an up down motion. The cable will slide into the slot and then the hinge closes and locks it into place. You can’t put it in wrong because it will not snap closed unless the ribbon is seated properly. I’m sorry I didn’t demonstrate this clearly. The next one I’ll do I’ll make sure to show that up close. The hinge should open up and away from the cable. I’ll see if I can find a good reference and get back to you.

This is pretty clear: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-iOE4T6nykQ4.html Let me know if this doesn’t clarify it and I’ll find other sources.

Awesome! I hope you get endless clear nights of enjoyment

+Matthew Knight you did what's called a naked sensor mod. It's perfectly fine that way for astro. You may experience autofocus trouble with certain lenses for daytime. The clear glass replacement filter is designed to correct for that. For astro in full manual you are perfectly fine and for day mostly. To further boost your gains you could get an H-A clip in filter. That will boost your photos dramatically. Highly specialized shooting requires splitting the RGB channels and exposing for each independently. In other words the R could be an H-A filter shot. The G an oxygen filter etc. That is something I never did but will yield the best results.

+RPG Entertainment There are a bunch of good companies out there that do modifications and offer parts. This is my personally my first choice: www.astronomik.com/

That seems reasonable. The trouble you face is available space. The bodies are very compact. Prima Luche has a cooler that attaches thru the live view screen. The operating temperatures of all Canon dslr’s can be found on Canon’s website. I have used the 60D at -5. At that point I believe the internal heat of the camera was warming the components under a long series of exposures. In fact the background image of my channel is that very camera iced over after I brought it indoors. Lol. Depending on your location ( mine is eastern NC, USA ) you typically only need cooling in Summer months. Canon cameras perform very well under two minute exposures. Hitting the five minute mark is kind of unreasonable because you get past the point of diminishing returns. What I mean is that the camera would get better signal at shorter expo and higher gain. It’s for that reason I never considered a cooling mod. I don’t image much in Summer either tho. Definitely it’s worth the effort but I think I’d try it on a cheaper dslr first. You’ll notice the recommended working temps don’t vary much.

@@GarnettLeary I am wondering what the temperature constraints are for. I looked up some lithium battery temp. constraints and they are -5, so the components in the camera itself may go well below that. I think I may test it to see how low it will go. I watched a couple of videos and I think I can just flip my screen open when I am doing astro photos and drill in the plastic frame(while its off drill the hole) a small hole in the back to flow the LN2. I also saw a new sensor is like $60 bucks so if I ruin it from getting to cold it shouldn't be to costly to replace it. I can also put heating elements around the battery to ensure it doesn't drop below -5. I wonder how well the performance would be if I got to like -50 or something, lol. I don't think it be really that hard of a test too. I could make the flow go right on the back of the sensor. When it touches the back it will evaporate fairly quickly. There is a way to read the temperature too from the sensor I think(i googled some stuff). I am worried that there may be some software that would shut it down because of the battery getting cold, but I don't think they have temperature constraints for it getting too cold, just for when it gets too hot. It would be neat to keep it colder than the $2000 dollar DSO cameras for a fraction of a cost. It would be like getting a $500 dollar camera to work like a $1500 DSO camera for a fraction of the cost. Man, I really hope this works. You can get 10 liters of LN2 pretty cheap. I see people do LN2 cooling on desktop computers too. You just got to protect it from moisture. The DSO camera will put heating elements where the camera connects to the telescope to prevent moisture, and I could do the same thing. I think I could just use a zip lock bag and some silicon glue to seal it around the outside of camera the first time and put desiccant in it to absorb any remaining moisture. I think that would be a fun experiment, just think if it would work what a hack that would be? They actually do design some of the best DSO cameras to flow LN2 through them. I would essentially jerry rigging it to work that way.

I agree. I hope you’re successful and I’d love to know your results.

Some lenses exhibit this problem. An easier solution is to add a clear glass or astro dedicated filter in place of the one you removed.

Absolutely doable. A waste of money to send it off unless you have zero patience

www.spencerscamera.com/astro-conversions.cfm

I hope you didn’t short anything. Check the ribbon cables and power supply leading from the battery bay.

@@GarnettLeary I found one of the ribbon cables had detached! Working great now.

Figured. Easy to think they’re secure, pop loose when closing it up, and scratch your head later. Nice job problem solving. I hope it brings you endless enjoyment. Clear skies.

Good luck to you. I hope you’re successful and enjoy it.

@@GarnettLeary Thanks! By the way, I have spotted on RU-vid in comments under one video about EQM-35 PRO, that you stripped it down in order to remove original grease and regrease. I am trying to find some step by step tutorial how to do it, I thought you made a video about it, but cannot find anything :( Could you please share, if exists, or any ideas how to strip it down and not messing it? Many thx!

I’ve done an EQ3, EQ4 but not the M-Pro. I have no experience with it but I suspect it’s very similar. Ioan Nemes of Galaxy Art Media heavily uses that mount. A good view of what’s in the other is here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-YMFdi8ygChA.html

@@GarnettLeary yep, Ioan, you are right. I must take a deep breath, grab some courage and give it a try. But 1st the Canon 60D ;) Thanks!

@@GarnettLeary So finally I did it today, following your tutorial. I was sweating like hell, 1 very small screw fell somewhere and it took me 2 hours to find it. Also the small fitting which is under one of the spring screw fell somewhere into camera and I wasn't sure if there were 3 of these or only 2 :) But finally everything went OK and even works and yes, pictures are shifted to red. One thing I would note is that it was also necessary to remove 2 small screws on flip screen, otherwise I couldn't remove back cover. And one side note - now I understand why russian are not able to make complex electronics, chips etc....I was really surprised what fine elextronics, connections etc...credits to japanesse

Baader or Astronomik are both good. High Point Scientific has them. There’s several downsides to not replacing it. 1) your sensor will be exposed to dust. Well not exactly but yes. There’s an anti-alaising on it but it’s equally sensitive. 2) forget cleaning it properly with swabs. 3) yes, in many cases the AF will fail on many lenses. You’re cutting out a piece of glass from the optical train. With it gone the distance between the “sensor” and the lens widens. I have found it does and doesn’t effect af over multiple lenses. It’s also possible to calibrate certain lenses electronically such as the Global Sigma series. It’s safe to assume your lenses won’t af properly and that would be true the greater majority of the time.

Thank you for watching

Similar by way of the articulating screen but more similar to the T3 body I have a video on. The 60D is a much larger camera than the 600D. The T3 is the lower end version of the T3i, the 600D.

Absolutely.

Error 30 is typically battery related. Have you tried using another battery? It could be a loose connection to the battery compartment via the main board also.

@@GarnettLeary Yes I also read that and tried 2 different batterys.

I think loose cable. A malfunctioning battery port. Retracing your steps is the best approach from here.

@@GarnettLeary okay I'll try that, thanks.

Practically any Canon DSLR can be modded. The T6 isn’t very difficult

T3I is super cheap and was Trevor Jones’s weapon of choice for some time. If you break it modding it you’re not out much. Definitely go with one with a reciprocal screen. The 40D is a bit dated but has high h-a response. I don’t know Nikon systems. The T3I is the way I’d go. If you have a lot to shell out go 6D.

@@GarnettLeary That gives me some good insight to ponder over. Thanks again Garnett. Life is looking up (For us astro nuts) lol and clear skies to you, cheers.

Yes but the white balance will be reddish. You have to use a grey card. Additionally you will find some lenses lose AF. That is unless you replace the filter with clear glass.

You are correct. It is the T3i. I have a video modding a T3. That is going to be more similar as a reference. However, the biggest difference is yours has the reciprocal screen. That means there will be a delicate ribbon cable attached between the inner body and the back cover plate. You should reference the 60D video for that particular part. You’ll be ok as long as you gently pull the cover plate away until you reveal the cabling for the flip out screen. To order the clear filter you can search eBay for cheap prices but I personally recommend paying more from High Point Scientific. The brand is Astronomik and the item you need is product SKU: ASF-C-EOS-350D. It’s the MC Clear Glass one that has UV characteristics that are good for astrophotography.

@@GarnettLeary Thanks a lot!

Anytime and good luck. If you run into any snares don’t hesitate to drop me a line. I’ll help the best I can. Clear skies.

@@GarnettLeary HighPoint suggests this clear glass filter for Canon 600D. Is that the right one? I think you had recommended a different one in another video. www.highpointscientific.com/catalog/product/view/id/8972

I’m not sure what you mean by top lcd. Viewfinder? Can you clarify? I pinned this comment in hopes others will see it and help as well.

@@GarnettLeary Thanks for your reply. It's the large screen for live view not displaying anything. The mono lcd at the top right displaying shutter speed / aperature still works.

SD card slot failure is common in older cameras. The LCD screen not so much. The slots and the screens are readily available on eBay. I think it’s odd that one part of the display function works. Before tossing the SD card slot try a different and fully charged battery. If there is a firmware update available I’d also try that. I know you mentioned reseating cables but are you sure the power supply to the lcd is intact? I’d start there. The camera cpu is functioning as it’s displaying relevant shot info. My immediate thought is there is no power connection to the display screen.

@@GarnettLeary I think the white ribbon cables at the bottom of the mother board supplies the power. I checked the ribbon cable by multimeter and it seems fine. But I think you might be right, the screen has completely no power. Sd card problem might be a bent pin in that push in ribbon cable on the right side of the motherboard. I also posted a thread in cloudynights with some photos www.cloudynights.com/topic/684756-canon-60d-astro-modifications-issues/#entry9793299

I recommend these guys: www.spencerscamera.com/astro-conversions.cfm

This is a “naked sensor modification.” It is in fact full spectrum meaning nothing is blocked. A clear filter or a uv-ir blocker is incorporated by some to reduce star bloat and or maintain autofocus within the camera.

@@GarnettLeary Cool. Thank you so much

Yes and it’s not much different

Yes

It will be similar minus the fold out screen. The bodies have differences but will follow very closely the same steps.

@@GarnettLeary ok thanks

How about Canon 70d?

+Willnot Betracked I got a fantastic chuckle from your comment first thing in the morning halfway thru my first cup of coffee. Cheers.

Garnett Leary You are very welcome! 😄🇬🇧

Yes. Not every shot will but with flash it’s especially noticeable. You could get around it using filters.

It depends on how you modify it. My video shows a naked sensor modification. The difference would be that the 60Da would have a clear glass filter in place of the lowpass filter and retain its normal autofocus functionality. If you modify the camera to a full spectrum standard you would replace the lowpass with a clear filter. In that situation you would have an identical camera to the Da stock version.

@@GarnettLeary Since I only intend to use the camera for astro, if I just take out the lowpass, will it have pretty much the same Ha sensitivity as a 60Da?

It will be equal or more sensitive. I say that because I’m not exactly sure what Canon has put in place of the original low pass. My guess is a clear filter but it could be an IR transmissive specialized filter. If it’s the latter then there’s a possibility it will be less than 100% full transmission. With 100% certainty your version will be equal or possibly better.

Yes

@@GarnettLeary im scared to do this lol

You can always send it off to be done professionally. I’m not trying to joke. Alternatively get something broken off eBay and practice. That way you won’t be out much and you can get a feel for it.

There’s two versions

@@GarnettLeary i know there is 60D and 60DA can i use the 60D for Astrophotography ?

Sorry for misunderstanding. Absolutely. The 60D was one of my favorite cameras for astrophotography. It has a reciprocal screen, fairly high H-a response, and video crop mode which is excellent for solar system objects.

Thank you, I'm just doing my first baby steps :)

I have heard this same claim many times before. I can’t discredit it because I have only modded Canon EOS series cameras... and not every one. Of all the ones I’ve done I’ve had absolutely no issues with edge sharpness. Typically they do lose AF functioning especially across certain lenses. An entire piece of optical element being removed that’s to be expected. A full modded camera, unlike a naked sensor mod, would have that glass replaced to maintain this function. Spencers Cameras is offering that service. One could do it themselves if they purchased the glass for their model. I’ve never been inclined myself because the folks who have ones I’ve done had in mind to abandon them as daytime cameras anyway. Typically the clear glass is $65usd and up. Vibration dampening, heat sync, and replacement glass go into the full mods and they’re nice but I often ask is it worth it? You could buy a dedicated astronomy camera for equal or less in price. Typically I see folks modding dslr’s that have upgraded and no longer care about the older one. I think I’m up to about fifty or so now. I recently posted an image of Barnards Loop on Instagram with a camera I modded. I’ve had zero problems. Clear skies.

Check out Spencers Camera. Getting them to mod yours would likely be cheaper than buying an astro camera.

Just got it back together and seems to be working which is surprising. Just couldn't get the sensor screws out so had to give up. Will buy one already converted. Excellent video. You're very brave (and capable) doing this 👍

Glad you didn’t destroy it. It’s definitely a gut wrenching task. Good luck in the future with your astro camera. A cooled one beats a dslr year round anyway. Clear skies.

You should feel them snap into place. A little pressure is required and it’s also easy to overlook.

@@GarnettLeary ok it's working now. Thanks Garnett. I did notice some dust landed on the sensor, will the camera be able to remove it?

Usually self cleaning process will knock it off.

Garnett Leary that seemed to fix some of it, yet there is still a lot of dust showing up on my photos that won’t go away. Do I need to disassemble the camera and remove the dust with a blower? These specs will definitely ruin my photos

I used it one session just to see and it’s as remarkable as the reviews claim. A solid product. My absolute favorite light pollution filter is Optolong L-Pro however. That’s not simply because I am friends with them. The very slight blue-shift it has is easily correctable in post and it pairs well with the most popular lenses. I have found very few lenses that couldn’t reach critical focus. Astronomik is a fantastic company with products that work and you are safe buying from them. Don’t let my preference discourage you. Another well known, and highly effective product, is the Moon and Sky Glow filter. If you’re in an extremely light polluted area it will benefit you most to start shooting in narrowband. I think the necessity for a CLS filter would be last in importance in that case. You have modified your DSLR so ultimately a good H-a would be first and pair it with a CLS for L data when you can. H-a narrow band ignores the majority of manmade light and is the most abundant emission in the night sky. You can’t go wrong buying from Astronomik regardless of which filter you buy from them. I can’t say enough good about them. From my experience, Optolong customer support and relations have been better.

I only had an issue with the autofocus of a 60D, but who uses af for astro anyway?

Complex answer made simple: Stock red eye filters cut a bandpass of light that hygrogen alpha happens to be in. H-a is the most predominant in space. Having a stock camera which is typically 20%, or under, sensitive to H-a is very limiting in long exposure night photography. Only a small percentage of the photons of light are captured out of an already ridiculously low amount.

@@GarnettLeary Thx my friend 👍

Hydrogen alpha response. 90% of the universe is hydrogen. Stock cameras have special filters designed to reduce red-eye etc. Unfortunately it’s in the same wavelength of hydrogen so you can’t capture all of that glorious data.

@@GarnettLeary what part need to be remove ?

The low pass filter

@@GarnettLeary ok thanks

+jon mauck That's challenging but sounds fun.

Awesome! I hope you get lots of clear skies.

You are correct. The 3 spring loaded screws are to calibrate the tilt of the sensor to the focal plain. It's highly recommended to mark or somehow measure these prior to unscrewing them.

You need to measure sensor to flange distance prior to disassembly. I am using special fixture and digital gauge with 0.001mm resolution. That way you can reassemble sensor at exactly the same position as it was from factory. If you mess this up, it will be a nightmare to adjust sensor tilt again... You can put the marks on three screw heads and count the turns, that will get you pretty close to the original position, but from my experience not to exact position. I do camera repair for a living.

​@@flolic If you have that special fixture, thats even better. Surfaceplate and indicatorstand can work to, if you have a precision distancing piece to put between plate and flange - My Point was to warn about disassembling withount having any means of restoring the exact position.

That created a hilarious image in my head. I do hope it didn’t happen to you. For whatever reason I envisioned Mr. Bean doing that. I’ve been thinking about using a RASA as a burn barrel. I’m not sure that’s going to go over well tho.