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Hi Sam
I have modified my 400D successfully. If you go on the net and look for "james champagne 400D camera modifications" this will bring you to a Cloudy Nights site and just follow down and you will see several threads for modifying a 400D. I used the James Champagne version as it was the only one I could find at the time but I see there are now others.
I proceeded as follows:
- Work on a large table space that will be undisturbed in case you need to take a break from the mod (ie NOT the dining room table!).
- I laid out a large sheet of white paper and armed with a suitably small screwdriver to remove the small camera screws I proceeded to follow James instructions.
- For each step I made a number on the white sheet and placed the screws I have removed on this spot. I also wrote next to the screws some notes on what action I had taken. In particular make a little diagram so you know which screws to put in which place as the screws come in various sizes. I found that some screws were difficult to locate, particularly those under the camera viewfinder area. James has given the number of screws to remove - just persevere until you have found them all.
- As the layers of boards are removed you have to unplug the film type circuit leads. Look in other Canon mod procedures to get an idea what types of plugs sockets you may encounter (there are several and some clip in) and the method to be used. These plugs/sockets are pretty delicate so you have to do this carefully.
- When you get down to the sensor and filters follow James instructions.
Be very careful here and do not touch the CMOS chip or attempt to clean it (a friend of mine ruined his by doing this).
- Now comes the tricky part - and "anti-aliasing filter and infrared stop filter are stuck together and are fairly easily separated. Once you have the infrared stop filter free try to get it out of its holder. It is very thin and like James I ended up having to break it out. Make sure you clear the shards of the broken filter from the holder and of course take care where the shards land!
- Second tricky bit is putting the "anti-aliasing filter back in place. It is held in on one side by a rubber mounting and on the other (from memory) appears to be the piezo electric chip which shakes the filter in its hold to remove dust. I took quite some time on this step. Since you may have soiled this filter make sure is is very clean before you assembly it back in place.
- I did not instal another infrared stop filter in the camera but used an external one quite successfully.
- Recommence rebuilding the camera in the reverse steps to that followed for dismantling. This is where indentifying the screws becomes important. Also I found it a very tedious task to ensure that the delicate cable plugs were correctly seated (use a magnifying glass) and clipped into place where appropriate. I had particular trouble with one cable that has to do a sharp 180deg turn from under the board to the upper front.
- I was surprised to find that I had taken almost five hours to complete this whole task and even more surprised that when I fired the camera up it worked first time and is now giving good service.
- Just to recap - plan the job - identify all screws - be careful with the filter/sensor area - take time with replugging the cables. As with all such jobs I find that if I find that I am starting to rush things I leave it alone and come back to continue when I am fresh and patient!
Best of luck - it is a scary but rewarding task.
Cheers Peter
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