Dammit - I've crossed the line here and I'm still a tad uncertain about my decision. I've bought a Canon XT 350d. The wealth of control software and astro bits for Canon convinced me that it was going to be a better choice than another Nikon D40 for the same purpose. The 350d was cheaper, and I got it in black too, thank goodness. You lot here seem to think they're OK.
I managed to get the 350D for US$339 so I thought "what the heck". I'll rip out the IR filter and dedicate it to astro - only. The price was for body-only & refurbished. I don't need any lenses.
So - being bare bones, what do I need to get now? If someone could guide me on what I now need to buy to get going with prime focus photography specifically with this Canon I'd be eternally (well, immediately) grateful
Cables? Remotes?
What type of CF cards to people normally buy for these (the Nikons use fast SD's - of which I have many)?
Also - I intend to rip out the IR filter straight away. Given that I don't have any Canon lenses at all I don't care if the camera will auto-focus or not afterwards, is it possible just to remove the IR blocking filter off the sensor and be done with it? That was going to be my plan on a Nikon. If I can just remove that piece of glass it'd be wonderful. What do the Hutech boys do in this case - do they remove the original filter and replace it with a full-spectrum clear one or do they just leave the filter out?
Finally - what software should I use to remotely control this thing? I want to set up my lappy to tell the camera to fire off, say, 20 by X-second shots in succession. Can I remote-focus it too?
Arrghhhh.... here's hoping the thing will stay together - unlike Canons I had years ago. LOL!