Thoughts on Canon 60Da

[MissErin]

Hey all,
Im relatively new to astrophotography but wanting to get into it a little more.
My current setup includes:
Celestron 925 SCT OTA on a CGEM Equatorial mount with a Nexstar Hand Guide version 4.21.
I have been currently using a Nikon D3200 however I have been reading around the place that Nikon arent up to speed for astrophotography. (Except the new unreleased Nikon D810a which looks great but the price tag on it is slightly beyond my budget).

I have been looking into different Canon Cameras to purchase as an upgrade and came across the 60Da, and was quite impressed at the IR modifications it came with. I was just wondering if anybody has tried it/can recommend it?

If not, are there any other recommendations for a good and not too expensive DSLR for astrophotography.

I am mostly wanting to image deep sky objects.

[graham.hobart (Graham stevens)]

Hi Erin
I have a cooled 60da which I love. Good sensor size. Good ha response. I can send you some pics if you like .
Aus. Sky and telescope did a review of it a few years back. I have a copy I can send to you if you like . Cheers
Graham

[raymo]

Hi Erin, I'm pretty sure the 60da was discontinued a while back, so you would have to buy a used one. Other options, if you are happy without
a flippable LCD screen you can find used EOS 1100D cheaply, [great
budget level DSLR] or new 1200D. Both exhibit low noise levels.
raymo

[glend (Glen)]

Re the Canon 60Da, you can still find new ones in the US for around $1400. I was looking at one on Amazon last week. However, they are not cooled so you would need t do that yourself, if required. It's really just a nice dslr with the stock blue cast Uv/Ir filter removed although I bet it still has a cutoff filter in there. Save some money and buy a used Canon 450D or other and modify it - or get someone to do it for you.

[Mosc_007 (Charles)]

Originally Posted by glend

Re the Canon 60Da, you can still find new ones in the US for around $1400. I was looking at one on Amazon last week. However, they are not cooled so you would need t do that yourself, if required. It's really just a nice dslr with the stock blue cast Uv/Ir filter removed although I bet it still has a cutoff filter in there. Save some money and buy a used Canon 450D or other and modify it - or get someone to do it for you.

I was looking for a 60Da recently. I did find them on Amzon but they don't have any in stock. Just an exstimated delivery which may mean never. They have been discontinued for some time and seem impossable to get. Even second hand.

I like my Modded 1100D but the Red colour shift gives unrealistic colours.


Charles

[glend (Glen)]

Originally Posted by Mosc_007

I was looking for a 60Da recently. I did find them on Amzon but they don't have any in stock. Just an exstimated delivery which may mean never. They have been discontinued for some time and seem impossable to get. Even second hand.

I like my Modded 1100D but the Red colour shift gives unrealistic colours.


Charles

Charles I believe you can do a custom white balance and fix your colour problem. Try to get a gray card to do your white balance. It was discussed in a recent thread here.

[Mosc_007 (Charles)]

Originally Posted by glend

Charles I believe you can do a custom white balance and fix your colour problem. Try to get a gray card to do your white balance. It was discussed in a recent thread here.

Thanks for your suggestion. I will check it out. I have since bought a QHY10 and now my Colours are correct. Just a pain that CCD exposures are so long compared to DSLR exposures.


Charles

[rcheshire (Rowland)]

I have just bought a cheap 450D off ebay. It's due for a number of mods for astrophotography, but my 1000D has served me well for several years.

The 60da is factory modified, but you will need to modify the other models mentioned, unless you can pick up a modded DSLR on IIS. They come up for sale from time-to-time.

No need to spend a fortune. But the spectrum mod might cost more than the camera, unless you can do it yourself, or you know someone who can do it for you.