How hot is too hot?

ourkind (Carlos) · #1 02-10-2012, 12:21 AM

Hi all,

just wondering when I should be switching off my camera and letting it cool down?

I ask because I was using my Canon 60d this weekend and it was connected to BackyardEOS, the software has a temp gauge and it was indicating that the sensor on the camera was at 32'c, at that point I decided to switch it off and call it a night.

I know that heat produces noise i.e. over exciting electrons on the ccd but when is it too hot that it can actually cause damage to the camera?

Thanks

jjjnettie (Jeanette) · #2 02-10-2012, 12:09 PM

I can only go by my own camera, a Canon 550d. If the out side temperature is above 10C I won't even bother shooting deep sky. Once the internal temp gets above approx 25C, it's time to extend the interval between shots.

The manual that came with the camera will give you the safe working temperatures for your particular camera.

Screwdriverone (Chris) · #3 02-10-2012, 12:15 PM

Hi Carlos,

I have a 1000D and it seems to get more dead pixels and hot pixels the longer I use it. As Jeanette says, anything above 10 deg C makes mine come out in a rash and red blotches are all over my subs. Hence my decision to build a cooler box for the DSLR, which gives me 8-10 degrees below ambient so far.

Check it out here for my pic using it on the weekend. My chip was reported by Backyard EOS at a stable 4 deg C for a full hour during 5 min subs at ISO 400.

32 deg C is HOT HOT HOT! What was your ambient temp at the time?

Cheers

Chris

ourkind (Carlos) · #4 02-10-2012, 11:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jjjnettie

I can only go by my own camera, a Canon 550d. If the out side temperature is above 10C I won't even bother shooting deep sky. Once the internal temp gets above approx 25C, it's time to extend the interval between shots.

The manual that came with the camera will give you the safe working temperatures for your particular camera.

Thanks jjjnettie

I will take a look at the manual and see when they suggest that the cooking process begins, I guess by then the image quality will be greatly compromised unless I want to submit it for an Abstract Art Exhibition

Quote:

Originally Posted by Screwdriverone

Hi Carlos,

I have a 1000D and it seems to get more dead pixels and hot pixels the longer I use it. As Jeanette says, anything above 10 deg C makes mine come out in a rash and red blotches are all over my subs. Hence my decision to build a cooler box for the DSLR, which gives me 8-10 degrees below ambient so far.

Check it out here for my pic using it on the weekend. My chip was reported by Backyard EOS at a stable 4 deg C for a full hour during 5 min subs at ISO 400.

32 deg C is HOT HOT HOT! What was your ambient temp at the time?

Cheers

Chris

Thanks Chris, I didn't measure it but it felt like it was about 13C. Great DIY cooler, does it weigh much? Any spares on the assembly line

?

Screwdriverone (Chris) · #5 03-10-2012, 08:51 AM

thanks Carlos,

No, I havent got a production line assembled yet, I havent measured how much it weighs, but I would say the CPU AMD fan and heatsink is about 300-500g alone, its a big mother...nothing the crayford cant handle as it seemed to work fine on the weekend.

I used the Gary Honis design, albeit a little more sloppy than his schmick looking one, I might have to source some more foam and tidy it up a bit, its a bit chunky with 30mm foam on it.

Cheers

Chris

LewisM · #6 09-10-2012, 08:06 AM

I guess a LOT depends on the camera.

When I used the 40D, it would get relatively warm, and start showing reds and dots everywhere. I had my 5DMkII operating at 28° CMOS the other night, but that peaked at 38°!!! I was alarmed at that! Looking at the pictures though, not much shows... guess Canon's new internal noise reducer works well.

Anyway, made a peltier cooled box

Will see how it goes.

Screwdriverone (Chris) · #7 09-10-2012, 09:36 AM

Nice one Lewis!

Crank her up and let us know how it goes!

Cheers

Chris

ourkind (Carlos) · #8 10-10-2012, 11:02 AM

Awesome! Look forward to hearing about your cooler Lewis!

jjjnettie (Jeanette) · #9 10-10-2012, 12:20 PM

I was out with the Cooled 1100D last night. While framing and focusing, without the cooler on, the internal temp got up to 28C, with cooling, it got down to -10. I'm super impressed with that.

Cosmic (Daniel) · #10 10-10-2012, 01:21 PM

Yeah its one of the more frustrating parts of astrophotography, my 550d gets up to 38. Only see it get down to 31, I’m at a stage of just saving and getting a CCD made for what we do.

Clear skys!

LewisM · #11 10-10-2012, 02:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cosmic

Yeah its one of the more frustrating parts of astrophotography, my 550d gets up to 38. Only see it get down to 31, I’m at a stage of just saving and getting a CCD made for what we do.

Clear skys!

Or you can save a lot and build a peltier cooled system for about $45...

pluto (Hugh) · #12 10-10-2012, 04:56 PM

I just bought BackyardEOS and was testing it out with my 5DmkII sitting on my lounge last night. It was reasonably cool in my apartment yet after about 30 mins of, not too heavy, use BackyardEOS was reporting my sensor temp as 44deg!!
The camera didn't feel hot at all, maybe just slightly warmer than the air temp so maybe my camera is lying to the software?

A few years ago at christmas time I did a 45 minute exposure when the air temp must have been around 35deg and the image was ridiculously noisy... I know better these days ;-)

Screwdriverone (Chris) · #13 10-10-2012, 05:03 PM

It seems Backyard EOS is pretty close, last night, I cooled my peltier box with the camera inside it (powered by AC battery type replacement -ACK-E5) and it seems the AC adaptor runs hotter than the normal battery.....

However, the ambient was around 12 degrees at the time, the chamber temp on my digital thermometer probe was 4.2 deg and the camera sensor reported by Backyard EOS (during 10 x 2 min ISO 800 shots) was stable at 4-5 degrees (with a 20 sec cool down pause between subs).

So, all in all, with the AC adaptor, I am getting slightly less than the 11.8 degree drop I got with an inactive (off) camera in the box, when its running, its more like 7-8 degrees below ambient. Good thing is, its quite stable, especially when you program a short pause between subs and the camera "rests" for a bit.

I'm quite happy with mine, although a few aesthetic mods to the lid and the polystyrene are in order to seal it up a bit better, I am interested to see how Lewis' one performs also.

Post some pics please Lewis!

Cheers

Chris