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
![Smilie](/vbiis/images/smilies/happy19.gif)
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!