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Old 13-05-2019, 05:50 PM
casstony
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Modified my Nikon D5600

I've been ruminating about various mod options and finally decided to give it a go myself. Dealing with tiny cables and not knowing exactly how things are put together made the process scary, but the camera is back together and working.

The chip mounting plate is spring loaded and I forgot to count how many turns it took for each screw on the way out, so I've put then back in using the same number of turns on each - will be interesting to see how a star field looks.

I removed the filter leaving the chip with no replacement filter, but I use IDAS filters with the scope anyway.

Things look suitably reddish in the test shots - no good weather for a while though.
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  #2  
Old 15-05-2019, 11:15 PM
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Outcast (Carlton)
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Hey Tony,

Now that you're an expert.. Can I send you my Canon to do cheaply please...

Cheers
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  #3  
Old 16-05-2019, 09:40 AM
casstony
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I'm an expert in the 'knows enough to be dangerous' category

Have you seen the Lifepixel guides Carlton?

I tested the camera last night and it looks good. I screwed the spring loaded chip all the way down at reassembly and it looks square. There are a couple of faint marks in the images so I'll get proper cleaning swabs to clean the chip.

The image is a 2 min sub under 85% moonlight with an IDAS D2 filter.

Coincidently my father in law asked what I'd like for my birthday, so there's a Baader 7nm H alpha filter in the mail - looking forward to trying that with the moon. (heaps cheaper from Germany than the US by the way).
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Old 16-05-2019, 10:42 AM
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Well done Tony and welcome to the self modders club
If you haven't done so already, I strongly recommend you do a custom white balance using a grey card under full sun. This will remove the pink tinge in your images and make the blue stars pop out.
I have the cards, message me if you want to borrow them.
cheers
Bo
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Old 16-05-2019, 11:12 AM
casstony
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Thanks Bo. I've sent a PM and happy to take any advice.
Here's a processed image, 27x2 min, taken under moonlight. ISO 400
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Old 16-05-2019, 11:18 AM
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Pm-ed you back Tony.
would be interested if you can do a custom white balance, then re-do the same shot with the same exposure times etc and compare them side by side!
Cheers
Bo
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Old 16-05-2019, 11:34 AM
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Hi Tony,

Awesome work there. I hadn’t read this thread before Bo commented on my excessive red thread saying he’ll also lend me his grey cards. Looks like we’re in the same boat at the same time. Well done on doing the mod your self ! I was lucky enough to have a fellow IIS member see my treads earlier this year and offer me his already modded camera. I’m looking forward to seeing how the colour balance works for you too.
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Old 16-05-2019, 11:46 AM
casstony
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Thanks Ryan. It would have cost $540 to get the mod done at Camera Clinic. Since the d5600 is a relatively cheap camera I decided it was worth the risk. I don't think I'd be as brave with a new Nikon Z6.

I'll pass Bo's cards along ASAP.
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Old 16-05-2019, 11:48 AM
casstony
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Quote:
Originally Posted by traveller View Post
Pm-ed you back Tony.
would be interested if you can do a custom white balance, then re-do the same shot with the same exposure times etc and compare them side by side!
Cheers
Bo
I'll do the comparison and post in this thread.
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Old 16-05-2019, 01:09 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by casstony View Post
I'm an expert in the 'knows enough to be dangerous' category

Have you seen the Lifepixel guides Carlton?

I tested the camera last night and it looks good. I screwed the spring loaded chip all the way down at reassembly and it looks square. There are a couple of faint marks in the images so I'll get proper cleaning swabs to clean the chip.

The image is a 2 min sub under 85% moonlight with an IDAS D2 filter.

Coincidently my father in law asked what I'd like for my birthday, so there's a Baader 7nm H alpha filter in the mail - looking forward to trying that with the moon. (heaps cheaper from Germany than the US by the way).
LOL, I'm in the knows less & still dangerous category...

Yes, I've read through the Lifepixel guide.... it scared me silly....

Cheers, be interested to see your results

Maybe I'll get brave enough one day...

Carlton
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  #11  
Old 22-05-2019, 12:27 PM
casstony
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Aus Post are working slowly on delivering those cards Bo and it's looking clear tonight, so I used a greyish-white envelope to do a CWB. There's quite a difference in the before and after pictures.
Edit: there was something wrong with the earlier 'after' picture - replaced it with the correct one now.
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  #12  
Old 22-05-2019, 05:21 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by casstony View Post
Aus Post are working slowly on delivering those cards Bo and it's looking clear tonight, so I used a greyish-white envelope to do a CWB. There's quite a difference in the before and after pictures.
Edit: there was something wrong with the earlier 'after' picture - replaced it with the correct one now.
Not your best photos Tony I cant even see any stars☺
Good luck tonight.
Alex
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  #13  
Old 22-05-2019, 05:24 PM
casstony
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Not your best photos Tony I cant even see any stars☺
Good luck tonight.
Alex
Thanks Alex. It's a fad at the moment, extract the stars to better show off the background
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Old 22-05-2019, 06:39 PM
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Yes but no stars does not sit well with me..I think I would remove them and replace them with pin points...thats the program I would like.
Look forward to seeing your results.
Alex
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Old 22-05-2019, 10:46 PM
casstony
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The custom white balance I did today reduced the red too much - seems like the gain in HA sensitivity is lost. I'll try with the proper card still when it arrives.
Same ISO 400 and 2 minutes exposure, again under moonlight -
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Old 23-05-2019, 08:12 AM
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Thanks for this post. Good to see it works.

Do you need to add a IR cut filter?
I have been considering doing the same mod with a d5300 following the instructions here:

https://www.lifepixel.com/tutorials/...rsion-tutorial

Did you follow a similar tutorial.?
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Old 23-05-2019, 08:19 AM
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Ah , I can see now that the IDAS d2 filter also blocks IR, and that you mention the tutorial.

Well done and looking promising.
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Old 23-05-2019, 08:50 AM
casstony
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Ray, looking through the guides for various models it seems that these Nikons are some of the easiest to modify. Take a look at the Sony A7 series - about 5 times as much work.

Regarding CWB, apart from the brightest nebulae I'm thinking it might be better to stay with auto white balance to pick up the most Ha.
It just occurred to me that, with the extra signal from Ha, I could drop down to ISO 200 which might reduce the red intensity and get more dynamic range.
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Old 23-05-2019, 10:13 AM
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Have you got the cards now Tony?
Or did the carrier pigeon from Aust Post stop to get a drink along the way?
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Old 23-05-2019, 10:18 AM
casstony
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They just arrived Bo - post seems to be getting even slower.

On a side note, I went looking for a yellow express post box this morning and couldn't find one even outside the PO; an employee told me they don't have one anymore? By the time Aus Post is privatised they may well be back to carrier pigeons.
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