New Gear: Canon EOS 60Da For Astrophotography

Normally this wouldn't be of any intrigue to me however the one portion that piqued my ATS fancy enough to where I felt this article was post worthy was this camera's "specially modified IR filter" and "a sensor that's been altered for the specifics of taking photos of space".

Being that this camera is for the most part ($1500 USD), fairly affordable, as compared to having to purchase one's own Hubble Telescope ($1.5 billion USD). That and the Nibiru followers seem to think that it can only be filmed or captured within the IR spectrum, perhaps now we will be able to get some real photos...right?

The 60Da has a modified infrared filter as well as a sensor that has been adjusted to reduce noise over long exposures while increasing its sensitivity to hydrogen alpha (sometimes known as H-alpha). There's plenty of H-alpha floating around in space even though our eyes -- and most traditional digital camera sensors can't see it. It usually plays a pretty pivotal role in those awesome images of the sun we've been seeing lately that depict the wild solar storms and flares. The 60Da's APS-C sensor is roughly three times more sensitive to H-alpha with some help from the modified infrared filter. The final result is a 20-percent increase in transmittance of the hydrogen alpha line.

Since H-alpha is a biproduct of hydrogen atoms (this specific kind occurs when a hydrogen electron drops an energy level) it tends to have the most dramatic visual effect in nebulas rich in that element. The visual spectrum line that's created has a wavelength of 656.28nm, which falls into the realm of reds, which is part of the reason you see so many striking space images in that shade.

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It should only be a matter of time now before we will see some verifiable photographic proof posted on ATS of the illusive Brown Dwarf Star that is creeping about our solar system.

reply to post by UberL33t


Cool camera, but you would still need a telescope to see much of anything that far away...

I am taking an Astronomy class over the summer, so I will definitely let you know If I see Nibiru haha.

Originally posted by UberL33t
Normally this wouldn't be of any intrigue to me however the one portion that piqued my ATS fancy enough to where I felt this article was post worthy was this camera's "specially modified IR filter" and "a sensor that's been altered for the specifics of taking photos of space".

Being that this camera is for the most part ($500 USD), fairly affordable, as compared to having to purchase one's own Hubble Telescope ($1.5 billion USD). That and the Nibiru followers seem to think that it can only be filmed or captured within the IR spectrum, perhaps now we will be able to get some real photos...right?

The 60Da has a modified infrared filter as well as a sensor that has been adjusted to reduce noise over long exposures while increasing its sensitivity to hydrogen alpha (sometimes known as H-alpha). There's plenty of H-alpha floating around in space even though our eyes -- and most traditional digital camera sensors can't see it. It usually plays a pretty pivotal role in those awesome images of the sun we've been seeing lately that depict the wild solar storms and flares. The 60Da's APS-C sensor is roughly three times more sensitive to H-alpha with some help from the modified infrared filter. The final result is a 20-percent increase in transmittance of the hydrogen alpha line.

Since H-alpha is a biproduct of hydrogen atoms (this specific kind occurs when a hydrogen electron drops an energy level) it tends to have the most dramatic visual effect in nebulas rich in that element. The visual spectrum line that's created has a wavelength of 656.28nm, which falls into the realm of reds, which is part of the reason you see so many striking space images in that shade.

Full Article

It should only be a matter of time now before we will see some verifiable photographic proof posted on ATS of the illusive Brown Dwarf Star that is creeping about our solar system.

edit on 4/3/2012 by UberL33t because: (no reason given)

$500.00 Camera....check
$7000.00 Telescope......check
$100,000 country house with no light pollution.....check

All this money spent to see there is no killer planet, that if it were there it would be blocking out stars and the sun, and would not require a telescope to see that.....PRICELESS!!!!!!

Nice choice in Cameras. That is the model I'm working with daily this semester at the school for Digital Photo class. It's a great camera and works for everything we're doing. It doesn't have the built in acc. port to plug into a light box but you're not going to need flash lighting where you're going with it. LOL.... Good luck in adapting this to what you're doing and please check back. Several in my class bought their own 60D's and I know the interest in space photography runs deep among the class...even if it's nothing close to what we're doing for assignments.

One thing though?? Where the heck did you get one for $500?? Retail down the street is a hair under $1400 for the kit with a basic lens. I've been monitoring Ebay 60D's since this class started to score a deal but I've yet to see a well cared for one sell under $700? Whats your secret?

(The models we're checking out at the college are 60D..not the 'A' model. I hadn't even looked at model variants. Is that what makes it cheaper?)

Looks like a real peach,
But I can only find it for mucho expensiveness:

The EOS 60Da will only be available via select authorized dealers. It is set to sell for $1,499 without a lens and will be available for purchase this month.

www.pcmag.com...

I would love to have one though,one day.

.
Yeah I was wondering about the 500$ too! The 'A' stands for
astrophotography, correct? It's a modified version of the regular
60D. It's a mod by Canon not some DIY thingie. Awesome cam,
and retails in the Netherlands for about 1500 euro.


Maybe a tupo in the OP and it should have been $1500?
.

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


I mis-read the original article that points to the article in the OP, my mistake...

It comes with a price tag about $500 higher than an equivalent non-space-focused camera,

It was on the front page of the Popular Science website and the "Read More" article takes you to the link in the OP.

Originally posted by UberL33t
reply to post by Wrabbit2000

 

I mis-read the original article that points to the article in the OP, my mistake...

It comes with a price tag about $500 higher than an equivalent non-space-focused camera,

It was on the front page of the Popular Science website and the "Read More" article takes you to the link in the OP.

Ahhh... Thank you for the clarification. I'm so buried in last minute school work for tonight I cant spare the time to go down a bunny trail looking up this model. I'm going to bring it up in class tomorrow night and get the instructors opinions though. I hadn't bought one yet...and maybe with this, I'll be glad I hadn't yet.

Ah, so Canon has decided to get back into the astrophotography market with another Da camera I see. I remember the "glory days" of the 20Da, when dSLR astrophotography was really starting to pick up steam. Amateur astronomer Hap Griffin has been doing custom mods for all models of canon dSLR cameras for years now. You can even get him to remove the IR filter altogether and go for unrestricted light to the sensor. Some amateurs, myself included, enjoy imaging in infrared. Contrary to what some nutjobs will tell you, there no secret government restriction on owning an infrared sensitive camera or connecting it to a telescope.
www.hapg.org...

Originally posted by ngchunter
Some amateurs, myself included, enjoy imaging in infrared.

Please tell us the details of what camera you use and how you shoot in IR.
Is your camera modified or factory set up for infra red?

Sounds really nice,I am not taking the micky,I am genuinely interested.
Terrestrial Infra red is cool enough,but I imagine it has certain benefits when used on the stars.
One day I wish to add IR capability to my camera/telescope,money willing.

You still need a tracking mount to have any luck with pictures of space.

The cheapest I have seen on the market run around $700. Its all I'm missing to produce great space photos.

Originally posted by Silcone Synapse

Originally posted by ngchunter
Some amateurs, myself included, enjoy imaging in infrared.

Please tell us the details of what camera you use and how you shoot in IR.
Is your camera modified or factory set up for infra red?

I modified a Samsung SDC-435 to record in infrared.

Sounds really nice,I am not taking the micky,I am genuinely interested.
Terrestrial Infra red is cool enough,but I imagine it has certain benefits when used on the stars.

Indeed, I use it to observe stars not normally visible in normal visible light.
i319.photobucket.com...
Many astronomical CCD's are naturally sensitive into IR. I modified my Samsung by hand and indeed it's a creative use of what was intended to be a security camera, but I also have a Mallincam now which is naturally sensitive to IR.

reply to post by ngchunter

Indeed, I use it to observe stars not normally visible in normal visible light.

Very impressive shots!

reply to post by ngchunter


Wow,you modified the camera yourself?
That is hardcore!

Great results too.
Are those images of the Orion nebula single shots or composites?
What shutter speed did you use?

Originally posted by Silcone Synapse
reply to post by ngchunter

 

Wow,you modified the camera yourself?
That is hardcore!

Great results too.
Are those images of the Orion nebula single shots or composites?
What shutter speed did you use?

Those are single shots. I can't remember off hand what the shutter speed was, but the maximum for that camera is 8 seconds. I suspect it was about 4 seconds for those pictures. It's a great little video camera and does a superb job at imaging the planets and the moon (indeed it was the same camera I used to record my avatar image of the shuttle docked to the ISS for the final time), but I can't say that that's even close to my best for Orion, even with a video camera. I'll post my best "video frame" of orion later.

reply to post by ngchunter

For single shots they look amazing bud.
Totally cool !
I sussed out your avatar was the ISS,but to have captured it with the last shuttle docked is beyond awesome IMO.
Must be very tricky to photograph ,as it moves fast.
I would be proud of that photo forever if I had taken it.

Looking forward to your other Orion nebula images.

Originally posted by Silcone Synapse
reply to post by ngchunter

 

For single shots they look amazing bud.
Totally cool !
I sussed out your avatar was the ISS,but to have captured it with the last shuttle docked is beyond awesome IMO.
Must be very tricky to photograph ,as it moves fast.
I would be proud of that photo forever if I had taken it.

Looking forward to your other Orion nebula images.

Here's what is probably my best video frame capture of Orion:
i319.photobucket.com...
Here's one from the same night with the running man nebula visible below orion:
i319.photobucket.com...
Tracking ISS can be tricky, but I've got a pretty refined technique at this point which is what enabled me to capture it in broad daylight like that. The computer tracks it, I just help it along.

I'm looking into Purchasing the Nikon D800 around next winters time. The reason I'm going for Nikon over canon is that the moon shots look great with Nikon d7000 and d800 is even better

reply to post by ngchunter

Wow.
I simply do not have a drool bucket big enough...
Those shots are unquantifiable in their amount of awesomeness.

I hope you don't mind I copied them so I can zoom in.

Originally posted by Silcone Synapse
reply to post by ngchunter

 

Wow.
I simply do not have a drool bucket big enough...
Those shots are unquantifiable in their amount of awesomeness.

I hope you don't mind I copied them so I can zoom in.

Thanks, that's fine by me!