UPDATE: I am now providing a low cost modification service to convert your 450D or 1000D. CLICK HERE for details.
Modified 450D Test Images:
The first night out with the modified camera, sky conditions ranged from passing clouds to clear. Warm temperatures in the 70's the day before rapidly fell overnight to a low of 29 degrees Fahrenheit. This caused seeing to be very poor. It was also my first time imaging with a new refractor telescope, the Astro Tech 127mm ED APO Triplet refractor. The Astro Tech 127 and ED80 refractors were mounted on an Orion Atlas EQ-G mount. The EQMOD ASCOM driver was used to drive the mount directly via an EQDIR interface module. Imaging was done from my backyard deck observatory under moderately light polluted skies and remotely controlled from my recroom.
Equipment used:
M51 Whirlpool Galaxy - Full Frame:
35 two-minute exposures at ISO 1600 were median combined using DeepSkyStacker and reduced in size:
M13 Hercules Globular Cluster - Full Frame:
28 thirty-second exposures at ISO 1600 were median combinedusing DeepSkyStacker and reduced in size:
Virgo Galaxies centered on M84 and M86 - Full Frame:
28 two-minute exposures at ISO 1600 were median combined using DeepSkyStacker and reduced in size:
Initial Modified Test Comments:
Having imaged in the past with the Canon 10D and modified Canon 300D, I was pleased with the operation and first-light images of the modified 450D.
Some notes on my initial thoughts after the first night of imaging with the new camera before modification can be seen HERE.
I found noise to not be a problem with the 450D as the ambient temperatures were very cold. The images here were processed with the freeware DeepSkyStacker and it was the first time I used this software that is able to work directly with the CR2 RAW files of the Canon 450D. All control of the Canon 450D, such as camera settings, bulb exposures and focus, were done using software provided by Canon with the camera (EOS Utility). I no longer have to remove the amplifier glow on the right edge of Canon 300D images since the 450D has no amplifier glow. Although I did not yet do a direct sensitivity comparison to the modified 300D, based on this first image and processing session with the modified 450D, I believe it has the same or greater sensitivity of the modified 300D camera and will become my camera of choice for deep sky imaging. Looking forward to imaging with the camera from a dark sky site.
Lunar images using an Astro-Tech 127mm Triplet Refractor and the modified 450D can be seen HERE.
UPDATE: 5/25-29/08
Full frame images of NGC 7000 - North America Nebula, IC 5070 - Pelican Nebula, Virgo Galaxy Cluster - Markarian's Chain , M101 - Spiral Galaxy taken with the Astro-Tech 127mm Triplet Refractor can be seen HERE.
UPDATE: 06/01/08
Full frame images of NGC 6888 (The Crescent Nebula), Virgo Galaxies M58, M59, M60, Siamese Twins and others can be seen HERE.
UPDATE: 08/25/08 - Camera is now Peltier Cooled
First Light image of the Veil Nebula with the pelteir cooled Canon 450D can be seen HERE.
UPDATE: 08/30/08
M31 Andromeda Galaxy with pelteir cooled Canon 450D can be seen HERE.
UPDATE: 9/4-7/08
M33 - Pinwheel Galaxy and NGC 7635 Bubble Nebula with M52 Open Cluster with pelteir cooled Canon 450D from Cherry Springs Dark Sky Park can be seen HERE.
UPDATE: Cherry Springs Dark Sky Park - 10/3-4, 2008:
IC434 & Barnard 33 - Horsehead Nebula, IC 1805 - Heart Nebula, NGC 253 - Sculptor Galaxy, NGC 7331 Galaxy & Stephan's Quintet, NGC 884 &NGC 869 - Perseus Double Cluster with peltier cooled Canon 450D from Cherry Springs Dark Sky Park can be seen HERE.
UPDATE: Cherry Springs Dark Sky Park - 10/30-11/1, 2008:
M42 Orion Nebula and NGC 1977 Running Man Nebula, NGC 1499 California Nebula, NGC 281 Pacman Nebula and IC 1848 Soul Nebula with peltier cooled Canon 450D from Cherry Springs Dark Sky Park can be seen HERE.
UPDATE: Backyard Deck Observatory - Conyngham, PA - February 17 & 24, 2009:
Comet Lulin (C/2007 N3) Images, Animations and YouTube videos CLICK HERE.
UPDATE: Chiefland Astronomy Village - Chiefland, Florida - 3/15-27, 2009:
CLICK HERE for images of:
UPDATE: Cherry Springs Dark Sky Park - April 24, 2009:
M63 - Sunflower Galaxy, IC 1318 - Butterfly Nebula, M51 - Whirlpool Galaxy, M13 - Hercules Globular Cluster CLICK HERE.
UPDATE: Backyard Deck Observatory - Conyngham, PA - May 20-21,2009:
IC 5070 Pelican Nebula - Color (RGB), H-alpha and Composite Images & Animation CLICK HERE.
UPDATE: Cherry Springs Dark Sky Park - July 18-22, 2009: No imaging done because of Gas Flaring from Marcellus Well Drilling Site.
UPDATE: Cherry Springs Dark Sky Park - August 14-17, 2009:
M8 - Lagoon Nebula, NGC 7293 - Helix Nebula, Cederblad 214 & Berkeley 59 Star Cluster, Red Moon & Jupiter CLICK HERE.
UPDATE: Cherry Springs Dark Sky Park - April 10-15, 2010 with Full Spectrum modified 1000D.
IC 1318 Complex, M101 pinwheel Galaxy, Comet C/2009 K5 McNaught & NGC 6866 Cluster & M106 Spiral Galaxy. CLICK HERE.
UPDATE: Cherry Springs Dark Sky Park - Black Forest Star Party - September 4 & 10, 2010 with Peltier cooled 450D.
M33 Triangulum Galaxy and Jupiter - CLICK HERE.
UPDATE: Cherry Springs Dark Sky Park -October 7-9, 2010 with peltier cooled 450D.
Comet Hartley 2 / 103P CLICK HERE.
UPDATE: Chiefland Astronomy Village, Inc. Field - November 1 - 5, 2010 with peltier cooled 450D.
NGC 7635 Bubble Nebula & M52 Open Cluster, 103P Comet Hartley2, NGC 7331 & Stephan's Quintet, NGC 6960 Western Veil Nebula, IC 1396 & Elephant Trunk Nebula, IC 2118 Witch Head Nebula & Jupiter. CLICK HERE.
Click here for gallery of Modified Canon 450D (XSi) DSLR astro images.
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Astro Imaging with Canon Digital Rebel XT Camera