DIY Astro-Modding a Canon 6D with Full Shutter Replacement
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- Опубліковано 27 січ 2022
- Wherein I wing it on video for over two hours. And suffer some video/audio failures. The audio isn't great, but I did my best to salvage it. I fell asleep twice trying to watch the whole thing back when checking if there were any rendering errors. Good luck!
While all that is going on I also astro-mod the sensor on a Canon 6D and swap out it's old shutter for a brand new one!
If you like this video, and you like astrophotography, head over to www.FerventAstronomy.com and take a look. We're a small astrophotography-focused shop located in Canada and distributing globally. And if we carry something that you were going to purchase anyway we'd ever so love it if you'd make your purchase with us!
Astro-modding your camera seems like a great deal: with an simple online tutorial and a little screwdriver you can turn your normal DSLR or mirrorless camera into a Hydrogen-Alpha-imaging-beast! WOO!
Except in all likelihood you're gonna f**k something up and break your camera. Or you're going to do something wrong that you didn't even realize was a potential pitfall and the end result is going to be a camera with one or more... "quirks."
After all, there are those "unknown unknowns."
Maybe you'll end up like me and you'll discharge a flash capacitor into your own self. Or break a micro switch. Or blow an SMD fuse somewhere. Or just physically break something. Or fry the main board. Or scratch the sensor. Or end up with a sensor with an egregious tilt. Or miss that a bunch of dust got trapped between your sensor filters. Or the shutter will jam the first time you turn the camera on and you'll have no idea why. Err 20 wat??
You get the idea.
There's a reason it's so hard to sell a modified camera on AstroMart unless you have a receipt from LifePixel or Spencer's or Kolari to go along with it. Because most people only ever do this once, and thus didn't have experience with what needs to go right and what can go wrong. There are a lot of lessons to learn and a lot of mistakes to make, and I've done 'em all.
Well, all the mistakes I know of!
0:55 - Where I try to warn you away
4:09 - Tools of the trade
11:04 - Receipts
13:10 - Where I get really insistent about screwdrivers
15:00 - More tools. The most tools, really.
22:42 - Anatomy of a CMOS. Sensor. Sensor's filters.
38:48 - Some Sensor Science (experiment) Shenanigans
41:44 - Sensor Anatomy continued
42:51 - Experiment with a polarizer and a 1/4 wave plate
46:10 - Still explaining Sensor filter Anatomy
47:40 - Low Pass Filter Experiments! Neat!
54:52 - Hopefully the last cut to more filter anatomy??
55:19 - Anti-Aliasing explanation demonstration
59:25 - End of sensor anatomy I promise
1:03:24 - FINALLY we start with the camera disassembly
1:29:53 - We're at the senor, but don't touch those screws yet!
1:34:39 - How to properly remove the sensor
1:39:48 - Further disassembly to access shutter
1:41:34 - Shutter removal and replacement
1:48:50 - The part where we start actually modifying the sensor
2:02:30 - The Sensor Returns Home aka Sensor tilt adjustment
2:07:03 - Reassembly FFWD
2:08:47 - Stay out of Live View if you know what's good for ya!
2:11:31 - More warnings and the end!
Some music from Bensound. All images and audio copyright their respective owners. - Наука та технологія
Terrific tutorial! great understanding of all the background details.
I have been using a stock 500D for some time now, and am fed up with its limitations. Will be purchasing a used (low shutter count) 6D this week. The effort to complete a DIY modification is surprisingly more detailed than I had hoped. I love to tinker, and have just ordered JIS screwdrivers, anti-static mat etc to prep for the job. I'm going to be brave and give it a go🤓🔭
Clear skies!
Cheers, I hope it goes well for you
it is the best tutorial I have ever seen!!! Thanks for the video you have uploaded on UA-cam.
I'd like to see more videos like this, like to fitt a baader filter glass instead the original filter glass and also some modification of mirrorless cameras, Nikon Z, Canon eos R etc.
Thank you for the kind words. As far as fitment of different filters goes it can be fairly similar. I tend not to put in third party filters unless a customer specifically requests/supplies said filter, as there are a couple advantages to using the stock dichroic mirror that make up for the single-digit percentage differences in H-alpha light transmission. I've posted at least one other mod video of a Sony A7R IV, and I have footage of a Canon 5DSR and M6 Mark II waiting to be edited. If a Z-mount or R-mount camera comes into my life I may do modifications on those as well.
really helpful video, my only issues I had and I'm sure some others might have is that when you marked the screws with nail polish this step was very hard to see in the video what you did, if you can post a short closeup video or even just a closeup picture or two of screws you marked this would help a great deal just post it in the Transcript or this could be a You-tube short video even.... Wink Wink!!! Also the idea you had about bottoming out the depth of the screws & then marking it down was a super idea, as I was concerned about this step before I watched your video.
Hi, thanks for the comment. This mod was done and dusted years ago, glad you found the bulk of the video helpful 👍
Thanks for your effort in producing that video.
I have a pair of 6D (not heavily used), and I was thinking about a possible conversion, but I see it's quite involved.
The surprise was that first part about the anatomy of the filters before the sensor, quite enlightening (pardon the pun).
So, if I understand correctly, you just remove the original IR-cut filter? You don't replace it with an equivalent thickness/diffraction filter in order to keep AF etc?
Almost: The IR cut filter is the outer most filter, that one stays. The IR absorbing/colour balance filter (the green one) gets removed. I don’t usually bother adding in additional glass because I primarily use telescopes that have more than enough front and back focus. And since modded cameras aren’t that practical for daytime use, I don’t advocate modding one’s only camera (AF isn’t an issue for astrophotography after all). That said, most Canon DSLR sensors can be calibrated to bring them back into the proper focus plane regardless of whether it’s an Astro mod or a full spectrum mod. That does require a testing rig to get right however.
Great in-depth info. I'm removing the IR from a 5DMkII to concentrate on IR daylight images. Wish me luck. 😅
Good luck!
How did it turn out?
@@KalTheCleric it worked - had to make my own profile for converting and there is a light leak when doing astro photography. It's ok but working on major exhibition of portraits so haven't gone back to this.
and all that just to get to a component which is right under the bayonet cover. just f unbelieveble!
While inconvenient for astro-modification, it makes the most sense from a construction standpoint. If the lens bayonet is to be rigid and strong enough to support the connection to the lens, then it has to connect into the frame. If it is connected to the frame, then the sensor has to go in from behind. As they say "it is what it is." Thanks for watching.
Thanks for the great video I followed your video and now i own a astromodified 6d.
Since my camera has a rather high shutter count I am a bit afraid that have to change the shutter in the future if it breaks. So I started to look how much a replacement shutter would cost in the event I would need one. But I found it pretty hard to find a website which offers canon spare parts. So I am asking you do you have tips for to find good spare parts online.
Glad you found it useful! You can purchase parts directly from Canon depending on your local subsidiary's policies, or from eBay. The original shutter for the 6D is discontinued, but both the 6D and 6D II use the same replacement. Part number is CY3-1815-000
This was an amazing tutorial! Do you have astromod service? I have a Canon 6D as well.
Hi, I am based out of Canada and I do mods via my camera business LaSalamandra.Camera. If you’re located outside of Canada I can help point you in the right direction to a local option based on your location.
@@FerventAstronomy I am from Michigan, U.S! I think I can mail it to you. How much do you charge for IR coversion?
Where did you get the double sided tape? Any specific type or thickness? Great vid! I will be sure to reference it later.
I don't quite remember which tape is in the video, but for these types of applications (dealing with cameras) I would recommend 3M 300LSE
thank you for the video!
1) There are Astronomik multicoated clearglass pieces of glass for astromodification available. What exactly are they meant to replace and why? I did astromodify my Canon 1100d, which only has 2 glass elements in front of the sensor - the outermost one is probably the LPF filter, and the innermost one is the IR-cut filter. The clearglass from Astronomik replaces the LPF filter, while the IR-cut filter is removed entirely from the assembly. However, since other Canon cameras have more than 2 glass elements in front of the sensor, and after you showed the LPF birefringence experiment, I am confused now. Replacing the LPF filter with multicoated clearglass will introduce moire to daytime photography? I did not notice any new artifacts on the daytime pictures after replacing the LPF filter with a clearglass element. Probably I just didn't take the right picture for the Moire to present itself?
2) Also, in your befringence experiment, only when you added the whole stack of 3 glass elements did the light become clear and undistorted. When you removed the IR-cut filter, the image showed diagonal bands of color. Does this band pattern present itself on the actual images?
3) Does the autofocus work correctly after removing the IR-cut filter from the assembly? It does work on my 1100d modification, but I see many comments that doing this mod on the newer cameras will render autofocus unservicable.
You’re welcome :)
@@FerventAstronomy thank you) could you please help me understand my questions?
@@leonidtalas696 I'm sorry, I'm not familiar with that camera's filter stack. The outermost filter will always have the dichroic mirror coated on the outside, my preference is to keep that in place so that you don't need to buy a separate IR cut filter. The green/blue filter will always be the one you need to remove at minimum, that's what absorbs the H-alpha light. You don't need to add any glass back in if you do not want to, especially if you are not doing a full spectrum conversion, but only LifePixel makes filters of varying thicknesses to correct for refractive index. The birefringence experiments were only to illustrate how the anti-aliasing filters work, that was more for helping people's general understanding. They don't apply to astrophotography. Whether autofocus works depends on how the refractive index of the system changes. If it is restored to the exact same qualities as before the mod then nothing needs to be changed. If not, then either (preferably) the sensor distance needs to be adjusted, or the PDAF can be adjusted if that's possible for whichever camera. Either way the camera is not optimal for daytime photography and the AF isn't useful for astrophotography.
@@FerventAstronomy thanks!
What is the transmission curve of the outermost lpf filter? As I understand, it opens up more of H-a frequency, but still cuts the near-infrared?
When you stack all 3 elements together in your video explaining the birefringenance, you get a clear picture. When either one is removed the color bands are present. Will these bands be present on the actual image as well?
@@leonidtalas696 I don't think we are using the same terminology. The hot mirror/dichroic mirror coating reflects IR. The green/blue coloured absorption/colour balance wafer absorbs IR and wavelengths in the deep red. Low pass filters do not remove IR, they are anti aliasing filters which slightly blur light rays based on their relative polarization in order to prevent moire. In the video I used polarizing filters to help illustrate this concept, but the effect of the polarizing filters has nothing to do with astrophotography. It was to help clarify how anti-aliasing works for general interest's sake. I have no way of knowing the transmission curves of any filters in your particular camera, they are all different and I don't have the equipment to quantitatively measure them even if I did have that model of camera.
Can you tell me filter and hot mirror size and thickness? If i want buy a filter for uv/ir cut modified, what size i need?
I’m sorry, I don’t know this information. Matching the thickness does not guarantee the same refractive index however so it’s not the best metric. My advice would be to email Kolari Vision and ask what filter they would recommend for your application. They have access to various types of filters and have a lot of experience in the business.
Hello, great video, I just followed your video and mod my 6d by removing the IR absorbing filter, have done everything right except when I worked with the sensor the lateral black tape got sticked to my fingers and got out from that metalic box on the sensor plate and I wasn't able to put it back in, somehow i just let it sticked it a bit from lateral surface and packed everything back toghether, I have turned the camera on and everything seems right but wasn't able so far to test it for few hours to see the noise produced. Could this represent a problem? If that black tape from the sensor get removed will that increase the level of the noise produced by camera by not having that heat conducter there? Or if is improperly left there (like I did hoping will get some heat out anyway) could that produce any problems?Thank you
Hi Roland,
The lack of tape will not cause any noise issues, as it's purpose is not to transfer heat. The double sided adhesive is meant to seal the filter frame in place, so if it is missing it's not a huge deal but there is a possibility that dust or humidity may be able to get in between the sensor and the hot mirror. Its possible that if the filter frame is not fit snugly some stray IR light may be able to access the sensor from the side, but I do not believe this to be an issue with the 6D. Overall it isn't something that I would necessarily worry about unless you start experiencing one of the issues outlined above.
Hi! I'm getting my canon 6D modified and i'd like to get a "Ha" mod, not full spectrum mod. What i've read from internet that ha mod is called also lpf2 mod am i right? And is that what you did in the video? So with that mod i dont need to use any clip in filters or other ones?
I'm trying to search an information that i will tell to the shop that will make it for me.
So keep the first filter (Lpf1/ir cut filter) And remove the second filter, the blue/green one. And put the first one back in.
Sorry i'm a bit noob with these things and just want to make sure what to remove and what to keep to get my modification done as i want.
In the video I removed the colour correction/IR absoption/wave plate stack. There are two low pass (anti aliasing) filters in the camera, one is combined with the outward facing dichroic mirror, and one is bonded to the sensor stack. If you're having it modified by a professional establishment then they should likely have a handle on what they're doing.
Can I get a canon t5 motherboard from you ?
Hi, I’m not a parts supplier, your best bet is to check some place like eBay
Sy dari Indonesia, sebagai profesional fotografer, baru kemarin sy memodifikasi kamera Sony a7 mark i dengan berharap mendapatkan ketajaman maksimal, saya memberikan diri untuk melepas filter IR yg ada dikamera itu. Dan sy sangat senang ketika sy mendapatkan begitu bayak detail, lalu sy mendapatkan kan video UA-cam anda dan sy sangat kagum dgn cara kerja anda❤ hanya sy belum melakukan pemotretan di wedding apakah itu bekerja atau Tidak 😊
I hope the video was helpful. However this modification will not enhance sharpness, in fact with lenses designed for Sony cameras you require the camera to be unmodified to achieve maximum sharpness, as the sensor filters do some of the work to focus the light.
@@FerventAstronomy trimah kasih, sy sudah melakukan pemotretan di wedding dan sy sedikit mendapatkan kepuasan, hanya saja sy perlu penyeimbangan warna putih. Dan saya bayak mendapatkan cahaya sy tdk dapat terlihat oleh mata telanjang. Setidaknya sy berhasil memodifikasi kamera sy, berkata chenel UA-cam anda☺️👍👍
Why is the 6D so popular in 2023 amongst Astrophotographers?
The 6D provides a good balance of resolution, clean files, true .RAW, and affordability
6D is cheap, has great low light performance, more than enough pixel.
this looks too hard
It's definitely an involved process, which is why most people are better off either paying for a conversion or purchasing a pre-modified camera.
@@FerventAstronomy It makes sense if you have all the tools and do this regularly. But it seems like getting a setup to do this one time would be pretty crazy, at least for a camera as complicated as this.
@@projectnemesi5950 For sure, that's why the title of the video is "You shouldn't astro mod your own camera" heh. For most people it's a much better idea to get Kolari Vision or someone to do it
@@FerventAstronomy I got a canon 6d, and the pictures i've seen other people take with it are pretty good without the astro mods. I'm going to put it on a Rumak telescope because they have a perfectly flat field edge to edge. Maybe in the future I'll let someone mod it, but most of the objects I want to take pictures of will not benefit too much from the mod.