Astro Mod v Standard Camera - Lets Compare the Differences

[@ivanferrero]

As an owner of an astro mod camera...I would only recommend it to people who also wants to shoot the Winter milky way, I think that for summer milky way it´s not necessary at all . Great video buddy!

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

I think I'd agree mostly with that. Thanks for watching.

[@billinglendaleca5093]

I also own a modified camera and while I agree the modified camera really shines for Winter Milky Way astro photography, it can also enhance the shots of the Summer Milky Way. You can capture a lot of the Ha emissions near the core that you'd otherwise miss with a stock camera. There is also the shot of the less photographed part of the MW arch opposite the core with quite a bit of Ha emissions.

[@inefekt]

I have a Ha modded camera, the Nikon d810a. It does give a red hue to the images, as you noted with your camera but even though it's modified to capture around 90% of light in the Ha band, it still has to compete with all that visible light so it can be a task to tease out the data. I've since added an Ha filter to my kit and it helps so much, with an additional 60 second exposure in the areas you know that have Ha emitting regions, you simply add it to the red channel of the RGB image and be amazed. It's easy to overpower the image with all those red regions though, so definitely a learning curve to try and find that balance. Great video once again.

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

Thanks for your great insights my friend. Always appreciated.

[@joanhuggett5164]

The full edit on the standard camera images blew me away. You are a whizz, Richard. They are beautiful. (More colour of course on the modified as you say, but even so...) Your wonderful demonstration means even we can aspire to having memorable photos if we put in more effort in processing.

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

Thanks as always for your very kind words Joan.

[@roryhaymanphotography8882]

Fascinating video professor Tatti 🙂 Much appreciated!

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

Haha, not too sure about the professor label ..!!!!

[@LucianoStabel]

Thank you for this video, Richard. Your comparisons were great, and you addressed exactly what most people care about. In my case, I don't really care about the in-depth technicalities - I care about how the images will look and what better aligns with my taste. Keep up the great work!

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

Thanks so much Luciano

[@RobGaleSpecialVideos]

Fantastic! Always a great way to start my weekend seeing these well thought out and educational videos. You are truly the king of Astro, I read a astro mod camera is about one stop better off and its looks from your images this appears about right. Have a great week ahead to you and the family.

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

Thanks Rob. Yes I think there would be that one stop extra advantage.

[@boycefitzgerald]

Thanks for making this comparison.

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

You're welcome Boyce.

[@bradleychewning9094]

You really did a nice job in your comparisons to show us the difference. Very informative for those who are considering making the modification. Thanks, Richard!

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

You're very welcome Bradley. Appreciate your comments.

[@stevebillam_astro2055]

What a brilliant comparison, thank you richard for taking the time to produce this excellent video it really is food for thought.

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

You're very welcome Steve. Thank you.

[@treeman3663]

Congratz for getting 75,000 subs Richard

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

Thanks so much for your support.

[@tonyclark1504]

Well demonstrated Richard. I really love my HA modded camera.

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

They become a bit like our kids don't they Tony .. !!!! Thanks for watching.

[@chrisheyward6430]

Just what I’ve been waiting for,Thank you Richard.Totally convinced me about the Mod.All the Best Chris

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

Good on you Chris. Appreciate you watching.

[@JerryDell-j3s]

Hi Richard, I have used my Ha modified camera for a short time now and so far have enjoyed the results. This mw season I will use a torch to light paint my forground as well. Thank you so much for the detailed comparisons. Take care, Jerry

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

Good on you Jerry. Really appreciate it.

[@dennisblack4444]

Awesome shots Richard, the astro mod shots are fantastic, something to think about.

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

Thanks again for watching Dennis

[@thunderpup1327]

Entertaining and informative. Thank you, Richard. I am jealous of the equipment, but mostly of the glorious night skies that we can never see here near the water in South Florida USA.

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

Thanks so much for watching my friend. Really appreciated.

[@oliveresch9954]

I always wondered what difference the modification makes, now I know. Thanks for that! I loved the images from both cameras but I can see why you’d use a modified one. Looking forward to your next video 🤩

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

Thanks as always for watching my friend.

[@GARY1951A]

Thanks again, Richard! Coincidently, I was just looking to buy a HA modified camera - I think I will do so! GREAT video as always!!

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

Thanks for tuning in Gary

[@zygmuntziokowski7877]

Richard, thanks for sharing and do the comparison.

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

You're very welcome my friend. Thank you.

[@ericwilkes1840]

Thanks heap for all the effort making the comparison Richard, the difference and advantages are one of the questions I most often get asked. Now (like so many questions) I will point them to your video. I love my the imapct of my dedicated canon Ra Astro camera, but agree it is a bit more work. But those beautiful colours…. All worth it.

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

Thanks again for your great insights Eric. Love your work.

[@ViratShah]

Excellent video and great way of showing HA Camera vs the standard camera. I am seriously considering getting mine modifed!

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

Your work is already excellent Virat.

[@numismaticfanatic9173]

Excellent video yet again Richard. The comparisons between the two cameras with your raw images is truly remarkable. Both giving distinct differences as you'd expect but also superb outcomes of contrasting quality. The standard camera results actually surprised me as to just how good they actually were! The HAM camera naturally brought out those colours that the standard one just can't do and the results for these shots were simply coruscating. And naturally, the final outcomes after your wizardry editing are just breathtaking. Well done, the comparison was a huge success! I loved all the different elements that both cameras provided in their own right, truly brilliant. Bravo! Tony Jewell and Percy Jones would both agree at least on this occasion.

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

Thanks as always my friend. Just don't try to score a goal on the goal line .. !!!!

[@midorfaceroll7516]

awesome video I hope you enjoyed the new moon today!

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

Yes I am enjoying the new moon. Thanks for watching.

[@akkarparkiamopas3401]

Totally agree with you. I will have the astro mod cam one day. It is a lot beneficial to our Southern Hemisphere when MW disappears so that we can capture something h alpha subjects in the night sky.

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

Thanks my friend. Yes it sure does have it's place I think.

[@steveostini4868]

Thanks again Richard, it was really interesting to see the difference.

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

Thanks as always for watching Steve.

[@MrJomoboy]

Thanks for doing this

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

You're welcome my friend.

[@Elimoo]

This video is very well done. Thank you! Great comparisons and explanations.

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

I very much appreciate you watching. Thank you.

[@RafaelCBeltrame]

Dear Richard, what an instructive video. And what wonderful images! I can't imagine the work involved in capturing and editing twice as many images. I spend hours editing just one... Thank you so much for producing videos of such quality! I confess I imagined that the astromodified camera would bring more significant results, however, the difference wasn't so substantial (at least for this portion of the sky). I shoot with a standard Canon 6D and have been surprised with the H-alfa details. Again, thank you very much. Best Wishes from Brazil!

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

Thanks as always Rafael. Yes this region of the sky is easier . .the area around Orion is very rich in h-alpha.

[@marktimonen5359]

I wqas surprised that you can make the standard camera somewhat comparable, even though the modified was showing substantially more red from the hydrogen emissions. Thank you for the comparison. :)

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

Thanks for watching Mark. I worked hard to get a close comparison. Sometimes the standard camera looks very good.

[@Tubularjake]

Incredible, the difference! Ty for the video.

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

Thanks so much for watching my friend.

[@PentaxLife]

Nice work Richard great job

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

Thanks as always Jeff

[@bhattvd1]

Great Video! You exactly answered my question!

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

I'm really pleased you found it helpful.

[@RODGEJR2024]

Thank you for making this video, really appreciate it!

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

I really appreciate you watching. Thank you.

[@AstroRoad]

Great video Richard. Think I'll look at getting some form of astro modifications for next summer. Like you demonstrated, solid advantages to be had there for targets like the Gum and Orion nebulae.

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

Thanks as always for watching Dominic.

[@rogeriopeccioli1616]

Thanks Richard.

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

Really appreciate you watching.

[@cmeluzzi]

Great comparisons, thank you for sharing, Richard! I personally decided to first explore objects which will look good on my unmodified camera. And there are so many... But, for the most advanced night photographers, the H alpha world is also exciting.

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

I think that's a good way of looking at it Claudio. Thanks for watching.

[@Eugene-Braack]

Great video, Richard. For me, astro modified cameras produce great results when shooting deep-space objects.... but they make wide milky way images look unnatural and unattractive. All that pink and red just looks like it doesn't belong there.

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

Thanks for watching Eugene. It all depends on the edit and what you say is often correct.

[@rowlandspear4061]

Both sets of pics look fabulous, Richard. I think I will get one of my Nikon bodies modded. Not sure whether to go Full Spectrum or Visible + H-alpha, but leaning toward the latter.

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

Thanks for watching. Well if you want to shoot astro landscape I'd go Visible plus H-Alpha

[@thehoundGOT]

Really interesting video, thank you!

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

Thanks for watching Michael.

[@Warrior_Resisting_Colonialism]

I prefer the more natural image with a standard camera, though I can appreciate the modification and why some have some fun enjoying it too. It is pretty neat. Something I noticed here, is even after you worked at cleaning up the foreground of the modified camera, the detail and natural look of the foreground was still missing. It's still not as clean and sharp as the unmodified camera. It's a mod focused on bringing those colors out of sky of course so this is to be expected. I suppose if a guy wanted the best of both worlds and money were no object, he could shot the sky with a modified camera, then swap cameras and shoot the foreground with the unmodified. Don't they make filters where you can add them to a modified camera and make them soot like an unmodified camera? I thought I read that back a while, while researching these. If so, I wonder if such a filter would do the same trick for shooting the foreground, the same as swapping camera to a unmodified one? I suppose it should, if that's correct about the filter. Don't recall what it was called now though. The modified camera seems to tint the whole imagine, like those skylight filters do. They tint the whole thing a little light pink. Some folks like the look, where they keep them on all the time. I'm not really a fan but I can understand what they like about those too.

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

Thanks again for watching. Up until recently I often used to shoot the foregrounds with an un-modified cameras for the reasons you mentioned. It is just easier. There are specific filters that people buy to further enhance these modified filters. .but mostly they exaggerate the red/pink colours.

[@TerryKontopoulos]

Hey Richard, thank you for this video as it saves me the trouble to modify my Z5 from IR to Astro as I'm clearly preferring the full spectrum camera results and the image I had ion my mind about the HA conversion was different and I believe that I can bring mine close to HA by editing! Great video after all!

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

Thanks for watching Terry, glad it was helpful.

[@chetandoshi7053]

Nice one RT

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

Thanks so much for watching Chetan.

[@jerrythompson]

Good video as usual. Personally, I prefer the look of the unmodified camera better. There is a shop not far from my house that does HA modification but I have never considered it. I have seen where a lot of people have modified their cameras and love the look but it isn't for me.

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

Yes and I think a lot of people would agree with you. I think the modified cameras come into their own when we look at certain areas of the sky that are rich in hydrogen alpha .. such as Orion.

[@geoffsharpe6456]

Ha + Visible for me is a great outcome. My exposures are much shorter at night and the hydrogen alpha nebulosity is vibrant. Mastering the post processing is an art but certainly achievable. I also use my Sony a74 astro modified camera for daylight shooting and the results are fine. Bright and colourful and easily edited. The astro modified images acquired using the tracker are so much better than the unmodified camera. 😊👍👌

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

Your results are very good Geoff. Appreciate your comments mate.

[@baszonneveld7740]

Just got my Z6ii back from the modding service.....looking forward

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

Many thanks for watching. I appreciate it.

[@MrAlexGruitt86]

Awesome information thank you, can I ask. Those Orion shots towards the end of the video, were they HARBG processed ? Or just the ha alpha modded camera producing those reds. Thank you

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

Thanks heaps for watching Alex. I've never used any extra HA filters. . just the standard modified camera on all my images.

[@MrAlexGruitt86]

@@nightscapeimages.richard thank you for that Richard 🙏 really grateful for all your videos, I’m learning so much from you 🙌

[@arjundhannyify]

Great comparison!! Love your edits!! Quick question.. does adding an adapter(like sony to nikon) affect the quality of the images (you did mention it)?? In what way exactly?

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

Well I haven't noticed it previously but in the tracked sky image I saw some noticeable aberrations near the corners of the frame. I'll have to do some more investigation.

[@Rtd_astro]

Awesome

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

Thanks so much for watching.

[@patrickwynne6666]

good video Richard, i do like the natural looking photo, i dont like the Astro Mod at all it's looked fake to me. that my taste. Thank you for explaining.

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

You're welcome Patrick. I think it's good to see what difference these things make to our images and from there decide if it's what we like. Just because others are doing it doesn't mean we have to.

[@david_choi]

I use a H-alpa modified d750 body, but in my case, I use a modified body for the sky and take a basic camera for the foreground and blend it. There's really no z6ii body noise. Amazing!

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

Thanks David. Yes I do that a lot also. Much easier.

[@brianpotopowitz9542]

Thanks so much Richard, those shot comparisons are amazing. Could you remind me of your white balance settings for both cameras?

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

Thanks heaps for watching Brian. On the standard camera I set the white balance to 4800K On the h-alpha camera it's set to 3300K and plus 1.25 on the Green tint.

[@ChrisMosner]

Whoah! What a terrific comparison. Your edits are EPIC! You been holding back pro tips on your edit vids, Richard??? 😂 The unmodified edit is spectacular!

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

Thanks heaps for watching Chris. All my pro tips were in last weeks edit video ...!!!

[@ChrisMosner]

@@nightscapeimages.richard I watched it at least 3 times. 😂 You are an artist with some secret sauce, Richard. The world is so fortunate to have you. ❤️

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

Thanks again Chris @@ChrisMosner

[@derekrowanphotograpics]

Great job Richard explaining the difference 👍 I’ve seen some mount Twin camera’s (HA & normal) then combined in post to add or emphasis HA aspects within the image but still keep natural colours. Would this technique be a viable option? Congrats on 75k subscribers 🥳

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

Thanks for watching Derek. I think what you may have seen is people using a h-alpha camera coupled with another h-alpha camera fitted with a special narrow band filter to see more of the h-alpha ..!!!

[@lesladbrook4508]

Another excellent presentation Richard. Are you setting the WB the same on both the modified and standard camera please? Also on your your fixed lighting (not the torch) do you set a certain Kelvin temperature for those. Thank you Richard.

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

Thanks again Les. No the white balance settings in camera are very different. I'm still working through the temp settings on the LED panels. They are hard to get right and I'll be doing more testing.

[@NigelBaileyPhotography]

Great video and good to see the comparison. Personally, I actually prefer the unmodified versions. They show wavelengths of light that we would actually see if our eyes were sufficiently sensitive. With the HA mod, we are seeing something otherwise invisible to us. Why not add in UV or X-Ray wavelengths? Where do we draw the line? THere’s no right and wrong on this - just personal taste, Either way, you’re a night-sky genius!

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

Yes you are right Nigel. There are so many variables to the creative mindset.

[@PhillipMcCallum]

Great video, very informative thank you. Do you merge the images into one

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

Thanks Phil. All of these comparison images are all single shots. As you know I do often shoot multiple images to get a final result... but not in these.

[@19Photographer76]

Impressive! I like the darker sky better but not the green cast, did your camera still have the green bump? When capturing, what if you equalized the luminosity of the hydrogen alpha modifigied camera. Possibly and EV of -0.3? In your single image edited images they both look great. What I don't care for is the brightness of the lightpainting in the modified camera image. The other issue is that you see an entirely different sky than we do in the north. I think it would take more than one viewing to assess your camera images. Well done!

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

Thanks for watching. There has been a lot of green airglow recently in my area. The light painting is exactly the same in both images as I shot them side by side at the same time. Admittedly I edited them a little differently perhaps. Yes our skies here are brilliant and very vibrant indeed . .especially in very dark areas.

[@berthaduniverse]

Thanks Richard. Great topic. Any take on full spectrum?

[@berthaduniverse]

Also, it seems like the modified shots are sharper.

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

I've never used one but I think I'd go bananas worrying about all the various filters you have to add to them.

[@davidleporati1958]

Thanks Richard for another great and informative video. I love the results as usual. I was wondering if you have ever used a Night Filter (Light Pollution) on a standard camera? It is supposed to reduce the yellow / green colours in the atmosphere (haze etc). It would be interesting to compare it with the HA camera. Thanks again. Great woork.

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

Thanks a lot David. No I've never used a light pollution filter. A lot of light pollution these days is caused by LED lighting which exhibits a different colour.

[@haroldklein8556]

Richard, thank you again for another very, down to earth, informative video!! I too have an astro mod to my Z6ii. Did I see you shoot your WB at 3200K?? That has been a struggle to get it looking better in camera...any other thoughts on WB settings?? Do you need to adjust the WB an more in post?? Thanks again, from Portland, Oregon USA.

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

Thanks so much for watching Harold. Yes I also adjust the tint to +1.25 in camera. However I do substantial color editing in post to get it right. It's not easy ... many people's images are overly red saturated . .as well as many of mine.

[@robertfraser9180]

Richard, thanks for your comparison. You really put a lot of work into your videos, and it shows. In regards to white balance...do you set the white balance on both your cameras the same, or just the Hydrogen Alpha modified camera?

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

Thanks so much for your comments Robert. I set the white balance of the standard camera to 4800K and the modified camera to 3300K as well as +1.25 Green Tint in Camera.

[@Robert-R]

Hello Richard. Another excellent video, and amazing images! Thanks for showing the side by side differences between a standard sensor and an astro modified sensor. Do you find that the H-alpha modified sensor ends up with more noise? Reason I'm asking is that in some comparisons it seemed like the image from the modified camera had more noise. For example, @17:52. Or was it just that you hadn't done as much noise reduction in that image? Yet, in some other comparisons the modified sensor was just as clean as the standard sensor image, such as @19:41. With regard to noise reduction, you seem to prefer the legacy Noise Reduction sliders in LR versus the new AI Denoise feature in LR, or use of plug-ins such as PureRaw or Topaz. Do you find there's some drawbacks to using the newer de-noise options? BTW, I'm really jealous of those of you in the Southern Hemisphere that can see the Magellanic Clouds. Take care Richard!

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

Thanks for watching Robert. I didn't notice any difference in noise performance. I set the exposures and settings exactly the same in both cameras . .although as stated, there is a distinct brightness advantage to the modified camera. I have used the new AI Denoise in Lightroom but for my standard workflow I seem to find the Topaz plug-in to Photoshop a bit quicker to use. They are both very good.

[@alimouizina5318]

Hello! I'm new to astrophotography and working on getting the basics down, so thank you for your incredibly informative videos. In your opinion, would it be more beneficial to invest in modifying the camera for astrophotography or in a star tracker to improve image quality and overall results?

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

Thanks so much for watching. That's a hard one. If you're happy to work around blending foregrounds into separate tracked sky shots then a tracker is probably the easiest addition to make. The MSM Nomad is small, light and works really well for wide field astro landscape photography.

[@danwhitton7966]

Such a great comparison. Im new to photography and have been thinking about options to buy a second body and dedicate a modification like this, or keep 1 body and fix it in post. I wonder if a clip on Hydrogen filter are any good? Would be awesome to compare and see if there is a middle ground option for one camera.

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

Thanks for watching Dan. I'm not aware of any clip in filters that will give you the same results without the actual internal filter change.

[@arthurbeer872]

Richard, Did I see f/22 on the lightroom histogram? On those images.

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

No it was f2.2

[@oaritaphotography6281]

Your videos are fantastic, I learn a lot from them, thank you for each of the videos, I wanted to ask you a question in case in my country there is no place to modify the camera, what other detachable filter could use for a nikon Z, do you know any that can do the same function. Thank you ,

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

Thanks so much for watching. Most of the filters are designed to work in conjunction with having your camera modified.

[@musiqueetmontagne]

Thank you Richard, a tremendous video comparison needing a tremendous amount of work to compile. For astro landscape I personally prefer the normal camera mostly TBH just with a lot of fiddling on the colour channels but when I see deep space photos of some objects the the HA mod cameras are far superior. Can I ask your advice please Richard, I was thinking of HA modding a Z6, not Z6ii, but was wondering if one can achieve the same results as the Z6ii? I don't see why not but would like to ask your advice . How many cameras do we "need" my wife is asking. Cheers, Robert. 🙈🤣

[@Warrior_Resisting_Colonialism]

Tell her, you need as many cameras and lenses as she needs shoes. ;)

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

Haha, yes that is the age old question .. How many is too many ..??? You'll get exactly the same result with the original Z6. Same sensor.

[@johncarter591]

Another factor to add in is the cost of a Alpha Modified camera? As you might of guessed Richard I love my Old Canon 6D's but to get hold of one that is Modified on Ebay you are looking at $1600 for one compared to a second hand 6D for around the $600 mark

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

Yes that is a very real consideration John. It's about $500 to modify the camera.

[@stevepyle1600]

Excellent comparison! A bit too much magenta for my taste but have been thinking about this for a while and will modify one of my old cameras to some fun. The area near the center of the Core you use for reference is M8 Lagoon Nebula which is always quite magenta even with my non mod cameras. On the best nights here we get waves of airglow, mostly green (faint green can actually be seen), but sometimes mixed with high altitude purple. I'm wondering what happens if you stack a non mod image with h-alpha. Also wondering about h-alpha results shooting aurora... Found you on IG where I'm pylepix!

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

Thanks for watching Steve. Yes the magenta needs a lot of attention for sure. I have shot aurora with this camera and it's really quite impressive. We have lots of pink and purple in our auroras here in Australia.

[@HarshAtPhotography]

Fantastic video Richard showing the practical aspects of an astro modified camera and an unmodified one. In your experience, do you see any difference with the aurora pics with an astro-modded camera vs non-modded camera? Does astro-modified camera provide any boost in the vividness/tint to the Aurora colours?

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

'Thanks Harsh. I've only shot the aurora once with a modified camera . .and yes it was very vibrant . .especially the pinks.

[@HarshAtPhotography]

Thanks Richard, that confirmed my suspicion, so using astro-modded camera might be a good option for Aurora photography given that it lets in more light. 🙂

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

Yes indeed @@HarshAtPhotography

[@peterMORRIS-u6z]

Hi Richard, we met briefly when you presented at the Frankston Photography Club a few years back. I have a D750 as a second camera and think I will get it modified. I’m just wondering where in Melbourne I could get it done and at what approximate cost? Thanks Peter.

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

Hi Peter. Imaging By Design in Melbourne do it. Approx $500 or so.

[@manupixels7983]

Hi Richard I was looking to modify my Z6ii from long time. Where did you get it done in Melbourne? Pl lt me know Thanks

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

I had mine done at Imaging By Design in Melbourne. imagingbydesign.com.au/

[@huyballack]

Hi Richard, I am ordering a Z6 II as my second camera besides my a7c. I plan to use Sony GM lenses I have on it via an adapter. Should I be worried about the fact that the combination is not weather sealed? I mainly shoot time lapse so I will be putting it out for hours on end. Surely I wont put it out in the rain, just not sure in the foggy condition the myst may cause damage to the camera/ lens?

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

No I wouldn't worry about that at all. I've done that plenty of times. Depending on where you're situated you may get condensation on the lens but it's never been an issue for me. Sometimes in really dewy weather I've used a thick lens warmer which somewhat covers the adaptor anyway.

[@huyballack]

@@nightscapeimages.richard thats very helpful! Thank you!

[@joel.donovan]

Hi Richard, I am looking at modifying my Z6, can I ask where you sent yours to be modified? Thanks!

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

Hey Joel I had the H-Alpha + Visible modification done at Imaging by Design in Melbourne. imagingbydesign.com.au/

[@joel.donovan]

Thanks for the quick reply! I was considering sending it overseas to get done, but I'm glad that there is somewhere local that's recommended. Many thanks

[@xiaofengliu5724]

Nice video. I have a question, will a light pollution filter affect the color of the nightscape? Do you suggest using the light pollution filter? Thank you very much!

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

Thanks for watching. Yes a light pollution filter is designed to filter out certain colours . .and no I don't use light pollution filters.

[@xiaofengliu5724]

Thank you very much!@@nightscapeimages.richard

[@MarkusGebhard]

Have you tried HA or dual narrowband clip in filters with your cameras? My non-modified a7rii already picks up a good amount of HA even without modifying it. I'm wondering whether combining a normal Milky way image with a dual narrowband image would give me a similar result as modifying my camera 🤔

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

I've not used any clip in filters at all. My understanding is that they are best used in conjunction with the modified cameras.

[@kerhlin]

Hi. Wonder if you will be doing a comparison between an astro mod camera vs a full spectrum camera for astrophotography?

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

No I doubt I'll be doing that. I've never been interested in full spectrum cameras.

[@tonyw3250]

I reckon if you only had one camera for everything then daytime images would probably suffer from strange colouring? also what sort of cost is involved in doing the mod?

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

If I only had one camera I wouldn't do the mod. It cost me about $500 Australian dollars.

[@akkarparkiamopas3401]

Have you found it s hard to manual focus at night when you use astro modified cam especially with foreground subject? As they all look pinkish .

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

No these cameras are pretty much the same as standard to focus.

[@colintraveller]

Top Drawer

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

Thanks for watching Colin

[@treeman3663]

You didnt address who offers this service wear can you get this done

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

Imaging By Design in Melbourne have this service available. Some cameras are easier to modify than others.

[@marman8714]

Do you have a video that shows how to edit a milky way image shot with a standard camera. I can't figure out how you got such an incredible final image with the single edit from a standard camera.

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

I have a lot of editing videos but with many cameras you need to do image stacking to get the best result. See here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z3jcn4qog92nqZI

[@stevemeier7876]

did you get your camera modified in Australia ?

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

Yes, Imaging By Design in Melbourne.

[@arthurbeer872]

Thought that's what it was.

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

Thanks heaps for watching.

[@thelensmanphotography]

Would it make sense to mod my camera here in the northern hemisphere (Utah) Summer Milky Way photography.

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

Yes it would. You'll get great results with whatever you shoot. Obviously you'll find lots more h-alpha targets in your winter sky but there are still lots of advantages such as the better low light performance.

[@dmaymon]

Which photo is actually the real color or closest to it? It is clear the modified camera has more red, but is that really natural? I personally don’t like all that red.

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

Well it's an interesting question. In my experience the sky can be many colours depending on whats happening up there. For example the other night the whole sky was a rich green colour. I didn't particularly like it. .but it was natural.

[@ambrosechiu2338]

I wish you live in Qld so I can learn from you. 😊

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

Well I hope the videos can be helpful.

[@huyballack]

I think HA mod will hardly show any difference if you shoot single exposure on ultra wide lens. The longer the focal length the more difference it makes

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

Well that may be right depending on where you are pointing the camera. There is an enormous amount of h-alpha in Orion for example and it will certainly show at 14mm. But you do need dark skies to get the best out of it.

[@lesokey6307]

I seemed to notice some star reduction in the edited HA shots also when you zoomed in.

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

Yes the apparent star reduction is caused by my use of StarXterminator. The photoshop plug in. I used it on all the images.

[@lesokey6307]

Yeah I get that - but I thought the HA final shots looked far more star free than the final standard shots - maybe my imagination!@@nightscapeimages.richard

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

It's possible as I may do a slight variation each time. @@lesokey6307

[@НиколайМ-н3ф]

Thanks, not big difference to modify camera. Big difference is when not modified camera dont see galaxy at all )

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

Thanks for watching. Sometimes you need dark skies to see the galaxy properly.

[@GregMcCall]

Sorry, but your constant labelling the modified camera as Ha modified is just factually wrong. The camera has been modified to remove the low pass filter that allows you to capture Ha (and other stuff) but it is definitely not a Ha modified camera. It's an important difference in terminology. My interest in terminology accuracy. The reason is correct, but the label is wrong. It's LPF modified (removed) which is great, and not Ha modified. Your comments distort the language used in imaging discussion in astro imaging. What you say re results are great and you even sometimes call it an astro modified camera. Ditch the Ha modified unless you put in some filter specifically for Ha. It makes it harder to explain deep sky astro photography and it saves me having to explain how your terminology is wrong to astronomy groups which I don't want to do. It is a LPF removed and not a specific Ha modification. (some S2 would also be picked up with the modification although much weaker than Ha, it's probably the next strongest signal close to Ha)

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

Thanks for your great insights Greg. I know very little about deep sky astro photography and don't intend to enter that space at all. I'll do my best to apply the correct terminology moving forward.

[@rob-cowell]

@@nightscapeimages.richard I am not sure you are correct @gregmccall because I believe the low pass filter is simply to reduce/cut out moiré affects - it does not filter light. I had my Canon R6 astro-modded recently and the discussion with the company that did it was all about removing the visible light filter (it allows only visible light to pass through) and replacing it with a visible light + Ha filter. That does not match up to the points you make to Richard. If the conversation I had about my conversion was correct then my camera has indeed been Ha modified because it can now register Ha and it couldn't before.