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Archive 2014 · Drop-in H-A, O III, and S II filters for 600mm f/4 IS

  
 
KapHn8d™
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Drop-in H-A, O III, and S II filters for 600mm f/4 IS


I'm looking for some advice on astrophotography filter options for the Canon 600mm f/4 IS. The standard filter thread size for imaging with a 2" AP filter is 48mm. There is a 52mm screw-type filter drop-in available (I think) to replace the gel holder that ships with the lens, but I've heard that it only fits well in the non-IS models of the 600mm.

Are there any astronomy hobbyists that use their Canon primes for AP that could offer some advice?

I would be happy if I could just find Hydrogen-Alpha, Oxygen III, and Sulfer II... but an extensible system would be awesome to be able to use any of the 2" filters in the drop-in.

I know there are in-body filters available from companies like Astronomik, but I shoot with a stock 1Ds Mark II, a stock 1Dx, and an IR converted 5D (the original version)... none of which are supported by the common in-body drop-ins. I was hoping I could leverage the drop-in slot on the lens.

Thoughts? Ideas? Experience?

Thanks so much!
/clayton



Mar 27, 2014 at 11:06 PM
johnsarra
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Drop-in H-A, O III, and S II filters for 600mm f/4 IS


Hi Clayton,

At the risk of repeating something you may already know, try Woodland Hills Camera and Telescope. Here is a link to a filter, for instance, that might fit the Canon drop-in ring:

http://telescopes.net/store/hutech-48mm-nebular-filter-ii.html

Clear skies,

John



Mar 27, 2014 at 11:32 PM
bbasiaga
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Drop-in H-A, O III, and S II filters for 600mm f/4 IS


Brand new from Astronomik:

http://www.astronomik.com/en/clip-filter-fur-canon-vollformat.html

-Brian



Mar 28, 2014 at 10:30 AM
KapHn8d™
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Drop-in H-A, O III, and S II filters for 600mm f/4 IS


John - Thanks... I'll definitely look into it. My big concern was the filter being too large (thick) to fit into the drop-in slot with the 52 to 48mm adapter ring. I guess I was fishing to see if someone else had ever tried it. Another option may be to just purchase the filter material 'unframed' as it were... and try to treat it like a gel. I'm not sure how that would work out.

Brian - Thanks for the link... since my 5D is already IR converted, I'm not sure how effective using it would be, but I appreciate you showing me the offering they released. I emailed their customer support to ask about options for 1Dx and the lens and we'll see what they say.

I know the real answer it to eventually switch to a nice refractor telescope and a cooled CCD, but Canon has been providing me photographic enjoyment for the last 30+ years and I'd love to be able to create some stunning deep space imagery with my existing rig... even if for a while. I know it can be done, it's just hard to find the tribal knowledge out there for setting it up.

Thanks again, guys... I really do appreciate your responses!

Have a great weekend!

Cheers,
Clayton



Mar 28, 2014 at 11:42 AM
bbasiaga
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Drop-in H-A, O III, and S II filters for 600mm f/4 IS


You might also try to contact Thousand Oaks filters and see if they can make you a piece of filter glass that could go in a regular rectangular filter holder.

I was under the impression that the Astronomik would fit all of the full frame canons. Let me know what they say.

-Brian



Mar 28, 2014 at 12:14 PM
Roland W
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Drop-in H-A, O III, and S II filters for 600mm f/4 IS


I have looked in to this issue in detail, and know of some things to share. First off, the slot in the lens body that the drop in filter holder goes in to is quite narrow on the two Canon IS super telephoto lenses I own, and I suspect that is the same on all modern lenses that take the 52mm drop in holder. It is so narrow that many astronomy 2" (48mm) filters will not even go in to the open slot, much less if you were to add the thickness of the step down adapter and the thickness of the drop in holder. Many mounting metal of astronomy filters is usually much thicker than a photographic filter is, and that is why they are so far from fitting.

There is for sure a drop in holder that is made for 52mm screw in filters, and it works well for a single 52mm photographic filter. I now have a couple of these, and the price seems to vary a bit from different sources. With the clear filter that comes with it un screwed and removed, you end up with a round pocket that is 51.0mm in diameter, which is exactly the right size to set in an un mounted astronomy filter glass like the ones that Baader sells, that are listed as 50.4 mm in diameter. It is like a perfect fit, except of course there is no direct way to keep the un mounted filter glass in place. My first thought was to perhaps use a dab of silicone adhesive at a few spots to keep it in place. That would likely require one holder per filter you want to use, which adds to the cost a bit.

In looking at the empty holder just now, I have realized that if the filter glass is thin enough, it may be practical to use a 52 to 48 step down adapter to screw in on top of the un mounted filter, and if so, that would hold it in place but still allow changing it, plus the assembly should fit in the slot in the lens. My guess is that 1.5mm glass thickness would work to be held in by screwing in the step up adapter, and that 2mm thick glass would likely be just a bit too thick. I have not had a chance to look up the thickness of the Baader filters, but will do that soon, because I like you would like to set up one or too drop in filters for astronomy.

By the way, the gelatin drop in holder that comes with each lens is not going to work out for being modified to accept a glass filter unless is was only about 44 mm in diameter. So go for the "52mm screw in" holder if you want to try this, not the gelatin holder. And thank you for getting me back on track on this project. The big Canon lenses have a lot of coma distortion that shows up, especially toward the corners, but they can still be useful for astronomy in many cases.



Mar 28, 2014 at 12:43 PM
KapHn8d™
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Drop-in H-A, O III, and S II filters for 600mm f/4 IS


Brian - will do... I'll follow up here when/if I get a response.

Roland - Thanks a ton for the detailed response. I plan on ordering the 52mm screw type drop-in to fiddle with options while I find a better way. This really isn't critical at this point, I just think it would be extremely convenient since it would closely resemble the in-line filter wheel ease of use found in most CCD/refractor setups.

Since most of the stuff I plan on focusing on is relatively wide-field, I think the Canon body and glass should be ok. Learning as I go...

Thanks again,
clayton



Mar 28, 2014 at 04:15 PM





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