ASTRO MODIFICATION
There are all kinds of ways to do astrophotography, and one of the most common is with the camera you already own. Trouble is, a lot of the more interesting things out there in our galaxy glow in a deep red light. Why is this a problem? Well, most camera manufacturers have developed their camera sensors with filters that can screen out much of this light.
HYDROGEN ALPHA EMISSION
The red light we're concerned with specifically has a wavelength of approximately 656nm, and is called Hydrogen alpha, H-alpha, or Hα emission. This is a major wavelength that hot Hydrogen gas glows in, and it is a big contributor to the sum total of visible light coming from these nebulae. By using a camera with a sensor that does not filter out this light you get brighter, more detailed images. So what's involved?
All methods of modifying a camera for increased H-alpha transmission involve removing at least one filter from the sensor's filter stack. In practical terms this usually involves the near complete disassembly of the camera. Many cameras only require that one filter is removed, and this can provide >90% transmission of H-alpha emission to the sensor. Depending on the sensor design, sometimes an aftermarket filter will need to be installed to help screen out infrared and ultraviolet light. You may even choose to have your camera go "full spectrum", where no IR or UV is screened out, instead opting to use a clip-in filter or some secondary threaded filter in your optics. Since this is major camera surgery, it's a good opportunity to, say, swap out the camera's shutter for a new one. Or to get your camera's external shell refinished.
Why "La Salamandra" anyway?
As with many things that I do, I find it difficult to not work some kind of joke into the mix. The story of La Salamandra starts sometime in the summer (or was it spring?) of 2020. Ugh, I know, right? Anyway, a film-addled camera collector friend of mine started sending me instagram links to all these fancy-AF refinished film cameras. As I came to discover, there's a company in the States called Cerakote that makes a line of resilient ceramic coatings. In addition to a bunch of people stencilling rainbows and unicorns onto their surrogate penises guns, some other intrepid souls had started doing the same to cameras…
I was intrigued! I started researching how they were accomplishing this. I was already quite comfortable inside of most cameras so painting the outside was pretty trivial. But oh-hoh, it wasn't that simple! They needed to be baked, for lack of a better word. And there were acetone baths involved. And abrasive blasting. All kinds of nonsense. So in September of 2020 I decided that I would give it a go, and I bought an oven. It was on sale. And then I did nothing for about another year-ish.
As I write this it's the start of 2022. So there you go.
Oh, wait, I didn't explain the name! Ok, well:
I only use assumed names on social media (they aren't getting anything from me for free!) and one day my film-friendly friend discovered this, coming to the realization that my online identity wasn't totally congruent with my offline identity. I explained why I feel the need to deny the big sosh meeds monopolies my identity. At some point thereafter I noticed that he seemed to follow suit, changing his social media handle - to Elle Salamander! In my head I started referring to him as "El Salamander" which started to morph into "El Salamandor." Pretty cool nickname material, frankly. So I decided to look it up just to be sure I wasn't committing an oopsy goofer and… discovered that in Spanish, salamander is actually a feminine noun. Which means it's La Salamandra.
So when it came time to call this venture something I asked him if I could use the nickname, since he was the one who introduced me to this Cerakote nonsense in the first place. And thus, La Salamandra is named in his honour.
Oh, and one day I texted him a photo of nail polish that I use to colour recessed lettering and he asked "Starting a salon?" and I responded "You know it! A salon… but for cameras!"
And there you have it. La Salamandra Camera Salon.
At your service.
The irony of the placement of these social media links is not lost on me.