Equipment & Techniques > Cameras, Lenses and Shooting gear

Solar Eclipse 2017 - How to Shoot?

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Slobodan Blagojevic:
What is the current thinking about photographing the eclipse? For instance, is a 10-stop ND filter good enough protection for the sensor (or eyes)?

NancyP:
Slobodan (and others) NOW READ THIS !!!!!! :
https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/safety

Direct viewing of the sun before and after totality should only be performed through CERTIFIED eclipse glasses. If your eclipse glasses or viewers are compliant with the ISO 12312-2 safety standard, you may look at the uneclipsed or partially eclipsed Sun through them for as long as you wish. You do NOT want to rely on your "Big Stopper" for a direct view. You do NOT want to leave your camera on "live view" to monitor a magnified sun image for long periods either.

https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/

http://learn.usa.canon.com/resources/articles/2017/eclipse.shtml

Wayne Fox:
Think  you need at least 15 stops, and more is better.  Dangerous because looking through the camera of a dSLR with can damage your eyes except during the period of totality of you are in that path of the full eclipse.  We’ve been selling solar filters here, and they are designed for a camera, not a human eye, so even using one of those to “look” at the eclipse can be dangerous.  During totality, removing the filter is normal.

I’ve been told the solar filters are more than just density, somewhat wavelength restrictive as well.  Looking through one is denser than two big stoppers stacked.

Personally after reading about what is going to be happening in the path of totality, and realizing the eclipse itself will be pretty much over head so no way to incorporate a landscape element without faking it via a photoshop montage I decided to skip it.  Sounds like most places will have serious issues with overcrowding, roads could be tied up for hours.  guessing the aftermath cleanup in some areas will be akin to a small natural disaster.  so I’m headed to lake Tahoe :)

MattBurt:
In the past I have used a 10 stop filter stacked with a polarizer. Worked well enough and I didn't care that there wasn't detail on the solar disk.

For the Venus Passage, I got some Baader soloar filter film and created a crude looking filter for my intended lens with cardboard.
solar filter built by Matt Burt, on Flickr

That got me detail on the solar disk including some sunspots in addition to Venus.
IMGP9824 by Matt Burt, on Flickr

Of course you can buy nicer versions of this too but mine seemed to work well enough for my needs. Baader AstroSolar is the product I got from eBay.

Use Live View instead of the viewfinder. Easier with the filter in place and safer for your eyes!


 

NancyP:
I have the ISOwhatever certified eclipse glasses, plus DIY filters. The DIY filters are cardboard-framed Baader Solar film special mylar - usable/affordable for people with big lenses, big refractor or reflector telescopes. $25.00 for one A4 size, does your big white or refractor, plus some left over for binoculars. These aren't the sturdiest option (I am punching holes in the home-made holders for tie-down strings), but these should do fine. Mine looks like Matt's but in white cardboard. That's a fun transit, Matt! You are 100% correct, Live View is your friend.

What is important for eyesight is that the ISO certified  eclipse glasses have extra infrared and UV coverage vs your basic Big Stoppers. Your cameras have IR/UV cut filters already covering their sensors, your eyes don't.

Not me! I will take a nice day off and hang out at a local conservation area, two cameras, two tripods in hand. Start those batteries charging....now.

Calculates solar elevation angle and azimuth angle:
https://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/grad/solcalc/azel.html


Go to Wikipedia or other source to get approximate latitude and longitude, look up time of totality on NASA site in the area of interest, plug that date and time and Lat/long into above solar elevation / azimuth calculator - out comes the numbers of interest. My area (in MO) has elevation ~59 degrees (ie, 31 degrees from zenith), azimuth ~215 degrees (SSW)

So, for full frame camera in portrait mode, the 21 mm ought to give me plenty of composition (82 degrees view long axis, 60 degrees short axis) - I just need some attractive prairie flowers or a nicely shaped tree as the anchor in the composition. I am not looking for "spectacular", I am looking for "region-characteristic". Plus, there's the 400mm plus 1.4x TC option for the APS-C camera for my very own corona shots during totality.

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