Any Image Chip Concerns Shooting The Sun?

[Paul Caldwell]

No, but you can for sure damage your eye.

I routinely shoot sunsets, and if you are using a DSLR, you have to be careful not to look directly at the sun in the viewfinder.  

However with modern chip design, the actual light can't do any harm, for the amount of time you are exposing the image.

Paul Caldwell

[Lee]

Danno, the reason I asked the question is that when my colleague asked the question of me, I didn't really know the full answer.  We deduced the same logic about the SLR exposure time, but wondered about some of the prosumer digicams that use digital viewfinders.

Lee

[Lee]

A colleague asked the question whether shooting the sun with a digital camera can damage the optical imaging sensor.  Any thoughts out there?  Any hard data on the topic?

Lee

[DannoPiano]

Um, I wouldn't be so quick to say "no" on this one. Anytime you take very hot sunlight and put it through a lens which then focuses that energy to an area smaller than it originally was then you've got the "ant under the magnifying glass" effect.

I guess it would depend on the camera and the amount of exposure the chip received. A consumer camera where the chip is always exposed to give a live preview, and in addition, the chip is very small and the lens focuses the light to a much smaller point, then yes you could easily damage the chip with prolonged exposure. On a DSLR, the chip would only be exposed during the exposure (sorry to be redundant), but then as Paul said you have a greater risk of hurting your eye lining up the shot. I'm not even sure if you'd get anything than a white spot in your shot, as I doubt even the best cameras could meter or even expose correctly and it would just clip the sensor.

Just curious, why do you ask? If you're interested in taking pics of sunspots there are amateur astronomy websites that could give clearer, and safer, directions on how to view the sun with a camera.

[Jeff Donald]

I think the answer is it depends on several factors, time of day, length of exposure and mirror lock up.  Shooting sunsets and sunrises are fairly safe because of the angle of the sun to the atmosphere.  Shots at other times of day could prove more harmful.  Also, locking up the mirror could expose the shutter for an extended life and cause damage to both the shutter and chip.  The slower the shutter speed the longer the suns rays are focused on the chip and the greater the potential for serious damage.