Photography

usonian

(13,789 posts) Sun Apr 7, 2024, 03:06 PM Apr 2024

Eclipse photo tips

Last edited Sun Apr 7, 2024, 07:33 PM - Edit history (1)

First, a lot of people plan to take pictures using smartphones.
It is likely that pointing one at the full sun will wreck the sensor. Don't find out the hard way.

And in any event, most smartphone lenses have the field of view of a 24mm. full frame camera.

From this useful article:
https://astrobackyard.com/solar-eclipse-with-phone/

meaning that whatever you do
• Is going to be very small, and
• Is not going to show up on National Geographic, unless it's a photo of people behaving strangely during the eclipse, in my opinion.

Make sure that the lens on your phone is completely covered and that you are using ISO 12312-2 certified solar film, whatever that is

So, it's really better to use a camera with a helluva neutral density filter or mylar filter.
Petapixel is always a great resource, so check this out:
https://petapixel.com/2024/03/14/how-to-photograph-the-solar-eclipse/

Looking directly at the sun for even just a minute can cause permanent eye damage. That damage is even possible when the sun seems darker during a solar eclipse. If you intend to look directly at the eclipse, be sure to keep your eyes safe by picking up a pair of solar glasses. These come in cheap paper varieties (much like the 3D glasses you’d get at a movie theater) that are meant to be used once and tossed. Or you can spend a bit more on ones that are essentially heavily tinted sunglasses.

Be sure to keep the solar glasses on for the entirety of the eclipse. The one exception is during totality if you happen to be in the path of totality. It’s safe to remove the glasses for that brief moment. Otherwise, the sun is bright enough that it can still cause damage when it’s near totality, so keep those glasses on. Also, it’s important to note that looking through binoculars, telescopes, or cameras does not provide any protection unless those devices are fitted with a solar filter.

...

Just like your eyes, your camera sensor can take damage from the sun, specifically when the sun is at its brightest during the middle of the day. While it’s generally safe to point your camera in the general direction of the sun (you can keep photographing your sunrises and sunsets, don’t worry), solar-specific photos can put your sensor at risk. That’s because the front element of your lens essentially acts as a magnifying glass, intensifying the energy from the sun onto your sensor, potentially causing permanent damage and sensor overload.

To keep your camera safe, use a solar filter when photographing the solar eclipse or for solar photography in general. As with glasses, keep that solar filter on your lens until the eclipse is at totality. During that brief moment, it is safe to remove the filter, but be ready to pop it back on once the eclipse passes onto the next phase. If you’re interested in solar photography outside of eclipse time, a solar filter is a must at all times.

How dense? This article says 16 stops
https://digital-photography-school.com/extreme-long-exposure-photography-with-a-16-stop-nd-filter/
16 stops is a filter factor of 65536 or 2^16th power, familiar to old time computer users as a 16-bit address range.

And, you'll want a focal length of up to 1500 mm. (full frame), for details at totality, should you be able to see it.

At that point, take off the dark filter and experiment with exposure. Digital cameras give you instant feedback.

The angular size of the moon and sun is 1/2 degree.
A 1000mm lens (full frame 24x36) has a field of view of 1.4x2.0 degrees.
Others are proportional.

The picture below is from a 1500mm full frame, 1000mm crop sensor

From B&H Photo

Just never stare into the full sun.

My approach? Being so far away, view it live online.
One place is K&F https://www.kfconcept.com/live/home.html?live_status=Coming+Soon&page=1 (not a plug)
You may know of others.

Add any specifics you want to share.