Settings on K-1 for the eclipse

wings · 07-10-2017, 10:42 AM

I am appealing to the experts on the recommended settings on the K-1 for photographing the eclipse. I recently purchased the K-1 to replace my Spotmatic, which I pointed out when I introduced myself to this forum. Things have changed. There are settings in the K-1 that I have become familiar with and some that are not so familiar. I will be going to the Carbondale, Illinois area during the upcoming eclipse and have a pretty good idea on the basic settings, however I am discovering that there are differences expressed by experts, but they are generally similar. Perhaps some of you have experience in this regard. If interested, here is a good article about it.

Okay, here are the settings that I am uncertain about:

1 - Program LIne
2 - LV Electronic Shutter, there is nothing about this in the manual
3 - D-Range Settings
4 - Noise Reduction, most of the experts indicate to turn this off
5 - Clarity
6 - HDR Capture, I assume that it would be better to post process instead?
7 - Pixel Shift Resolution
8 - AA Filter Simulator
9 - Shake reduction, makes sense, but what affect does it have on capturing the details such as corona
10 - Composition Adjust
11 - Custom Image, I assume leave in auto? The manual does not go into detail about these selections, which also have parameters that you can change within each selection.
12 - Using camera's bracketing, but unsure of the amount to use, example +-1.0 etc.?
13 - Also, not sure about what AE Metering selection to use.
14 - I will probably be using my Celestron C-90 which is 1000mm at f11, which has a removable solar filter. It is somewhat difficult to focus, but should provide a good image, however since this is not a FF lens as such I am not sure if selecting APS-C would produce a better image. Does a FF image through a non-FF lens produce the same image if it is manually cropped? In other words, if I took a cropped image and then a FF image of the same object and then cropped it to match, would the quality of the image be the same?

I will be using a remote shutter release and Manual mode. Most say to use the Daylight WB. I will also be using a tracking unit, the Sky Adventurer.
Things happen pretty fast during the eclipse and this will be the first time that I will be photographing it. I was planning on using the recommended shutter and f-stop for the different phases and bracketing, perhaps using the live view for pre-viewing only.

I apologize for these basic questions, but perhaps there might be others who are wondering about the same questions.

Best wishes.

timw4mail · 07-10-2017, 10:50 AM

14 - use full frame, and crop in post-production. Chances are you will get a larger usable resolution than with crop mode. Crop mode automatically crops the image to a certain resolution, but the usable image circle varies from lens to lens. Some lenses you throw away a lot for no reason in crop mode. For example, the kit 18-55mm lens is pretty usable until you get to 18mm. Just play around with it to see.

**Bob 256** · 07-10-2017, 01:51 PM - **1 Like**

There are two basic phases of the eclipse - totality and everything else.

For the time leading up to totality and after, you probably want to get in close on the sun. I would use full-frame. Cropping in camera will not increase the resolution and that can always be done later. Before we get too far along, take special note: this phase of the eclipse can damage your eyes, your telescope, and your camera if proper filtering is not used! Whatever lens or telescope you choose, it needs a good solar filter in place before you even begin to use it (Thousand Oaks Optical is one source for solar filters). If you get a good fairly bright image looking through the telescope, that filter should work fine with the K-1. If the image is really dark, you might want a filter designed for photographic use which isn't as dense.

To fill the K-1 sensor to the edges (vertically), a focal length of about 2750mm is required. You don't need or want to go that far. I've used a 400mm lens with a 3x FL converter but a telescope is your best bet. A good lens at 1200mm will beat a poor one at 2400mm. The size of your telescope (4 inch versus 8 inch) won't particularly matter if the optical quality is good. Use your auto guider - it should track the sun just fine for the eclipse.

I would use manual mode and the histogram to set the exposure. With the telescope, you'll have a fixed aperture so the exposure will be set using shutter speed (and ISO). Set the top right function dial to ISO so you can change the ISO if needed with the top adj dial. The front adj dial will set shutter speed. Use your remote or timer to reduce vibrations when setting off the shutter (remote with live view is probably best for everything though you might need some shading to see the LCD clearly prior to totality). No shake reduction needed nor can it be used with your telescope so - OFF.

Practice on the regular sun with your filter in place. Use live-view with magnification to focus (push the enter button and then the rear dial for magnification). You should see some solar granulation which is a good goal for focusing (try focus peaking also to see if it helps). Since this phase is so contrasty, I wouldn't worry about the exposure too much - no HDR, no expanded dynamic range, no AA filter, no auto bracketing. Just try a few manual shutter speed changes and see what you get - PRACTICE! You'll be an expert in short order for the non-totality part and you have plenty of time to make exposure adjustments for this phase of the eclipse (boooringgggg).

Totality is another story. Your filter comes off (not before totality and get it back on before the end of totality!!!) and manual exposure should work best again once you get the right point using the histogram. I would definitely bracket this phase of the eclipse with about 5 or more brackets 2EV apart. You want to go over and under to catch the details (some photos I've seen, show the craters on the moon's dark side facing us). It assures you will have plenty of exposures to work with (but maybe you'll only use the best one), and you can incorporate them in an HDR later. The corona is quite bright so underexpose to catch its inner details, though overexposure is needed for its extreme edges. The focus won't change from what you used prior to totality, so don't worry about that unless you bump the focus by accident (maybe check it once to be sure). For totality, you want something considerably less than 2400mm (maybe half to one tenth that -maybe a regular telephoto lens) since the corona will extend from the sun a long distance, and you want to capture it all.

Practice on a distant street lamp at twilight and try to get the lamp details, and the background using bracketing. That should give you a taste and some ideas of what to do.

No composition adjust, no digital filter, no custom image. Keep it SIMPLE! 2 Minutes and counting...........

Basically, manual exposure - find the best histogram, click-click (2EV) below that, again, again, click-click (2EV) above best histogram, again, again using shutter speed . Pause each time to let vibrations stop (use a remote release so you don't have to touch the telescope or camera), watching through live-view. Done!

NOW - (get that solar filter back on or it's ADIOS K-1) and take in the event!!!!! Don't pass this once in a lifetime chance up with too much time at the camera.

One other note - have a good pair of binoculars with removable solar filters to take a closer peak yourself. Use some caution with the filtering and Good luck!

wings · 07-11-2017, 08:32 AM

Thanks for your very thorough answer.

Originally posted by Bob 256

There are two basic phases of the eclipse - totality and everything else.

For the time leading up to totality and after, you probably want to get in close on the sun. I would use full-frame. Cropping in camera will not increase the resolution and that can always be done later. Before we get too far along, take special note: this phase of the eclipse can damage your eyes, your telescope, and your camera if proper filtering is not used! Whatever lens or telescope you choose, it needs a good solar filter in place before you even begin to use it (Thousand Oaks Optical is one source for solar filters). If you get a good fairly bright image looking through the telescope, that filter should work fine with the K-1. If the image is really dark, you might want a filter designed for photographic use which isn't as dense.

I made the solar filter from the Thousand Oaks Optical film.

To fill the K-1 sensor to the edges (vertically), a focal length of about 2750mm is required. You don't need or want to go that far. I've used a 400mm lens with a 3x FL converter but a telescope is your best bet. A good lens at 1200mm will beat a poor one at 2400mm. The size of your telescope (4 inch versus 8 inch) won't particularly matter if the optical quality is good. Use your auto guider - it should track the sun just fine for the eclipse.

With the current set up on the C-90, I get an image that is nominal in size, see attached image of the moon.

I would use manual mode and the histogram to set the exposure. With the telescope, you'll have a fixed aperture so the exposure will be set using shutter speed (and ISO). Set the top right function dial to ISO so you can change the ISO if needed with the top adj dial. The front adj dial will set shutter speed. Use your remote or timer to reduce vibrations when setting off the shutter (remote with live view is probably best for everything though you might need some shading to see the LCD clearly prior to totality). No shake reduction needed nor can it be used with your telescope so - OFF.

What should the histogram look like for the partial and full? It seemed to me that it was clipping both the light and dark when taking test shots of the sun with the solar filter on of course. I like your idea of setting the top function dial to ISO. What ISO settings do you expect for partial and then total?

Practice on the regular sun with your filter in place. Use live-view with magnification to focus (push the enter button and then the rear dial for magnification). You should see some solar granulation which is a good goal for focusing (try focus peaking also to see if it helps). Since this phase is so contrasty, I wouldn't worry about the exposure too much - no HDR, no expanded dynamic range, no AA filter, no auto bracketing. Just try a few manual shutter speed changes and see what you get - PRACTICE! You'll be an expert in short order for the non-totality part and you have plenty of time to make exposure adjustments for this phase of the eclipse (boooringgggg).

I assume that you are talking about the OK button and thanks because I did not realize that I could do that. Focusing is somewhat tricky as the image of the sun in live view doesn't seem to be the same as the image taken. I have been thinking about taking some preliminary shots and copying them to either my iPad or Android phone to check the focus. I noticed that as I get close to focus that parts of the subject have a sort of halo around them when using the live view and that is new to me, but I assume that is what you are referring to as focus peaking?

Totality is another story. Your filter comes off (not before totality and get it back on before the end of totality!!!) and manual exposure should work best again once you get the right point using the histogram. I would definitely bracket this phase of the eclipse with about 5 or more brackets 2EV apart. You want to go over and under to catch the details (some photos I've seen, show the craters on the moon's dark side facing us). It assures you will have plenty of exposures to work with (but maybe you'll only use the best one), and you can incorporate them in an HDR later. The corona is quite bright so underexpose to catch its inner details, though overexposure is needed for its extreme edges. The focus won't change from what you used prior to totality, so don't worry about that unless you bump the focus by accident (maybe check it once to be sure). For totality, you want something considerably less than 2400mm (maybe half to one tenth that -maybe a regular telephoto lens) since the corona will extend from the sun a long distance, and you want to capture it all.

Is there an expected ISO change from partial to full? I assume that the aperture should not be changed as that would affect the depth of field?

Practice on a distant street lamp at twilight and try to get the lamp details, and the background using bracketing. That should give you a taste and some ideas of what to do.

No composition adjust, no digital filter, no custom image. Keep it SIMPLE! 2 Minutes and counting...........

Basically, manual exposure - find the best histogram, click-click (2EV) below that, again, again, click-click (2EV) above best histogram, again, again using shutter speed . Pause each time to let vibrations stop (use a remote release so you don't have to touch the telescope or camera), watching through live-view. Done!

NOW - (get that solar filter back on or it's ADIOS K-1) and take in the event!!!!! Don't pass this once in a lifetime chance up with too much time at the camera.

One other note - have a good pair of binoculars with removable solar filters to take a closer peak yourself. Use some caution with the filtering and Good luck!

What a great reply, very thorough. Sounds like you have done this before. What has been somewhat confusing is that some of the articles say to keep the ISO the same throughout and another writer suggested a target shutter speed around 1/500 to help eliminate heat signatures.

Switching from my telescope to a telephoto for the total will not be possible due to the time involved.

This is really good advice and I am hoping to indeed practice before, because nearly everyone has said to not miss watching the eclipse while messing with the camera. One expert even said to those first timers to leave the camera alone and just watch. Hopefully it will not interfere with the once in a life time event.

Attached Images

**Bob 256** · 07-11-2017, 02:54 PM

I would try to keep the ISO as low as possible (but settle with 200 as the lowest) so as to reduce noise in the image. You can experiment with that as well on the sun with your filter (for the partial phase). I would allow high shutter speed but if you find your ISO going 1600 or higher, begin lowering the shutter speed. Thermal effects will be minimal and with high ISOs, you'll find image noise more objectionable. Changing the ISO is no problem but again, give lower values preference if possible.

For totality, the same applies. You'll probably find the shutter speed going to pretty long values, especially for the lower bracket exposures, but again, I wouldn't worry that much as long as your mount is steady and you have the astro drive working. Be sure to wait after you reset the bracket value for vibrations to die out (about 5 seconds) before you take the shot and be careful not to move the telescope when you change the shutter speed (check the LCD in live view (which you should be using). Don't change the ISO for bracketing - use shutter speed, but feel free to vary the ISO when setting up the shot for the center bracket exposure.

You might see if you can lay your hands on a second camera to use with a lens. That way you don't need to bother your main setup, and you can get a few shots with a camera lens - always nice to have environment shots because of the shadow cone and the ambiance during totality (leaving a small video camera running is another idea).

In your practice, keep a watch on the time. It really is more important to take in the event but some photos are nice to have as a remembrance.
If nothing else, take one or two shots and then enjoy.

There is another US eclipse in 2024 so it's not the last opportunity but it's the only opportunity for the "Great American Eclipse" of 2017.

Good moon shot - the sun image will be almost identical in size as the moon for reference. Another target to practice on

wings · 07-11-2017, 04:08 PM

Okay, I need to start rehearsing what you have suggested. Sounds like a plan and thanks for the good advice. I hope others who might be planning this and looking for similar information will read your recommendations.

Thanks very much. I took the full frame image of the moon to get an idea of the image size of the sun, thanks.

kokol · 07-17-2017, 10:24 AM

I took the two shots below during the 2012 eclipse in Australia.
Both are single frame, with no HDR or exposure blending.
I was using a solar filter to take shots pre-totality, first to take shots of the eclipse of course, but most importantly to make sure that I was getting the focus right. I took the solar filter out shortly before the totality. I then kept on shooting during the totality, using a remote control. I did not change the settings much as I also wanted to enjoy the eclipse with my own eyes. I still ended up taking about 150 shots in 3 minutes.

The shot showing the "diamond ring" phenomenon was taken at 1/60s, f/8.0, iso 200.
The shot with the corolla was taken at 1/15s, f/8.0, iso 200.

Camera: K-5
Lens: Sigma 100-300mm f/4.0, at 300mm, with TC x1.4. The two pictures are cropped a bit, but not much, and the focal length of 420mm on APS-C was great.
Setting modes: RAW!!! Please don't use JPEG. Manual exposure. Bracketting, with 5 exposures 2EV. Noise Reduction Off.
The settings of the base exposure changed a bit, from 1/30s to 1/250s (f/8 and iso 200) based on the first results.
When going through all my pictures now, I will probably use a base exposure time of 1/200s, f/8.0, iso 400 and use the same approach, with a remote control which I keep on pressing during totality. Fortunately in 2012 there was no wind, the shake reduction worked very well, and my pictures are sharp, but exposure times of 1/60s to 1/15s are a bit slow for this focal length.

Feel free to ask if you have any questions.
I'm very happy with these shots, and don't think I can do better for the upcoming eclipse. But I'll be flying to the US to enjoy the show. Oregon and Washington here I come! :-)

Attached Images

View Picture EXIF

View Picture EXIF

**Bob 256** · 07-17-2017, 01:05 PM

Great shots and great exposure information. That will help many who are reading here to anticipate exposures for the main event. Were you using a guided mount to keep the image centered or did you adjust by hand each time? Good wishes for the August eclipse! Two great states to visit and explore when the eclipse is over.

kokol · 07-17-2017, 10:01 PM

Good point. I did not have a guided mount and was using a regular tripod. Based on the framing of my pictures, I have apparently adjusted the mount once during totality. A guided mount would of course help but is not essential.

jeantree · 07-22-2017, 01:24 PM

Originally posted by kokol

I took the two shots below during the 2012 eclipse in Australia.
Both are single frame, with no HDR or exposure blending.
I was using a solar filter to take shots pre-totality, first to take shots of the eclipse of course, but most importantly to make sure that I was getting the focus right. I took the solar filter out shortly before the totality. I then kept on shooting during the totality, using a remote control. I did not change the settings much as I also wanted to enjoy the eclipse with my own eyes. I still ended up taking about 150 shots in 3 minutes.

The shot showing the "diamond ring" phenomenon was taken at 1/60s, f/8.0, iso 200.
The shot with the corolla was taken at 1/15s, f/8.0, iso 200.

Camera: K-5
Lens: Sigma 100-300mm f/4.0, at 300mm, with TC x1.4. The two pictures are cropped a bit, but not much, and the focal length of 420mm on APS-C was great.
Setting modes: RAW!!! Please don't use JPEG. Manual exposure. Bracketting, with 5 exposures 2EV. Noise Reduction Off.
The settings of the base exposure changed a bit, from 1/30s to 1/250s (f/8 and iso 200) based on the first results.
When going through all my pictures now, I will probably use a base exposure time of 1/200s, f/8.0, iso 400 and use the same approach, with a remote control which I keep on pressing during totality. Fortunately in 2012 there was no wind, the shake reduction worked very well, and my pictures are sharp, but exposure times of 1/60s to 1/15s are a bit slow for this focal length.

Feel free to ask if you have any questions.
I'm very happy with these shots, and don't think I can do better for the upcoming eclipse. But I'll be flying to the US to enjoy the show. Oregon and Washington here I come! :-)

I've always been told to turn the shake reduction off when on a tripod, since it can actually cause blur.

**Bob 256** · 07-22-2017, 02:03 PM

I've also heard that, and in fact it can happen when an anti-shake servo "hunts" because of the very small error signal, but recently I shot some 500mm tripod shots with my K-1 (anti-shake on) and couldn't see any evidence of reduction in image sharpness. I did however, shoot some earlier shots on a tripod with SR on, and thought I saw some blurring I attributed to it though I had no comparison photos to substantiate that. Later, I saw something similar with SR off, so assumed the blurring was do to bad focus or some other factor.

It's probably best to turn it off with a tripod and not take any chances. If the tripod is doing its job and you've taken care not to touch the camera or tripod prior to the exposure, you shouldn't need shake reduction anyway. Also be sure you're on solid ground and there's no motion nearby, because vibrations can be carried through the ground and amplified by the tripod in certain cases. Best take your 6" concrete slab with you for those long tele shots

wanderer2 · 07-24-2017, 08:04 PM

Originally posted by Bob 256

There are two basic phases of the eclipse - totality and everything else.

For the time leading up to totality and after, you probably want to get in close on the sun. I would use full-frame. Cropping in camera will not increase the resolution and that can always be done later. Before we get too far along, take special note: this phase of the eclipse can damage your eyes, your telescope, and your camera if proper filtering is not used! Whatever lens or telescope you choose, it needs a good solar filter in place before you even begin to use it (Thousand Oaks Optical is one source for solar filters). If you get a good fairly bright image looking through the telescope, that filter should work fine with the K-1. If the image is really dark, you might want a filter designed for photographic use which isn't as dense.

To fill the K-1 sensor to the edges (vertically), a focal length of about 2750mm is required. You don't need or want to go that far. I've used a 400mm lens with a 3x FL converter but a telescope is your best bet. A good lens at 1200mm will beat a poor one at 2400mm. The size of your telescope (4 inch versus 8 inch) won't particularly matter if the optical quality is good. Use your auto guider - it should track the sun just fine for the eclipse.

I would use manual mode and the histogram to set the exposure. With the telescope, you'll have a fixed aperture so the exposure will be set using shutter speed (and ISO). Set the top right function dial to ISO so you can change the ISO if needed with the top adj dial. The front adj dial will set shutter speed. Use your remote or timer to reduce vibrations when setting off the shutter (remote with live view is probably best for everything though you might need some shading to see the LCD clearly prior to totality). No shake reduction needed nor can it be used with your telescope so - OFF.

Practice on the regular sun with your filter in place. Use live-view with magnification to focus (push the enter button and then the rear dial for magnification). You should see some solar granulation which is a good goal for focusing (try focus peaking also to see if it helps). Since this phase is so contrasty, I wouldn't worry about the exposure too much - no HDR, no expanded dynamic range, no AA filter, no auto bracketing. Just try a few manual shutter speed changes and see what you get - PRACTICE! You'll be an expert in short order for the non-totality part and you have plenty of time to make exposure adjustments for this phase of the eclipse (boooringgggg).

Totality is another story. Your filter comes off (not before totality and get it back on before the end of totality!!!) and manual exposure should work best again once you get the right point using the histogram. I would definitely bracket this phase of the eclipse with about 5 or more brackets 2EV apart. You want to go over and under to catch the details (some photos I've seen, show the craters on the moon's dark side facing us). It assures you will have plenty of exposures to work with (but maybe you'll only use the best one), and you can incorporate them in an HDR later. The corona is quite bright so underexpose to catch its inner details, though overexposure is needed for its extreme edges. The focus won't change from what you used prior to totality, so don't worry about that unless you bump the focus by accident (maybe check it once to be sure). For totality, you want something considerably less than 2400mm (maybe half to one tenth that -maybe a regular telephoto lens) since the corona will extend from the sun a long distance, and you want to capture it all.

Practice on a distant street lamp at twilight and try to get the lamp details, and the background using bracketing. That should give you a taste and some ideas of what to do.

No composition adjust, no digital filter, no custom image. Keep it SIMPLE! 2 Minutes and counting...........

Basically, manual exposure - find the best histogram, click-click (2EV) below that, again, again, click-click (2EV) above best histogram, again, again using shutter speed . Pause each time to let vibrations stop (use a remote release so you don't have to touch the telescope or camera), watching through live-view. Done!

NOW - (get that solar filter back on or it's ADIOS K-1) and take in the event!!!!! Don't pass this once in a lifetime chance up with too much time at the camera.

One other note - have a good pair of binoculars with removable solar filters to take a closer peak yourself. Use some caution with the filtering and Good luck!

Bob, you recommend a telescope on the camera over a lens. Do you have any specific recommendations for a telescope? Price is a consideration, especially since this will be a one time use. This will be for a K-1 which I would think would allow a substantial amount of cropping.
Thanks.

**K(s)evin** · 07-25-2017, 01:38 AM

Will the Astrotracer track the sun as it does with other heavenly bodies? It would come in very handy for bracketing shots during totality!

**Bob 256** · 07-25-2017, 06:51 AM

Originally posted by wanderer2

Bob, you recommend a telescope on the camera over a lens. Do you have any specific recommendations for a telescope? Price is a consideration, especially since this will be a one time use. This will be for a K-1 which I would think would allow a substantial amount of cropping.
Thanks.

A good lens would probably be better than or the equivalent of a telescope. Telescopes (particularly reflecting scopes) tend to have less contrast and may have more aberrations but on a cost basis, you can get a longer focal length for less money in a telescope. Most telescopes are higher f numbers so lenses tend to be faster and may be better at totality. Some higher priced refractors can have better performance than a camera lens but they are quite pricey.

I looked at the low cost Maksutov lenses (mirror optics) on B&H as a possible backup - they are around 500mm and as low as $95US. Their limitation is fixed aperture at around f8 but that's not a limitation for solar photography (though not the best for totality). Also, they are easily fitted for a solar filter. Another limitation might be image quality since most of these are not the best optics on the planet - I haven't any personal experience with one so I can't state how good they are but the K-1 would probably exceed their resolution capability - a cheap lens to consider in the right focal length ballpark though.

If you want to take a look at telescopes, I would recommend the Orion site (telescope.com) or Celestron. Orion offers low cost scopes and Celestron some higher end ones (Orion does also$$). You don't need a large aperture scope so even a 4 inch would work for the eclipse. Don't go too high in focal length or you'll lose out on the corona during totality.

Another consideration is a telescope will require a specialized mount since most won't mount on a regular tripod mounting so you may need to include a mount or adapter for a scope.

---------- Post added 07-25-2017 at 08:02 AM ----------

Originally posted by K(s)evin

Will the Astrotracer track the sun as it does with other heavenly bodies? It would come in very handy for bracketing shots during totality!

I'm not sure if you can bracket using the Astrotracer. It should work but in my own opinion, I wouldn't trust it for this one time event. If it decides not to work quite right, you won't have enough time to do anything else.

You should be fine during the partial phases with a static (non-tracking shot), and that will probably work during totality as well though you may need to boost ISO to keep the shutter speed in a usable range. The advantage of tracking is primarily so you are freed from having to move the camera or telescope to keep the sun in view. That's best applied over long term (throughout the 2 hour event) and the Astrotracer won't work that long in any case. For example, I have a camcorder which I want to use from the beginning to end of the entire eclipse - that's an application for tracking. Most of my other shots will be on a tripod.

To answer your question, however, yes the Astrotracer will track the sun (and the moon) since their motion is almost (but not quite) the same as the stars and the K-1 doesn't know if it's daytime or night when you use it, but I wouldn't use it in this case.

wanderer2 · 07-25-2017, 08:41 AM

Thanks Bob. I looked on B&H and didn't find any lenses labled Matsukov but did find several f8 fixed aperture 500 mm mirror lenses with different brand names. I assume that's what you meant.

On Amazon and B&H I also found many non-mirror f8 - 32 manual lenses in 500 mm and several of these include a doubler for 1000mm reach for a bit less than $100. A description is below (I assume these are all made by the same manufacturer). These would seem ideal for the eclipse but I wonder about the IQ. When a 500 mm standard type lens from Sigma, etc. costs $5-6000 it's difficult to imagine a $90 lens would provide much quality. I'm not knowledgeable about optics and have no idea what "catadioptic mirror lens" or " achromatic refractor design" mean. The description:

"This is a 500mm / 1000mm f/8 Manual Focus Lens is a classic refractor-style T-mount lens, with an aperture diaphragm in the middle of the lens body to stop down the aperture when necessary. However, it is assumed that much of the shooting with such a lens will be at its maximum f/8.0 aperture, with a tripod, monopod, or other such support. The included 2x doubler converts this 500mm lens into a 1000mm.
This lens' sophisticated achromatic refractor design yields images with pleasing peak contrast and well controlled flare. It can be used at maximum aperture on a very bright day for some images of moving subjects.
- Achromatic refractor 500mm f/8 lens in T-mount
- Multicoated optics
- Knurled focus ring to the front of the lens
- Accepts 67mm filters on the front of the lens
- Fixed tripod collar"

I know you said you don't have any personal experience with such a lens but, given the design of these lenses do you think either of these lens types might give decent IQ, or at least IQ comparable to a telescope?

I've never done any astrophotography and I greatly appreciate your input on this. Thanks.

07-10-2017, 10:42 AM	#1
wings Senior Member Join Date: May 2017 Posts: 209	Settings on K-1 for the eclipse I am appealing to the experts on the recommended settings on the K-1 for photographing the eclipse. I recently purchased the K-1 to replace my Spotmatic, which I pointed out when I introduced myself to this forum. Things have changed. There are settings in the K-1 that I have become familiar with and some that are not so familiar. I will be going to the Carbondale, Illinois area during the upcoming eclipse and have a pretty good idea on the basic settings, however I am discovering that there are differences expressed by experts, but they are generally similar. Perhaps some of you have experience in this regard. If interested, here is a good article about it. Okay, here are the settings that I am uncertain about: 1 - Program LIne 2 - LV Electronic Shutter, there is nothing about this in the manual 3 - D-Range Settings 4 - Noise Reduction, most of the experts indicate to turn this off 5 - Clarity 6 - HDR Capture, I assume that it would be better to post process instead? 7 - Pixel Shift Resolution 8 - AA Filter Simulator 9 - Shake reduction, makes sense, but what affect does it have on capturing the details such as corona 10 - Composition Adjust 11 - Custom Image, I assume leave in auto? The manual does not go into detail about these selections, which also have parameters that you can change within each selection. 12 - Using camera's bracketing, but unsure of the amount to use, example +-1.0 etc.? 13 - Also, not sure about what AE Metering selection to use. 14 - I will probably be using my Celestron C-90 which is 1000mm at f11, which has a removable solar filter. It is somewhat difficult to focus, but should provide a good image, however since this is not a FF lens as such I am not sure if selecting APS-C would produce a better image. Does a FF image through a non-FF lens produce the same image if it is manually cropped? In other words, if I took a cropped image and then a FF image of the same object and then cropped it to match, would the quality of the image be the same? I will be using a remote shutter release and Manual mode. Most say to use the Daylight WB. I will also be using a tracking unit, the Sky Adventurer. Things happen pretty fast during the eclipse and this will be the first time that I will be photographing it. I was planning on using the recommended shutter and f-stop for the different phases and bracketing, perhaps using the live view for pre-viewing only. I apologize for these basic questions, but perhaps there might be others who are wondering about the same questions. Best wishes.

07-10-2017, 01:51 PM - 1 Like	#3
Bob 256 Site Supporter Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Idaho Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,375	There are two basic phases of the eclipse - totality and everything else. For the time leading up to totality and after, you probably want to get in close on the sun. I would use full-frame. Cropping in camera will not increase the resolution and that can always be done later. Before we get too far along, take special note: this phase of the eclipse can damage your eyes, your telescope, and your camera if proper filtering is not used! Whatever lens or telescope you choose, it needs a good solar filter in place before you even begin to use it (Thousand Oaks Optical is one source for solar filters). If you get a good fairly bright image looking through the telescope, that filter should work fine with the K-1. If the image is really dark, you might want a filter designed for photographic use which isn't as dense. To fill the K-1 sensor to the edges (vertically), a focal length of about 2750mm is required. You don't need or want to go that far. I've used a 400mm lens with a 3x FL converter but a telescope is your best bet. A good lens at 1200mm will beat a poor one at 2400mm. The size of your telescope (4 inch versus 8 inch) won't particularly matter if the optical quality is good. Use your auto guider - it should track the sun just fine for the eclipse. I would use manual mode and the histogram to set the exposure. With the telescope, you'll have a fixed aperture so the exposure will be set using shutter speed (and ISO). Set the top right function dial to ISO so you can change the ISO if needed with the top adj dial. The front adj dial will set shutter speed. Use your remote or timer to reduce vibrations when setting off the shutter (remote with live view is probably best for everything though you might need some shading to see the LCD clearly prior to totality). No shake reduction needed nor can it be used with your telescope so - OFF. Practice on the regular sun with your filter in place. Use live-view with magnification to focus (push the enter button and then the rear dial for magnification). You should see some solar granulation which is a good goal for focusing (try focus peaking also to see if it helps). Since this phase is so contrasty, I wouldn't worry about the exposure too much - no HDR, no expanded dynamic range, no AA filter, no auto bracketing. Just try a few manual shutter speed changes and see what you get - PRACTICE! You'll be an expert in short order for the non-totality part and you have plenty of time to make exposure adjustments for this phase of the eclipse (boooringgggg). Totality is another story. Your filter comes off (not before totality and get it back on before the end of totality!!!) and manual exposure should work best again once you get the right point using the histogram. I would definitely bracket this phase of the eclipse with about 5 or more brackets 2EV apart. You want to go over and under to catch the details (some photos I've seen, show the craters on the moon's dark side facing us). It assures you will have plenty of exposures to work with (but maybe you'll only use the best one), and you can incorporate them in an HDR later. The corona is quite bright so underexpose to catch its inner details, though overexposure is needed for its extreme edges. The focus won't change from what you used prior to totality, so don't worry about that unless you bump the focus by accident (maybe check it once to be sure). For totality, you want something considerably less than 2400mm (maybe half to one tenth that -maybe a regular telephoto lens) since the corona will extend from the sun a long distance, and you want to capture it all. Practice on a distant street lamp at twilight and try to get the lamp details, and the background using bracketing. That should give you a taste and some ideas of what to do. No composition adjust, no digital filter, no custom image. Keep it SIMPLE! 2 Minutes and counting........... Basically, manual exposure - find the best histogram, click-click (2EV) below that, again, again, click-click (2EV) above best histogram, again, again using shutter speed . Pause each time to let vibrations stop (use a remote release so you don't have to touch the telescope or camera), watching through live-view. Done! NOW - (get that solar filter back on or it's ADIOS K-1) and take in the event!!!!! Don't pass this once in a lifetime chance up with too much time at the camera. One other note - have a good pair of binoculars with removable solar filters to take a closer peak yourself. Use some caution with the filtering and Good luck! Last edited by Bob 256; 07-10-2017 at 02:04 PM.

07-11-2017, 04:08 PM	#6
wings Senior Member Join Date: May 2017 Posts: 209 Original Poster	Eclipse camera settings Okay, I need to start rehearsing what you have suggested. Sounds like a plan and thanks for the good advice. I hope others who might be planning this and looking for similar information will read your recommendations. Thanks very much. I took the full frame image of the moon to get an idea of the image size of the sun, thanks.

07-25-2017, 06:51 AM	#14
Bob 256 Site Supporter Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Idaho Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,375	Originally posted by wanderer2 Bob, you recommend a telescope on the camera over a lens. Do you have any specific recommendations for a telescope? Price is a consideration, especially since this will be a one time use. This will be for a K-1 which I would think would allow a substantial amount of cropping. Thanks. A good lens would probably be better than or the equivalent of a telescope. Telescopes (particularly reflecting scopes) tend to have less contrast and may have more aberrations but on a cost basis, you can get a longer focal length for less money in a telescope. Most telescopes are higher f numbers so lenses tend to be faster and may be better at totality. Some higher priced refractors can have better performance than a camera lens but they are quite pricey. I looked at the low cost Maksutov lenses (mirror optics) on B&H as a possible backup - they are around 500mm and as low as $95US. Their limitation is fixed aperture at around f8 but that's not a limitation for solar photography (though not the best for totality). Also, they are easily fitted for a solar filter. Another limitation might be image quality since most of these are not the best optics on the planet - I haven't any personal experience with one so I can't state how good they are but the K-1 would probably exceed their resolution capability - a cheap lens to consider in the right focal length ballpark though. If you want to take a look at telescopes, I would recommend the Orion site (telescope.com) or Celestron. Orion offers low cost scopes and Celestron some higher end ones (Orion does also$$). You don't need a large aperture scope so even a 4 inch would work for the eclipse. Don't go too high in focal length or you'll lose out on the corona during totality. Another consideration is a telescope will require a specialized mount since most won't mount on a regular tripod mounting so you may need to include a mount or adapter for a scope. ---------- Post added 07-25-2017 at 08:02 AM ---------- Originally posted by K(s)evin Will the Astrotracer track the sun as it does with other heavenly bodies? It would come in very handy for bracketing shots during totality! I'm not sure if you can bracket using the Astrotracer. It should work but in my own opinion, I wouldn't trust it for this one time event. If it decides not to work quite right, you won't have enough time to do anything else. You should be fine during the partial phases with a static (non-tracking shot), and that will probably work during totality as well though you may need to boost ISO to keep the shutter speed in a usable range. The advantage of tracking is primarily so you are freed from having to move the camera or telescope to keep the sun in view. That's best applied over long term (throughout the 2 hour event) and the Astrotracer won't work that long in any case. For example, I have a camcorder which I want to use from the beginning to end of the entire eclipse - that's an application for tracking. Most of my other shots will be on a tripod. To answer your question, however, yes the Astrotracer will track the sun (and the moon) since their motion is almost (but not quite) the same as the stars and the K-1 doesn't know if it's daytime or night when you use it, but I wouldn't use it in this case. Last edited by Bob 256; 07-25-2017 at 07:10 AM.

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07-10-2017, 10:50 AM	#2
timw4mail Pentaxian Join Date: Apr 2017 Location: Driving a Mirage Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,670	14 - use full frame, and crop in post-production. Chances are you will get a larger usable resolution than with crop mode. Crop mode automatically crops the image to a certain resolution, but the usable image circle varies from lens to lens. Some lenses you throw away a lot for no reason in crop mode. For example, the kit 18-55mm lens is pretty usable until you get to 18mm. Just play around with it to see.

07-11-2017, 08:32 AM	#4
wings Senior Member Join Date: May 2017 Posts: 209 Original Poster	Thanks for your very thorough answer. Originally posted by Bob 256 There are two basic phases of the eclipse - totality and everything else. For the time leading up to totality and after, you probably want to get in close on the sun. I would use full-frame. Cropping in camera will not increase the resolution and that can always be done later. Before we get too far along, take special note: this phase of the eclipse can damage your eyes, your telescope, and your camera if proper filtering is not used! Whatever lens or telescope you choose, it needs a good solar filter in place before you even begin to use it (Thousand Oaks Optical is one source for solar filters). If you get a good fairly bright image looking through the telescope, that filter should work fine with the K-1. If the image is really dark, you might want a filter designed for photographic use which isn't as dense. I made the solar filter from the Thousand Oaks Optical film. To fill the K-1 sensor to the edges (vertically), a focal length of about 2750mm is required. You don't need or want to go that far. I've used a 400mm lens with a 3x FL converter but a telescope is your best bet. A good lens at 1200mm will beat a poor one at 2400mm. The size of your telescope (4 inch versus 8 inch) won't particularly matter if the optical quality is good. Use your auto guider - it should track the sun just fine for the eclipse. With the current set up on the C-90, I get an image that is nominal in size, see attached image of the moon. I would use manual mode and the histogram to set the exposure. With the telescope, you'll have a fixed aperture so the exposure will be set using shutter speed (and ISO). Set the top right function dial to ISO so you can change the ISO if needed with the top adj dial. The front adj dial will set shutter speed. Use your remote or timer to reduce vibrations when setting off the shutter (remote with live view is probably best for everything though you might need some shading to see the LCD clearly prior to totality). No shake reduction needed nor can it be used with your telescope so - OFF. What should the histogram look like for the partial and full? It seemed to me that it was clipping both the light and dark when taking test shots of the sun with the solar filter on of course. I like your idea of setting the top function dial to ISO. What ISO settings do you expect for partial and then total? Practice on the regular sun with your filter in place. Use live-view with magnification to focus (push the enter button and then the rear dial for magnification). You should see some solar granulation which is a good goal for focusing (try focus peaking also to see if it helps). Since this phase is so contrasty, I wouldn't worry about the exposure too much - no HDR, no expanded dynamic range, no AA filter, no auto bracketing. Just try a few manual shutter speed changes and see what you get - PRACTICE! You'll be an expert in short order for the non-totality part and you have plenty of time to make exposure adjustments for this phase of the eclipse (boooringgggg). I assume that you are talking about the OK button and thanks because I did not realize that I could do that. Focusing is somewhat tricky as the image of the sun in live view doesn't seem to be the same as the image taken. I have been thinking about taking some preliminary shots and copying them to either my iPad or Android phone to check the focus. I noticed that as I get close to focus that parts of the subject have a sort of halo around them when using the live view and that is new to me, but I assume that is what you are referring to as focus peaking? Totality is another story. Your filter comes off (not before totality and get it back on before the end of totality!!!) and manual exposure should work best again once you get the right point using the histogram. I would definitely bracket this phase of the eclipse with about 5 or more brackets 2EV apart. You want to go over and under to catch the details (some photos I've seen, show the craters on the moon's dark side facing us). It assures you will have plenty of exposures to work with (but maybe you'll only use the best one), and you can incorporate them in an HDR later. The corona is quite bright so underexpose to catch its inner details, though overexposure is needed for its extreme edges. The focus won't change from what you used prior to totality, so don't worry about that unless you bump the focus by accident (maybe check it once to be sure). For totality, you want something considerably less than 2400mm (maybe half to one tenth that -maybe a regular telephoto lens) since the corona will extend from the sun a long distance, and you want to capture it all. Is there an expected ISO change from partial to full? I assume that the aperture should not be changed as that would affect the depth of field? Practice on a distant street lamp at twilight and try to get the lamp details, and the background using bracketing. That should give you a taste and some ideas of what to do. No composition adjust, no digital filter, no custom image. Keep it SIMPLE! 2 Minutes and counting........... Basically, manual exposure - find the best histogram, click-click (2EV) below that, again, again, click-click (2EV) above best histogram, again, again using shutter speed . Pause each time to let vibrations stop (use a remote release so you don't have to touch the telescope or camera), watching through live-view. Done! NOW - (get that solar filter back on or it's ADIOS K-1) and take in the event!!!!! Don't pass this once in a lifetime chance up with too much time at the camera. One other note - have a good pair of binoculars with removable solar filters to take a closer peak yourself. Use some caution with the filtering and Good luck! What a great reply, very thorough. Sounds like you have done this before. What has been somewhat confusing is that some of the articles say to keep the ISO the same throughout and another writer suggested a target shutter speed around 1/500 to help eliminate heat signatures. Switching from my telescope to a telephoto for the total will not be possible due to the time involved. This is really good advice and I am hoping to indeed practice before, because nearly everyone has said to not miss watching the eclipse while messing with the camera. One expert even said to those first timers to leave the camera alone and just watch. Hopefully it will not interfere with the once in a life time event. Attached Images

07-11-2017, 02:54 PM	#5
Bob 256 Site Supporter Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Idaho Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,375	I would try to keep the ISO as low as possible (but settle with 200 as the lowest) so as to reduce noise in the image. You can experiment with that as well on the sun with your filter (for the partial phase). I would allow high shutter speed but if you find your ISO going 1600 or higher, begin lowering the shutter speed. Thermal effects will be minimal and with high ISOs, you'll find image noise more objectionable. Changing the ISO is no problem but again, give lower values preference if possible. For totality, the same applies. You'll probably find the shutter speed going to pretty long values, especially for the lower bracket exposures, but again, I wouldn't worry that much as long as your mount is steady and you have the astro drive working. Be sure to wait after you reset the bracket value for vibrations to die out (about 5 seconds) before you take the shot and be careful not to move the telescope when you change the shutter speed (check the LCD in live view (which you should be using). Don't change the ISO for bracketing - use shutter speed, but feel free to vary the ISO when setting up the shot for the center bracket exposure. You might see if you can lay your hands on a second camera to use with a lens. That way you don't need to bother your main setup, and you can get a few shots with a camera lens - always nice to have environment shots because of the shadow cone and the ambiance during totality (leaving a small video camera running is another idea). In your practice, keep a watch on the time. It really is more important to take in the event but some photos are nice to have as a remembrance. If nothing else, take one or two shots and then enjoy. There is another US eclipse in 2024 so it's not the last opportunity but it's the only opportunity for the "Great American Eclipse" of 2017. Good moon shot - the sun image will be almost identical in size as the moon for reference. Another target to practice on

07-17-2017, 01:05 PM	#8
Bob 256 Site Supporter Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Idaho Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,375	Great shots and great exposure information. That will help many who are reading here to anticipate exposures for the main event. Were you using a guided mount to keep the image centered or did you adjust by hand each time? Good wishes for the August eclipse! Two great states to visit and explore when the eclipse is over.

07-17-2017, 10:01 PM	#9
kokol New Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Manila Posts: 18	Good point. I did not have a guided mount and was using a regular tripod. Based on the framing of my pictures, I have apparently adjusted the mount once during totality. A guided mount would of course help but is not essential.

07-22-2017, 01:24 PM	#10
jeantree Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Missouri Photos: Gallery Posts: 221	Originally posted by kokol I took the two shots below during the 2012 eclipse in Australia. Both are single frame, with no HDR or exposure blending. I was using a solar filter to take shots pre-totality, first to take shots of the eclipse of course, but most importantly to make sure that I was getting the focus right. I took the solar filter out shortly before the totality. I then kept on shooting during the totality, using a remote control. I did not change the settings much as I also wanted to enjoy the eclipse with my own eyes. I still ended up taking about 150 shots in 3 minutes. The shot showing the "diamond ring" phenomenon was taken at 1/60s, f/8.0, iso 200. The shot with the corolla was taken at 1/15s, f/8.0, iso 200. Camera: K-5 Lens: Sigma 100-300mm f/4.0, at 300mm, with TC x1.4. The two pictures are cropped a bit, but not much, and the focal length of 420mm on APS-C was great. Setting modes: RAW!!! Please don't use JPEG. Manual exposure. Bracketting, with 5 exposures 2EV. Noise Reduction Off. The settings of the base exposure changed a bit, from 1/30s to 1/250s (f/8 and iso 200) based on the first results. When going through all my pictures now, I will probably use a base exposure time of 1/200s, f/8.0, iso 400 and use the same approach, with a remote control which I keep on pressing during totality. Fortunately in 2012 there was no wind, the shake reduction worked very well, and my pictures are sharp, but exposure times of 1/60s to 1/15s are a bit slow for this focal length. Feel free to ask if you have any questions. I'm very happy with these shots, and don't think I can do better for the upcoming eclipse. But I'll be flying to the US to enjoy the show. Oregon and Washington here I come! :-) I've always been told to turn the shake reduction off when on a tripod, since it can actually cause blur.

07-22-2017, 02:03 PM	#11
Bob 256 Site Supporter Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Idaho Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,375	I've also heard that, and in fact it can happen when an anti-shake servo "hunts" because of the very small error signal, but recently I shot some 500mm tripod shots with my K-1 (anti-shake on) and couldn't see any evidence of reduction in image sharpness. I did however, shoot some earlier shots on a tripod with SR on, and thought I saw some blurring I attributed to it though I had no comparison photos to substantiate that. Later, I saw something similar with SR off, so assumed the blurring was do to bad focus or some other factor. It's probably best to turn it off with a tripod and not take any chances. If the tripod is doing its job and you've taken care not to touch the camera or tripod prior to the exposure, you shouldn't need shake reduction anyway. Also be sure you're on solid ground and there's no motion nearby, because vibrations can be carried through the ground and amplified by the tripod in certain cases. Best take your 6" concrete slab with you for those long tele shots

07-24-2017, 08:04 PM	#12
wanderer2 Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2016 Posts: 301	Originally posted by Bob 256 There are two basic phases of the eclipse - totality and everything else. For the time leading up to totality and after, you probably want to get in close on the sun. I would use full-frame. Cropping in camera will not increase the resolution and that can always be done later. Before we get too far along, take special note: this phase of the eclipse can damage your eyes, your telescope, and your camera if proper filtering is not used! Whatever lens or telescope you choose, it needs a good solar filter in place before you even begin to use it (Thousand Oaks Optical is one source for solar filters). If you get a good fairly bright image looking through the telescope, that filter should work fine with the K-1. If the image is really dark, you might want a filter designed for photographic use which isn't as dense. To fill the K-1 sensor to the edges (vertically), a focal length of about 2750mm is required. You don't need or want to go that far. I've used a 400mm lens with a 3x FL converter but a telescope is your best bet. A good lens at 1200mm will beat a poor one at 2400mm. The size of your telescope (4 inch versus 8 inch) won't particularly matter if the optical quality is good. Use your auto guider - it should track the sun just fine for the eclipse. I would use manual mode and the histogram to set the exposure. With the telescope, you'll have a fixed aperture so the exposure will be set using shutter speed (and ISO). Set the top right function dial to ISO so you can change the ISO if needed with the top adj dial. The front adj dial will set shutter speed. Use your remote or timer to reduce vibrations when setting off the shutter (remote with live view is probably best for everything though you might need some shading to see the LCD clearly prior to totality). No shake reduction needed nor can it be used with your telescope so - OFF. Practice on the regular sun with your filter in place. Use live-view with magnification to focus (push the enter button and then the rear dial for magnification). You should see some solar granulation which is a good goal for focusing (try focus peaking also to see if it helps). Since this phase is so contrasty, I wouldn't worry about the exposure too much - no HDR, no expanded dynamic range, no AA filter, no auto bracketing. Just try a few manual shutter speed changes and see what you get - PRACTICE! You'll be an expert in short order for the non-totality part and you have plenty of time to make exposure adjustments for this phase of the eclipse (boooringgggg). Totality is another story. Your filter comes off (not before totality and get it back on before the end of totality!!!) and manual exposure should work best again once you get the right point using the histogram. I would definitely bracket this phase of the eclipse with about 5 or more brackets 2EV apart. You want to go over and under to catch the details (some photos I've seen, show the craters on the moon's dark side facing us). It assures you will have plenty of exposures to work with (but maybe you'll only use the best one), and you can incorporate them in an HDR later. The corona is quite bright so underexpose to catch its inner details, though overexposure is needed for its extreme edges. The focus won't change from what you used prior to totality, so don't worry about that unless you bump the focus by accident (maybe check it once to be sure). For totality, you want something considerably less than 2400mm (maybe half to one tenth that -maybe a regular telephoto lens) since the corona will extend from the sun a long distance, and you want to capture it all. Practice on a distant street lamp at twilight and try to get the lamp details, and the background using bracketing. That should give you a taste and some ideas of what to do. No composition adjust, no digital filter, no custom image. Keep it SIMPLE! 2 Minutes and counting........... Basically, manual exposure - find the best histogram, click-click (2EV) below that, again, again, click-click (2EV) above best histogram, again, again using shutter speed . Pause each time to let vibrations stop (use a remote release so you don't have to touch the telescope or camera), watching through live-view. Done! NOW - (get that solar filter back on or it's ADIOS K-1) and take in the event!!!!! Don't pass this once in a lifetime chance up with too much time at the camera. One other note - have a good pair of binoculars with removable solar filters to take a closer peak yourself. Use some caution with the filtering and Good luck! Bob, you recommend a telescope on the camera over a lens. Do you have any specific recommendations for a telescope? Price is a consideration, especially since this will be a one time use. This will be for a K-1 which I would think would allow a substantial amount of cropping. Thanks.

07-25-2017, 01:38 AM	#13
K(s)evin Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Colorado Posts: 476	Will the Astrotracer track the sun as it does with other heavenly bodies? It would come in very handy for bracketing shots during totality!

07-25-2017, 08:41 AM	#15
wanderer2 Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2016 Posts: 301	Thanks Bob. I looked on B&H and didn't find any lenses labled Matsukov but did find several f8 fixed aperture 500 mm mirror lenses with different brand names. I assume that's what you meant. On Amazon and B&H I also found many non-mirror f8 - 32 manual lenses in 500 mm and several of these include a doubler for 1000mm reach for a bit less than $100. A description is below (I assume these are all made by the same manufacturer). These would seem ideal for the eclipse but I wonder about the IQ. When a 500 mm standard type lens from Sigma, etc. costs $5-6000 it's difficult to imagine a $90 lens would provide much quality. I'm not knowledgeable about optics and have no idea what "catadioptic mirror lens" or " achromatic refractor design" mean. The description: "This is a 500mm / 1000mm f/8 Manual Focus Lens is a classic refractor-style T-mount lens, with an aperture diaphragm in the middle of the lens body to stop down the aperture when necessary. However, it is assumed that much of the shooting with such a lens will be at its maximum f/8.0 aperture, with a tripod, monopod, or other such support. The included 2x doubler converts this 500mm lens into a 1000mm. This lens' sophisticated achromatic refractor design yields images with pleasing peak contrast and well controlled flare. It can be used at maximum aperture on a very bright day for some images of moving subjects. - Achromatic refractor 500mm f/8 lens in T-mount - Multicoated optics - Knurled focus ring to the front of the lens - Accepts 67mm filters on the front of the lens - Fixed tripod collar" I know you said you don't have any personal experience with such a lens but, given the design of these lenses do you think either of these lens types might give decent IQ, or at least IQ comparable to a telescope? I've never done any astrophotography and I greatly appreciate your input on this. Thanks.