[radpro]

Hi:

At totality, I understand that I don't need any filter to photograph the sun's corona. I was wondering what filters would work best for photographing the sun before and and after totality? Do I need to worry about destroying my DSLR?

Thanks

Rick

[smigol]

You will need a filter that will dim the light from the sun, plus reject all heat.

Baader sells film that you can cut to fit common filter sizes to put on your lenses.

Baader AstroSolar Solar Filter Film Sheets | Build A White Light Solar Filter

[AstroDave]

Hi:

At totality, I understand that I don't need any filter to photograph the sun's corona. I was wondering what filters would work best for photographing the sun before and and after totality? Do I need to worry about destroying my DSLR?

Thanks

Rick

Yes you do, especially if you focus on the sun without a serious filter - it will burn the sensor.

You need on the order of 13-14 stops of attenuation in FRONT of any lens aimed at the sun if you want to get a decent picture without damaging the camera.

A ND 3.0 filter, where 3.0 means 10 to the 3.0 power (=1000 ~ 10 stops = 1024) is a good place to start. A 4.0 filter (a bit more than 3 more stops) would be better. I have a 3.0 I use, but always with at least a 2x teleconverter, which adds another 2 stops, so I am at 12 stops. I often stack another, and maybe even another, TC, and still have lots of light.

ALWAYS, ALWAYS put filters on the FRONT of any optical system used to view the sun. Some lenses have filters on the back end. If the sun is even partly focused where the filter is, the filter can get very hot and shatter without warning. If you happen to be looking at that instant, your eye can be seriously damaged.

Note that a ND 2, 4, or 8 filter is far from adequate. Filter numbers like this (without the decimal point) mean a factor of 2 or 4 or 8 (1, 2, or 3 stops) in light reduction. This is nowhere near enough for the sun.

During totality, you can remove the filter(s), but be careful to get them back in place as the end of totality nears.

[jimr-pdx]

I have Mylar filters made to fit over my 70mm binoculars. I used these over my camera lenses in 2012 for the annular eclipse in northern California, they worked quite well. I expect the astronomy suppliers are feeling the pinch about now, hard to say if any can be had on time

[Quicksand]

If anyone is TRULY desperate, I have used aluminized mylar emergency blanket material held onto the end of the lens with a rubber band with decent results, e.g. this transit of venus shot from 2012 using a 400mm Tele-Takumar:

[abruzzi]

Yes you do, especially if you focus on the sun without a serious filter - it will burn the sensor.

The question that occurs to me is, it is not uncommon to see landscape shots shooting into the sun, are they all risking their sensor, or are they using an ND that I don't know about? Or something else?

I'm thinking shots like this:



(not mine, just googled for an example)

I'm not close enough to see the full eclipse (I'm in the 50% zone), but I'd love to see full landscape shots with the eclipse. Most photos out there seem to be close ups, but for my taste that type of shot lacks context.

[smigol]

The duration of the exposure for the landscape shot is not long enough to damage the sensor. However, framing the shot will expose the inside of the camera to a buildup of heat. This could cause harm to the shutter or sensor.

See this link for examples of camera damage:
Is it dangerous to take pictures of the sun without any filter? - Photography Stack Exchange

Also, if you intend to show detail on the sun surface, you need to attenuate the light level to have reasonably useful sharpness (f16 and beyond will give diffusion) and shutter speeds.

[imouse]

Hi there Kind Folk,

I'll be near Jackson Hole, WY for the Eclipse and have my Pentax K5 and solar filter from Thousand Oaks. Just looking for good advice for positioning camera to get a good sighting and hope for grand photos.
I have my Solar CE glasses to help me with orienting the camera and, of course, the remote for that magnification. Just wondering if anyone has good feedback for getting the best shots. I fly in August to do this, and have lots of opportunity to practise. Will likely take it out today to practice.

Kind thanks for any comments about best practice.

Jay

[imouse]

Hi Kind Folk,

I am still using my K5 and am trying to find a way to get a shot in practise, but I'm lost in here. I got some good ones of the transit of Venus. But now I don't know what I might be doing wrong.
I remain stymied. I can see the sun through using the flash pop up, and then can point the camera. I leave it off at this point. But, when I try to look through viewfinder I cannot see a thing. I cannot see anything with Live View, nor with the view finder and the filter in place. Not even w/o the filter (I got from Thousand Oaks), and advice to sight the sun first and then turn off the camera and place the filter on.

Just can't seem to get it right.

Any advice?

Thanks, Folk... Still believe I can do this.

Jay

[wanderer2]

I've been researching the same question. There are a very large array of filters available, from simple ones in cardboard that are hand held over the lens to threaded ones that cost in the hundreds of dollars. Amazon and Ebay search for solar eclipse filters will show dozens of possibilities. B&H photo has an excellent discussion of all aspects of photographing the eclipse and another one is at MrEclipse.com. Most sources strongly recommend against using neutral density filters and for certified solar specific filters.

One aspect to consider is the ease and quickness of which the filter can be removed and reinstalled on the lens at it needs to be removed when the eclipse has reached totality and reinstalled BEFORE totality ends or it can be goodbye camera. Since totality only last somewhere around 2 1/2 minutes max, depending on where you are located in the zone, every second counts. Personally I'm going to avoid a threaded filter but haven't decided on one yet since I haven't decided on a lens. Most experts recommend a lens in the 500 - 1000 mm focal length range. It is said that much more than that some of the light rays radiating from behind the moon at totality may be partially missed (I don't recall what those are called). Hope this is of some help.