Gear for August Eclipse

[lion rock]

So I tried to shoot our nearest star.
7D2/100-400II @400 with 1.4xIII. Solar filter is an Orion Full Aperture Solar Filter. Shot handheld. AutoFocus.
Moral of the story: Practice, Practice, and more practice.
I tried to put it on a tripod with gimbal but very difficult to raise to near vertical and still see through the viewfinder because the arm blocks the viewfinder. I'll try again and remove the swing arm from the gimbal and just use the vertical articulation point as a mount for the camera. Else, I have to find a way to put it on tripod and see out properly though the viewfinder. Handheld and manual focus is nearly impossible. I think CamRanger is a good method.
Further, I need to try the 2XIII multiplier to give better magnification. But, won't be able to AF.
So another practice in the upcoming days.
-r

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

I've had my 5D MK IV for a month now, and was finally able to set it up to snap a photo of the sun. I used my 100-400mm L and tried it with my 1.4X III, my 2X II, and both stacked.

I actually liked the final result best with the 2X.

One thing that my 5D MK IV does is focus in live view with all those combinations. It focuses quickly even at f16!

I tethered it to my iphone and verified that bracketing works.

 

[lion rock]

Mt Spokane,
Nice!
Was it cropped?
My weather here is lousy so I can't practice here. So the photo I uploaded was the only OK one.
Hope to see more of yours.
-r

 

[Valvebounce]

Hi Mt Spokane.
That is quite some shot, nicely done.
How do you stack the converters, I tried with my 1.4x III and 2x III, I could not get them together, do you put a short macro tube in to get over the protrusion on the converters or is the 2x II a different design? When you stack is there a best way round, lens 2x 1.4x body or does it not matter I know the maths (unless you use a tube then I don't know how that factors in the maths), I'm thinking about image quality?

Cheers, Graham.

I've had my 5D MK IV for a month now, and was finally able to set it up to snap a photo of the sun. I used my 100-400mm L and tried it with my 1.4X III, my 2X II, and both stacked.

I actually liked the final result best with the 2X.

One thing that my 5D MK IV does is focus in live view with all those combinations. It focuses quickly even at f16!

I tethered it to my iphone and verified that bracketing works.

 

[privatebydesign]

Hi Mt Spokane.
That is quite some shot, nicely done.
How do you stack the converters, I tried with my 1.4x III and 2x III, I could not get them together, do you put a short macro tube in to get over the protrusion on the converters or is the 2x II a different design? When you stack is there a best way round, lens 2x 1.4x body or does it not matter I know the maths (unless you use a tube then I don't know how that factors in the maths), I'm thinking about image quality?

Cheers, Graham.

The MkIII's won't stack (without an extension tube) the 2x MkIII is a different design from the MkII. Best reason to have a 2x TC MkII, to stack with the 1.4 TC MkIII, it is the combination I have.

 

[Valvebounce]

Hi PBD.
Thanks for clarifying that, I'm guessing you still lose infinity by adding a tube anywhere in the mix, does it work other than that or does the tube screw everything when stacking extenders?

Cheers, Graham.

Hi Mt Spokane.
That is quite some shot, nicely done.
How do you stack the converters, I tried with my 1.4x III and 2x III, I could not get them together, do you put a short macro tube in to get over the protrusion on the converters or is the 2x II a different design? When you stack is there a best way round, lens 2x 1.4x body or does it not matter I know the maths (unless you use a tube then I don't know how that factors in the maths), I'm thinking about image quality?

Cheers, Graham.

The MkIII's won't stack (without an extension tube) the 2x MkIII is a different design from the MkII. Best reason to have a 2x TC MkII, to stack with the 1.4 TC MkIII, it is the combination I have.

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

Hi Mt Spokane.
That is quite some shot, nicely done.
How do you stack the converters, I tried with my 1.4x III and 2x III, I could not get them together, do you put a short macro tube in to get over the protrusion on the converters or is the 2x II a different design? When you stack is there a best way round, lens 2x 1.4x body or does it not matter I know the maths (unless you use a tube then I don't know how that factors in the maths), I'm thinking about image quality?

Cheers, Graham.

I kept my 2X MK II rather than upgrade it to a MK III because it would stack with the 1.4X III. After viewing the image with them stacked, the IQ was much worse, the sun spots in the lower left corner were blurred.

The image is cropped a lot, but the 5D MK IV image seems to hold up with lots of cropping.

I'm going to try my SL2 if I get a chance, things are busy around here.

I'm probably going to get a 2X MK III TC at some point, but I doubt if the IQ will be noticeably better, perhaps at the edges.

 

[DanP]

I will be using 5D Mark III with 1.4 III extender and 100-400L II at 560mm and f11 throughout the eclipse. I'm using a Lee 100mm system with stacked 10 stop and 6 stop ND filters. I've gone back and forth between the 1.4 III and 2.0 III, and have decided on the 1.4 III to ensure I get more of the corona (particularly if the sun isn't dead center in the frame). I contemplated using the 2.0 III and regularly zooming between 400 and 300 on the lens, but decided that is just asking for trouble given the short window (and possibly focus changes). I will be mounting the lens on an iOptron SkyTracker (the set up exceeds the stated maximum load capacity, but I tried it for 30 minutes and it worked quite well - hopefully I don't break it). I will be using the TC-80N3 set for 1 minute intervals and bracket 3 shots 1 stop apart). If I use ISO 100, the shutter speed needs to be 1/200. I'm wondering a few things: (1) should I use a higher ISO to increase the shutter speed (e.g., ISO 400 and 1/800) - what is the maximum ISO I should use?; (2) Is leaving the camera on and in Live View for the entire eclipse (153 min) going to cause a problem (e.g., heat build up - it's predicted to be 30 C on eclipse day where I am going in Oregon plus sun hitting camera). I will be taking a power pack with inverter, so I can use the 110v power adapter and won't have to worry about changing the camera battery. I will handle the diamond ring and full eclipse through different settings and more bracketing set into C2 & C3. AMENDMENT - it occurred to me to RTFM - extended use of live view will overheat the camera.

 

[NancyP]

7D2 plus 400mm f/5.6 on AstroTrac mounted on geared head tripod (key assist - clinometer to set latitude angle), with a Baader solar film home-made filter
6D with either 14 or 21mm lens (keep changing my mind) for landscape with eclipse
Eclipse glasses

Backpack with usual gear (lots of water, compass, map, bug juice, sun screen, towel, snacks), hiking poles, maybe umbrella, wear long pants, long sleeved shirt, hat, and take lightweight sit pad or stool.