The Solar Eclipse is Two Weeks Away, Are You Ready?

[Canon Rumors]

The total solar eclipse is two short weeks away in North America, and is one of the most highly anticipated photographic experiences in nature.</p>
<p><a href="https://bhpho.to/2vxgMhV">B&H Photo has a great landing page</a> of gear and accessories that will help you safely enjoy photographing and viewing the solar eclipse.</p>
<p><strong>What is the Eclipse?

</strong>A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes directly between the Earth and the sun in its orbit. A shadow is cast on the surface of the Earth and day turns to night for several minutes when the sun, moon, and Earth are aligned.</p>
<p><strong>Where is the eclipse?

</strong>The 2017 North American Total Eclipse will transit from the Pacific Coast to the Atlantic, passing over Idaho, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia, and South Carolina. The point of greatest total eclipse duration is southeast of St. Louis, Missouri, and the point of greatest totality is northwest of Nashville, Tennessee.</p>

<p><!--more--></p>
<p><strong>When is the Eclipse?

</strong><em>Aug 21, 17:16 UTC</em></p>
<p>The eclipse shadow makes landfall in Oregon and begins its supersonic transit across the country. The entire transit of the shadow across the United States will take 1hr 33m 16.8s.</p>
<p><strong>How to View Safely</strong>

If you want to view the eclipse directly, <a href="https://bhpho.to/2vew74s">you must wear certified eclipse viewing glasses</a>. Only during the few moments of totality is it OK to view the eclipse with the naked eye—when the sun is completely blocked by the moon. Even when 99% of the sun is blocked, you can still suffer burns to your retinas. DO NOT view the eclipse with the naked eye, or through an unfiltered lens.</p>
<p><strong><a href="https://bhpho.to/2vxgMhV">Solar Eclipse Goodies at B&H Photo</a></strong></p>
<span id="pty_trigger"></span>
<div style="font-size:0px;height:0px;line-height:0px;margin:0;padding:0;clear:both"></div>

 

[Chaitanya]

There is a lunar eclipse happening in few minutes time. Not fair to forget about this celestial event.
On a side note: sadly due to bad weather(cloudy and rains) here in west India, will be missing out on seeing eclipse.

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

Smoke is so bad around me from forest fires that I'm beginning if the "Smoke Eclipse" will end before August 21. My son was in Baker Oregon, near the center of the path, and said its very poor visibility there.

 

[Kit Lens Jockey]

Let me clarify something... Is it necessary to have a solar filter on your lens if you are taking panoramic shots of a wide area that just includes the eclipsing sun? I think not, right? I mean, the sun is no more dangerous to take photos of during an eclipse than normal, correct? ie, there is nothing special that happens with regard to the sun's intensity, it's just that people normally don't take super telephoto images directly of the sun under most conditions, and that's when you really need the filter. Is this the correct assumption?

Also, is a 10 stop ND filter sufficient for brief periods of zooming in on the sun as long as I'm using live view and not looking through the viewfinder (I know ND filters do nothing to cut down on the IR.) Or, does the IR damage the sensor just as quickly, and I am still taking my sensor's life into my hands trying that? (I just wasn't interested enough in getting a tightly cropped photo of a dull orange blob to get a solar filter, I'd prefer to take other types of photos of it, and maybe some during totality when it's safe.)

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

Let me clarify something... Is it necessary to have a solar filter on your lens if you are taking panoramic shots of a wide area that just includes the eclipsing sun? I think not, right? I mean, the sun is no more dangerous to take photos of during an eclipse than normal, correct? ie, there is nothing special that happens with regard to the sun's intensity, it's just that people normally don't take super telephoto images directly of the sun under most conditions, and that's when you really need the filter. Is this the correct assumption?

Also, is a 10 stop ND filter sufficient for brief periods of zooming in on the sun as long as I'm using live view and not looking through the viewfinder (I know ND filters do nothing to cut down on the IR.) Or, does the IR damage the sensor just as quickly, and I am still taking my sensor's life into my hands trying that? (I just wasn't interested enough in getting a tightly cropped photo of a dull orange blob to get a solar filter, I'd prefer to take other types of photos of it, and maybe some during totality when it's safe.)

If you normally take photos of the sun, it will be no different. Most of the warnings pertain to live view or movie making. That's where camera damage will likely be a problem In ordinary still photography, the mirror protects the shutter and sensor from concentrated light, the actual exposure to the sun should be very short.

A ND 10 filter on a telephoto lens lets far too much light thru, a Solar filter is equivalent to ND100000.

I doubt if anyone would recommend anything different than the warnings in your manual. I emphasized the first item, not for you, but for all of us to remember.

Things like:

Do not look at the sun directly through any lens. Doing so may cause
loss of vision.

During mirror lockup, do not point the camera lens at the sun. The sun’s heat can scorch and damage the shutter curtains.

During Live View shooting, do not point the lens toward the sun. The
sun’s heat can damage the camera’s internal components.

During movie shooting, do not point the lens toward the sun. The sun’s
heat can damage the camera’s internal components
Warnings for lenses are also appropriate. The concentrated rays from the sun can damage a lens, the cement that bonds lens elements together, lubricants can melt and flow, do not point a lens at the sun for more than just a short time.

 

[bholliman]

I'm all in! I have three solar filters and am planning to have 4 cameras operating between my son and I covering 16mm to 960mm equivalent. I've been practicing on the sun and moon to make sure my tripod set-ups are solid and easy to use. My biggest concern now is cloud cover. We will be in southern Illinois and it's has been a very cloudy summer. Now I'm thinking I should have planned to travel out west. Probably too late for that now, as I have other obligations preventing me from dedicating more than 1 day to the eclipse.

Hoping for fair weather and clear skys on the 21st!

 

[Rockskipper]

I thought about getting filters, etc., then decided I wanted to just enjoy it w/o fussing over my camera. There will be so many shots so much better than anything I could get that I want to just enjoy the eclipse and then look at the shots taken by the pros later.

 

[bholliman]

I thought about getting filters, etc., then decided I wanted to just enjoy it w/o fussing over my camera. There will be so many shots so much better than anything I could get that I want to just enjoy the eclipse and then look at the shots taken by the pros later.

Your relaxed approach undoubtedly makes more sense than my current 4-camera plan... I think I'll probably dial it back somewhat before the 21st, as I don't want to be spending all my time managing cameras and miss the eclipse experience.

 

[jabbott]

When is the Eclipse? Aug 21, 17:16 UTC

That is accurate for folks on the Oregon coast, but it will begin at different times in other locations. Here is an interactive map that you can click on to see when the eclipse will happen in your area (note that times are in UTC so you'll need to adjust for your own time zone... Mountain Daylight Time is UTC-6 hours, for example):
https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/interactive_map/index.html

 

[jabbott]

A ND 10 filter on a telephoto lens lets far too much light thru, a Solar filter is equivalent to ND100000.

The stop count and light reduction factors are being confused here. Kit Lens Jockey asked about a 10-stop ND filter, which translates to a density of 3.0 with ~1,000X light reduction. A neutral density solar filter has a density of 5.0 or greater, which translates to 16.6 stops of reduction or ~100,000X light reduction.

I was able to successfully take photos of the 2012 annular solar eclipse using two stacked ND filters (with densities of 3.0 and 0.9) with a combined light reduction of ~8,000X, as I did not have ready access to a solar ND filter at the time. DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME. I set the focus to infinity manually first, only pointed the camera at the sun for extremely brief periods of time, and turned it away immediately after taking a photo. At no time was looking through the optical viewfinder safe, so I always used Live View. The shutter speed ended up being around 1/400s at ISO 100 if I remember correctly, which for a 400mm focal length was useful to prevent blurring in the photo. While I strongly recommend against doing this (really, a solar ND filter is your only bet for safety), my camera and lens still worked completely fine afterwards. Bear in mind that even with an ND 5.0 solar filter, it may not be safe for looking through the optical viewfinder.

Lots more information on proper safety for solar eclipse photography can be found here:
https://learn.usa.canon.com/resources/articles/2017/solar-eclipse/solar-filters-eclipse-photography.htmlp

 

[cayenne]

Hmm....during nighttime lunar eclipses, I usually throw on Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon....<P>
Not sure what to play during a Solar Eclipse???

;D

cayenne

 

[ifp]

Hmm....during nighttime lunar eclipses, I usually throw on Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon....<P>
Not sure what to play during a Solar Eclipse???

;D

cayenne

Seems even more appropriate. You will literally be staring at the dark side of the moon.

 

[TeT]

Can you view it through a mirror?

 

[cayenne]

Hmm....during nighttime lunar eclipses, I usually throw on Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon....<P>
Not sure what to play during a Solar Eclipse???

;D

cayenne

Seems even more appropriate. You will literally be staring at the dark side of the moon.

Hmm..rather than maybe just the album, I should compile a song list to play throughout!!

Thinking:

Black Hole Sun
Brain Damage/Eclipse
Here Comes the Sun
Little Neutrino
Let the Sunshine In
???
Suggestions?



cayenne