Solar eclipse
Apr 6, 2024 08:15:39 #
How dark a filter is required? I have a 10x variable neutral density and could add a polarizing filter.
Apr 6, 2024 08:27:17 #
CliffMcKenzie
Loc: Lake Athens Texas
At this date, you are most likely toast unless a camera store is nearby. No, you cannot use 10x and I would not recommend stacking filers either for several reasons. Also, do not use a variable. If you want an ND filter, then find ND5 - 1000000 and let me suggest one that uses a magnet ring to snap on and off.
Caution - you cannot look through the lens on a DSLR camera at the sun with a ND filter and must use live view. If you have a mirrorless, you are fine.
Caution - you cannot look through the lens on a DSLR camera at the sun with a ND filter and must use live view. If you have a mirrorless, you are fine.
Apr 6, 2024 12:12:43 #
Regular ND filters DO NOT cut the IR &UV that damage eyes and sensors.
You need a solar filter meant for viewing/ photographing the sun
You need a solar filter meant for viewing/ photographing the sun
Apr 6, 2024 13:58:38 #
wdross
Loc: Castle Rock, Colorado
Bridges wrote:
How dark a filter is required? I have a 10x variable neutral density and could add a polarizing filter.
You will need a filter of 16.5 stops or more to prevent camera damage or destruction. You will need a filter of 16.5 stops or more (I recommend 18 stops for long viewing times) to stop light and UV rays for using your eyes for viewing. Your filter of maximum 3 stops and polarizer of 1.5 stops will wipeout your camera easily; you are more than 10 stops short of major camera and eye damage. And I seriously doubt that your filters will stop UV rays. Your best bet, this late in the game, is to get welders glass of ND 16 to ND 19 (again, I recommend ND 18). It cuts out the high intensity light and UV rays of welding as well as the light and UV rays of the sun. If you are on the path of totality, during the actual totality no filter will be required. But both before and after totality, damage and/or blindness will occur to camera and/or eyes without a proper filter. There will be some ignorant people blinded this eclipse by not viewing the eclipse properly. It has happened every eclipse so far.
Apr 7, 2024 08:18:07 #
In 2017 I used an 8 stop ND on a 400mm lens with a 2x converter and a Canon 5D3. I used live view. See my avatar for the results. Do some tests before the event with your 10x.
Apr 7, 2024 09:37:10 #
MJPerini wrote:
Regular ND filters DO NOT cut the IR &UV that damage eyes and sensors.
You need a solar filter meant for viewing/ photographing the sun
You need a solar filter meant for viewing/ photographing the sun
That is an actual fact. It’s too late.
As I was reading this a truly knowledgeable person on TV said, “See your first eclipse and photograph your second.” He has seen too many people spend their two or three minutes in the non-sun fiddling with their camera and forget to look up. No memories and no pictures.
Apr 7, 2024 09:47:46 #
The filters I use for solar are 100K ND. You cannot see through them. Only sunlight or an arc welder should be able to be seen through them. You don't want to burn out your sensor, it is not worth it.
Apr 7, 2024 10:24:12 #
wdross
Loc: Castle Rock, Colorado
Tomfl101 wrote:
In 2017 I used an 8 stop ND on a 400mm lens with a 2x converter and a Canon 5D3. I used live view. See my avatar for the results. Do some tests before the event with your 10x.
If he "experiments" with his 3 stop ND filter and his 1.5 stop polarizer, his shutter and/or sensor will be damaged. If you are using only an 8 stop filter for your camera, you are at risk (Are you really sure that your filter is only 8 stops?). Check B&H Photo, Adorama, Thousand Oaks Optical, and the NASA website and see the minimum is 16.5 stops (in photographic ND terms, 100,000X). If you are using a DSLR, your eyes are at risk. With a mirrorless, at least only your camera will be at risk. When I was choosing what level light reduction using welders glass, I tried ND 16, ND 17, ND 18, and ND 19 darknesses (16 to 19 stops). Although 16 and 17 were too bright for my viewing taste, they were more than acceptable for a camera. The 19 was too dark for my taste. Based off my own experience, if you are only using an 8 stop filter, you are only taking an unnecessary risk of camera damage and/or permanent eye damage. And for the OP, at only 4.5 stops, it would be a very ignorant decision.
Apr 7, 2024 12:46:21 #
Im not that interested in visualizing or photographing the eclipse. Ill see it on TV. Im more interested in seeing how the animals react.
Apr 7, 2024 13:10:25 #
scallihan
Loc: Tigard, OR
MJPerini wrote:
Regular ND filters DO NOT cut the IR &UV that damage eyes and sensors.
You need a solar filter meant for viewing/ photographing the sun
You need a solar filter meant for viewing/ photographing the sun
YES! This has been covered extensively in many news reports on how to safely view/photograph the eclipse. I've seen recommendations for Ultradark ND filters (15-stop and 20-stop), but if the filter you are using is not rated for solar imaging, I expect you'll toast your lens and sensor. I see many cell phone camera burnt out sensors tomorrow.
BHPhotovideo.com addresses this. https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/photography/buying-guide/lens-filters-for-solar-photography#:~:text=ND%20filters%20simply%20darken%20an,a%2016%2Dstop%20ND%20filter.
Apr 7, 2024 13:41:16 #
Apr 7, 2024 15:09:31 #
jimpitt wrote:
DID I READ CORRECTLLY THAT IF YOU USE A MIRRORLESS YOU ARE OK?
I would suppose that technically your eyes are OK but your sensor might be toast. Not OK. Unless you like seeing the sensor destroyed real time.
Apr 7, 2024 16:17:35 #
jimpitt wrote:
DID I READ CORRECTLLY THAT IF YOU USE A MIRRORLESS YOU ARE OK?
I have the OM-1 M II...a m4/3s mirrorless. The FB OM-1 group all say that you must protect the sensor with an eclipse-specific ND filter.
I had just purchased OM Systems 150-600mm (300-1200 35mm equivalent), which was the driving force behind my question.
Also, do NOT look through the viewfinder without first wearing your eclipse glasses. If you don't wear them, you will go blind...unless the moon is totally covering the sun.
https://learnandsupport.getolympus.com/learn-center/photography-tips/astrophotography/7-tips-for-photographing-the-eclipse
HTH! Linda
Apr 7, 2024 19:02:59 #
wdross
Loc: Castle Rock, Colorado
jimpitt wrote:
DID I READ CORRECTLLY THAT IF YOU USE A MIRRORLESS YOU ARE OK?
No; it just means you wipeout your camera, not your eyes. Do you remember when you were little and used a magnifier to burn sticks, leaves, and ants? A DSLR is just a bigger and just as dangerous magnifier. It will burn eyes.
Apr 7, 2024 22:16:58 #
Jack 13088 wrote:
I would suppose that technically your eyes are OK but your sensor might be toast. Not OK. Unless you like seeing the sensor destroyed real time.
NASA says looking through a viewfinder for all camera types without a solar-rated filter will instantly cause severe eye damage.
"Viewing any part of the bright Sun through a camera lens, binoculars, or a telescope without a special-purpose solar filter secured over the front of the optics will instantly cause severe eye injury."
https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/safety/
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