RE Loc: California

What shade of welding glass is safe to use so that you don't ruin your camera while filming the solar eclipse. I was able to get my hands on shade 10 but I am hearing I need shade 12 or the equivalent thereof does anybody have any experience in this?

Jerry Green Loc: Huntsville, AL

Shade 12 or 14 is what I have seen recommended. I went to a welding store and was told that people were buying shade 14. He was sold out and had requests for 25 more on back order. I got a shade 12.

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

I briefly looked at the sun the other day using a Shade 11, originally purchased to experiment with ND filters. Afterwards, all I can say is that I'm very glad for the computers ability to read aloud and that I can touch type. Just kidding.

In reality, just consider this. During the time closest to totality, the sun is going to be mostly covered by the moon. Thus, the brightness of the light and amount of UV radiation is going to be considerably reduced. I wouldn't recommend spending long periods of time staring at the full sun through less, but a few seconds is, most likely, not going to be a problem.
--Bob

RE Loc: California

I am hoping to view it on the sceen rather than the view finder, but i dont want to ruin my lens. I have a welders hood shade 13 but dslr will not fit in it. Lol. I am a novice for sure, but i do want to have a go at it. I will see if i can find shade 12 tomorrow, wish me luck! :)

LFingar Loc: Claverack, NY

Shade 10 is a standard welding glass. If you have ever seen a welding arc up close you will know that it is far more intense then any eclipse. I would not hesitate to use it, as have countless other people for past eclipses all over the world. With electronic shields I normally cut back to a shade 8 for a better view of the weld puddle. Even that is quite sufficient.

swsands Loc: Alton IL

#14 and a #14 only for the utmost safety in UV and IR filtering. I know that there have been sites saying shades 12-14, but I wholeheartedly disagree. I have been an avid solar astronomer and imager for over 40 years, using many different solar observing methods. It is my opinion that anything under a shade of #14 does not sufficiently filter out the UV and IR. Please do not confuse "dark" with "safe". Please be safe out there on Monday. Your eyes are the most precious instruments you have ever owned.

LFingar Loc: Claverack, NY

All welding glass, regardless of the shade, provides 100% UV and IR protection. That is an industry standard. Welding and plasma cutting produce intense UV and IR, hence the standard. The shade simply indicates the amount of darkening, which translates to user comfort. Some people prefer a darker shade. Some, like myself, prefer lighter shades. Anyone in doubt should go darker. There are also different colors of glass, such as gold, green (the most common), red, and blue which provide different levels of contrast and glare.

RE Loc: California

Thanks everyone for you help. I put my deliema on my fb page and to my surprise one of my friends husband was a welder and he is shipping me a #12 glass in priority mail, it should get to me in time. :)

big-guy Loc: Peterborough Ontario Canada

I also researched this and found on the NASA site that while a #14 is recommended, a #12 is the minimum level to protect eyes and sensors. Seeing as the local welding shop was out of #14 and said #13 was rarely ever requested but did have several #12's. I bought 2 of them as I have 2 cameras. Now with a #12 filter I certainly wouldn't want to be doing long exposures but it seems that 1/60 or 1/125 gives a good exposure and won't allow for burn in. On the bright side (pun intended) each 4x5 sheet was only $3.20. They also come in different colors and the most popular is green which mine are but that can be corrected in PP, especially if shooting in RAW.

jon S

I would go
# 14 only.

redlegfrog

NOTHING lighter than a #14!!! If you enjoy your cameras and photography is it worth the risk? Give it a good study!

If you go to some of the manufacture's sites ( fibremetal, thermacote, huntsman, etc) you can find warnings against even the #14 for solar viewing.

jeep_daddy Loc: Prescott AZ

Please read this: http://learn.usa.canon.com/resources/articles/2017/eclipse.shtml


I was at Canon getting 3 of my lenses serviced and the guy asked me if I'm going to be shooting the eclipse on Monday and I said no, I don't have the correct equipment and I don't know the right place to really do a good job of it. He told me that after the eclipse, they expect an influx of repairs, especially on new cameras, that people are going to expect to be covered under warranty. Well, they are going to be in for a big surprise when they find out that melting the curtain on you new DSLR from aiming your camera with a power magnifying glass (lens) at the sun isn't covered under warranty. He was kind of telling me that there's going to be some difficult people to deal with because they are going to EXPECT (demand) warranty coverage.

billgdyoung Loc: Big Bear City, CA

Interesting sidebar...IF you are in the path of totality, you will need to remove all protective glasses/filters in order to actually SEE the eclipsed Sun/corona. You'll know when to take off the glasses, since in totality you won't see anything. The only time that you can safely remove the glasses/filter is during totality... before and after totality, you'll need to immediately put the protection back in front of your eyes/camera. By the way, if you're in the Big Bear Lake, CA area, we will have a viewing site for the public at Swim Beach, and we'll have a few $1.00/donation viewing glasses available. In Big Bear, the eclipse will start at about 9:07am, with maximum darkness (about 70%) at 10:23am, then the sun will finally be totally uncovered at 11:49am. (Big Bear Valley Astronomical Society). In this "less than total" viewing, the protective glasses/filters need to be worn ALL OF THE TIME... at no time in Big Bear will it be safe to remove the glasses when looking toward the Sun. Why a public viewing site? Won't everyone with a clear view of sky be able to see this? Yes... but being with other humans during the event will add to the excitement and wonder...

One Rude Dawg Loc: Athol, ID

I love it, I'd like to be there to watch, maybe he should sell tickets.

Retired fat guy with a camera Loc: Colorado

I used a 10 as a trail run, worked fine, the camera and lens are fine.