If I were to get the RF200-800, I would not need to sell the Sigma.

Thanks! That's a valuable data point.

That's likely true. My Sigma does pretty well on the R5, but I'm sure there would be a higher keeper rate with a native RF lens.

So, if you were in m y shoes, given you have a "similar" Tamron, and you have the RF100-500L, if you were in my shoes, which of the three options would you choose? (Assuming you had to give up the Tamron to get the RF100-500)

I wasn't as clear as I could have been. I'm talking about under $2k "additional" out of pocket. So, if I sold the Sigma for, say $700, then my "additional out of pocket" would be around $1900 (or maybe less if I went with a Canon refurbished).

Without listing all the specs of each (most Canon shooters probably already know the specs), if you have or had the Sigma 150-600 with an R5 or R6, which of these three options would you choose, if you wanted to keep expenditures under $2k) and why?

1. Keep the Sigma and use the money to buy a R7 as a second body
2. Sell the Sigma and put the money towards the RF100-500
3. Keep the Sigma, don't buy a second body, but instead buy the RF 200-800

Which would you choose and why? Curious.

The one I used is this;

https://formatt-hitechusa.com/products/firecrest-ultra-neutral-density-irnd-solar-eclipse-filter?variant=43967732089081

Note this filter will not add any additional tint to the image. The sun is actually white and this lens will yield a white disk

I’ve had good luck with these folks:

https://bluemooncamera.com/

Yes, it does make a difference. You said, "I need something I can look at the sun thru the camera viewfinder with." You were specifically asking about a filter that would allow you to "look through the viewfinder." The reason I asked whether you have a EVF (electronic viewfinder) or a rear LCD screen was NOT to suggest in any way that you should point your camera at the sun without a filter. I didn't say that at all and sorry if you inferred that.

The reason I asked about whether you have an EVF or a rear LCD view finder is because, with the filter I use (Firecrest 16-stop Eclipse filter) you can safely point the camera at the sun AND can view the sun on a rear LCD screen OR an EVF. BUT, if you have an optical viewfinder, you should NOT look through that with this filter nor should you use this filter (Firecrest) to look through it directly at the sun. I hope that makes sense.

By the way I shot the 2017 eclipse with this filter but I ONLY looked at the sun on the back of my LCD screen (WITH the filter attached until totality, at which time I removed the filter). Because my camera at the time (5D Mark IV) had an optical view finder, I did NOT look at the sun via the viewfinder, only via the rear LCD screen. My current camera is the R5 which has an EVF (but I'll still probably only view the sun via the rear screen as it's a lot easier).

Me shooting the 2017 Eclipse from a ranch near Glenrock, WY


My composite total eclipse image from the 2017 eclipse.

Does your camera have an EVF or rear LCD screen?

Forgive me if this is repeat but I did do a search for "Eclipse" specific to this forum and, while I saw a lot of general eclipse threads and discussions of previous eclipses, I did not see anything specifically dedicated to discussing the upcoming April 8th 2024 eclipse. I'd like to propose that this thread be pinned to the top as a place to consolidate discussions of the upcoming April 2024 eclipse. (again, apologies if such a a tread has been started and I just couldn't find it?).

I am lucky in that I have a friend who lives in Kerrville, Texas and his house is close to dead center on the path of totality! Based on calculations made for that location, totality should last about 4 minutes and 25 seconds from where I'll be shooting. I will be driving my Kia Telluride from New Mexico and pulling a small teardrop (T@B 320) trailer which my friend will let me park on his property to camp out (he will have a full house of kids coming to view the event otherwise he'd have put me up). Here is a website I'm using for location and eclipse phase timing:

https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/map/2024-april-8

This will be the third total eclipse I’ve seen in my lifetime and the second I’ll be photographing. The first I saw was in Feb 1979 and the path of totality came right through Great Falls, Montana where I was stationed with the US Air Force. I was not into photography back then so didn’t attempt any photography. I did, however, photograph the eclipse in August of 2017 and was very happy with the results. I managed to capture Baily’s Beads (by pure chance) but didn’t capture any diamond ring. (Will try that this time). For the Corona I took a series of shots with ISO 100, F8 at 500mm and varied the shutter speed starting at 1/1000th and stepping down 1-stop at a time all the way to 2 seconds in order to capture the corona at increasingly further distances from the suns’s surface. I then blended the images with a Photoshop procedure I found on Youtube that worked great. My resulting image had a nice, uniform corona all the way from the surface out to the very edge of the frame. I was extremely happy with the results.

I plan to follow essentially the same process this time (I’ll take some test shots early on to get the f-stop adjusted if necessary). I also plan to use my iOptron Star Guider this time to track the sun. This will, I hope, preclude me from needing to constantly adjust the image in the camera view. When I shot the recent Annular eclipse I used this method with great success. I will align the tracker with true north the night before. I’ll actually set Polaris in the reticle according to the location indicated at the time I do the polar alignment. This should point the tracker at true north which will not (should not) change over time even though Polaris’ location will change. Once set, the tracker should still be aiming at True North the next day, assuming I don’t move anything). That’s what I did for the Annular eclipse and it worked perfect - the sun stayed dead center. This should also allow for sharper shots for those longer exposures when I’m shooting for the corona. Attached is the setup I used for the recent annular eclipse, and I plan to use this same setup for this April even. The only difference will be the tripod I'll use. In the picture you see my Sirui Carbon Fiber tripod, but for the April eclipse I'll be using my new ProMediaGear TR344LBL. The camera will be a Canon R5 with a Sigma 150-600mm lens set at 500mm and mounted on my iOptron Star Guider Pro tracker. I'll be using a Firecrest 95mm Eclipse Filter (ND 5.4, 18-stop) by Formatt Hitech for the pro-totality shots. The filter will come off while shooting totality. (I plan several shots at varying shutter speeds to capture corona further and further from the surface of the sun, then blend in Photoshop).

What are your plans, if any, for shooting the April eclipse?



I have been contemplating

[quote=AnotherBob]

RRS was very high on my list. Had I not gone with PMG, I'm fairly sure I would have gone with RRS (though I did look at others). The RRS TVC-34L was a contender for sure. The things that moved me toward PMG where very minor differences which really came down to just personal preference and not so much that one was far superior in build quality too the other. They both seem exceptionally well made.

Thanks for the tips. Speaking of feet, really right stuff has “claw” feet that would probably work great for some of the rocky locations we have here (like Bisti/De Na Zin wilderness)

It does sound like a lot (and it is), but when I compare it to the cost of my R5 and expensive RF lenses it puts the cost in perspective. It’s not just that I may sometimes mount a large lens on it, it’s more for times when, for example, I’m in very windy conditions or have the legs in 2 feet of rushing water. There are lots of reasons for have a very good, sturdy tripod that does a good job dampening vibrations. I get it that it’s not something everyone needs.

LX 100 is a small, fixed lens Panasonic camera. It first came out in 2014. There is now a LX100ii, but I’m happy with my first generation. Great for walking around Santa Fe or old town Albuquerque when you don’t want to be obvious.

That’s great.