Solar Eclipse and Filters: I live in Oregon and not too far from the totality area of the upcoming solar eclipse in August. I plan to photograph it. I recently bought a Nikkor...

drizztguen77 Loc: Tualatin, OR

I live in Oregon and not too far from the totality area of the upcoming solar eclipse in August. I plan to photograph it. I recently bought a Nikkor 200-500mm lens and have both a D7200 and a D750 bodies. I'm having difficulty figuring out where I can get an inexpensive filter that I can use on that lens. I don't really want one I have to screw on and off as I have to remove it during totality which I have less than 2 minutes to photograph. Then I have to put it back on. So it seems it would be easier to have one that can just slide on and off to give me maximum shooting time. Anyone know of where I can find a filter like this that is reasonably priced that will fit the 200-500?

My other question is would I be better off using the D7200 crop frame body or the D750 full frame body? My concern with the D7200 is noise.

Thanks,
Curtis

MtnMan Loc: ID

I read you can get some inexpensive filter material sheet and cut and tape it to your lens hood. Someone here should be able to get more specific.

I decided to just buy some $3 eclipse glasses and watch it. There will be millions of great photos.

I'm in Idaho near the path. My son has some property that is located to get over two minutes of totality. We'll take the trailer up a couple of days before.

drizztguen77 Loc: Tualatin, OR

MtnMan wrote:

I read you can get some inexpensive filter material sheet and cut and tape it to your lens hood. Someone here should be able to get more specific.

I decided to just buy some $3 eclipse glasses and watch it. There will be millions of great photos.

I'm in Idaho near the path. My son has some property that is located to get over two minutes of totality. We'll take the trailer up a couple of days before.

We know people that are down near the 2 minute range also and are planning to do the same. We will go down a couple days before and just stay in the trailer. Probably stay a couple days after as well as the reports are that the traffic will be the worst in the history of the US. No thanks!

SonnyE Loc: Communist California, USA

Hi Curtis.
I sort of made my own.
I got this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ZNDY5PU/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Then I mounted it inside the flange end of some 4" PVC drain pipe.
On the narrower part of that plastic pipe, I put some sticky backed Velcro loop side, which is soft and fuzzy. It takes up the slack inside my hood on my Tamron 150-600mm lens.
This filter slides down into the Tamron lens hood nicely to the bottom. My idea is to simply remove the lens hood during totality, then put it back on.

Now I'm probably doubly blessed in that this same PVC pipe on the narrow end also fits on the dew shield of my Telescope. So it can be used on both if I choose to.

Please note that your film shield wants to fit snuggly so it can not fall off, and to seal out any light from the Sun coming by it.

Have a great, and safe, eclipse!

MtnMan Loc: ID

soaro77 wrote:

We know people that are down near the 2 minute range also and are planning to do the same. We will go down a couple days before and just stay in the trailer. Probably stay a couple days after as well as the reports are that the traffic will be the worst in the history of the US. No thanks!

Fortunately traffic won't be a problem in Idaho.

CraigFair Loc: Santa Maria, CA.

soaro77 wrote:

I live in Oregon and not too far from the totality... (show quote)

Here is something I made for my scope with the film, some styrofoam and cardboard sandwich.
All it cost me was for the film.
Craig

Albuqshutterbug Loc: Albuquerque NM

CraigFair wrote:

Here is something I made for my scope with the film, some styrofoam and cardboard sandwich.
All it cost me was for the film.
Craig

This is my latest version for my scope. I used photography foam mounting board 1/2" thick. I cut to fit snugly on the inside diameter and then gave myself a 1" rim. I then attached a piece of mat board cut to the outside diameter with a 2 inch offset hole that I covered with Baader film. It fits very snugly and does not leak light. This let me use a smaller piece of film with less worries about damaging and the mat board is a nice positive stop when mounting the filter to the scope.

(Download)

SonnyE Loc: Communist California, USA

Alright, I'll show you mine.... But don't laugh, OK?

I'm all about Function, and not about fancy. YMMV

I started with some Poly-film. I got a 6" X 6" sheet, because my lenses are smaller than big reflector telescopes. Later I had second thoughts and I ordered my modest Baader film filter, mounted in a plastic frame, with it in mind I could work up a mounting method if it didn't fit initially.

I believe I will be relying on my D3300/Tamron 150-600mm. My reasoning is if the corona appears larger than 600 mm can capture, I quick zoom-out to open the FOV is totally easy.
Removing the filter is as easy as a quick hood removal. Replacing, equally simple.
I plan on using my Intervalometer as my camera control. Yesterday I calculated my planned spot and I'll have 2m27s of totality. 147 seconds. So I set up on my tripod, aimed at the Sun and focused, then tested a 1/1 setting with the control. 1 second triggering, 1 second for storage interval. 1/1. The shutter will be timed by the camera within that 1 second of triggering.
My concern was storage and buffering stalls trying to store the images. But it works fine with my San Disk Pro SD cards.
And 600 mm with the Big Tammy gives a nice size disk, IMO.

I might mount the film board filter on my telescope, then use my Orion eyepiece camera there. I definitely plan on some astro-imaging on the front and back end of this sojourn. Dark skys.

But the point here is filtering, and how to get that off again - on again down for the main event. Here's my gear: