Partial eclipse on Mon, 26 Jan 2009

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swift412

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Just a heads up, according to the news there will be a partial eclipse on Monday the 26th January 2009, from about 07:00 till 09:30. Source: News24.

Anyone have any tips or advice on taking photos of an eclipse?
 
swift412 said:
Just a heads up, according to the news there will be a partial eclipse on Monday the 26th January 2009, from about 07:00 till 09:30. Source: News24.

Anyone have any tips or advice on taking photos of an eclipse?
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Besides carefully? I think you need a solar filter.
 
Would it be safe for the camera? I mean if you use lets say Live View? Can the sensor get hurt or is it only your own eyes that need protection?
 
Angellus said:
Would it be safe for the camera? I mean if you use lets say Live View? Can the sensor get hurt or is it only your own eyes that need protection?
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I dont think so - its hidden behind the mirror until you take the actual exposure.
 
Yes but when using Live view the mirror is flipped up and the sensor is exposed.

hmmm going to need to get an answer somewhere before monday because I really want to try get a nice picture but I don't want to damage my camera.
 
my camera makes a funny clicking sound when you point it skywards at the sun.... it doesn't really like it so i went and supaglue'd a piece of broken sunglasses over the lens. works great except for rainy day photo's
 
Read your cameras manual about pointing your camera towards the sun, it can cause sensor damage if done for any extended period. To do this properly and safely you need special filters which will protect your sensor from any damage and also give you a chance of actually pulling it off decently. These filters are also not cheap. You could maybe try using two layers of the foil from tea bags which might work but that is purely up to you and its your camera.
You could also try getting a bigger piece of the material they use in the glasses they are handing out.
 
Thanks for the tips. I don't have a SLR, so I'll be using a point and shoot, so hopefully I'll be able to fit the material from the eclipse viewing glasses over the lens while I'm shooting.

For the SLR people, would using ND and UV filters have a similar effect to the solar filters?

I was also thinking about using the camera's intervalometer to try and get something like this:
TLE2000Julmux-s.JPG

(Source: http://www.mreclipse.com/LEphoto/LEphoto.html

That photos if of a lunar eclipse but hopefully one of a partial solar eclipse won't come out too bad
 
swift412 said:
For the SLR people, would using ND and UV filters have a similar effect to the solar filters?
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No - UV filters are pretty much useless on a dSLR anyway as UV filtering is built into the sensor.

I'm wondering though if a stack of polarising filters might not be enough . . .
 
An idea, if I may interject :

Get an older camera which you don't use anyway, and use that camera as guinea pig to test your filters and stuff before attempting to use these on your expensive camera.

Obviously you'll need to test the filtering stuff long before the eclipse... ;)
 
Stacking filters may work but you'll need a few of them and each one you add will cause more and more vignetting. My best suggestion would be to shoot it using a cheaper point and shoot which if damaged is easily replaced and the lens is small enough to simply put a pair of eclipse viewing glasses in front of it, might just work. As said by Librarian test this stuff out in the next 2 days and avoid fumbling around and potentially ruining your camera and eyes on Monday morning. I think we should also pray for clear skies at this time of year we could just wake up to grey skies. Probably also a good idea to google some tips on solar phtography.
 
threegee said:
Stacking filters may work but you'll need a few of them and each one you add will cause more and more vignetting. My best suggestion would be to shoot it using a cheaper point and shoot which if damaged is easily replaced and the lens is small enough to simply put a pair of eclipse viewing glasses in front of it, might just work. As said by Librarian test this stuff out in the next 2 days and avoid fumbling around and potentially ruining your camera and eyes on Monday morning. I think we should also pray for clear skies at this time of year we could just wake up to grey skies. Probably also a good idea to google some tips on solar phtography.
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I'm not overly worried about vignetting - it may even be visually pleasing. :)
 
Could be, worth trying out tomorrow and sunday on the setting or rising sun.
 
You can use a pin hole filter over your camera. You can make one yourself, but I am not taking the blame if it falls off and destroyes your sensor.

For normal viewing you can get glasses at a number of places.. and DONT USE tea bag linings.

From: http://www.astronomy2009.org.za/projects-and-events/events-in-2009/solar-eclipse-on-26-january/
Please remember: Never look at the Sun with binoculars or a telescope. You may loose your eyesight immediately. Oh, and don't look at it with your naked eyes, either, as this too may damage your eyes. Sun glasses don't help, as they let the heat through. Use eclipse viewers!

Eclipse viewers can be obtained:

* in street sales only (while stocks last) (with eclipse / International Year of Astronomy poster) of the following newspapers:
- The Star and the Pretoria News - 20th, 23rd, 24th Jan
- Cape Argus - 23rd Jan
- Daily News (KZN) - 20th Jan
- Diamond Fields Advertiser (Bloemfontein / Kimberley) - 20th Jan
Thanks to DST & Independent Newspapers for the above!!

* at BP filling stations around the country (while stocks last) (one per customer)
Huge thanks to BP, who bought 150,000 viewers for this!

* from a couple of retailers:
- Experilab, Canal Walk Shopping Centre, Cape Town
- National Museum, Bloemfontein
- Digital Experience, Fourways Crossing, Jhb
- Park Meadow Optometrists, Park Meadow Centre, Kensington Jhb
- Jhb Planetarium, Yale Rd off Empire, Wits University Campus
Contact details for the above are at www.planetarium.co.za

The eclipse page of the Johannesburg Planetarium has lots of information about the eclipse, including some advice on eye safety. Order forms for eclipse viewers also available on this website.
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I saw someone who made a pinhole filter by simply drilling a tiny hole in a lens body cap, seemed to work very well and fits nice and snug.
 
Personally I would not try the pinhole method anyway. Virtually every site I have looked at by professionals in this game are very specific about using Solar Filters (made from Mylar) for your equipment. One or two other sites say Welding Glass with a Shade Rating of 14 can also be used.

This site has some images from various photographers one of them (Tim Haynes) who used a Circular Polariser, but shot with film not digital. On some other sites there are mixed reports and results of stacking polarizers mainly seems to depend on the quality of your polarizing filters.
 
My wifes wants to use the telescope. not worried though because she will be using these http://shop.technopro.co.za/index.p...word=solar filter&inc_subcat=0&sort=3a&page=1

Guys who want to could maybe phone Kobie and ask if he has the Baader film loose, or buy the 70mm disk and make a filter.

Need to be careful with mylar as it can also get fissures in that can cause problems, the same as using tea bag foil
 
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threegee said:
Personally I would not try the pinhole method anyway. Virtually every site I have looked at by professionals in this game are very specific about using Solar Filters (made from Mylar) for your equipment. One or two other sites say Welding Glass with a Shade Rating of 14 can also be used.
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They don't have them in my size :(
 
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