What's your planned setup for the Solar Eclipse?

[Peter Ward]

Originally Posted by OzEclipse

This is a welcome improvement but shouldn't abrogate the need for bracketing. I'd recommend you bracket and then see if you can use a single exposure or limited range of exposures to create a masterpiece while having the full bracket set to fall back on.

Sounds like an each way bet to me

Just have fun.

[bcoote (Brian Coote)]

Hi Peter,
I thought you thrived on stress.
The stress is at least half the fun.

This will be my last SE and I intend giving it a bit of a shot. if it doesn't work out at least I gave it a try.

Enjoy, Brian

[OzEclipse (Joe Cali)]

Originally Posted by Peter Ward

Sounds like an each way bet to me

Just have fun.

Hi Peter,

Absolutely, it's an each way bet. Basically, I don't think the single exposure will work not matter what the camera specs. So I recommend bracketing - a proven technique. But since Brian will then have a whole lot of single exposures, it can't hurt to see what can be done from a single image. My camera has 14eV DR as well so I'll see what can be done with fewer images. I'm on a boat for next years hybrid. Less exposures sounds good to me :-)

Auto HDR is another possibility but I wouldn't risk my entire eclipse image set on it working properly.

Joe

[DarthWombat (Alex)]

G'day all...

I am planning to bring pretty much a full astro kit with DSLR up to Trinity Beach: i.e. an ED120 on an HEQ5-Pro. I was planning to set up the DSLR with an intervalometer to take timelapse shots through a white light solar filter during the eclipse.

The question I have is: What I will see in the shots if I leave the filter on through the whole eclipse and not change my exposure settings? Will I still see the shapes of the eclipse in the shots but minus the atmospheric effects? Conventional wisdom seems to be to remove the filter through totality and replace it afterwards to capture the diamond rings, beads, etc, but I am trying to avoid this interactive approach if I can.

One major reason why I am investigating the set-and-forget option is that I will be there with my partner for our first total eclipse, so I don't want to spend the whole eclipse messing with gear and peering at screens. I will be happy to get a nice timelapse sequence without the atmospheric effects while we watch the real thing live through eclipse glasses.

To give you an idea what I am hoping to capture, attached is a sample (boring) solar image taken with my Nikon D5100 through my white light filter:

Will I get a similar result as the moon moves across?

Anyway, I reckon it's all about the experience, which, as I remind myself, may well consist of drinking beer in the dark while whingeing about clouds with other astro people...

Happy to hear your thoughts on this (necessarily compromised) approach.

Thanks,

Alex.

[OzEclipse (Joe Cali)]

Yes it will work. But what's the point? You could take the picture of the Sun from Canberra you posted and then move a black circle across it in photoshop taking snap shots as you go and save yourself a whole lot of trouble.

I suggest you leave the scope behind and just enjoy the eclipse with your partner especially if it is your first eclipse.

good luck what ever you decide

Joe

[Rob_K]

Originally Posted by Becstar

I'll just be using my Fuji Finepix S4000 on full 30x zoom....

I bought my daughter a FujiFilm Finepix with the 30x optical zoom and I was gobsmacked with the image quality at 30x. Sounds like a winner!

Cheers -

[gregbradley]

The cameras with the highest Dynamic Range on the market currently are the Nikon D600, D800 and D4. These are all around 13EV measured by DXO or more like 11.3 measured by others. This is at ISO100 and stays similar to about ISO400. Then it drops off at about 1 EV fall by every doubling of ISO.

5D3 is similar but 2 stops lower in EV to start. The difference is in the shadows where the strength of the Nikons is shadow areas are often fully recoverable with detail and little noise. The 5D3 and D800/D600 DR is about the same from about ISO800 onwards. In highlights the 5D3 and D800/D600 are about the same all the way along the ISO range, its the shadows performance that differs.

I have observed this with my own use of a D800E. It has tremendous ability to recover detail in shadow areas with little noise.
The new D600 is almost exactly the same if not better.

There are graphs comparing the different cameras.

What does that all means?

I think it means you expose to protect the highlights (using Nikon and Canon both) and then with a Nikon you will be able to get more detail out of the shadow (not that I would expect there is a lot on a blackened sun).

If there is a compromise to be made I would suggest losing the dark areas if you had to and keep the highlights intact as much as possible.

With a Nikon it has D-Lighting which can be set to varying strengths. This is what this feature does - it underexposes slightly to protect the highlights.

Some 5D2 users adopt a strategy of overexposing to protect the shadows as 5D2 is good with highlights not so much with shadows. However in an eclipse I am not so sure you want to protect shadows so much as not blow out your highlights rendering the image useless.

I thought that theory may be useful.

Greg.

[bcoote (Brian Coote)]

Originally Posted by gregbradley

The cameras with the highest Dynamic Range on the market currently are the Nikon D600, D800 and D4. These are all around 13EV measured by DXO or more like 11.3 measured by others. This is at ISO100 and stays similar to about ISO400. Then it drops off at about 1 EV fall by every doubling of ISO.

5D3 is similar but 2 stops lower in EV to start. The difference is in the shadows where the strength of the Nikons is shadow areas are often fully recoverable with detail and little noise. The 5D3 and D800/D600 DR is about the same from about ISO800 onwards. In highlights the 5D3 and D800/D600 are about the same all the way along the ISO range, its the shadows performance that differs.

Some 5D2 users adopt a strategy of overexposing to protect the shadows as 5D2 is good with highlights not so much with shadows. However in an eclipse I am not so sure you want to protect shadows so much as not blow out your highlights rendering the image useless.

I thought that theory may be useful.

Greg.

Hi Greg
You (and Joe) have shown beyond any question we will have to shoot at 100 or 80 ISO to retain dynamic range.

As far as cameras go it will be a case of stick with what we have for no matter what we have in DSLRs or whatever they are streets ahead of the Canon D60 I used in 2002 which was my only SE so far.

Have nearly finished adapting the plates to mount two scopes and cameras side by side on my EQ6 mount. With two laptops, two scopes, EQ6 with extra counterweights, deep cycle battery, inverter, wooden feet for tripod legs, tools, all the cables and bits and pieces I may have to hire another camel.

Brian

[Matt Wastell (Matt)]

Good luck all (weather and technical).
I can not make the path of totality but will be imaging the partial from Brisbane (or where the closest clear site will be).
I will be LS60 / DMK51ing for full disc shots - I have already established the shots and layout of my presentation. I may do some 2.5 Powermate if conditions are good - I would love to see some lunar mountains cut across the Sun.
Hope the Sun shines on the 14th!

[doppler (Rick)]

This will be my first total eclipse, totality only lasts 2 minutes so I will have a camera on my guide scope and a camcorder on a tripod. But I would really like to see a solar prominece through the main scope. Enjoy the eclipse but dont spend too much time trying to image it

[Adelastro1 (Wayne England)]

My new Polarie arrived today. Woohoo! I've got the weekend now to play around with it before the eclipse.

I'll be using two cameras with different lenses.

For the close up shots I'll use a D7000 to give the extra reach of a DX body and Sigma 50-500 on the new Polarie. Also have a Kenko 2x teleconverter to try it with too.

For the wider shots of the corona I will use my D800E with the Nikon 80-200 f2.8 and possibly a TC-17EII, non tracked.

Also will swap the Nikon 14-24 f2.8 onto the D800E for the partial phases of the eclipse.

Even if it's partly cloudy I'm sure I will get some good shots. That's the idea of keeping it simple and being able to adapt on the day. Plus I can't carry much anyway!

I'm literally in Cairns for 15 hours total so plan to go straight to my site and stay up all night. The flight home is 6 hours so there's plenty of time to sleep then!

All the best everyone and good luck observing/imaging it!

[Davros (Lauren)]

I will be attempting to do some artistic widefield shots from Redcliffe with the Canon and a 28-70L using a combination of ND filters and solar film for different stages. Mostly i will be watching it through my eclipse glasses with my wife by my side.

[gregbradley]

Originally Posted by Adelastro1

My new Polarie arrived today. Woohoo! I've got the weekend now to play around with it before the eclipse.

I'll be using two cameras with different lenses.

For the close up shots I'll use a D7000 to give the extra reach of a DX body and Sigma 50-500 on the new Polarie. Also have a Kenko 2x teleconverter to try it with too.

For the wider shots of the corona I will use my D800E with the Nikon 80-200 f2.8 and possibly a TC-17EII, non tracked.

Also will swap the Nikon 14-24 f2.8 onto the D800E for the partial phases of the eclipse.

Even if it's partly cloudy I'm sure I will get some good shots. That's the idea of keeping it simple and being able to adapt on the day. Plus I can't carry much anyway!

I'm literally in Cairns for 15 hours total so plan to go straight to my site and stay up all night. The flight home is 6 hours so there's plenty of time to sleep then!

All the best everyone and good luck observing/imaging it!

I did some experimenting with the D800E with various lenses. 24-70 with a variable ND filter seemed very good. 180mm F2.8 ED was also good.
77mm Hoya R72 infrared filter also seems useful.

I am wondering if I should just use the D800E on a tripod and doing a time lapse. And shoot with 40D on my 110mm which is a good combo.

Greg.