Approaching The Scene 294: How to Practice & Shoot The Total Eclipse + Exposure Guide PDF
(LINKS BELOW): The total eclipse is April 8th and if you’re going to photograph it, you should start practicing now. In this video Rick and I will share tips and methods to practice and photograph both the partial and total eclipse. Linked below is a pdf document with suggested exposure settings for various base ISOs. We cover using this cheat sheet, what to bring, different types of filtration and support equipment and shooting the event both for long lens close ups as well as wide angle composite capture. Grab a notepad and settle in for a detailed total eclipse discussion.
Eclipse Exposure Guide PDF: bit.ly/HHP-TE
Eclipse glasses: amzn.to/3TvCTzn
Kase magnetic filters: bit.ly/HHKase
Thousand Oaks solar film: amzn.to/3vdGN6w
Anker PD battery bank: amzn.to/49MhJm5
My custom tall fluid-head system: bit.ly/TallFH
Ultralight chair to travel with: amzn.to/4cdAdNY
Our complete selection of Kase filters: bit.ly/HHKase
My custom tripods & support parts: bit.ly/HHPTripds
Our selection of NYA-EVO packs & RCIs: bit.ly/HHP_NYA
Updated links to all the gear I use and recommend: bit.ly/HudsonsLinks
Using my links helps support this video series. Thank you!
I invite all of you to join Rick, David, Darren and me for our next free live Office Hours session. Leave us a question for the discussion when you sign up.
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Thanks to everyone for the great questions you are sending in. Keep them coming either in the comments below or by emailing me directly. I hope to see you in the next Office Hours session.
Stay safe and healthy.
LINKED TABLE OF CONTENTS:
00:00 Intro to ATS 294 The Great 2024 Total Eclipse
01:05 Practice is the key to this endeavor
02:00 Thoughts on focal length, tripods & things you need
03:57 A tall tripod is really good for the long lens
04:30 Our free eclipse exposure guide (pdf download)
05:45 Long lens eclipse capture C1-C4
06:40 How to use your eclipse glasses (critical)
08:55 Let’s talk about filtration
10:16 10+6 stop ND is fine with lens cap between shots
12:55 How you should practice shooting the sun now!
13:20 Partial eclipse exposures with ND
15:00 Using Thousand Oaks solar film filtration
17:13 Don’t forget to focus + focus tips
18:15 Partial eclipse exposures with solar filter
21:10 The short, intense period of totality
23:16 No filtration for totality, stop down & bracket
25:40 Diamond ring exposure for C2
27:15 Totality exposure
29:15 Wide angle landscape composite capture C1-C4
32:30 Mid-totality capture a no-filter, bracketed landscape
34:00 Questions and summary
38:55 We’ll do a follow up eclipse editing video
Thank you so much for this tutorial. Shot my first eclipse and am so happy with my results. :)
Had great luck with the weather and got all my shots thanks to practicing the steps in this video. Again, THANK YOU! Now, where's the video showing us how to process all of these 9-shot brackets? :)
Hudson I wanted to say THANK YOU for this very informative tutorial on how to shoot the eclipse. I followed your advice with my Z9 and a Nikkor 500 pF lens and Thousand Oaks Optical solar filter here in NE Texas yesterday. It was simply a magical event I will never forget with my family and the images I was able to capture just blew me away. Your advice was spot on sir! Bracketing was indeed the ticket to success. 😍
So glad to hear it. We had a blast too!
Got a bunch of bracketed exposures of the eclipse (thanks for the tutorial!). Now eagerly awaiting your next video on editing/blending them!
Amen to that! The Sony/Nikon shoot out was fun but now it’s time to edit these shots. Great view of the eclipse from Peru, NY but the drive back home took 10hrs!!! 😭🤬
@@r.derrickthomas2909 Can confirm! I was a few ticks south from Peru in the ADKs. This was ESSENTIAL.
I just wanted to say Thank You for this very helpful video and the downloadable exposure chart. My eclipse images turned out very well.
Stopped back in to say thank you for this video! I was in Missouri and we got a great view, and great pictures.
I advise downloading Solar Eclipse Timer app for phone which will announce the different phases of eclipse for you. Thank you Hudson & Rick. I was hoping you would give us a solar eclipse video to prep. Well done!!
Apparently, though, you cannot use this app with the phone you may want to use as a camera on April 8, 2024!
my tech friend can't figure out the timer app so I know I can't!
@@craigpurdie3528 well if you only want totality pix, use your phone,,enjoy
@@gosman949 wow!
I’ve been waiting a week in sunny Southern California waiting for…. you guessed it, sun!
Thank you. I have been planning the long lens shot, but I am really liking your landscape concept as well. I will be in the Buffalo, NY area, praying for a clear day.
Thanks for the info guys! A Lot of great stuff here. Heading to Bloomington, Indiana area on Monday. Gonna practice tomorrow and Friday, AND Saturday AND Sunday. Practice, practice, Practice! Thanks again!
Thanks so much, I feel much more prepared now.
Thanks, Great job. I have watched dozens these but this one worked for me and hit home. Thank you.
Great tutorial with nuanced details that other eclipse tutorials leave out - thank you!
Great video! Thank you for putting this together! This will be my first attempt to photograph an eclipse. I'll be using my new Nikon Z8. This video has helped me to plan my exposures and to better develop my plan and I continue to practice, practice, practice. 😁
Thanks for the tips. I have watched a few videos but this was the most comprehensive. I’ve been out today practicing the long lens shot on a A7R3 and D850 - tomorrow will be the big event!
Really, practice, and practice some more. I learned so much in 2017, but it was really fun, but only because I practiced. Still made a ton of mistakes, more practice and these solid tips will make things epic. The landscape and solar film tips are great. Thanks
Thank you so much for this information, and taking to time to just share the info and not need to chop it up. This is a full lecture courseworth of info, I so appreciate you guys sharing your photographic niche. I live in Rochester NY and we're prepping for a lot of people visiting for this event. I really appreciate the in depth explanation, and you guys make a really good point that I didn't really think of: I can practice with the "normal" sun! Seems obvious but it didn't really occur to me I can go out and start getting used to it before the event. Great tip on lens capping between shots. As someone with more video focused equipment, i'll probably be using an external monitor to avoid looking in the same direction as the camera is pointed.
Great job guys loved the video Great advice. Thank you, I’ll be in Indianapolis Can’t wait to see your shots.
Thanks for the video. I have been practicing already several times. Bracketing was a new thing to me. I think I will add that to my plans. Only thing now stands between sun moon and us is the clouds. Hope we will have clear skies!
thank you so much for this!!!! I was going to skip taking shots of the eclipse, now I'm going to set up the z9 and the 850 for landscape. Super excited. Now I have to go scout a location. I'm in the area of totality so finding the right spot is going to be fun.
Wow you were going to skip taking shots of the eclipse, when you live in totality? That is insane.
@@krismeaney2841 the weather here can be sunny and 60, then dumping snow the next. Today I picked 3 spots, got my landscape camera setup and testing the long lens shot today. Plus sometimes just being in the moment is better than getting the shot. I've been a professional for 15 years and have learned that sometimes you have to put down the camera and live the experience.
I used an ND 16 magnetic filter for the annular eclipse last year and it worked great.
Amazing video! you broke it down in a easy to follow way thank you!
Thank you SO MUCH for this!
This was great. I might add that there is one advantage to using the solar film: If you forget to put your lens cap back on...No harm - No foul. "A man's got to know his limitations."
As always, ‘Thank you, Hudson!’
Nice video, thanks Hudson!
Awesome tips, thanks!
Great video. Thank you!
Great video. I have been into doing eclipse. 4 so far! And theirs will be my 2nd full. Practice is the key. Use a simulator that has the timing, so you know how long 4 minutes really is. In 2017, 2 minutes was fast. So this time there is sum luxury. A tracker is nice if you have one. Bought a second one for this event. Kind of set it and forget it. Helpful with 4 cameras going. Most of have fun. Best with friends.
Thanks for this tutorial-especially the recommendation to capture a full range of stops. That is a mode (Sony) that I haven't needed yet, but will have to practice -switching from the sunlight mode and back.
Nice job on this video... thanks!
Great video by Henry and Hudson on how to photograph the solar eclipse on 4/8/24. As a newbie at photographing a solar eclipse, I will using the EclipSmart Scope 50Mm Refractor Telescope and attaching my iPhone 14 Pro Max camera. I should not have too much problems photographing the partial segments of the eclipse. At total eclipse, I will remove the iPhone camera and take a few shots of totality. Then I will reattach the iPhone camera to my Celestron telescope and resume photographing the partial eclipses. With your great explanation and demonstrations, you have cleared up many confusing concepts in regards to photographing a Solar Eclipse. Thanks a million!
First name is Hudson. My last name is Henry and Rick LePage did the video with me.
Hudson and Rick did a great job of explaining how to photograph the 4/8/2024 solar eclipse. Keep up the good work.
Thanks for the tips, your a pro,,
Thanks guys for another great video. I got a Haida 20 stop Solar Filter & went out yesterday to practice. I kept thinking that during the periods of Partial Eclipse would be an ideal time to have "Zebra Stripes" to set the exposure easily. Looking forward to seeing how things turn out. Fingers are crossed for a sunny day!
It's an idea I thought of, but it might actually complicate things for many.
@@HudsonHenryPhoto I can understand that some might not like it. If they don't like it and it was available, they could just turn it off. I just thought that it would make "nailing" the exposure so easy. Set Base ISO, set your f-stop and then adjust the Shutter Speed until the Zebra Stripes just barely go away. Exposure is set with no blown out areas.
Thank you very much Henry very good information thx, greetings from Germany
You're most welcome. First name is Hudson, but no big deal.
Awesome video, Hudson! I'll be shooting in Arkansas, and this will be incredibly helpful. Last time it happened, we had an overcast sky with rain. All I could do was enjoy the moment with my wife, and quite honestly, it was an awesome memory, but I came home with nothing, lol.
Fingers crossed for this time my friend!
Thank you for the info l live in Missouri so got to see the last one in 2017 but been a while since then l have some great photos from then
awesome resource guys. Thanks for doing this.
Thanks for a timely reminder, Hudson and Rick. My only worry is the exposure at totality. I practiced during the annular eclipse last year, and found that every 5 mins. is a good interval to shoot. I have 2 cameras and tripods, and am tempted to do one wide angle and the other telephoto. My filter is homemade with solar film, but if I use the second setup, a second filter will be needed. And DON'T FORGET TO USE SOLAR GLASSES!!!
Outstanding!
Very helpful thank you so so much
I was DC in the Navy when I was a kid, I know exactly what you speak of.
Thank you so much for doing this video and providing all the information needed to have a successful solar eclipse. I was concerned with the ND100000 I was going to use and decided to change it with the Nisi solar filter since it has UV/IR cut. My Z8 is only a couple months old and I never photographed an eclipse so this video really cleared some things up.
Kase is also IR. Stacking the 10 & 6 works great. ;)
Thank you for all the great advice and the pdf. I've been practicing and using a tracker for the Z600pf and the other camera will be on a tripod with a Z24-70. I was so glad to hear you mention this. Will I need some type of filter for the Z24-70? I'm going to use the intervalometer with a remote trigger as well (and ND100000(16.6). Also, thank you for your service ... I'm a veteran as well (USAF). Great vid!
Great video. I have practiced and finding and shooting the sun is hard.
Great video! Bracketing your exposure so that your camera takes up to 9 different exposures per shot worked great for me in 2017. That way you cover your bases on exposure settings and you can create an HDR image of the corona later.
Did you watch the video? As that is exactly what we recommend in it... automated HDR won't work well, but they're are techniques to blend in photoshop that we'll share in a video after the event.
@@HudsonHenryPhoto Yes, I watched your video. No, I never said that you didn't recommend it, I said that it worked well for me in 2017. I was sharing my personal experience. I also didn't say anything about "auto HDR", only "HDR". As in, I created an HDR photo in post from my bracketed images. 🤔
Awesome vid Hudson! I'll be in the Austin area (A bit farther west) with my Z9 and 180-600, and solar filters. I'll be out on the back deck this weekend since Seattle SHOULD be nice ;)
Same here. Practicing this weekend since the weather is finally going to be nice here in the Seattle Area. I'm also heading west of Austin for the eclipse.
@@ThePinoyAggie That's awesome! I sure hope the weather will be good!
Same here. Driving to near Burnet from Colorado.
I'll be right close by in Lampasas, Tx
Very helpful. I will follow your directions closely. Last eclipse in Nashville TN I made a pin-hole viewing box and photographed the image inside the box. It worked better than it sound. This time I will use my 16 ND filters. Thanks,
Thanks!
Thank you too!
Great video and explanations - my plan is to shoot a bracket of the eclipse at 200mm during totality and then switch to a wide angle lens and do a bracketed landscape panorama (still during totality) and then edit the 200mm photo into the panorama.
Make sure you have sunscreen:) I think most places will be cloudy with little chance of getting any sun. right now the few places that look like sun will not have to worry about sun screen unless there is a possibility of watching in the snow. Great video. good tips.
Thanks Henry and Rick. I am thinking of trying pixelshift with totality.
Nope. This thing is moving. Bracketing is not an option with pixel shift and you need to bracket. Look at today's video for another reason to abandon that thought. :-) First name is Hudson, but no big deal.
Thank you soo much for this! I was worried about the settings for Totality and trying to find a way to simulate the lighting so I could practice different settings on my camera. Unfortunately everyone was only giving suggested F, shutter and ISO settings, none of which actually worked for my setup. Your settings came the closest with F8, 60, 100; my best picture of the sun was with F8, 60, 200 so I'll be using your F and shutter suggestions for Totality. Now I just to wait for the sun so I can practice a little more!
Watch your histogram and adjust if needed, but 9 stops of bracketing will be very safe. You won't need all of them for the final image.
I purchased the Thousand Oaks solar filter back at Christmas time. Now that i've pulled it out and begun "practice, practice, practice...", I was surprised to see that it does not have the yellow tint. It's pretty much the same as the shots you showed with a ND filter.
Excellent Video as usual. Hudson I was in my yard practicing today with my Nikon Z9 and I could not get the memory recall function to work while bracketing was turned on. With it off the recall function works, furthermore when trying to turn on Bracketing the camera defaults to my original settings rather than staying on the memory recall option. I think the work around would be to set your settings to the non filter settings, and the memory recall to the filter settings that way it is a 2 step process 1) Turning "off" memory recall and 20 engaging bracketing. Hope that makes sense and is helpful. Thanks
Thank you so much I have a Z9 and D7500 will I will use this coming April 8th
I use DSLR Remote (chainfire) for android only. Connect with an OTG cable to device and the usb to camera that came with your camera. The app will bracket as many stops as you choose. I used 11 shots one at 0 and then 5 stops under and 5 stops over, you choose to change shutterspeed in app for the bracket type, I used apeture priority on camera iso 800 set my base apeture at f/4. Worked out really good, had 11 images , I also used my Iopton skyguider Pro in sun tacking mode to keep sun in frame.
Remember to have a white sheet to towel to drape over your cameras between shots, so that they don't get so hot. In 2017, I used a D500 and the 80-400 at 400mm, so an effective 600mm, which is the lens I plan to use on my Z8, and I'm hoping that I won't lose too. much of the outer portion of the chromosphere during totality. Stellarium allows you to set a field of view, and then check to be sure that the sun fits in it from start to finish. It seems like about 30mm will work for Texas, where the sun will be moving straight across the sky instead of really arcing from one corner to the other, and 30mm should allow me to get Jupiter, possible Comet Pons/Brooks, the eclipsed sun and Venus in the same frame without moving the camera from C1 to C4. There is an application called Solar Eclipse Timer that figures out the times and will announce all the major events.
White sheet isn't a bad idea, but is certainly unnecessary. My camera is out on tripods mid day in the sun for hours on end on a regular basis.
@@HudsonHenryPhoto I know the cameras can take it, the sheet or towel just makes it more comfortable to touch when repositioning the long lens after two to three hours of full sun.
I just used my baseball cap over the lens between shots in 2017.
Used towel for partial eclipse in 2017, and the camera still warmed up. Without towel may work fine this time as it’s in April (had no heat issues for the last angular eclipse, last October in San Antonio). Personally I will use to prevent any light leak from the film caps I perched and saw from the angular eclipse.
Thank you so much this video is so helpful. Quick question: for the diamond ring shot are filters on or off? Thanks
This is really a great video. Thank you for doing this. One question do you bracket the partial eclipse photos?
Nope. Just the sun on black.
Hudson, excellent video with many great tips. I am going to be photographing totality in NY on the coast of Lake Ontario. I have a Z8 and the Z 400 f/4.5. I also have the 1.4x teleconverter. Would you recommend using the teleconverter? I would like to capture the radiating chromosphere as well as the disk of the sun/moon. I’d appreciate your opinion. Thanks
No. Leave the 1.4 off. It isn't that much better than a slight crop if needed. The corona is supposed to be big.
@@HudsonHenryPhoto Thanks for the advice!
Hudson, great video. I have been thinking of doing the two cameras and telephoto and wide angle. Can you discuss more about choice of filters or share a link to more info? Besides color tint are there other pro / con to an $11 Thousand Oaks solar filter sheet vs a screw on solar filter which I have seen ranging in price from about $35 to $350. I understand better materials means a more durable filter and less chromatic aberration but $300 worth? Also the "Totality" app by Big Kid Science is nice for planning location, % totality and duration. (I have no financial interest in the app)
I'm personally a fan of high quality ND. Best image quality and very safe used with proper care.
I was going to buy a Thousand Oaks filter but when I went to their site to buy it, they were sold out and said they were going to restock soon. So I went to B&H and ordered a Mr. StarGuy adjustable size solar filter. I think they use the film from Thousand Oaks to make their filters. The test shots I took look exactly like the ones you showed taken through the Thousand Oaks film. My longest lens is a 70-300 and like you said, it's difficult to find the sun with that very dark filter on. I got several good shots, all hand held, f6.3, 1/400, ISO 140. I got a couple of sharp shots at ISO 100, f6.3, 1/200 sec exposure. I'm not sure if I'm going to take 300mm shots all the way or put the filter on the wide angle zoom I have that is 18-140mm and take a series of shots and blend them in like the time lapsed one you showed with the landscape. I have an 11-16 Tokina lens that's pretty sharp, but the sun would be really small at 16mm. I'm about 200 miles south of Dallas so I won't get totality, but about 97% obscuration. May I ask, what wide angle lens did you use to make that time lapse composite at 29:31? And the interval length? It's going to be a lot of fun. I'm planning on testing each lens over the next few weeks to see what I want to do. I'm hoping and praying we have clear skies on April the 8'th! Playing around with the images I took I found that it's pretty easy to blend a shot of the sun with a blue sky using Blend If in Photoshop. Put the two in a stack, the sun shot on the bottom, On the top layer use Blend If Grey for Underlying layer. Move the white slider to the left until the sun appears, then alt click the triangle to split it and fine tune the blend by moving the two halves until it looks right. Sometimes that works slightly better than changing the blend modes on the sun shot, depending on the photographs.
I answer all those questions in this very video. 35mm, 5 minute increments and I explain why I personally much prefer 16 stops of ND to the solar filter and how to use it safely. ;)
@@HudsonHenryPhoto Thank you.
Pretty sure Mr. StarGuy uses Baader Solar Filter film. This is about 5 stops less than Thousand Oaks from what I have been able to look up and test myself. 64 iso on a Z8 for a full sun exposure is around 1/1250 at f9 vs 1/40 at f8 with Thousand Oaks. Also, the Baader filter is pretty white in color, closer to what you would get out of an ND filter.
Thanks Henry Hudson, first time viewer and I greatly appreciate the counsel... Been practicing the bracketing aspect on my Z9 in preparation of the C2 C3 sequence. Full Manual mode as advised. I am wondering why I am seeing Exposure Compensation values on all frames except the 1/80 baseline shutter speed. Is the Z9 unilaterally invoking Exposure Compansation during the bracketing sequence? Aperature stays fixed, shutter speed shifts as expected but the EV value changes as well !? Thanks!
First name is Hudson, but no big deal. That's just how they program it. It's nice in post production because those values are displayed by HDR software. HDR won't work well for the eclipse though. You'll. be hand-blending in Photoshop for the best results, but we'll walk you through that in a video in later April or early May.
Apologies with the naming convention….would be nice if Nikon explains in detail for us novices the intricacies of such variables…Looking forward to your blending video. Clear skies!
Apologies on the name issue, one's identity matters.... Figured there was a "logical" explanation for the Exposure Compensation value presented. Much obliged.@@HudsonHenryPhoto
Great video! A few questions: - Are you bracketing for aperture or shutter speed? - How do you determine arc of travel in order to minimize recomposing? - Where do you set focus when shooting wide angle in order to keep eclipse and foreground sharp? - Where can I purchase the "sun" light fixture shown in video? Thanks!
Shutter speed only, an app like sun surveyor or photo pills, it's a composite (a landscape and a series of nothing but the sun on black at infinity), the light is in this video and linked in the description: kzhead.info/sun/nrKld9KesZOEYIk/bejne.html
One camera feature I like to use is my custom settings. I have my C1 set for corona/pacman and my C2 set up diamond ring/Bailey's Beads/Corona. I just switch from C1 to C2 and back as needed. All I have to change is my mode and make sure my filter is where it needs to be. BTW Great video and love the story about the night carrier landing. Thank you for your service.
What about using an old style arc welding helmet. Will that do the trick for looking at the eclipse?
Second question. The exposure table provided makes sense as a good target based on all else I have read on eclipse exposure settings. The only difference is related to bracketing. It seems as if the proposed settings should be used as the upper end of a 9 frame 1-stop bracket, not the midpoint. For example, the Mr. Eclipse Table for ISO 100, F11 recommends an exposure range to capture the full corona from 8 seconds to 1/125 second (1/500 second for prominences, which is about what you recommend ). I may be misunderstanding, but wanted to check.
NASA and my personal experience put our chart as midpoints. Practice, experiment watch your histogram and draw your own conclusion. :)
Thanks for the great tutorial. One question: If you are using a DSLR with a mirror do you still have to cover the lens during the partials? After all the mirror is protecting the sensor during the 5 minute wait between shots... ???
You could drop the mirror betwen shots, but part of it is protecting the lens from exsessive heat build up. I'd cap it. I would not work with the DSLR in optical mode. Only Live-view to protect your eyes. Do NOT look throught the viewfinder in a DSLR during the partial phases. You'll fry your eyes.
Thank you for the excellent video. Two questions. 1) What release mode do you recommend for the 9 exposure bracket? 20 fps? 2) It looks like the eclipse would be a great time to use the monitor in an angled configuration instead of the viewfinder. Is there a reason not to use the monitor over the viewfinder for the eclipse?
It's harder to see in harsh light. Tall tripod with EVF is really nice. Any continuous mode will work. ;)
When will the exposure PDF be available again? Website says "currently unavailable". Great video I learned a lot!
It's back up. We had a glitch in the ecommerce site.
Great info. Thanks! I just want to clearly understand the backeting. On my Z8 I set it To 9F and 1.0?
Exactly
@@HudsonHenryPhoto Thanks. Good luck in Mazatlán.
Thank you for great the info! I have a few questions from the Cheat Sheet: For totality you recommend f/11. Any special reason? I was planning on shooting at f/8. Also by bracketing 9 stops and 1/2000 @ f/11 ISO 100 does this mean four stops over and four stops under 1/2000? So 1/32k - 1/125? For 1/500 this would be 1/8000-1/30? My max shutter speed is 16k. My camera can only bracket 7 stops at a time. Amongst the above shutter speed range, would it be better to delete the upper most two, lower most two or one stop on either end? I can switch between custom modes each with their own bracket, but switching between them, especially if you want to go back and forth, will consume valuable seconds during C2 and C3. Since 1/2000 and 1/500 are only two stops apart, why not an 11-stop bracket for everything and sort it out later?
Yes, and you answered your own question. At f8 you won't have the shutter speed possible to bracket the last underexposure. 1/32000 is max. F11 is fabulous in an the modern glass. Both. You can open to f8 for the corona if desired.
Good luck everyone. Looks like it is going to be overcast for me but fingers crossed it might clear a bit about 20 mins before totality.
Hi Hudson off the subject of this video. I'm trying to learn the Z9 video features, best settings, zooming and slow-motion. Can you direct me to your video that is best to help me out. Appreciate it very much.
Thank you very much Hudson as always. I'm sure you and your workshop group will have a blast in Mazatlan. Here I am even more ambitious with 3 tripod set-up. One for video using a Z8 and 100-400 mm f/4.5-5.6 VRS lens, letting the sun drift across the frame. The second, using a Z7ii with the 400 mm f/4.5 VRS lens on a Skywatcher Star Adventurer tracker. The third, a Z6ii with a 20 mm f/1.8S lens for wide-angle timelapse, attached on the hotshoe is a GoPro taking wide-angle video. Got a couple of Kase Revolution Magnetic ND Solar filters and backup solar filter films. Flying to Texas from PNW. Clear skies to all going to see the totality!
Hello - this was very interesting and informative. I'm looking for the video on how to build the composite image of the eclipse. Can you direct me?
I have old ones, but there will be one next thrusday on my channel.
💥 3:03 with the 2017 eclipse being at mid day how did you catch the start so low on the horizon.?? Thanks for this great info. Also… I’m using that film. Can you suggest a Kelvin number setting for WB.?? I’d rather not set it to auto WB.
A bunch of those are prepartial of you look. :) I started long before the eclipse did as the sun came into view whole. The goal was to have it over the tree where we did.
@@HudsonHenryPhoto got it, brotha. Thanks and I added something to my post if you can kindly check it out.
in Eagle Pass the sun will be at altitude 70 degrees - a bit too high for landscape photos. And use a TALL tripod - your tilt screen is nice but you still need to locate various buttons on the camera back as you work - so the camera needs to be high as the camera will be tilted upward at 70 degrees - all of which I learned this morning from a dry run
Landscapes and cityscapes often include subjects (mountains, trees, buildings, bridges) that rise into the sky and the closer you are to them the higher an angle they rise. ;) thinking windmills or a lone tree???
I purchased 2 sheets of that Thousand Oaks paper. When I focused on the sun it was really soft focus and kinda discolored. I had paper from the 2017 eclipse and that paper was really sharp and had good color. My brother tried the paper with his Camera and got the same results. I wasnt happy with the Thousand Oaks paper.
I actually show that exact issue and the solution in this video. Solar filters do tend to yield a soft glow (it's visible light coming off the sun). Simply take those images you shot that look fuzzy and pull the black slider to the right till it's razor sharp. Simple, Done. I also say that I prefer ND for image quality and true color. There are a bunch of people who've somehow become convinced that only a solar filter will keep their sensor from melting if pointed at the sun. ;)
@@HudsonHenryPhoto That is not the same issue. I also bought the thousand oaks filter recently and the ghosting essentially looks like 2 more additional suns slightly sticking out on 2 opposite sides of the actual sun. It also rotates if you rotate the filter. Reviews on Amazon also show the same problem with this new batch of filters from them. I ended up getting a filter from Baader and it is tack sharp with no ghosting problems and is significantly less dense. You don't have to crank the ISO and/or shutter speed to get proper exposure like with the thousand oaks one.
Again, I had zero issues getting tack sharp images from the thousand oaks film purchased 4 weeks ago from the link I share at base iso with the exposure settings I share here. No issues at all, as the images shared in this video demonstrate. All of that said, I'm neither using nor recommending using solar filters at all. I much prefer 16 stops of high quality ND instead. I only tested the solar filter because so many people want to use it instead. It's also an option for those on a budget who can't afford quality ND.
@@HudsonHenryPhotoI purchased the Vixen Daystar ULF-90 Universal Solar Lens Filter on Amazon and have had no issues. The color is good and I am getting tack sharp images. I wonder if Amazon got a bad batch of solar paper. I had the same issue @krebs22 had where the image looked very soft like you slightly turned the focus ring and then sun looked ghostly like there was 2 of them. The camera was mounted on a tripod as well. Thats why we plan and practice so there are no issues on Game day right ? :) Hudson you mentioned you are shooting it at 400 mm. I am planning on shooting it at 800mm. Will I still be able to get the corona in the frame at that focal length ? Judging from my practice shots I think I should be able too.
I think 800 is a bit tight. With all our current sensors resolution I'm playing it safe at 400mm
Great video and demo. Thanks for making this. Did you say how long the wide angle shot actually takes in total? I counted the images of the sun and came to about 180 minutes. Does that sound about right?
Look at C1 - c4 times for your location. :)
Oh, I thought the image was showing pre-c1 / cookie bites, and presumably post. Thanks again.
Oh of course, but you probably just need the one 5 minutes before.
Where are you guys going in Mazatlan for the eclipse? I am here and will be going to the Botanical Gardens on Isla Piedra. Beautiful location with lots of birds and wildlife and almost no people.
We're sticking to our rooftop where we can all work together and have lots of space and privacy. We've been practicing for days now. :) enjoy!
I've 3d printed a screw on filter adapter with magnets for my lenses, I have the silver-black polymer sheet which I plan to use on my 180-600mm. Alternatively for my 14-30mm lens, I want to pick up some Neutral Density sheets to use like the polymer sheet, will it be a risk to shoot with an ND9 + ND6? Not finding ND10 sheets.
Thanks for this! Question: When you say to bracket 9 stops, do you mean starting the sequence 4 stops under your recommended exposure and going to 4 stops over?
Yep. Under and over
Great video. Will my 150-600mm lens work @600mm?
600 is petty tight for totality. I like 400 to capture the entire corona, but you'll have that too with that lens
@@HudsonHenryPhoto thank you 😀
I will be in south Texas using the same Telescope filter and Nikon 200-500 I used in 2017. Unfortunately my Z7II will not have a mirror like my DSLR did in 2017, so I will throw a hand towel over the lens when not shooting.
On the plus side you can compose and focus safely in the viewfinder instead of having to use the back Lcd in dslr live view. Also the heat buildup inside a dslr's optics and mirror box can brick dslr equipment just as fast. The mirror actually intensifies the heat.
Yeah, I hope yall are paying attention to the weather for cloud cover during that time, dont make any plans until the day approaching if you plan to fly , that way you can better pick a sunny day/ sunny place.
lmao... Ever been to the path of a total eclipse? You sure aren't going to be alone. You better have 18 months lead time arranging travel. That's why we chose Mazatlan for the worshop. Best percentage chance of good weather. The wealthy ecplise junkies keep private planes on standby in thier location of choice to get above potential cloud cover...
With all of the quick changes, it seems that there is a high likelihood of forgetting or overlooking something. Would it be worth it to save the normal Banks onto an SD card and then load the Eclipse settings on to Banks on a separate SD Card so that switching from the settings for the partial portion to the Totality settings would be as simple as switching from one Bank to another in the "heat of the moment". Then, when the excitement is over, switch back to the SD Card with your "normal Banks" and reload those?
Better yet, you can use the Recall Shooting Function feature to switch between settings for eclipse and totality.
I wish I had sen this video earlier! I have a Canon t6i but it only goes up to 4000 shutter speed. For totality should I use anything different in bracketing other than what you recommend for the diamond ring and complete totality? (ie. F16 at 1000 and F11 at 500) I plan to set my camera for totality at 400 mm. Thanks Much!!
I'd stick to 1000 and drop to f8 instead during totality. Either will work.
@@HudsonHenryPhoto Thanks Mate!
Link to the mentioned editing video for combining eclipse images? Thx!
... as stated, will be forthcoming after our Costa Rica worksop that follows the eclipse. :)
What help is that? Can you post a workflow now so we can prepare?
What is better to use with my Canon 300mm lens? Sony a6000 with 7-stop bracketing (.75 step) with a lens converter or Canon T7 with only 3-stop bracketing. How important is bracketing for the totality?
Some may have an issue with buffering when bracketing. See what your set up before the day of.
What do you think about using a 20 stop ND filter instead of 16 stops?
That's fine as long as it's high quality
I have an 18 stop filter I used for the annular eclipse. I think that means I need to lower my shutter speed two stops? On Z8 at F8 and ISO64 start at 1/125th? I'm worried about camera shake using my FTX and my AF-S 200-500mm at 500mm. In practice, I feel like I am having a difficult time getting the sun in tack sharp focus. Tried AF-S in auto area mode, the camera hunts a fair amount for focus. Trying to focus manually it seems hard to get tack sharp focus too. Any suggestions?
I bought the 18 stop Tiffen Solar ND (95mm) and I’ll probably be zoomed in to 600mm. Is it safe for my sensor to have on without a lens cap for the whole thing?
99% of the videos out there all talk about area of totality, it's a 9 hr drive one way to get to the closest spot, it's on a Monday, and it's not a cost effective trip for me. I was 20 miles from the one in 2017 so I have been through one already, didn't photograph it as it was mildly cloudy that day. I am in a 89.9 percent area so I won't see totality, but the moon will be grazing the sun enough to see it pass in front of it. I'd like to take photos from the beginning to the end so the 5 min timing should work, I have a 16.6 stop filter, but you recommend not leaving the zoom pointed at the sun during the whole phase (3-4hrs). I do have a tracker I could use with the zoom lens 200-800RF but the not leaving it pointed at the sun is throwing me off on that, do I need a 20 stop filter? 95mm, not cheap...and I would like to also do the phase ones with a more wider lens. Sounds like I need a 16 stop filter for the wide angle as well, which was a question I hadn't seen an answer to till seeing this video. I just don't wanna smoke a sensor on my cameras.
I'll be using Solar Film on 5D Mk II with 800mm lens. Do I need to shut it off between infrequent shots during partial eclipse?
Watched this twice now and it's a great primer. However I probably missed something. Why the high f-stops for the partial phase? Why not shoot the partial phase wide open? I understand for totality you want to be able to get the 9 stops of bracketing so the higher f-stop is necessary, but I'm confused as to why we'd want it for the partial. (I'm a bit worried about having a 400/2.8 with lens hood getting blown around in the wind at 1/80th even on a tripod.)
Sharpness and depth of field. Lenses are often there least sharp for detail wide open, and all the way closed aperture due to the effects of refraction.
The 400 2.8 can certainty be wide open as it's great there, but you're letting in even more light and heat.
Do you recommend taking your bracketed photos of totality in live view or through the viewfinder? It seems to me that my camera, Nikon D780 takes slower photos in Live View - is this true? It just seems like it takes longer to do the bracket in live view. Or is this an error in my perception? Also.... Do you recommend capturing the diamond ring effect without capturing the solar corona or with it? It just seems to me that doing brackets for the diamond ring is not the best, because most of those shots are going to be out of exposure - and the bracket takes time to go through all shots and that diamond ring only takes a second or a fraction of a second to pass - so it would seem to me to be best to have your exposure dialed in for the diamond ring and take it at the second it is best captured. What do you think? Thanks!!
It's much harder with a dslr. The focus is less sophisticated and live view is cumbersome, but yes. As you transition to bracketing, I'd preset you focus, switch to the viewfinder at c2 and back to live view at c3. Be careful of your eyes.
is it worth shooting and/or practicing where the eclipse is only 80%, where I will be in Atlanta. I have a 10 and 5 ND I can stack on my long lense or buy that film sheet on Amazon. Thought about trying it out.
Sure, but the experience of a 99.95% eclipse or an annular eclipse is about .05% as exciting and memorable as complete totality. Those minutes where you take off the glasses and filtration and look at the black hole like thing up there, feel the 20 degree temperature drop, notice stars popping out and watch the 360 degree sunset is quite a crazy experience.