Photographing the 2017 Total Solar Eclipse (Part 2)

[@callanr13]

Thanks for the follow up!

[@gdibble]

Yes, thanks for the part-2 ::: excellent

[@dougalkire1195]

Thanks for the info. I have a TONIKA lens and will break it our for sure. Will check back in for any last minute tips.

[@BackyardAstronomyNow]

Thanks for the follow-up and great information Hudson. I am fortunate to live in the path of totality about 40 miles west of St. Louis Missouri. I will be tracking and recording this event from my backyard observatory with a Solarmax II 60MM Double Stacked Hydrogen Alpha Scope and astronomical camera to capture solar surface detail as the moon begins and ends it's transit. However, due to the density of HA scopes, at the moment of totality it most likely will not pick up much (if any) of the corona, bailey's beads or the diamond ring. So, the plan is to run a DSLR with it tracking the sun on a Sky Watcher Star Adventurer mount. This is where your videos have been extremely helpful regarding recommended settings and filters to protect our equipment. In your first video you suggested two apps (Sun Surveyor and The Photographer's Ephemeris) which both have proved to be extremely valuable. Thanks for all your help and I hope you find the perfect composition for your capture of this rare event. Cheers!

[@hawthorned1]

Thanks for the video. Lee Filters has a system that fits the Nikon 14-24 that works well.

[@hudsonhenry9124]

Doug Hawthorne yeah, I have messed with that, but it's too big and awkward for my tastes. Plus I'm really happy to have left slot in filters behind with the end of my need for graduated filters. Exposure blending is so much more precise and adaptable.

[@ConsensusX]

I believe you can use the plastic inside floppy discs as a diy sun filter..

[@fd478]

Both part one and this video were excellent! Exactly what I was looking for since I wanted to focus on the landscape photography aspect of the eclipse. Very well presented, great work. Thanks!

[@tomahawkx188]

Fingers crossed and it will take some hiking/camping Ill be taking the backside of the Tetons with the solar eclipse.

[@fspage911]

Great video! Thanks! What about stacking an 10 stop and 6 stop filter or making one with solar film? I just want to capture some images and really hate to spend a couple hundred bucks on a filter I will probably use only once.

[@darylsutherland1836]

Great info, thanks for taking the time to walk through this. I am wonder your thoughts on stacking filters. I am not able to spend extra $$ on filters right now, will I have any issues stacking a 6 stop onto a 10 stop ND filter?

[@lore88824]

Hey Hudson, thanx for the very detailed and informative videos. I'll be flying to Nashville (TN) and will be setting up in Bledsoe Creek Stat Park, just a bit north of the city, which looks like a spot in the dead center of the path. I tried to put my gear together for the shoot, and I have a question I hope you can answer: in my practice tests I tried the widest lens I have (a Sigma 10-20) on my Pentax K1 body as I'm aiming at getting a landscape shoot with the sun visible at the totality as you suggested, but with such a wide lens the sun ends up like a tiny spot in the sky...I also have a 70-200 which can mount the same filter I'd be using on the wide angle lens, and which, in my tests obviously gave me a a much bigger image of the sun but will not allow any landscape...I'm a bit undecided on what to do...any suggestions? Thanx a lot L.G. Italy

[@JoelBelmont]

The Nikon 14-24 does take filters via fotodiox, just FYI.

[@jacobrichards8359]

Wonderful video. I'll be using my Nodal Ninja with my D750 and my 24mm Rokinon which has a 77mm thread on it. I don't plan on creating cazy large panos during totality, but I'll try! (I'll be in Wyoming...mountains!.) During totality, I can remove the filter from the lens, correct? I'm trying to calculate how many rows and columns I can get in.. Any thoughts on settings for a pano with something like this? I'll be running a second camera with a 200mm zoom as well but I'm a little more excited for the landscape myself.

[@jaiwalking]

Loved your tips on the coming eclipse. Truly helpful. Thanks for making this video. I have a question regarding the landscape capture. Would you be using a solar filter for that too? As I understood, the filter blocks most of the light to the sensor. So how do we get the landscape detail in the shot or bracketing is going to help us recover that detail? Thanks

[@Swansong40]

I think the question is for prior to the totality. If you have a very dark filter for protection, how do you get any detail (or anything at all) other than the sun?

[@brianhilligoss]

Paul DeCoursey-Clark the sun is going to be high in the sky anyway. Not going to see much for a background.

[@jinxt]

Great videos and I'm sorry in advance if this is a silly question but is the solar filter required to be on when trying to shoot sun stars? I assume so, but would like to double check since you appear to be very responsive! Personally, I will be shooting with my Nikon D5300 with my Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6 lens, going more for the closeup imaging but with my GoPro time lapsing nearby.

[@realjaxon]

Also, if it matters...I will be using a 300mm lens on a crop sensor Canon DSLR and possibly a 2x teleconverter if it arrives before the eclipse.

[@cinnamongirl68]

Fellow Portlander!!! Yay. Can you suggest a good filter for my 72mm? I am wanting exactly what you spoke of, something I can use after the eclipse too. Thanks so much!

[@RogerZoul]

Here in SC, the sun is almost straight up during the time of the eclipse. Not many landscape options here. :(

[@RogerZoul]

Hudson Henry Thanks! I will try!

[@RogerZoul]

Hudson Henry: Got it. I have the solar filter, tripod, fluid head and leveler, tele 400 mm + 1.4x, crop sensor body 1.6x, iphone, ipad, apps, and eclipse glasses. :)

[@Swansong40]

Ah! So, if I understand correctly, you will only have the filter on during live view, and then take it off for actual photos? Even during partial? Sorry I keep asking variations of the same question, but I am still wrapping my head around all this. Thanks for all this fantastic info!

[@stevendouglas9043]

Thanks Hudson for these video's, I am a amateur photographer that finds himself (by accident) in the path of the eclipse near Sweet Home, Or. visiting relatives. Wanting to shoot this event, I have limited equipment ( Canon 7D with a 18-135 lens). I am trying to acquirer a filter for my camera. There was none to be found at this late date but was told at I could stack 2 variable ND filters. I would love to hear your though on this matter. Thank you for your time.

[@hudsonhenry9124]

To be honest, I'm no fan of Vari-ND filters. I'd steer you toward a 10 and 6 stop regular ND pair to stack and then you can use them for all kinds of other fun long exposure work. I'd get them big 77 or even 82mm so they can adapt to bigger lenses you might have in the future. Then with a step-up adaptor with your current lens, you'll not have much worry about the stack causing vignetting. Good luck. That's down near where I grew up. :-)

[@ctfford58]

I have a Nikon D3200 and a 70-200mm lens with solar filter. My question is what quality images could I pull out if I video in 1080p at 60fps? would a still image from the video be equivalent to a single photograph taken the traditional way?

[@ctfford58]

Thanks for the reply. You know my small brain did not even think about the 1080 pixel count. That would have been called a clue. I needed a good knock in the head to wake up from this brain fog. I'll photograph it and record the the audio separately. I'm going to have a bunch of 8 to 14 year olds with me in western KY and do not want to miss their reaction. Thanks again!

[@LittleMissIssues]

Lol don't be so hard on yourself I was asking the same question in my head as I scrolled down and saw your question! So I was wondering that too!

[@sreeramkrishna6769]

I have realized the same as well. but what if we are able to shoot video at 4K res? Is it possible then to extract usable still images out of the video?

[@jcchorolo76]

Hello Henry thanks for the tutorial, very helpful... I want to photograph the Aug eclipse never done before. I have the Hoya ND 10 stop filter, I use it once thats it...I noticed that once you put the filter in the lens is completely dark you can not even see thru the lens, how do I frame the shot...Another thing I noticed that B&H is selling a very cheap filter DayStar filter , do you recommend to get that one since I don't want to spend a lot of money or use the Hoya ND 10 stop, Thank you

[@NCstreamin]

Hey Hudson I have an 11-16 Tokina wide angle on my D7100 and was just wanting to film a landscape view of the event and was wondering what filter you recommended for this type of setup or if I need one at all..? I'm based over in Jackson Hole and am trying to get a cool video in with the Tetons… Any thoughts on this would be great. Thanks from an amateur picture taker haha

[@detealdrich]

Hello .... any 16 stop recommendation for canon 70-300mm lenses? Thanks for the info!

[@gardenlady78]

I am planning to photograph the eclipse, it will not be total where I am in Wisconsin, so I am concerned about my camera. I purchased a filter sheet and plan to cut it and slip it into a filter holder. I am using a 70-300mm Nikon lens. This is a very black sheet and says transmission is 1/1,000th of 1%. Wondering what kind of settings you would use to get a clear image? As is this equivalent to the 16 stop density filter that you mentioned?

[@sreeramkrishna6769]

If I want to do a timelapse video how often should the pictures be taken...given the fact the entire eclipse is going to last at least a couple of hours.

[@sreeramkrishna6769]

Wow. So many pictures...my batteries will most definitely not last that long. I'll have to rethink the strategy.

[@echomediastudios]

A slip-on solar filter (instead of a threaded filter) will allow you to remove the filter quickly when the partial phase becomes the total phase. You don't want to waste precious seconds of totality fiddling around with your camera. First time eclipse viewers should make witnessing the event with their own senses their priority. If you spend all, or most of your time taking photos, you'll regret it.

[@leonelaispuro8708]

Hi, will you be watching the eclipse near stayton? I live in stayton and it'll be cool if we could talk about it. Thanks in advance!

[@leonelaispuro8708]

Hudson Henry oh turner that's close.

[@DonJuanMair]

So Hudson, how did it go? I went to Nebraska for the eclipse from Vegas and did so much research and scouting to find the right spot etc, but it was seriously the most challenging shot I have ever tried. I tried a wide shot and there were so many factors involved. Im going to edit mine now, but I was just wondering if you were going to do a follow up video?

[@DonJuanMair]

Hudson Henry ah awesome image. I'm glad you kept your shot real and not a combo of a zoomed image of the moon and a wide shot of the landscape.

[@DonJuanMair]

Hudson Henry Haha right. I found it super challenging. Unfortunately it being in totality at noon sucked due to the sun being so high. I had to go with 17mm to get the landscape and sun in. Then it ended up being tint in the frame.

[@Jboyshark]

If i have the 10-stop Hoya SOLAS IRND 3.0 77mm Infrared Neutral Density Filter, would that do if i cant buy the 16-stop filter? Or what precautions can i take to protect my sensor?

[@endothearcher5793]

Is a ND1000 safe to use for shooting the eclipse, or is that below the minimum for protecting the camera sensor?

[@TigercatzVitello]

I have a kind of stupid question, I am not to knowledgeable on cameras but I recently bought one bc I love taking landscape pictures.. I have a Fuji Finepix S9900W believe they are called bridge cameras, I can not change my lenses. My camera has a sunset filter do you think that would be okay to take pictures of the solar eclipse with?

[@smankowitz]

Thanks for the great video. For those of us not in the path of totality, how do I go about shooting a landscape photo of the partial eclipse? If I use a solar filter wont the rest of the frame be dark and if I shoot without one, won't the sun (and partial eclipse) be horribly overexposed? How would a 10 stop ND filter work in this circumstance. I will be trying to shoot the partial eclipse behind a cityscape and haven't been able to find the answer to my question online. Any advice would be appreciated Thanks

[@MichaelNarlock]

And 6 years later and I have the exact same question...

[@kenso7977]

I have a NikonD3200 and going to use a Tamron70-300mmVC. Planning on photograph the event and it will be seen partial from Puerto Rico. I'm kinda late to this and bought two #12 welding shades. Can I use them as filters and to protect my camera? Is it possible to stack them up? Sorry for the late comment, considering we are two dates from the Solar Eclipse lol

[@kenso7977]

Hudson Henry Awesome! Now I feel more confident about it. Thanks for responding.

[@blanginit]

i keep finding 10 stop filters, 16 must be harder to find.

[@blanginit]

ok im a novice, what is vignetting?

[@shmoggy417]

Would a 10 stop nd work for 12mm focal length on and aps-c sensor?

[@DonJuanMair]

So will you be using an MD filter even though you're shooting a wider shot?

[@DonJuanMair]

Hudson Henry okay awesome. I'll just leave on my ND filter in those scenarios also. Great video!

[@vivekchauhan1706]

I have Nikon D90 and am planning to use 70-200 mm Lens. Any recommended lens filter for viewing the solar eclipse?

[@vivekchauhan1706]

Thank you so much. Do you have any suggestions for exposure, during the time leading up to the totality and during the totality.

[@vivekchauhan1706]

This is great! Thanks for the info. Somewhere, I saw a picture for the totality, which said "composite of 22 exposures: 1/1000 second to 1 second, ISO 200. This was shot on a Nikon D200, fl = 820 mm, f/9. I am trying to wonder how to do composites which range in the above example from 1/1000 to 1 seconds.

[@vivekchauhan1706]

Wow you are so helpful and knowledgeable. I am new to manual photography, that's why I pick your brain :). I am using an Opteka 650-1300mm lens. I am setting it to f = 650 mm and F=8. Now ISO is 100 and my Initial Shutter Speed is 1/250. Using bracketing, I set Nikon D90 to 3F, at .3, .7, 1.0, 1.3,1.7,2.0. What does this setting look like to you?

[@brianhilligoss]

So for the true amateur a 16 stop nd filter would be a nd-16?

[@realjaxon]

Hello, I will see 95-98% of the eclipse where I am. Do I need to remove the solar filter at the Apex of the eclipse, or should I leave it on ?

[@tinalerohl8879]

Where I'm at I'll have 94% totality. I want to capture a landscape shot. How do you capture landscape when you have to have filter on the whole time?

[@hudsonhenry9124]

You'll have to shoot the landscape without the filter closer to sunrise or sunset and then composite them.

[@tinalerohl8879]

thanks

[@tinalerohl8879]

should I have filter on the whole time?

[@mitchelllester9035]

Hudson Henry, thank you for the high-quality eclipse videos! I have a question for you. I want to get a selfie with me, my mother and the eclipse in totality, but I'm not sure what, if any, lens will frame the photo properly so that both our faces are visible and the eclipse isn’t super tiny. Can you help? I have a lot of experience in aerial photography, so I’m used to non-ideal lighting and using AEB with Lightroom to get HDR shots, but I don’t have a lot of experience with different lens types. I’ve been using the guide in the link below to get an idea of how each lens effects object size, but I’m still unsure due to the unique framing. Your help would be greatly appreciated! newatlas.com/camera-lens-buying-guide/29141/#p234987 I’m planning on using a Sony A7s, and remote shutter switch from Borrow Lenses. Worst comes to worst I can make a composition shot using a 1350mm telescope and the Sony 16-35mm f/4 lens by combining them in photoshop, but this would mean that I would have to either borrow two camera bodies or switch lenses during totality. I’ve done this kind of shot before with the moon at night, but not under a ~3minute time constraint. Thank you again, ~Mitchell

[@mitchelllester9035]

Thank you for the suggestion! I agree; I would rather have the eclipse at actual size rather than superimposed. This was very helpful. Keep making great videos! You can always spot high-quality content when you can speed up videos 1.5x or 2x and still hear everything clearly. Thanks again, ~Mitchell