Best way to capture the eclipse?

fujiguy · Dec 11, 2023

Will be going upnorth to Canada in Tornoto & later niagara falls to capture the eclipse and the FALLS. What is the best location?

What is the best set up to get sharp video and picture of the eclipse? I have the fujifilm xt 4. Do I need some sort of stablizer? I currently only have a gimbal for my Iphone.

Would also like to take candid shots of the city of Toronto, the food, the landmarks

Anyone with experience with fujifilm camera would be much appreciated.

fujiguy · Dec 15, 2023

Rickbb · Dec 16, 2023

You need a solar filter, don’t look through the viewfinder it can blind you.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/photography/buying-guide/lens-filters-for-solar-photography

480sparky · Dec 16, 2023

Check out The Photographers Ephemeris.

petrochemist · Dec 17, 2023

Rickbb said:
You need a solar filter, don’t look through the viewfinder it can blind you.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/photography/buying-guide/lens-filters-for-solar-photography

A filter is needed when the eclipse is not total, during totality the moon acts a filter. The corona is very significantly dimmer than the sun's disc.

The only total eclipse I've seen was right back in 1999 (Europe). I wish I'd taken a tripod, as my totality shots had significant camera shake. At least having bailey's beads forming a 99 was apropriate!
A second camera for recording the local conditions would also have been well worth it...

fujiguy · Jan 31, 2024

Thanks! I will definitely purchase a solar filter.
I dont want to stare at the view finder so I am planning on bringing a sturdy trippod, mount my camera and let it take the whole shot. Should I go both video or burst mode for photos?

I don't have any long lenses, but I can purchase a zoom lens maybe 70-200mm equivalence? anything else I should know?

setting would be whatever the widest opening for aperture for the zoom lens (assuming it is about 5. iso, lowest and then shutter speed 1/125? 1/160? and then capture the corona without the solar filter?

Jeff15 · Feb 1, 2024

This sort of information is available on google..

A solar filter must be used on the lens throughout the partial phases for both photography and safe viewing. Such filters are most easily obtained through manufacturers and dealers listed in Sky & Telescope and Astronomy magazines. The American Astronomical Society has also created a list of Sources of Solar Filters These filters typically attenuate the Sun’s visible and infrared energy by a factor of 100,000. The actual filter factor and choice of ISO speed, however, will play critical roles in determining the correct photographic exposure.

Almost any ISO can be used because the Sun gives off abundant light. An ISO of 200 is an good for eclipse photography. The easiest method for determining the correct exposure is use the camera's built in spot meter mode on the uneclipsed Sun. With a solar filter on your lens or telescope, put the camera into manual exposure mode and adjust settings while metering on the Sun. Take a shot and examine it using the camera's histogram display - a good exposure should peak in the middle of the histogram range. If it does not, make any necessary adjustments to the exposure.

If your camera does not have spot meter mode, you can determine the best exposure through trial-and-error. In manual exposure mode (and using a solar filter), shoot a series of exposures of the mid-day Sun at a fixed aperture (f/8 to f/16) using every shutter speed from 1/1000s to 1/30s. Select the best exposure using the camera's histogram display.

Make note of the best exposure since you will use it on eclipse day. The Sun’s surface brightness remains constant throughout the eclipse, so no exposure compensation is needed except for the narrow crescent phases, which require one or two more stops due to solar limb darkening. Bracketing by several stops is also necessary if haze or clouds interfere on eclipse day.

Always use the camera RAW file format to get the best quality images. Smaller JPEG files can be made from RAW files after the eclipse is over.

Rich_A · Feb 18, 2024

This will be my third eclipse and I'd just like add a few tips I've learned. All the above is good advice. The photo below is my rig in Roswell NM for the annular eclipse last year. Petrochemist mentioned two important things; Use a tripod and pay attention to whats going on around you. Totality is a really unique moment. I use an inexpensive tracking mount (but you can move the camera manually also) and there are 3 scopes. One is for visual observation, the 2nd projects an image and the 3rd is the camera. Here I'm using a Fujifilm X-E2 with a Nikon 300mm lens and 1.7x tele-extender. Use the camera's interval photo mode. I set the camera to shoot on a 1 or 2 second interval and start it about 2-3 min. prior to totality and shoot through to about 2-3 min. after. This frees me to enjoy the experience w/o having to deal full time with the camera. If your camera can bracket exposures, use this feature to improve your chances of getting good exposures.

ultrarunner · Feb 24, 2024

I'm not going to get to see the total eclipse; only about 90% from northern NJ.
I have a Nikon D200 and Sigma 70-300mm f1:4 5.6 zoom.
I purchased a white mylar solar filter at B&H anyway, as I have always been curious about photographing the sun.
Today I tried the filter out for the first time. I mounted the camera on my K&F Concept tripod and used the cable release.
Settings were as follows:
Format: RAW
ISO: 200
Mode: S - shutter priority
Focus: Manual

I first set the shutter speed to 1/125.
Spotting the sun wasn't difficult with the lens zoomed out to 70mm. After centering the sun, I zoomed in to 300mm
With the lens focused, I could clearly see a sunspot.
I took several photos at 1/125 and at 1/160 - the highest shutter speed I could get before the camera's meter read 'Low'.
I was just trying out the filter, so didn't try changing the ISO or going to a faster shutter.

I downloaded the NEF files from the camera to my Windows 11 PC.
The only program I have that can read NEF is the Windows 11 default photo viewer.
On one of the photos, I could see the sunspot as an orange spot.
I also converted the NEF files to psd so I could view them in my old version (7.0) of Photoshop. What I could see was pretty much the same as what I saw with the Windows photo app from the NEF file.

I realize that I need a much longer lens to get any detail of the sun, and that using the type of filter I own I'm not going to see solar flares.
Since I cannot afford a 1200mm lens, I thought perhaps a 2x teleconverter might help.
Also, I read something about using a polarizer.
When I took the photos today, I attached the solar filter to the UV filter that is on the lens.
So I'll try replacing the UV filter with a polarizer, since I already own one.

Do you think buying a 2x1 (or maybe higher) teleconverter would do anything for me, or would it just make the image larger but less sharp.
I suppose that if I could get to a spot in the path of totality, I would rent a longer lens, but it's not looking good for me to get there.

Any thoughts?

Thanks
Ultrarunner

dxqcanada · Feb 24, 2024

You coming here ... hmm.
Toronto Railway Museum ... you also get the CN Tower.
The Brickworks. Distillery District. City Hall (old and new).

VidThreeNorth · Feb 26, 2024

Regarding the Apr 8, 2024 eclipse over North America (mainly US and Canada):

I'm just refreshing my info on eclipse photography. The above comments are enough, but if you want to deep-dive, you can look at this "specialty channel" on YouTube. I am posting part 2 of what looks like a 3 parter. I have watched previous posts by this channel before, and the info seems well researched and fairly clearly presented:

"Preparing for the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse, Pt. 2 (Equipment and Making Custom Solar Filters)",
posted by "Nebula Photos", Aug 29, 2023, [length 29:58]
""

Destin · Feb 26, 2024

fujiguy said:
Will be going upnorth to Canada in Tornoto & later niagara falls to capture the eclipse and the FALLS. What is the best location?

What is the best set up to get sharp video and picture of the eclipse? I have the fujifilm xt 4. Do I need some sort of stablizer? I currently only have a gimbal for my Iphone.

Would also like to take candid shots of the city of Toronto, the food, the landmarks

Anyone with experience with fujifilm camera would be much appreciated.

I'm local to the falls, and a Fuji shooter.

I'm sorry to tell you that capturing the eclipse and the falls together in a single image is impossible. Not only is it going to be in the wrong direction for the best angles of the falls, but it will also be far too high in the sky. Using a lens wide enough to capture both will make the eclipse nothing but a small dot in the sky of your image. The area is really overhyping the eclipse and so, so many tourists are falling for it. Be prepared for complete overcrowding, traffic jams, and having to camp out the night before if you want a spot near the railing to view the falls and eclipse at the same time. Personally, I'd find a quiet spot out on a country road in the area and watch the eclipse there, away from the crowds and chaos.

As far as capturing the eclipse on it's own? Longest lens you own + solar filter +tripod.

Capturing the falls on their own? Honestly pretty difficult because they're massive and you're photographing them from above unless you take significant risk +trespass. I've always found the best photos of the falls to be taken with a longer lens, highlighting only small sections of the waterfall and showing it's massive scale against another object. The journey behind the falls building at the base of the Canadian falls is a good candidate for this type of photo.

The city of Toronto is very cool and worth exploring. Be sure to check out the St. Lawrence Market - lots of great stuff, but I'm partial to the bakery downstairs there as well as the tea shop. I highly recommend going up the CN tower for a view over the city, but skip the restaurant up there - overpriced with bland food.

If you'd like to capture the city skyline, head to Polson Pier. Best time is after the sun goes down, but before it's fully dark out - City lights will still be on, and the sky will retain some blue tint rather than being totally black.

VidThreeNorth · Mar 13, 2024

I am still prepping for the eclipse. According to the map provided by "science.nasa.gov" Toronto will NOT be directly in the path of totality. Early on, I had one site report otherwise, which was incorrect.
[Re-corrected 2024-03-24 2:17]

Another better reference was Gord Laing' s:

"How to photograph a SOLAR ECLIPSE! Tutorial and guide",
posted Jan 23, 2024,
""
NOTE: this is a long 24:30 video.

VidThreeNorth · Mar 18, 2024

Lots of good advice here about what to do. One minor piece of what NOT to do:

A telescope can be a good idea. But there is one thing I ran across that I think might be useful is do NOT buy the cheap "76" mirror scope for photographic use. These are good for starting out viewing with your own eye (subject to usual caution), but do not consider them for photography. The problem is that they use "spherical" mirrors. For photography, you need a "parabolic" mirror. Apparently, only the very cheapest mirror scopes have the "spherical" mirror problem, so if you buy anything even a bit more expensive, you'll probably avoid it.

On the other hand, if you want a scope just for "eyeball" viewing, the cheap spherical mirrors can work well enough for starting out:

"Orion Funscope / Celestron Firstscope review/comparison"
posted Sep 25, 2012 by "Eyes on the Sky" [length 7:08]
""

fujiguy · Mar 20, 2024

Destin said:
I'm local to the falls, and a Fuji shooter.

I'm sorry to tell you that capturing the eclipse and the falls together in a single image is impossible. Not only is it going to be in the wrong direction for the best angles of the falls, but it will also be far too high in the sky. Using a lens wide enough to capture both will make the eclipse nothing but a small dot in the sky of your image. The area is really overhyping the eclipse and so, so many tourists are falling for it. Be prepared for complete overcrowding, traffic jams, and having to camp out the night before if you want a spot near the railing to view the falls and eclipse at the same time. Personally, I'd find a quiet spot out on a country road in the area and watch the eclipse there, away from the crowds and chaos.

As far as capturing the eclipse on it's own? Longest lens you own + solar filter +tripod.

Capturing the falls on their own? Honestly pretty difficult because they're massive and you're photographing them from above unless you take significant risk +trespass. I've always found the best photos of the falls to be taken with a longer lens, highlighting only small sections of the waterfall and showing it's massive scale against another object. The journey behind the falls building at the base of the Canadian falls is a good candidate for this type of photo.

The city of Toronto is very cool and worth exploring. Be sure to check out the St. Lawrence Market - lots of great stuff, but I'm partial to the bakery downstairs there as well as the tea shop. I highly recommend going up the CN tower for a view over the city, but skip the restaurant up there - overpriced with bland food.

If you'd like to capture the city skyline, head to Polson Pier. Best time is after the sun goes down, but before it's fully dark out - City lights will still be on, and the sky will retain some blue tint rather than being totally black.

Thank you!

As a fuji shootter, what is the advised focal length? Would investing in a prime or zoom lens be more optimal? say 300mm? vs 70-300mm

As for solar filter, it would be dependent on the lens I go for (to ensure it fits) any difference between plastic vs titanium one?

The tripod I have is a carbon fiber monfrotto and I use to use it for my canon mark 3 5d and the plate I have doesn't fit with the current fuji film. would this work?

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