Photographing the Sun

[boblalux]

I wish to photograph the Sun. Can I do this by reducing the strength of the lighting by using 2 semi-crossed polaroid filters?

 

[KmH]

I wish to photograph the Sun. Can I do this by reducing the strength of the lighting by using 2 semi-crossed polaroid filters?

Do you just want a blob of light or do you want some detail like sunspots?

 

[Josh66]

I'm interested in this too...

I have a pair of solar binoculars (Coronado BinoMite II), I'd like to find the filter they have on them (white light solar filter, pretty much looks like a mirror; I'd also be interested in other solar filters too, Hα maybe) for my lenses. No luck so far.

Something like this, but for a camera lens.

 

[dxqcanada]

In Canada you can get threaded solar filters from EfstonScience

Manufacturer: Thousand Oaks Optical

 

[Battou]

I'm interested in this too...

I have a pair of solar binoculars (Coronado BinoMite II), I'd like to find the filter they have on them (white light solar filter, pretty much looks like a mirror; I'd also be interested in other solar filters too, Hα maybe) for my lenses. No luck so far.

Something like this, but for a camera lens.

I'd send a E-mail to Hoya offering it as a suggestion if they can not be found.

 

[Josh66]

In Canada you can get threaded solar filters from EfstonScience

Manufacturer: Thousand Oaks Optical

Thanks for the link. Now that I know the part number to look for, maybe I can find one.

I'd send a E-mail to Hoya offering it as a suggestion if they can not be found.

Not a bad idea, but I wonder how large of a market there would be for this? They might not see enough money in it to start production...

 

[Battou]

Thanks for the link. Now that I know the part number to look for, maybe I can find one.



Not a bad idea, but I wonder how large of a market there would be for this? They might not see enough money in it to start production...

That is a destienct possibility but, if no one shows an interest in something like that to beginwith the odds of it ever happining drop dramatically.

 

[KmH]

I'm interested in this too...

I have a pair of solar binoculars (Coronado BinoMite II), I'd like to find the filter they have on them (white light solar filter, pretty much looks like a mirror; I'd also be interested in other solar filters too, Hα maybe) for my lenses. No luck so far.

Something like this, but for a camera lens.

Solar filters for telescopes are pretty specialized. You can get them so they transmit very specific wavelengths of light like just the hydrogen-alpha line.

But that is to see details of specific parts of the Suns upper atmosphere.

If I want an image of the current sunspot activity I just project an image of the Sun onto a dark background through a pinhole and photograph that.

By adjusting the pinhole to background distance I can control the size of the Suns image. That's essentially what they do at the McMath Solar Telescope on Kitt Peak. Their projected image is 3 feet across though.

 

[LarryD]

There are plenty of good quality welders glass available to shoot through..

 

[Dwig]

This isn't something a beginner could pull of, but it is something to strive towards:

The Online Photographer: Sic Transit

the post contains a link to a source for the appropriate filters.

 

[Joves]

Thousnad Oaks is the best out there. I took this shot with my Coolpix 995 a few year agot through my telescope using a Thousands Oaks filter. Taken during an eclipse and I was luck to even get that shot that day because, the wind was bad as usual in Flagstaff.

 

[astrostu]

I have a Thousand Oaks filter, too.

 

[Josh66]

Joves, what focal length telescope was that taken with?
(Just trying to get an idea what I could expect from my telescope.)

The moon is roughly the same apparent size as the sun in the sky, right? Would it be safe to assume that the level of magnification I would get with the sun would be similar to photographing the moon with my telescope?

 

[astrostu]

The moon is roughly the same apparent size as the sun in the sky, right? Would it be safe to assume that the level of magnification I would get with the sun would be similar to photographing the moon with my telescope?

Yes.

 

[Garbz]

I wish to photograph the Sun. Can I do this by reducing the strength of the lighting by using 2 semi-crossed polaroid filters?

Short answer: Don't!

Solar filters are very specific for a reason, much of what is emitted by the sun which is capable of damaging eyes is not in the visible spectrum. Polarisers are spectrally variant. The ones for photography do a great job for the visible spectrum but there is little data to how it handles infrared or UV light. This means when you look through them your pupils may dilate while not realising the very thing that could cause blindness has not been reduced. There have been plenty of cases of people going blind looking at solar eclipses by using photographic ND filters, or looking through floppy discs or that sort of thing.

Do yourself a favour and get or build a solar filter, don't risk your eyesight.

The camera should be fine.