shooting sun damage sensor?

chris82 · Nov 11, 2006

Can shooting the sun damage the sensor of my DSLR?Im heard that if i point my lens into the sun it will damage the lens or sensor,Is this true?

W.Smith · Nov 11, 2006

chris82 said:
Can shooting the sun damage the sensor of my DSLR?Im heard that if i point my lens into the sun it will damage the lens or sensor,Is this true?

It seems so.
But I'm not going to put it to the test...
Because the sensor will be damaged after prolonged exposure. And who needs a 30 second exposure of the sun?
So, yes, it's true. But it's a moot point, really.

mysteryscribe · Nov 11, 2006

wouldn't do your eyes any good either.

chris82 · Nov 11, 2006

Yes I know,but how can I shoot sunset/rise if the sun damages sensor.

W.Smith · Nov 11, 2006

chris82 said:
Yes I know,but how can I shoot sunset/rise if the sun damages sensor.

That doesn't take 30 seconds, or does it?

chris82 · Nov 11, 2006

I dont know?what settings should I use?

W.Smith · Nov 11, 2006

Try 'em out. It's digital. Don't cost you nuthin'. Learn by doing. See the effect of your settings. Bracket.

Innocence · Nov 11, 2006

the 400D manual says that you shouldn't point the camera to the sun else it can burn the aperature diaphragm or something...haha...i dunno...

Azuth · Nov 12, 2006

The focused rays of the sun can damage most things with continued and in some cases even short exposure.

The rule to apply would be, if it hurts your eyes, don't do it. Most people can look at a sunset, or a sunrise, but not at the mid day sun for more than a second. Treat your camera in exactly the same manner as you would your eyeball and all should be well.

xfloggingkylex · Nov 12, 2006

if you take a picture of the mid-day sun you'll most likely get some purple marks around it, not sure what the technical term would be.

The idea of not shooting anything that hurts your eyes is a pretty good idea.

Also I think the main problem is directly shooting at the sun because the lens focus' the light much like a magnifying glass concentrates light to burn ants.

chris82 · Nov 12, 2006

No offence but I want facts and settings,not oppinions

Big Mike · Nov 12, 2006

chris82 said:
No offence but I want facts and settings,not oppinions

To keep your camera safe...keep it locked in a box. That is a fact.

Azuth · Nov 12, 2006

Chris, no offence, but if after 640+ posts on this board you can't figure out that you generally don't need a long exposure when pointing a camara towards the sun, then Big Mike's suggestion is the most useful one yet.

So which specific would you like, when the sun is at T declination at X ISO, at Y aperture, with Z lens, with Q filter, using G film, when it's foggy, in winter, and there's a water reflection? Easy. F8 - 1/60 - ISO 100. Er, happy?

mysteryscribe · Nov 12, 2006

Heres a shock and a story.... I come down with Big Mike this time... I once shot a gazebo wedding in the rain. I staged the bridal party inside the very large gazebo but I had to step back into the rain. My son in law, who was in the final stages of training and had bought a couple of fairly new 120 cameras, refused to step back into the rain just long enough to click a shutter.

I pretty much feel like risk is part of the cost of doing business. If you dont ever want to take a chance with your cameras, you need to shoot still life in the studio,,,, oh yeah thats what i do .... nevermind.