There will be a partial solar eclipse today. It will be visible over several regions of Europe, the Middle East, north-eastern parts of Africa, western Asia, the North Atlantic Ocean, and the North Indian Ocean. Most of the states in India will also be able to witness the solar eclipses.
The event is an opportunity for camera lovers to capture the phenomena. Camera manufacturer Nikon has shared a blog on how to photograph a solar eclipse using a digital camera. Read on
One can photograph a solar eclipse with any type of camera: Mirrorless, DSLR, COOLPIX or Nikon. Users must note that the longer the focal length of the lens, the larger the images of the sun they will be able to make.
With a mirrorless camera or DSLR, one can combine a super telephoto lens with a teleconverter to increase the focal length. One can also increase the relative size of the eclipse image by selecting an FX camera’s “DX Crop Mode”. If you’re photographing the solar eclipse using a COOLPIX compact digital camera, turn the built-in flash to OFF.
Next, choose a focal length of 2000mm or less for a mirrorless or DSLR camera with a full frame FX sensor. For a Mirrorless or DSLR camera that has a DX sensor, the maximum focal length is about 1300mm. Any longer and you won’t be able to get the entire sun in the frame.
Set your camera focus to infinity and place your camera on a sturdy tripod. If you are using a telescope on an equatorial mount, the electric drive will track the sun keeping it centered in your camera throughout the eclipse.
Do not forget to use a solar filter on the lens throughout the partial phases for both photography and safe viewing. These filters typically attenuate the sun’s visible and infrared energy by a factor of 100,000. Almost any ISO can be used because the sun gives off abundant light. The actual filter factor and choice of ISO will play critical roles in determining the correct exposure.
Make use of the camera’s histogram function to evaluate the best exposure. Remember that the histogram should not be clipped but should lie toward the upper end of brightness values. Because the sun’s brightness stays the same throughout the partial phases, no exposure compensation will be needed. You may also need to bracket your exposures to ensure that you photograph the solar eclipse with a perfect exposure. If you ran your test on a sunny day and the eclipse occurs on a hazy day, increase the bracket of exposures an additional f/stop.
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