For this eclipse, I'm switching from using the camera/telescope combination to using strictly a camera and zoom lens. My hope is to get a view that includes more corona and sky. (In fact, I'm even hoping to capture the visible stars in the sky during totality.)
So, I've put together a new kit:
- Canon Rebel T1i
- Tamron AF 75-300mm Zoom (1:4-5.6)
- Tiffen 62mm Ultraviolet filter
- K&F Concept 62mm Solar Filter ND100000,16.6-Stop Solid Neutral Density Filter
- Dolica ST-510 tripod
- Cuely electronic shutter release
It's really a very simple setup. My original intent was to sacrifice a Mylar solar filter I made for my old Bushnell telescope for the camera. This would entail buying an ultraviolet filter, removing the glass, and replacing with the Mylar as I did for my 55mm lens. As I was perusing ads for a suitable (cheap) filter, I ran across a sample image that showed a side-by-side comparison of an image with and without the ultraviolet filter. I was astonished! There was the vivid color that my photography has been lacking for years. Could it be that simple? Well, of course, I had to find out. The filter arrived in the mail two days ago. I took it out this afternoon, and shot a few test shots with and without the filter. Below is the side-by-side. It is not quite as dramatic as the sample shot on the website (they were, after all, advertising the filter...) but there is definitely a noticeable difference:
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| Image with and without a UV filter. The UV filter is used on the left. |
