«

If I point the camera towards the sun would I be able to view sunspots
without a White-light filter or H-alpha (H-A) filter?






Rita

On Mon, 10 Sep 2007 07:15:32 -0400, Rita Ä Berkowitz <ritaberk2O04 @aol.com>
wrote:

>If I point the camera towards the sun would I be able to view sunspots
>without a White-light filter or H-alpha (H-A) filter?
>

You really need to study up on how an H-alpha filter is used and what it is
actually used for before you ask such a comment.

To view sunspots with your camera and a FL of 400mm or more, you would get the
best results by obtaining some Baader filter material and make a filter for your
lens out of that. It provides the highest contrast and clarity of available
filter materials.

On the other hand, if you're just desperately trolling for attention again (as
most people believe that's all you ever do), I would suggest trying it without a
filter first. Make sure you aim the camera focused at the sun for 8 minutes or
more. The sunspots won't be visible until the camera can properly compensate for
white-balance and exposure. It takes a long time for a digital camera to do that
properly with full sunlight, its intensity overpowering the sensor's electronics
until then.

Rita Ä Berkowitz wrote:
> If I point the camera towards the sun would I be able to view sunspots
> without a White-light filter or H-alpha (H-A) filter?
>

It would certainly avoid damaging your retina by viewing
the sun directly.

BugBear

On 9/10/07 6:15 AM, in article , "Rita Ä
Berkowitz" <ritaberk2O04 @aol.com> wrote:

> If I point the camera towards the sun would I be able to view sunspots
> without a White-light filter or H-alpha (H-A) filter?
>
I would suggest first checking for the sunspots with a 30x binoculars.
That way, you'll be sure that they are there.

On Sep 10, 7:15 am, Rita Ä Berkowitz <ritaberk2O04 @aol.com> wrote:
> If I point the camera towards the sun would I be able to view sunspots
> without a White-light filter or H-alpha (H-A) filter?
>
> Rita

Concentrate the light from the unfiltered sun with a lens onto the
sensor and KISS it goodby.

There are two flavours of Baader Astro Solar filter material, one for
viewing and one for photographic use. The visual one can be used for
photography although the speed is slower.
H-Alpha for solar use is big bucks (don't confuse it with H-Alpha filters
for night sky (similar, but darker than a wratten 92)) the filters would
need to be custom fitted to the front and back of the lens and there
probably isn't enough depth inside the camera to mount the second part of
the filter assembly.
StarStruck's viewing/photographic method is great if you want to destroy
your camera and eyesight, even as a joke in a newsgroup it isn't a wise
thing to post.

George

"StarStruck" <> wrote in message
news:...
> On Mon, 10 Sep 2007 07:15:32 -0400, Rita Ä Berkowitz <ritaberk2O04
@aol.com>
> wrote:
>
> >If I point the camera towards the sun would I be able to view sunspots
> >without a White-light filter or H-alpha (H-A) filter?
> >
>
> You really need to study up on how an H-alpha filter is used and what it
is
> actually used for before you ask such a comment.
>
> To view sunspots with your camera and a FL of 400mm or more, you would
get the
> best results by obtaining some Baader filter material and make a filter
for your
> lens out of that. It provides the highest contrast and clarity of
available
> filter materials.
>
> On the other hand, if you're just desperately trolling for attention again
(as
> most people believe that's all you ever do), I would suggest trying it
without a
> filter first. Make sure you aim the camera focused at the sun for 8
minutes or
> more. The sunspots won't be visible until the camera can properly
compensate for
> white-balance and exposure. It takes a long time for a digital camera to
do that
> properly with full sunlight, its intensity overpowering the sensor's
electronics
> until then.
>

The sun by itself won't hurt the sensor but the accumulated heat will especially in a camera that doesn't have a mechanism to remove it. I have seen the considerable damage that the sun can do to small telescopes, anything plastic and lens coatings
especially. Sun filters can do a lot to exclude infrared from a camera.

w..


Rita Ä Berkowitz wrote:

> If I point the camera towards the sun would I be able to view sunspots
> without a White-light filter or H-alpha (H-A) filter?
>
> Rita

"Rita Ä Berkowitz" <ritaberk2O04 @aol.com> wrote in message
news:...
> If I point the camera towards the sun would I be able to view sunspots
> without a White-light filter or H-alpha (H-A) filter?
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Rita
Sure, if your film was slow enough and your shutter was fast enough......I
wouldn't compose the shot in your rangefinder if I were you, though.......

"StarStruck" <> wrote in message
news:...
> On Mon, 10 Sep 2007 07:15:32 -0400, Rita Ä Berkowitz <ritaberk2O04
> @aol.com>
> wrote:
>
>>If I point the camera towards the sun would I be able to view sunspots
>>without a White-light filter or H-alpha (H-A) filter?
>>
>
> You really need to study up on how an H-alpha filter is used and what it
> is
> actually used for before you ask such a comment.
>
> To view sunspots with your camera and a FL of 400mm or more, you would
> get the
> best results by obtaining some Baader filter material and make a filter
> for your
> lens out of that. It provides the highest contrast and clarity of
> available
> filter materials.
>
> On the other hand, if you're just desperately trolling for attention again
> (as
> most people believe that's all you ever do), I would suggest trying it
> without a
> filter first. Make sure you aim the camera focused at the sun for 8
> minutes or
> more. The sunspots won't be visible until the camera can properly
> compensate for
> white-balance and exposure. It takes a long time for a digital camera to
> do that
> properly with full sunlight, its intensity overpowering the sensor's
> electronics
> until then.
>
Actually, you can use a pinhole in a black card, and "project" the sun's
image on a white plane, or a projector screen, and then take the shot that
way.....You can use this technique for eclipses, too.....

William Graham wrote:

> Actually, you can use a pinhole in a black card, and "project" the
> sun's image on a white plane, or a projector screen, and then take
> the shot that way.....You can use this technique for eclipses,
> too.....

Yep, that's a neat way of doing it. Seems like Live View was invented
centuries ago.






Rita