ND filter for moon and sun videos

Hi folks,

I have a camcorder with a fixed aperture of 1.6. Now I've

photographed the moon a lot with SLRs, so my question is this; Is

photographing the moon or sun the same as with an SLR? In other words,

needing a stopped down aperture (I'm kinda thinking yes). I've tried

just video taping the moon durring a couple of eclipse events, but

they look washed out\overly bright. My thought was to add a ND filter

to compensate for this, and would it help\work (again, I'm thinking

yes...but need confirmation)?

For the moon: If your camcorder has manual exposure modes, you're in business. Just dial down the exposure until the moon's surface shows good detail.

As for the sun, you'll need a solar filter, available from astronomy retailers. Check the ads in Sky & Telescope or online resources. Don't attempt imaging the sun without a solar filter, as there's a good chance you'll burn a spot into the image sensor.