EOS body for solar eclipse

[patflynn]

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<p>If you were going to shoot a total solar eclipse with an EF 800mm 5.6 L lens, would you prefer to use the 5D Mark II or the 7D? The latter gives more reach but I've heard there can be light contamination between pixels due to the smaller pixels/greater pixel density on the 18MB APS-C sensor vice the 21MP full frame 5D2. Light itself (solar prominences, sun's corona, etc) is the subject, so theoretically this is an important detail. Haven't seen this permutation discussed anywhere and would probably buy/borrow/rent the 7D if the case were clear cut in favor of it. Also at play is a 1.4x extender. Facts and all opinions are welcome.</p>

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[alan_bryant1]

<p>How long is the totality? You might have time to use both.</p>

<p>The 5D2 might be completely sufficient, though. The sun's angular size is half a degree. The full-frame diagonal of the 800/5.6 is slightly over 3 degrees; the short side of the frame is 1.67 degrees - slightly over 3 solar widths. Given that the action in an eclipse photo is in the corona, which is somewhat larger than the sun, the 7D might actually have too much magnification.</p>

[joe_fikes]

<p>Hi Patrick,</p>

<p>I shot a solar eclipse in 1991 with a Canon F1 and a 400mm lens. The imagery was great. You may be close to clipping the corona with the 800 and a full-frame camera. That's not necessarily bad. But it's something to think about. You might go out to http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ and search for "eclipse" to find a good collection of images. Then measure the diameter of the sun's disk and the corona. Knowing that the sun's disk is about 1/2 degree will allow you to compute the extent of a variety of coronas. I think that'll put you in a good position to decide what to do.</p>

<p>Get good pictures. But whatever you do, don't get so tangled up shooting pictures that you miss the eclipse experience.</p>

<p>Joe</p>

[larry h.]

<p>I cannot answer your question. But I concur with Joe that you should not get so wrapped up in photography that you miss the total solar eclipse experience. No matter how long totality is, you will have enough time to photograph it (with one camera/lens combo only) or watch it.</p>

<p>I chose to photograph the 1998 Caribbean eclipse, but it was hard decision. I do have a good photo with my wife and fellow cruise passengers wearing solar eclipse glasses. That pic rivals the ones of the eclipse itself. I did sort of miss the eclipse experience, though. -- Larry</p>

[alan_ginman]

You don't mention the safety aspects of veiwing the sun through a telephoto lens, but I assume you understand about all that.

 

Cheers

 

Alan

[patflynn]

<p>All: thank you for the replies. I have witnessed and photographed a total solar eclipse before, so am aware of the tremendous and singular experience it is - truly incredible indeed. I do understand the safety requirements of this rare situation and also do know the differences in size of sun/corona on film/sensors as that varies by lens choice. I'm only curious about the light sensitivity differences between the two EOS bodies mentioned. Specifically I wish to know if anybody has an opinion on whether light bleeding between the packed pixels of a 7D is a serious disadvantage to crisp and faithful imagery of light itself.<br /><br />If not, then I am inclined to try using the 7D with the 1.4 x/800mm rig to get close detail of the arcing edge of the sun itself. Solar prominences and probably Bailey's beads would be available there if the day isn't cloudy. Totality would approach almost 5 minutes, providing plenty of time to experiment. But as several of you have suggested - why not just kick back and enjoy the phenomenon organically, if the photographic experiment isn't worthwhile due to limitations of the 7D? So that is my question put more precisely - and I apologize for not specifying earlier.</p>

[alan_bryant1]

<p>I haven't heard about the light bleeding problems you mention. Though the 7D pixels are small for a DSLR, they're colossal compared to the pixels in a P&S camera, and in good light a P&S works very well. So offhand I wouldn't be inclined to worry.</p>

<p>800mm + 1.4x with a 7D will give pretty incredible magnification. You won't have AF at f/8, but manual focus should be pretty easy.</p>

[jim_krupnik]

I would love to give that lens combo a go during a total eclipse on a clear day with either camera, but the high pixel density of the smaller, new-tech 7D sensor with that lens setup scores a higher peak on the drool factor scale for me. Why not do some preliminary workups using both cameras to photograph the full sun disk with a sheet of metalized mylar film, or a commercial purpose-made filter cap over the front element of the big lens in the meantime?

 

I'm guessing that you plan to rent the lens for the event (high five if you own it!) as well as the 7D, but for such a rare opportunity, it might be reasonable to spend the extra cash, and rent the gear for a practice run ahead of the main event. That would settle any questions you have about the suitability of either camera sensor for the task, as well as reveal any surprises that might prompt you to add accessories to the kit well in advance.

 

Best of all, you can report your findings (and some photos) here!