Well, I got my solar filter made and mounted on the 300/2.8 Ais and gave it a test run for the eclipse coming Monday. The test shot below was from a quick set up on my back deck (wood) so not critical focus but was testing exposures. Monday I will be set up on a concrete pad.
kwoodard wrote:
Amazing patience for this surgery. I couldn't do it. I'm fascinated with the process though. Seems like so much to do and remember. Do you have a service manual that you follow or do you just go for it? Can't wait to see the results of the conversion.
Kevin,
I posted one above but not my usual B&W.
Service manual, as such, is courtesy of Lifepixel. They have good (but not perfect) tutorials for DIYers outlining all stages of the process.
gbohannon wrote:
Well, I got my solar filter made and mounted on the 300/2.8 Ais and gave it a test run for the eclipse coming Monday. The test shot below was from a quick set up on my back deck (wood) so not critical focus but was testing exposures. Monday I will be set up on a concrete pad.
Just took a test pic of the sun with the Df, 400 5.6 and a ND18 filter. No retinas were damaged during the take, I hope. Used the LCD to frame the sun and just left the focus ring at infinity.
Another thing I might do is use the F6, although there's no LCD to safely frame the sun with it..
George, just saw your post, that row of spots is in my sun pic also, except mine are smudges.I clearly need to set up on the tripod and focus better
I had 1/2000s, wide open, at ISO 400. Of course at the ~80-85% cover, those settings will need some adjustment.
All the best for a sunny Monday afternoon!
gbohannon wrote:
Well, I got my solar filter made and mounted on the 300/2.8 Ais and gave it a test run for the eclipse coming Monday. The test shot below was from a quick set up on my back deck (wood) so not critical focus but was testing exposures. Monday I will be set up on a concrete pad.
saph wrote:
Just took a test pic of the sun with the Df, 400 5.6 and a ND18 filter. No retinas were damaged during the take, I hope. Used the LCD to frame the sun and just left the focus ring at infinity.
Another thing I might do is use the F6, although there's no LCD to safely frame the sun with it..
Samy - my only $.02 is to say either cover the lens with a white towel or something or move the lens out of the direct line of the sun in between shots and use live view. The ND filter will not block the UV coming through the viewfinder like a solar filter would.
One thing I have to watch using the ED glass 300 is that infinity is not hard stop and infinity does not necessarily mean infinity depending on temperature, thermal expansion blah blah
saph wrote:
...Of course at the ~80-85% cover, those settings will need some adjustment.
Unless you are in totality, the intensity of the sun that is exposed even at 80% coverage is the same. You should not need to adjust exposure. The sun is a powerful thing
Thanks George for those tips! Good idea about some kind of cover for the lens between taking shots. Yes, the smudges on my pic say infinity on the lens does not equal 93 million miles The 400 5.6's focus ring indeed goes a good distance beyond infinity.
I tested the ND lens filter vs. these solar eclipse glasses I got hold of, against an LED light. There's definitely a lot more light coming through the filter, and good point about UV rays through the viewfinder.
That's good to know too about the level of light in a partial eclipse, so I pretty much know my settings then
And I actually prefer the "character" in some of these older lenses. Sometimes the extra smooth bokeh in newer glass is too sterile
leighton w wrote:
Thanks Samy. I like how he was standing. Love the bokeh most of the time from this lens, but sometimes it gets a little busy, like in this one.
kwoodard wrote:
Man, blast from the past for me. My dad was military and I lived right where you were visiting. Whenever we went shopping "on the economy" we had to drive down 40 Mark Strasse... My dad would tell me stories of having to go rescue an airman who thought he found love on that road. Did you ever hear stories of Mortuary Mary when you were there? When were you there?
Here's one with the 400/5.6 ED-AI - ignore the EXIF as I forgot to change the focal length.
About 16 stops of high quality ND filtration.
When I first mounted the 400/5.6 ED-AI on the tripod w/o the camera I was aligning the lens w/o the ND filters by looking at the shadow projected on the ground - but I couldn't find any sun. Then I realized the mounting cap was on and when I took it off the plastic was melting inside . . . very dangerous to camera gear!
I'm planning on the 600/5.6 ED-IF + 1.4TC being the camera to grab the pre- and post-totality images.
The 400ED-AI the corona during totality.
Leighton - that lens seems to be bringing something out in you. Those market shots have a different quality than your usual market shots. Jim's portrait is great with only the onion in focus and I love that last B&W and the busy bokeh is perfect for that shot - it emphasises what he's looking at. The 55 f1.2SC has the same nervous bokeh - it can be so effective when used appropriately.
Rafael - your lenses are so perfect - makes my mouth water.
Ronny - amazing, almost otherworldly landscape, as always.
Ken - great capture, especially that last shot. The D500 rapid fire is very impressive.
ben
Lestor, your photos stir memories. Your part of the world has it's very own, unique look, and I miss that, after having lived in Belgium for 5 years. Maastricht, in the Netherlands, has much of the same charm Brussels has. This architectural style, and the way architecture and culture changed the appearance of the city is almost identical to Maastricht. I miss that.
But not enough to go back. Living my life the way I did brought me where I am now, and regardless of how I feel about the past, the present is so exciting and full of promise that I would not want to be anywhere else right now. But I do want to thank you for sharing your work and with that, triggering this thought process in my mind.
I used to make photos like that when I lived there It's catchy. Could never do the same here, because I feel different. It's not like I ever left Maastricht, or Maastricht left me. It's more like, now where it's so far away, (12 years in fact) I feel out of sync with the soul of the city.
