Sun shots

[Brownie]

With my setup complete and research under way, I learned I need to practice. One would think this would be easy shooting, it's not, at least starting out.

I took about 50 shots using brackets of 5 shots @ 0.5 stop per shot. I think I like the extreme ends best, underexposed shows more detail on the sun itself while overexposing allows other details like clouds to be seen. I'm going to experiment with HDR, seriously underexposing would probably reveal a lot more detail.

One thing I noticed was magenta in the shots, which is probably due to overexposure, even if the camera indicated underexposure.

This an example of an underexposed shot. Sunspots are visible.

• ILCE-1
• FE 200-600mm F5.6-6.3 G OSS
• 600.0 mm
• ƒ/6.3
• 1/2000 sec
• ISO 1600

This one is overexposed which blew out the sun, but allowed some detail in the darker areas.

• ILCE-1
• ISO 100

Onward and upward...

 

[Brownie]

Weird metadata on the second one.

 

[iamdlewis]

Finally got around to doing my arts & crafts and testing my C level art ability

• ILCE-1
• Sony FE 200–600mm F5.6–6.3 G OSS (SEL200600G)
• 600.0 mm
• ƒ/6.3
• 1/1600 sec
• ISO 100

 

[Brownie]

Mine were about the same color, maybe a bit less purple and a bit more magenta. I adjusted them in post.

 

[iamdlewis]

Mine were about the same color, maybe a bit less purple and a bit more magenta. I adjusted them in post.

Think that was just that I had been messing with WB from stuff earlier and I didn't look to change it back. Got a little more testing to do with the gear so will have plenty more shots to mess with colors.

I like our differences in the sun spots.

 

[Brownie]

Think that was just that I had been messing with WB from stuff earlier and I didn't look to change it back. Got a little more testing to do with the gear so will have plenty more shots to mess with colors.

I like our differences in the sun spots.

It looks like an active period. As soon as I can I'll practice some more. This week is supposed to be rainy and 60MPH gusts through Wed, then we're heading off to Mansfield and Dayton. Monday is cataract surgery. Going to be tight.

 

[iamdlewis]

Setup my tripod head for tracking for a 3 hour test and I can say that it went well. 3 Hours of shots and nothing looked any different.

• ILCE-1
• Sony FE 200–600mm F5.6–6.3 G OSS (SEL200600G)
• 600.0 mm
• ƒ/6.3
• 1/800 sec
• ISO 100

 

[Brownie]

Have you done any stacking yet? I tried to stack one set of the first group I did, and one keeps misaligning. I don't know what happened.

Like the color!

 

[iamdlewis]

Have you done any stacking yet? I tried to stack one set of the first group I did, and one keeps misaligning. I don't know what happened.

Like the color!

No stacking yet, my history hasn't gone great. I do like how that color turned out so now I have the base to copy across.

 

[RussWielt]

Practicing for eclipse in April. I decided to make my own filters instead of buying screw-on filters so that I can remove filter easily during totality. This is my first shot of the sun with my filter I made.

• ILCE-9
• FE 200-600mm F5.6-6.3 G OSS
• 600.0 mm
• ƒ/8
• 1/250 sec
• ISO 100

 

[iamdlewis]

Interesting effect with that. Are the edges like that because of light leaking?

Found a solar filter for cheap but I think it has some issues vs my homemade one, specifically it appears far more difficult to focus. Will have to mess with it more later but this will most likely be a backup given the early testing.

• ILCE-1
• Sony FE 200–600mm F5.6–6.3 G OSS (SEL200600G)
• 600.0 mm
• ƒ/13
• 1/20 sec
• ISO 100

 

[Brownie]

HDR of 9 images @ 0.7.

 

[Richard A]

Do you think you get a better result using 9 images instead of just 3? I used to do a bit of HDR. The subtle kind not the outlandish ones that were popular for a while. I started off using 5 or 7 exposures then found I got better results using just 3. I tend to mostly use luminosity masks for exposure blending now.

 

[Brownie]

Do you think you get a better result using 9 images instead of just 3? I used to do a bit of HDR. The subtle kind not the outlandish ones that were popular for a while. I started off using 5 or 7 exposures then found I got better results using just 3. I tend to mostly use luminosity masks for exposure blending now.

I don’t think anything yet, not enough of a sample. I did a 3 (which inexplicably took 4), some 5’s and 9’s with different EVs. Some didn’t turn out stackable, it was pretty windy. Probably not the best time to do it but it’s winter in Michigan and you have to take the sun when you can. I was thinking about stacking 3 and 5 sets out of some of the 9’s.

 

[Richard A]

The only photo I have ever taken of the sun (only the sun) was during the transit of Venus in 2012. How could I miss that? Unfortunately it was a bit cloudy and I was using an inferior lens. Also, it was only 300mm but on an APSC camera.

 

[Brownie]

This is all new to me, never done it before. I’m hoping to get enough practice in that I don’t have to waste time come the big event. Biggest concern at this point other than that is the weather.

 

[Richard A]

Found it...

There is a full Solar Eclipse in Australia in 2028. Unfortunately, 95% of the area that it crosses is very inacessable & very inhospitable. It does cross right over Sydney however right at the end.

 

[Brownie]

Latest processing effort. I'm finding out this is as much about processing as anything else. This is 3 images from a 9 image bracket @ .7 EV, using the 1, 5, and 9 shots. I'm trying to show the sunspots and what little detail there is as well as the glow. I like the color and clarity on this one.

• ILCE-1
• FE 200-600mm F5.6-6.3 G OSS
• 600.0 mm
• ƒ/6.3
• 1/2500 sec
• ISO 100

 

[Brownie]

Found it...

View attachment 57462

There is a full Solar Eclipse in Australia in 2028. Unfortunately, 95% of the area that it crosses is very inacessable & very inhospitable. It does cross right over Sydney however right at the end.

Cool shot. We usually get clouds when there's something fun happening in the sky.

 

[Alan Clark]

• E 150-500mm F5-6.7 A057
• 500.0 mm
• ƒ/11
• 1/125 sec
• ISO 100

The sunspot group at the far left seems to be very active.

 

[Alan Clark]

There is an unusually complex group of spots approaching the centre of the disk, and it could produce powerful flares which affect Earth over the next few days.

• E 150-500mm F5-6.7 A057
• 500.0 mm
• ƒ/11
• 1/250 sec
• ISO 100

 

[Brownie]

Lots of sunspots in that one!

 

[Alan Clark]

As expected, there was a massive flare earlier today.

Spaceweather.com Time Machine

 

[Brownie]

Snow, clouds, cold. Not a chance I could even try.

 

[iamdlewis]

Think I found the settings for me.

• ILCE-1
• Sony FE 200–600mm F5.6–6.3 G OSS (SEL200600G)
• 600.0 mm
• ƒ/11
• 1/500 sec
• ISO 100

 

[Clide]

As expected, there was a massive flare earlier today.

Spaceweather.com Time Machine

Tim, did you realize your new Emoji is smiling? Oh, car racing season is beginning!

 

[Brownie]

Tim, did you realize your new Emoji is smiling? Oh, car racing season is beginning!

Just another Brownie!

 

[Alan Clark]

• ----
• 1/250 sec
• ISO 800

The sun is very active today. Photographed with Celestron 6SE telelscope, focal length 1500mm.

 

[iamdlewis]

Interesting on the difference between what you see at 1500mm vs 600mm but also location. This was taken at about 7:30am my time which would have been around 12:30pm your time.

• ILCE-1
• Sony FE 200–600mm F5.6–6.3 G OSS (SEL200600G)
• 600.0 mm
• ƒ/10
• 1/800 sec
• ISO 250

 

[Alan Clark]

My photo was taken at virtually the same time.
My telescope gives a mirror image which I posted initially, but I have now reversed the photo on my previous post so it looks at bit more like yours.