Can Live View Be Used To Count Sunspots?

On 9/10/07 6:15 AM, in article 13ea9t776fnpia0 RemoveThis @news.supernews.com, "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.
 >> Stay informed about: Can Live View Be Used To Count Sunspots? 

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.
 >> Stay informed about: Can Live View Be Used To Count Sunspots? 

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
 >> Stay informed about: Can Live View Be Used To Count Sunspots? 

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" <astroman.DeleteThis@noaddress.net> wrote in message
news:tbbae3hc124120l3tvklip8r8l4jfajn9d@4ax.com...
> 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.
>
 >> Stay informed about: Can Live View Be Used To Count Sunspots? 

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
 >> Stay informed about: Can Live View Be Used To Count Sunspots? 

"Rita Ä Berkowitz" <ritaberk2O04 @aol.com> wrote in message
news:13ea9t776fnpia0@news.supernews.com...
> 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.......
 >> Stay informed about: Can Live View Be Used To Count Sunspots? 

"StarStruck" <astroman.DeleteThis@noaddress.net> wrote in message
news:tbbae3hc124120l3tvklip8r8l4jfajn9d@4ax.com...
> 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.....
 >> Stay informed about: Can Live View Be Used To Count Sunspots? 

This message is not archived
 >> Stay informed about: Can Live View Be Used To Count Sunspots? 

"Rita Ä Berkowitz" <ritaberk2O04 @aol.com> wrote in message
news:13ebeq5b09ibq8b@news.supernews.com...
> 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
>
>
We did it once in the control room where I worked....We had a darkened room
anyway, so we just drilled a hole in the roof and projected a huge image on
a table top......Not too far from that same location was the Stanford solar
observatory....They had an optical system that projected the sun onto a
hemispherical table.....It made a fantastic image that was about three feet
across.....You could see solar flares, and sunspots.......They had an
optical system that would track the sun across the sky for about three hours
every afternoon......
 >> Stay informed about: Can Live View Be Used To Count Sunspots? 

This message is not archived
 >> Stay informed about: Can Live View Be Used To Count Sunspots? 

This message is not archived
 >> Stay informed about: Can Live View Be Used To Count Sunspots? 

Rita Ä Berkowitz wrote:
> RichA 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?
>>
>> Concentrate the light from the unfiltered sun with a lens onto the
>> sensor and KISS it goodby.
>
> I'm just trying to find a valid justification for Live View, that's
> all. So
> far it's not happening. I wonder if I can get Canon to remove it from
> my Mk
> III and get a $25 rebate?
>
>
>
>
>
> Rita
>

If the live view on the MkIII is the same thing (or similar) as the 20DA
came with then slap on a piece of Baader film in front of the 400mm lens
and you will be able to see a fair bit of detail in the sunspots as well
as be able to count them.
The sun is 0.5 of a degree in diameter so from your FOV of the 400 you
should get an idea of the pixel resolution for the solar image.

George
 >> Stay informed about: Can Live View Be Used To Count Sunspots? 

On Mon, 10 Sep 2007 17:44:55 -0400, Rita Ä Berkowitz <ritaberk2O04 @aol.com>
wrote:

>RichA 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?
>>
>> Concentrate the light from the unfiltered sun with a lens onto the
>> sensor and KISS it goodby.
>
>I'm just trying to find a valid justification for Live View, that's all.
>

Oh, you're one of those <eye-roll>. Someone who has never obtained any
experience with all the advanced capabilities of the P&S cameras that far
surpass anything that any DSLR can do.

How about this then:

When taking images of waterfalls or rapids you can dial-in the slow shutter
speed you need to see how much you are blurring the water, seeing it happen in
real-time in the EVF. Instead of just hoping it'll be right. You can see the
exact effect you will get on your resulting image, instead of taking a photo,
checking it, resetting to a slower shutter speed, taking another, checking it,
resetting it ... ooops too late, that wading-bird in the scene that made it the
most perfect award-winning photo was scared off by the gawdawful noises that
your DSLR's shutter and slapping mirror were making. Or if you want to dial-in
the exact amount of motion blur you want in a batter's swing, or a bird's
wing-beat, or the props of a plane. You will see the effect as you compose your
shot and be able to capture exactly what you want.

Unlike every other DSLR on earth with only an OVF where none of this is ever
possible, but it IS possible on nearly every P&S camera in existence with an
LCD/EVF.

Get your head out of your DSLR ass, it's been stuck up there so long with your
ancient technology you can't even see the light.
 >> Stay informed about: Can Live View Be Used To Count Sunspots?