Total Solar Eclipse Practice Shot
I did some practice testing today, here is the best of the test shots. Aren't the sun spots so cool (or, hot in this case)?!?
I bought a few things for my camera to use during the total solar eclipse. One of which was a battery grip that allows you to put two batteries in the camera, as I ran out of battery during the annular eclipse. During my tests today, I thought I was having a problem with the grip (ultimately I was not). I remembered that a few years ago I bought a dummy battery that lets you plug the camera into a wall socket. I found it, tried it out, and it works perfectly. So, since I was not able to get the included remote to work with the grip, either, I'm going to send the grip back (I am going to use my wired trigger, instead). I really feel good about this as I wasn't sure how many times I would use the grip in the future, anyway.
I also tested out my magnetic filter holder that allows you to take your filter off very quickly. I love this feature, however, it is proving to be a little difficult with the lens hood attached. Not sure that I really need the lens hood, anyway.
Another item that I purchased that I tested out today was a new 3-way, geared ball head for my tripod. Oh my gosh it's a game changer! Such smooth and easy transitions to reposition the sun as it moves in the frame. I’m so glad that I bought it and I will definitely use this in the future... it may even become my permanent ball head on my tripod. I am getting more and more excited about the event coming up!
I did not wind up purchasing all of these items from Amazon (some may no longer be available to get by 4-8-24), but here are the Amazon links if you want to see which ones I selected.
Dummy Battery – https://a.co/d/a9Q0ntS
NEEWER MB-N11 Battery Grip – https://a.co/d/bjGIgbu
Benro GD3WH 3-Way Geared Head – https://a.co/d/7a1kgSs
Kase Wolverine Magnetic Adapter Ring Kit (need to know your own filter thread size) – https://a.co/d/4DHNF0O
Taken with Nikon Z6ii, 28-300mm with FTZII Adapter and generic 2X teleconverter (600mm), 1/2000, f/11, ISO 400 (adjusted in Adobe Camera RAW and cropped)
Note: Someone mentioned that they hoped that I was using a solar filter, as I might burn the sensor or damage my eyes. I told them that I definitely was. I had purchased one for the annular eclipse and that I was only testing new equipment for the total eclipse.
I did learn at a workshop about shooting the eclipse that ND filters are not the best as they do not block the UV light… even with a UV filter attached, as well. However, with that being said, I was told that since I am not taking video of the event and just doing quick shots every few minutes, I should be fine. Here is the one I bought for the annular eclipse and will be using for the total eclipse:
ICE ND100000 16.5 Stop Filter (need to know your own filter thread size) – https://a.co/d/dEGwxyA
Here is a link to the ones the workshop was recommending:
StarGuy Solar Filters – https://www.mrstarguy.com/https-www-mrstarguy-com-category-s-136-htm-s/136.htm
Happy shooting the dark side of the moon!
