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Photographing directly into the sun


4 years 6 months ago #662747 by Sharna Lee
Help me out here.  If you photograph the sun behind a cloud and the cloud moves and the camera exposes with the direct sun hitting it.  Will it damage the sensor of the camera?  For some reason I thought it would, which has me concerned.  

Let me know please.  Thank you. 

Sharna
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4 years 6 months ago #662752 by Nikon Shooter
You are talking about the Sun that shines at full power
and a sensor that is meant to work best at 18% of that.

There is a lot more to be said than "no good" for sure but
it is like your eyes, a short time blinds a bit but no longer.
Light is free… capturing it is not!
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The following user(s) said Thank You: Sharna Lee
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4 years 6 months ago #662761 by Sharna Lee

Nikon Shooter wrote: You are talking about the Sun that shines at full power
and a sensor that is meant to work best at 18% of that.

There is a lot more to be said than "no good" for sure but
it is like your eyes, a short time blinds a bit but no longer.



So what would happen to the sensor, or better yet, if the sensor did get damaged, how would one know?
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4 years 6 months ago #662767 by Blistered_Feet
I'm curious about this too, although for a different reason. Would lowering the ISO effect how long a sensor can be exposed to direct sunlight? Would that work for Sharna's scenario also? Or would the photo risk exposure issues (though I assume this is probably an issue anyway)?

I've read that it's what some photographers do for sunrises, though I'm not sure sensor damage is what they are avoiding, rather than overexposure. I'm not usually trying to photograph the sun, so I'm not
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4 years 6 months ago #662768 by Nikon Shooter

Sharna Lee wrote: So what would happen to the sensor, or better yet, if the sensor did get damaged, how would one know?


The blinded chip could be up to "severely damaged".

It's operation will reflect the degree of disfunction in
the recorded files from partly to general to end with
possibly no recording at all.

Threat your sensor as you would your eyes.
Light is free… capturing it is not!
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4 years 6 months ago #662769 by Nikon Shooter

Blistered_Feet wrote: Would lowering the ISO effect how long a sensor can be exposed to direct sunlight? I've read that it's what some photographers do for sunrises, though I'm not sure sensor damage is what they are avoiding, rather than overexposure. I'm not usually trying to photograph the sun, so I'm not


Any measure — not only ISO — to capture the scene within
normal operation condition MUST taken as, with such light
source, the violence to the sensor is critical.

It is, OTH, very OK to contemplate getting the Sun in your
shots as long as one proceeds with caution.

I did these for a corporate client…

img\def

img\def
Light is free… capturing it is not!
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4 years 6 months ago #662773 by Blistered_Feet

Nikon Shooter wrote: It is, OTH, very OK to contemplate getting the Sun in your
shots as long as one proceeds with caution.


Thanks NS, I appreciate the clarification. I tend not to photograph the sun partially out of habit, but I also lean more toward nature and macro photography (I like the various shading). I think I will need to learn a lot more before I attempt it, but after seeing your photos, I'm excited by the new challenge.

I do have another question though. I know a bit of vocabulary, but I haven't seen the acronym OTH before. I checked the glossary and didn't find it there, either. Could you please explain it? Thank you and sorry for the inconvenience.
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4 years 6 months ago #662777 by Nikon Shooter
Should have read OTOH for "on the other hand". :P
Light is free… capturing it is not!
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4 years 6 months ago #662787 by effron
" and the cloud moves and the camera exposes with the direct sun hitting it.  Will it damage the sensor"

No.
Why so serious?
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4 years 6 months ago #662797 by Alfonso Camil
But when the sun is setting the intensity has been cut down which makes it OK.  That's what another photographer had told me.  
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4 years 6 months ago #662813 by Nikon Shooter
Yes, it has been but this is no limit nor is it a condition.

Even a full mid day Sun may be captured safely when
exposed correctly… and that may mean nominal ISO,
highest speed, smallest aperture and, if necessary, ve-
ry dark ND filters.
Light is free… capturing it is not!
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4 years 6 months ago #662815 by Nikon Shooter
ADDENDUM

Should one consider ƒ 1.4 to ƒ 22, 30s to 1/8000s, and
say 100 ISO to 6400 ISO, the total luminosity that is
controllable is in the order of 1 : 268, 435, 456 times …
Much greater than the human eye can cope with.

If one is working with a DSLR, the danger will be more
for the eye than for the sensor.
Light is free… capturing it is not!
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4 years 6 months ago #662820 by Ozzie_Traveller
G'day Shana, NS and others

NS is quite correct in saying that the sensor will cater for what comes along as "sunrise or sunset" sort of pictures as shown above

However what is well known to kill sensors is laser light. Quite a few cameras have died during those music concerts that have rotating laser beams flashing all around the place after bouncing off the revolving mirror - and the camera suddenly develops a "blind streak" across a straight line of pixels

Phil from the great land Downunder
www.flickr.com/photos/ozzie_traveller/sets/
Phil from the great land Downunder
www.flickr.com/photos/ozzie_traveller/sets/
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4 years 6 months ago #662871 by KENT MELTON
100% on lasers and sensors.  I was just watching this video, watch till the end (it's short) 

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4 years 6 months ago #662872 by KENT MELTON
Another

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