August, 2017 Total solar eclipse. Too soon to start planning?

I clips into the Cokin holder, so its well secured. That was a crop, here's the full frame:

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Good deal , since it was cropped it looks like if you take the filter off during the 2 min window you should have no problem picking up all the corona . Good luck , look forward to pictures afterwards the event .

Has anybody bought and used the new Lee Solar Filter?

jkokbaker wrote in post #18371618
Has anybody bought and used the new Lee Solar Filter?

Have you done any research on these filters and brand ? Might want to check this out :

Prior to the event, we recommend following one of the many online guides to shooting an eclipse and practising in advance in order to calculate your exposures and ensure the best possible results.
•Designed especially for photographing solar eclipses or the surface of the sun
•Not suitable for long-exposure landscape photography
•Not intended as a viewing filter for solar events
•Never look through the filter directly at the sun, as there is a risk of severe eye damage.

http://www.leefilters.​com/index.php/camera/f​ilters

It's a brand new filter, with no reviews. All those disclaimers are the reason why I'm asking if anybody has used it. If I can get some reviews from real world use it might put my questions to bed.

jkokbaker wrote in post #18371699
It's a brand new filter, with no reviews. All those disclaimers are the reason why I'm asking if anybody has used it. If I can get some reviews from real world use it might put my questions to bed.

Being new until some positive reviews come out I wouldn't waist my money on it .

For anyone using software, I'm confused about the camera connection required. I heard the standard USB cable will cause too much delay. People recommended using the Shoestring adapters, but they seem to also be USB. Not sure what I really need to get at this point.

timeasterday wrote in post #18374015
For anyone using software, I'm confused about the camera connection required. I heard the standard USB cable will cause too much delay. People recommended using the Shoestring adapters, but they seem to also be USB. Not sure what I really need to get at this point.

USB is fine.

Very best,

There aren't any delay issues with USB per se... the issue is "bulb" mode. If you put a camera in manual mode and tell it to take ... say ... a 1/100th sec exposure, you'll find that you got a 1/100th sec exposure. But if you put the camera into "bulb" mode and try to take a 1/100th sec exposure you'll find the results are wildly varying even from shot to shot. But "bulb" mode is really meant for long exposures (many seconds... usually more than 30) so an error of a part of a second has no noticeable effect on the image.

The more significant issue is the accuracy of the prediction software.

The "Diamond Ring" effect should be shot maybe 9 seconds prior to totality (aka "C2" or second contact time) and the "Baily's Beads" effect maybe just 1.5 seconds prior to C2. So if your software miscalculated the time when C2 should occur you could miss the shot. These same effects re-occur just after C3 (third contact time) so you do get two chances to get them.

Everybody meet at MEL-S place. LOL

The USB only connection is adequate for most cases.
The Shoestring or serial shutter connection is faster, especially if you are using more than one camera.
It has nothing to do with Bulb mode. If you take a shot via the USB interface, you have to wait until the camera has completed the operation (including writing to the memory card) before you can take the next shot. That's typically about half a second.
With the shutter release, that restriction doesn't apply and you can take advantage of the camera buffering to rattle off more shots within the the totality window.
The downside is that it's one more USB device to take up a port and/or cause problems.

Steve.

Thanks for the USB info. I need to do some experimenting to see what works. If I go with the Shoestring adapter, I guess I still need something to tell the camera the exposure length, unless the interface+software is accurate enough to get to very fast exposures when doing a multiple-exposure set. Still not fully grasping how it will all work.

Sorry. I didn't make that point too clearly.
Eclipse Orchestrator still controls the camera (sets shutter speed, etc) over the USB connection. It just presses the shutter release with the Shoestring adapter, just as you would with a cable release.


Steve.

timeasterday wrote in post #18376582
Thanks for the USB info. I need to do some experimenting to see what works. If I go with the Shoestring adapter, I guess I still need something to tell the camera the exposure length, unless the interface+software is accurate enough to get to very fast exposures when doing a multiple-exposure set. Still not fully grasping how it will all work.

That would be the USB interface. The software written to control eclipse captures is very good at what it does... your efforts to 2nd guess it probably only introduce more risk... not reduce it.

Will be heading to my father in laws for the eclipse, he will have 2 minute and 30 seconds of totality. Looking for any advice I can get on this as it is a once in a lifetime deal and I want to both see it and record it! I have downloaded the free version of Eclipse Orchestrator, it looks like it will do all I need. I am looking at getting this https://www.bhphotovid​eo.com …ltra_solar_obse​rving.html from B&H, anyone used the filter on a 70 - 200F4L? Is that filter good to show the partial in good detail, should I look at something better? During totality, I have read I can take the filter off, should I have anything on to ensure a good picture? Was thinking ND filter (how strong?) or polarizer? or just the hood an be done with it? Finally, I plan on setting the camera to ISO 200 and lens to F8 - should this be changed?

Any advise would be most appreciated!