Longer exposure without overexposing in daylight

Is there a way, with a Canon PowerShot SX20IS, to shoot longer exposures during the day without OVERexposing? There are various instances in which I would like to shoot an exposure of a few seconds but despite what settings I use (manual mode), they white out the view finder when I half press the shutter button to test the settings. Is this camera simply not capable of that? I have lowered the ISO to 80 and the aperture to f/8 (max).

Well, setting a long exposure means letting in more light, and especially if you are limited to an f/8 aperture you will at some point clip highlights or blow out the whole scene (for daylight shots especially) -- that's just the way it is with light.

The tool people use is a Neutral Density filter -- a dark filter put over the lens so that the exposure is lowered by some amount (they come at different strengths).

I don't know what is available for the SX-type of cameras. I know you can get some "adapters" for various things, I've just never looked at specific things such as ND filters. Look into it but be aware that "cheap" filters can have problems with things such as color casts, so do some careful research.

Maybe someone here has some experience with these things!

Using ND Filter to create special effects: An introductory guide

^^^ yup that. ND filters help out a lot. Use them all the time when taking daytime rig shots.

dmg1969 wrote in post #13963595
Is there a way, with a Canon PowerShot SX20IS, to shoot longer exposures during the day without OVERexposing? There are various instances in which I would like to shoot an exposure of a few seconds but despite what settings I use (manual mode), they white out the view finder when I half press the shutter button to test the settings. Is this camera simply not capable of that? I have lowered the ISO to 80 and the aperture to f/8 (max).

Neutral density filter plus duct tape?

BTW, I do hope that you carry a roll of duct tape (or electrical tape) around in your camera bag. It doesn't cost much and it doesn't take up much space. But when you've got a problem, you'd be shocked by how many of them can be solved with a roll of tape.

FYI, duct tape can leave a residue. Gaffer tapewon't, though it's more expensive.