Another ISS Solar Transit, My Best Result Yet

I had another opportunity to shoot the ISS yesterday. The beauty of this one was that the centerline was predicted to cross exactly over my hotel while I was on vacation in Panama City Beach, Florida. I walked out to the pool area with my gear and set up. Good thing, too, because I had decided that if I had to drive anywhere, I was going to pass on this opportunity.

The centerline was slightly off, but not by too much.

DISCLAIMER: WHAT YOU ARE ABOUT TO READ IS NOT RECOMMENDED BY ME, BUT IT DID GIVE ME GOOD RESULTS. YOUR GEAR MAY BE DAMAGED IF YOU TRY THIS. YOUR EYES TOO, IF YOU LOOK THROUGH THE VIEWFINDER.

I decided to ditch the solar filter, which blocks out too much light to get a high shutter speed without cranking the ISO. Instead, I went with my 8 (edit: 10 stop) stop filter and added a 2x teleconverter. Even with this, I still had settings of 1/8000, f/22, ISO 100.

I've wondered for a while how much the 2x would deminish the image. I was pleasantly surprised.

Equipment: 7D, 100-400L, Kenko 2x tele.

Anyway, here are the results (the ISS was captured in 3 frames; I chose one of them):

1.

IMAGE LINK: http://dougmoon.smugmu​g.com …15-2974-5-XL.jpg&lb=1&s=A

IMAGE LINK: http://dougmoon.smugmu​g.com …2015-2974-XL.jpg&lb=1&s=A

Nice "catch!"

That is an incredible shot! Great job.

Amazing! Uh. May. Zing.

Dave3222 wrote in post #17609753
That is an incredible shot! Great job.

+1

sandwedge wrote in post #17609738
I had another opportunity to shoot the ISS yesterday. The beauty of this one was that the centerline was predicted to cross exactly over my hotel while I was on vacation in Panama City Beach, Florida. I walked out to the pool area with my gear and set up. Good thing, too, because I had decided that if I had to drive anywhere, I was going to pass on this opportunity.

The centerline was slightly off, but not by too much.

DISCLAIMER: WHAT YOU ARE ABOUT TO READ IS NOT RECOMMENDED BY ME, BUT IT DID GIVE ME GOOD RESULTS. YOUR GEAR MAY BE DAMAGED IF YOU TRY THIS. YOUR EYES TOO, IF YOU LOOK THROUGH THE VIEWFINDER.

I decided to ditch the solar filter, which blocks out too much light to get a high shutter speed without cranking the ISO. Instead, I went with my 8 stop filter and added a 2x teleconverter. Even with this, I still had settings of 1/8000, f/22, ISO 100.

I've wondered for a while how much the 2x would deminish the image. I was pleasantly surprised.

Equipment: 7D, 100-400L, Kenko 2x tele.

Anyway, here are the results (the ISS was captured in 3 frames; I chose one of them):

1.

IMAGE LINK: http://dougmoon.smugmu​g.com …15-2974-5-XL.jpg&lb=1&s=A on Smugmug

2.

IMAGE LINK: http://dougmoon.smugmu​g.com …2015-2974-XL.jpg&lb=1&s=A on Smugmug

MInd blowing shot! well done

Amazing clarity. I love it!

To Cool!

Incredible shot but also incredibly dangerous for anyone thinking they might try this. I'm glad you put the warning in bold as long as everyone read it. You are not only risking serious damage to your camera but the lack of any IR blocking could very seriously damage your eyesight if you forget about the lack of filter and look through the viewfinder. Even an 8 stop filter does very little to stop the IR.
Please read this article before attempting this action.
http://starcircleacade​my.com/2012/04/solar-filter/

SiriusDoggy wrote in post #17610449
Incredible shot but also incredibly dangerous for anyone thinking they might try this. I'm glad you put the warning in bold as long as everyone read it. You are not only risking serious damage to your camera but the lack of any IR blocking could very seriously damage your eyesight if you forget about the lack of filter and look through the viewfinder. Even an 8 stop filter does very little to stop the IR.
Please read this article before attempting this action.
http://starcircleacade​my.com/2012/04/solar-filter/

Thanks to everyone for your kind comments.

Thanks, SiriusDoggy. Yes, I was aware of the risks and wanted to give a fair warning To anybody considering the option. The link you provided is a must read for anybody considering this.

I was very careful not to look at the Sun or through the viewfinder. My equipment survived, but might not next time. The good news is the price of 7D's is plummeting.

I'm definitely not arguing with you. The ironic thing is that a few months ago, I got into a pretty good debate on a B&H product Q&A page. I maintained that anything short of a solar filter was too dangerous. I'll see if I can find it and provide a link.

I found the link. Turns out it wasn't really a debate, but more of me just trying to be the voice of reason. Here's the product page. You'll have to click on the Q&A section.

I think I even quoted the same webpage that SiriusDoggy linked.

Not that it really matters, but I'm using a different filter now. It's actually a 10 stop filter. I'll edit the original post.

http://www.bhphotovide​o.com …2_mm_Neutral_De​nsity.html

That's great shot. Did you wear eye protection too?

How did you set up the shot without looking through the viewfinder?

HKdave wrote in post #17616507
That's great shot. Did you wear eye protection too?

How did you set up the shot without looking through the viewfinder?

No eye protection, but careful not to look at the Sun.

I used Live View, but I find this to be very difficult. The best transits are higher in the sky, which means you are on your knees, looking at the screen with the camera pointed straight up,, and reaching up to try to focus. (Edit: I'm obviously using a tripod here).

I tried this again Monday, but missed focus. It was just too difficult to see the LCD screen and keep it from jumping with the slightest touch. As time ran out, I took the shots. Caught the transit but the photos were crap.

From now on, I'll tether the camera to a computer, which will also be safer for my eyes.

This may be obvious, but I'll add it for anybody just in case... You can't see the Space Station. You get a reliable prediction for the exact time (I use the website Calsky). You set up your equipment and at the right time you take photos until your buffer fills. After that, you take the camera down, take a deep breath, and look through the photos hoping you caught it. When the Sun or Moon is high in the sky, a transit only lasts about a half second.

those are unreal, just awesome

Fantastic. The ISS is so crisp.