Sunset Advice

Is it safe to look through the viewfinder when taking pics of sunsets? I have a 300mm zoom which I want to use for taking pic of the sun when its a nice orange colour in the sky. Apart from a small aperture do I need anything else?

Do I also need ND filters? could I damage the sensor in my 10D by taking pic at full zoom?

If you're using your 10D, just use your LCD. You'll be OK.

As a general rule, you should never look at the sun directly. However, looking at it through the LCD is MUCH MUCH better than looking at it through the viewfinder. If you're using a film camera, you're out of luck here. Also, the sun at sunset is much less intense than the mid-day sun.

Using a filter or not is up to you, but I don't think you'll need an ND filter at sunset. Here's a shot I took with my G1 from the Star of India (one of the oldest ships that still can sail) in San Diego. I did use a graduated "sunset" filter (kind of orange/tobacco) to enhance the effect, but it wasn't really necessary:

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Phuocle wrote: "If you're using your 10D, just use your LCD. You'll be OK."

Is this correct?? Surely the 10D does not have LCD display of the proposed shot, as you have with the "G" Series??

Damn - you're right. As I'm still waiting for my 10D, I totally forgot about this - you have to use the viewfinder to compose the image and the LCD is only for review. My bad.

which means im risking my eyesight if im zooming!!!!

Surely there must be an easier way? What about those wildlife type sunsets where the sun fills the frame...

Hi.
I'm planning on getting the 10D soon so I've been lurking around here for a bit. Does anyone know if there's a custom function that enables the LCD to act as a preview screen during shooting mode? Or is this some sort of battery-saving feature to force the user to use the viewfinder? Surely there must be a way!

No such feature on the D-10--gotta look through the viewfinder.

I've gone over the manual and the custom settings on the camera as I wanted to know this as well.

There is not a setting that allows you to use the LCD screen as a preview.

I've taken many a sunset shot and quite honestly don't think that viewing a sunset through your camera for a sort period of time will adversely affect your vision. If you were to gawk at the sun for a long period of time maybe but when composing your shot you are only a matter of seconds.

It is NOT safe to look at the sun through any kind of optics, unless using a filter specifically rated for that purpose. When I want to shoot a sunset, I always look through the Electronic Viewfinder. On my Dimage 7i.

My Canon may produce better sunset or sunrise images, but I'll never find out. My eyesight is just to precious for that.

I agree that the standard advice is never look directly at the sun. However, I sometimes take sunset pictures, and I've always owned SLR's that required me to look through the viewfinder (including my new 10D). I'm careful, sometimes stop down my lens, and work quickly (though not too quickly to be careful about checking composition and the details of the frame). I often do much of the work with my eye back a bit from the viewfinder, until I need to confirm composition and details at the very end. I continue to have excellent eye sight at 38, taking such pictures for 15+ years. However, it is a risk, and only you can decide whether the risk is worth it.

Webster,

How about this: Put on a really dark ND filter, like an NDx8 to compose and frame your shot. Then remove it to meter, focus, and take the shot.

My 10D is coming on Wednesday and as soon as this gloomy weather leaves San Diego, I'm going to try it.

Actually there is no possible way to do this. First there is a mirror in front of the CMOS (well two actually but who's counting) followed by a shutter and a sensor cover/IR filter.While you are looking through the viewfinder the CMOS is totally covered. It works just like a film based SLR. You push shutter button, mirror swings up, shutter opens, CMOS exposes, shutter closes, mirror drops down. There's not really any way around it without a pellicle mirror and a completely redesigned CMOS.

The problem with looking into the sun is that you don't notice the damage right away. It doesn't hurt, and you don't notice any immediate loss of vision. If we all had the good sense to die in glory on the battlefield when we were around thirty years of age, it wouldn't matter much. You can, of course, do whatever you like to you own eyes, but personally, I plan on living much longer than I really should, and I've already been far too abusive to my eyes. If I absolutely have to look at the sun, it will be through a filter that I know to be adequate. Not one that I think might be.

If you are really serious about this, use a solar filter. This is used primarily for shooting a solar eclipse. The inexpensive ones are made out of piece of space blanket (aluminized mylar) stretched over a filter ring so that it fits on the front of whatever lens you want.

The bad news is that it is so dark that sometimes you can't find the sun if the lens focal length is very long.

---Bob Gross---

Thank you for the great advice and the different views offerred. My next question....

Could the lens/CMOS sensor get damages/burned if using long focal lengths looking at sunsets? im talking about using my 300mm lens.

Ive seen a few pics on sunsets where the sun almost fills the frame. I was wondering how do they achieve pics like that.