I took great pics in 2017, and in 2024 i traveled to Indianapolis south suburbs, I've been planning for this since 2017, i took a bunch of great picture, but this time i wanted to enjoy it in totality, pictures are good, but being there is the main goal, dont feel too bad, the next big one is going to be in Laxur, Egypt on August 2-2027, the weather is always sunny in that area, and thats a great destination to see the largest open museum in the world, also its very affordable country ... im definitely going there. Once you see one total eclipse, you become addicted.
At least you got to see the one in 2017. Most people never get to see a total eclipse. I watched it in Cleveland and was so glad i got to see it. You did get some grat pictures.
Great to see the D500 get a run Phil. Haha, I would have done the same thing at work with the camera 😂 hope your boss doesn't watch your UA-cam channel. Beautiful shots of the eclipse my friend. And YES we're on for the next eclipse here in Australia, you and Heather are most welcome!
I forgot my tripod at my Airbnb stay. There's always another solar eclipse. The 2026 and 2027 eclipse in Spain looks promising. The 2027 eclipse will be more than 6 minutes long! Too bad they're not in the USA.
I’m man you should have gone to Indiana. It was insane. I shot over 4k photos and saw totality on the center line. The weather before and after was crap but amazing during the eclipse. This one was way better then the 2017 one which I saw from Galton tn. Work wouldn’t let me off but I went anyway as it’s a once in a lifetime moment
Thank you! Other than a defective shutter mechanism when the camera was only a few month old that was replaced under warranty, my D500 has been bulletproof over the years.
You don't have to wait until 2028 for the next total solar eclipse. But, you know that. It's ok. It's only once in a lifetime in your own backyard, perhaps.
No regrets here. I lived in totality path in 2017. 2017 I planned to shoot it but cloud cover was here and there, did get to see it but no photos other than of the family. I wasn't going to drive 18hrs round trip for this one. Even if I would of had some desire to drive it, getting back to work the next day and using vacation time wasn't worth it to me. I still took the day off and got 80% coverage and use the same gimbal and the RF 200-800 with a 1.4x tele. I spent some wonderful time with my 18yr old son for the afternoon and took some good photos.
I can relate with your regrets Phil. Looking back I also have regrets for not traveling to totality, about 8 hours away from where I live in Wisconsin. That's part of being a photographer, fear/regret of missing out. It happens to me with wildlife as well. Just have to tell myself I can't photograph everything and have to just keep on chugging.
Just got home this weekend from our eclipse trip. Viewed it from my sister's front yard, a short ways outside of Indianapolis. It was pretty amazing, but my photos at totality are all out of focus. I made a mistake of messing the focus as I have several partial that are in good focus. Regardless, it was an amazing experience so no regrets on that part.
I went to Corning Ar. with my son, two grand daughters, and daughters. I have a Nikon D-7200 with a Tamron 28-300 lens. Good clear sky, and totality, and I got some pictures. Nothing to brag about but we had fun. I live in mid-Tn. so we did a four hour drive.
I used a K&F ND100,000 filter on my Nikon D5500 with a 70 - 300 mm kit lens, and got some pretty good photos, similar to yours... We drove to Ohio and were less than a mile from center line of totality, so we saw the whole eclipse... Quite a magical moment!! Since the next one in the U.S. won't be until I'm 85, Sidney looks like a good option, and I could easily talk the wife into it too... 😁
Nice work. We had clouds for the duration, except for about 20 minutes at the local peak. I put a 20 stop ND filter on a Nikon P900, which I figured I could risk. It worked like a charm. Like you, I used the clouds as a foreground element, and I was pleased with the results. I also tried shooting through shade 14 welding glass, which gave me a great view by eye. But I really couldn't focus through it very easily. Next opportunity for us will be 2044 😊
I looked at the price of plane tickets to Australia and I think I’m gonna have to have another regret and miss that one too lol so it looks like it’s 2044 for me as well.
April 11 2024 Hi Phil: Did you just say The Sun with the Moon "BEHIND" it @6:37?! Anyways my issue was the Park Tripod Police ruining my plan into forcing me to move out of the private property area of the park into a more crowded part where people bother you borrowing your Eclipse glasses or asking you weird questions. As much as I love helping people that's why I printed the detailed Solar Eclipse schedule. But you as a photographer have a plan to shoot this occasion. Next Total Eclipse in New York will be in 55 years!!! It's ridiculous because I missed the one seven years ago. For all you out there serious about photography, don't trust anything you think you know about your local parks rules. Some rich guy may own parts of your city parks and for special events such as this, you would have to carry two tripods and a heavy roller to a different area rushing to set up in two minutes after practicing for a year just to miss the first few minutes of the Solar Eclipse and have people asking you what would you see different than your naked eyes using this camera setup?!!!
Yes, I totally said that backwards. I cringed when I watched the video back, but I had been at work all day and then came home and made that part of this video and I was too tired too set the studio back up and shoot it again.
My regret is trusting auto focus on my Canon RP that I did a video with. It was blurry the whole video till right after it finally grabbed focus. Couldn’t tell because it was sunny when I set it up. Oh well. I did get some awesome shots hand held with my R7 and 100-500 during totality. Just put it in TV mode and grabbed a bunch really quick at a few different shutter speeds. 1/80 came out the best. IS is awesome with that setup.
Sorry to hear. The whole time my D500 was on the tripod, not once did I think of taking a quick video or two, whilst the Eclipse went in and out of the cloud cover. Duh George! Glad You were able to get some awesome shots! 👍✌
It was super cloudy at my place. I had to wait for the clouds to clear away. Then I realized, 'Oh my gosh, the sun has moved a lot in the sky!' I had to scramble to find a new position with my ND filter. Then, I needed to increase the aperture to make sure it showed up on my monitor. And just when I found it, the clouds hid it again!
Sorry you missed the totality. We drove to Ohio to get in the path. I used my Z6ii and really liked the focus peaking to help get my images in focus. I made my own solar filter using Thousand Oaks Solar film. I'm still sorting and editing all my images. I hope you get to go see another eclipse or the one that will be in 2045!
"its the sun, with the moon behind it"... seems like you didn't get the picture of the eclipse, Phil. 😉 A total solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, completely blocking the face of the Sun. So on your photo, you see sun, with the moon in front of it. Or you see the moon, with the sun behind it. 🫣
There is another total solar eclipse just south of Barcelona Spain in August 2026 but totality is short at around 1m 52s. Australia gets multiple total solar eclipses after that and one of them is over 5 minutes totality! Maybe going down under is the better alternative in the end.
I will be honest I didn’t think I was going till Saturday night before that Monday. I was wholly unprepared too. My camera didnt focus correctly so all mine are slightly out of focus but I am still glad we went. Traffic was a nightmare afterwards too. Next time I will stay a day or two past it to let the people leave. Yeah we will be in our 70s, but that has never stopped me before. LOL
Hi Phil! I started out watching with apprehension, thinking You were going to talk about how the D500 got ruined, or something similar? Whew, I’m glad You were able to get those shots! I KNOW You know what You're doing. I would have been nervous ‘stacking’ those filters. I’m having a hard time composing my comment here. Lost a Dear friend Yesterday, VERY suddenly. Well, I didn't come on here to talk about that. You posted about what I would have, if I had made a video about my results. I live not too awful far from You and Ron, and it was only about 80-83 % Totality. I ALMOST didn't bother with the camera. I felt very unprepared as You, and the Weather was very sketchy. In fact, it never fully cleared up, but there were a few breaks in the clouds. I was going to use my old 1D series Canon, with my 300 mm but the Live View on that is very fiddly at best. Thought about the Z7, but I wouldn’t really have gained anything over the D500. So I took out my Leofoto tripod, and my D500, with the 70-300 FX AF-P ( good lens ) and a 18 stop Solar filter, and used self timer of 5 seconds. ( 2 seconds was too quick ). LIVE View of course. Cloud cover made for some interesting shots, but forced me to use higher ISO, and slow SS. I did some in DX and some in DX crop. In DX crop that was pushing me to almost 600 mm. I wished I had been able to get close to your settings! But it worked out, was Fun, and I managed to learn something new. 😆 My Daughter in law, who is a great Photographer, said she was ‘jealous’ of my shots, and said I should have sent them to the Local News, as they were the best she had seen that day. I dont know about all that, but I appreciated her ‘biased’ opinion! 😆 When it was all said and done, You and I both have our vision, and intact sensors, so it’s a win win. 😊 Great content Phil! Please take care of yourself and loved ones! Stay safe and Happy Shooting! 👍📷
Hi Phil, in hindsight, would your R7 have been safe using this 16 stop Kase ND duo ? With the 100-500 and an extender it would have provided Vero-proof resolution .. Almost 25 years ago, we had a near total eclipse (97.4%) .. but we missed the first part because we were at the notary signing the purchase of the land where we build our house a few years later and where we still live. After the paperwork we hurried to the local lake where we still witnessed most of the eclipse. I recall the unusual behavior of the birds during the dark moments, and the stronger winds. August 11, 1999 remains a special day to me!
@@PhilThach You made me watch the crazy Tony N video .. he says to use a 'solar film' rather than a solar glass filter because of sharpness .. but did you see his film flapping in the wind ?? He's asking for motion blur, right ? And while he strongly speaks against using ND, his summary text indicates he'll use just that 🙈
I opted to stay near home with about 94% coverage and use my Olympus, 75-300mm and homemade solar filter. My mistakes were trying to learn a new to me camera and not trying different compositions including landscapes. Also kinda wished I picked up a cheap telescope with more reach than my lens. When I thought about it there wasn't enough time to find solar film to make another filter anyway.
@@PhilThach I had leftover solar film after making a filter for a telescope and an old UV filter for my camera. I unscrewed the filter to take out the glass and use it as a template. Then reassemble with the solar film instead of the unused filter.
I live in Alabama near the Mississippi state line. One of my cousins lives near Atkins, AR. He lives within 10 miles of where the center of the path was. I didn't want to call in an area near a lot of people so I asked if I could come there and stay the night. We were expecting clouds but they moved out Monday long enough for me to get my shots. I also had some failures and regrets. I ordered my solar film early and got my fingers made in time. I bought a star tracker and had issues getting it to track until about an hour before the eclipse. I think I had been tightening the clutch too much and it couldn't rotate. I did everything like I should through totality but I forgot to change my settings after I got my shots. I had lowered my shutter speed from 1/1000 during the partial phase to 1/30 shooting a 9 shot bracket. When the sun came back out I still had bracketing on and still at 1/30. I fired off a bunch of shots and then changed my settings. I missed Baily's beads on the 3rd contact and maybe got one or two shots of the diamond ring. Maybe they're not blown out. I had a second camera with a wide angle lens running behind me. I had me and my main rig in the foreground. I wanted a selfie and put all of the subs across the sky. I forgot to take the filter off that lens during totality so ask I got were dark frames. That was the main picture I needed. We were supposed to have 4 min and it went by fast. I did take time to look at it and video it with my phone. I had the solar timer app but I don't think I had it on the right screen to hear all of the cues when things were happening. I had it on the screen that showed the times to take a photo from beginning to end. I should have written all of that down on paper. But this was my first eclipse and I did want to take the time to actually look at it with my eyes and look around. I should have had a check list made out like everyone said to do. I don't know if I'll ever get to go anywhere else to see another one but if I'm still alive in 2044 (I'll be 73) I plan to shoot that one as well. Imagine the technology we will have by then for that one. Next time you even think you might do an event, go ahead and buy what you need for it just in case. Baader solar film is cheap and it's not hard to make your own filter.
Thanks Phil. I did think at the time if you were taking pictures from your location in the States. Here in the UK we were too far east for anything at all but both my wife and I watched the live stream on BBC and the corona looked fabulous. Nothing beats being there in person though.
Oh Phil, I have planned for this for 6 months. I had the R6 and a 100-500 on a star tracker for video and had the R7 with another 100-500 for photos. Well, mother nature didn't cooperate in South West Texas and the clouds rolled in over night. I got one shot off and 3 seconds of totality. If we can find a way to get to Sydney in 28, me and the wife might just bump into down there.
we had 90% this year and what I did was set my camera up, put on a solar filter, took my shutter remote, and programmed it to start taking photos 3 minutes before the sun and moon met what happened yet again? clouds rolled in the moment the moon was in the frame but I got one nice moody shot of the 90%
I got lucky with the clouds, it was pretty cloudy all morning, but while the eclipse was happening, I had a clear shot at it and once it was over, it got cloudy again. 🤷♂️
You did great! Now you know how to prep for the next one. Totality is life changing so going to Australia for that one means you’ll have a minute or more to see it with your own eyes before you get back to photography.
@@natureredux1957Thank you, I said mainly, And the science that's coms from this event is important for the people and future generations, for ex . Agriculture , Communication , Electric grids , And Space exploration, etc
My collection of telephoto zoom lenses is an investment for my UA-cam channel. It allows me to show wildlife photography with a variety of lenses. It could be said that I have wasted money and time making over 1000 UA-cam videos, but it has brought me joy.
Cool stuff Phil. Like you, I used my backup camera (Nikon D7200 in my case) and a Sigma 160-600. I placed dark film over the lens hood. Photos turned out OK. Same rig I used in 2017. We traveled about 2 hours north this time to get totality and about 4 hours to Nashville in 2017. I sure hope you and Heather will go to Australia for the next one. As long as you're not spending "rent money" to get there, it is something neither of you will ever forget.
Don't scare us with "regrets". I also thought you fried the sensor. I drove 35 min. north from Louisville to Scottsburg, IND. Had my 100-400 with 1.4TC on my Z8 and my 180-600 on my Zf. My regret was not going far enough north. Totality was only 1 min. and 4 sec. where I was. I'm just a rookie hobbyist and too slow at removing the NISI screw on solar filter and adjusting the settings so I just watched Totality with my solar glasses. We did see the "shadow band" move across the white gravel parking lot. My next investment will be the Kase magnetic filter kit. Like you, I also got about 35 shots with thin clouds rolling through that look awsome.
Thank you! I didn’t mean to make everyone think that I fried my sensor. If you are going to get some Kase filters, make sure to use my link and coupon code so you can save 10%!
Where I live we had around 95% totality. I have a Sony SLT-A57 and a Sony 75-300 which gave me a focal length very similar to yours. All I have for an ND filter is an 8 stop. However then I remembered I have an pair old (1970's) welding goggles. They have removeable lenses so I took those out and just laid one on top of the ND filter and it worked great. Nice vid and enjoy your trip to Aussie! lol
NASA hosted a yTube event showing the path of Totality from Mexico, thru the US, all the way up to Canada. The Diamond Ring, just before and after Totality was really special. So even though I didn't get to see it in person, I am South of you and it Rained all day, watching it on Ytube the NASA event was still special. The next one in the US will be like in 2045. In Europe, a couple years as you stated. Good job on the photos. Question, since during Totality one can look directly at the Eclipse, would a filter even be needed during that Timeframe? Certainly needed before and after Totality. Also, the Planets Jupiter and at least 1 other was also visible during Totality. Plus how the Birds and insects starting behaving during Totality was pretty cool.
Thank you! You are correct. No filters needed during totality. My friend David traveled to totality without filters and only made shots during totality.
That's what I used too . A 10 stop and 6 stop K&F magnetic filter plus I left my UV filter on and it was fine. I knew it would work because I did the same in 2017. Not sure why some insisted you had to use a special solar filter. My longest lens was my Sigma 100-400 on my Z50. We drove 2 1/2 hours to north central Ohio to watch it and it was the most incredible experience of my life. Totality lasted 3 1/2 minutes. I only wish I had taken a couple wide shots of the scene and had a put my phone on a tripod and recorded video of the whole scene as it unfolded but oh well. A total eclipse comes dead center through our town in 2099 so I need to stay alive for that.
Nice shot Phil! It was cloudy where I live last Monday and so we were shut out. But I did drive for three days down to Idaho back in August 2017 and was pretty much on the centre line of totality for 2m10s! What an experience! I'll never forget it. And I managed to get a few photos too! 😊
I took great pics in 2017, and in 2024 i traveled to Indianapolis south suburbs, I've been planning for this since 2017, i took a bunch of great picture, but this time i wanted to enjoy it in totality, pictures are good, but being there is the main goal, dont feel too bad, the next big one is going to be in Laxur, Egypt on August 2-2027, the weather is always sunny in that area, and thats a great destination to see the largest open museum in the world, also its very affordable country ... im definitely going there. Once you see one total eclipse, you become addicted.
I’m in West Tennessee and drove 3 hours to Conway AR and seeing totality was surreal beyond my imagination.
I'm glad you got to see it.
At least you got to see the one in 2017. Most people never get to see a total eclipse. I watched it in Cleveland and was so glad i got to see it. You did get some grat pictures.
Great to see the D500 get a run Phil. Haha, I would have done the same thing at work with the camera 😂 hope your boss doesn't watch your UA-cam channel. Beautiful shots of the eclipse my friend. And YES we're on for the next eclipse here in Australia, you and Heather are most welcome!
This is so cool giving a shout out to Phil! I like and follow your channel as well. Cheers!
Thanks, Adrian! We really might go!
Oh wow, I just looked at the price of flights. That may slow us down a little bit.
I forgot my tripod at my Airbnb stay. There's always another solar eclipse. The 2026 and 2027 eclipse in Spain looks promising. The 2027 eclipse will be more than 6 minutes long! Too bad they're not in the USA.
I’m man you should have gone to Indiana. It was insane. I shot over 4k photos and saw totality on the center line. The weather before and after was crap but amazing during the eclipse. This one was way better then the 2017 one which I saw from Galton tn. Work wouldn’t let me off but I went anyway as it’s a once in a lifetime moment
I think the sacrificial Nikon did a great job. Thanks for risking the wrath of your co-workers for this.
Thank you! Other than a defective shutter mechanism when the camera was only a few month old that was replaced under warranty, my D500 has been bulletproof over the years.
You don't have to wait until 2028 for the next total solar eclipse. But, you know that. It's ok. It's only once in a lifetime in your own backyard, perhaps.
No regrets here. I lived in totality path in 2017. 2017 I planned to shoot it but cloud cover was here and there, did get to see it but no photos other than of the family. I wasn't going to drive 18hrs round trip for this one. Even if I would of had some desire to drive it, getting back to work the next day and using vacation time wasn't worth it to me. I still took the day off and got 80% coverage and use the same gimbal and the RF 200-800 with a 1.4x tele. I spent some wonderful time with my 18yr old son for the afternoon and took some good photos.
I can relate with your regrets Phil. Looking back I also have regrets for not traveling to totality, about 8 hours away from where I live in Wisconsin. That's part of being a photographer, fear/regret of missing out. It happens to me with wildlife as well. Just have to tell myself I can't photograph everything and have to just keep on chugging.
That's a good point!
Just got home this weekend from our eclipse trip. Viewed it from my sister's front yard, a short ways outside of Indianapolis. It was pretty amazing, but my photos at totality are all out of focus. I made a mistake of messing the focus as I have several partial that are in good focus. Regardless, it was an amazing experience so no regrets on that part.
From Houston I drove to Richardson Texas and was VERY blessed to see totality with my children and grandchildren.
I went to Corning Ar. with my son, two grand daughters, and daughters. I have a Nikon D-7200 with a Tamron 28-300 lens. Good clear sky, and totality, and I got some pictures. Nothing to brag about but we had fun. I live in mid-Tn. so we did a four hour drive.
Sounds like you had a great day!
I used a K&F ND100,000 filter on my Nikon D5500 with a 70 - 300 mm kit lens, and got some pretty good photos, similar to yours... We drove to Ohio and were less than a mile from center line of totality, so we saw the whole eclipse... Quite a magical moment!! Since the next one in the U.S. won't be until I'm 85, Sidney looks like a good option, and I could easily talk the wife into it too... 😁
That's good info on the K&F ND 100,00. I'd love to go to Sydney but man those flights are expensive!
Nice work. We had clouds for the duration, except for about 20 minutes at the local peak. I put a 20 stop ND filter on a Nikon P900, which I figured I could risk. It worked like a charm. Like you, I used the clouds as a foreground element, and I was pleased with the results. I also tried shooting through shade 14 welding glass, which gave me a great view by eye. But I really couldn't focus through it very easily. Next opportunity for us will be 2044 😊
I looked at the price of plane tickets to Australia and I think I’m gonna have to have another regret and miss that one too lol so it looks like it’s 2044 for me as well.
April 11 2024 Hi Phil: Did you just say The Sun with the Moon "BEHIND" it @6:37?! Anyways my issue was the Park Tripod Police ruining my plan into forcing me to move out of the private property area of the park into a more crowded part where people bother you borrowing your Eclipse glasses or asking you weird questions. As much as I love helping people that's why I printed the detailed Solar Eclipse schedule. But you as a photographer have a plan to shoot this occasion. Next Total Eclipse in New York will be in 55 years!!! It's ridiculous because I missed the one seven years ago. For all you out there serious about photography, don't trust anything you think you know about your local parks rules. Some rich guy may own parts of your city parks and for special events such as this, you would have to carry two tripods and a heavy roller to a different area rushing to set up in two minutes after practicing for a year just to miss the first few minutes of the Solar Eclipse and have people asking you what would you see different than your naked eyes using this camera setup?!!!
Yes, I totally said that backwards. I cringed when I watched the video back, but I had been at work all day and then came home and made that part of this video and I was too tired too set the studio back up and shoot it again.
My regret is trusting auto focus on my Canon RP that I did a video with. It was blurry the whole video till right after it finally grabbed focus. Couldn’t tell because it was sunny when I set it up. Oh well.
I did get some awesome shots hand held with my R7 and 100-500 during totality. Just put it in TV mode and grabbed a bunch really quick at a few different shutter speeds. 1/80 came out the best. IS is awesome with that setup.
Sorry to hear. The whole time my D500 was on the tripod, not once did I think of taking a quick video or two, whilst the Eclipse went in and out of the cloud cover. Duh George!
Glad You were able to get some awesome shots! 👍✌
Bummer! I'm glad you got some shots you are happy with!
@@georgedavall9449 it is cool because when you speed up the video you can see the shadow sweep in and out. I’ll get it right on the next one. 🤞
It was super cloudy at my place. I had to wait for the clouds to clear away. Then I realized, 'Oh my gosh, the sun has moved a lot in the sky!' I had to scramble to find a new position with my ND filter. Then, I needed to increase the aperture to make sure it showed up on my monitor. And just when I found it, the clouds hid it again!
Oh wow, what a bummer!
Sorry you missed the totality. We drove to Ohio to get in the path. I used my Z6ii and really liked the focus peaking to help get my images in focus. I made my own solar filter using Thousand Oaks Solar film. I'm still sorting and editing all my images. I hope you get to go see another eclipse or the one that will be in 2045!
"its the sun, with the moon behind it"... seems like you didn't get the picture of the eclipse, Phil. 😉 A total solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, completely blocking the face of the Sun. So on your photo, you see sun, with the moon in front of it. Or you see the moon, with the sun behind it. 🫣
That is correct. I cringed when I played the video back and saw that I had said it backwards. But I was tired and did not want to reshoot it.
There is another total solar eclipse just south of Barcelona Spain in August 2026 but totality is short at around 1m 52s.
Australia gets multiple total solar eclipses after that and one of them is over 5 minutes totality! Maybe going down under is the better alternative in the end.
The flights to Sydney sure are expensive though! :(
dont feel bad, i went and seen it planned to take photos but ended up getting none. regret it 100%
I will be honest I didn’t think I was going till Saturday night before that Monday. I was wholly unprepared too. My camera didnt focus correctly so all mine are slightly out of focus but I am still glad we went. Traffic was a nightmare afterwards too. Next time I will stay a day or two past it to let the people leave. Yeah we will be in our 70s, but that has never stopped me before. LOL
I thought your photos looked really nice David!
@@PhilThach Thank you Phil, I really appreciate that.
Hi Phil! I started out watching with apprehension, thinking You were going to talk about how the D500 got ruined, or something similar? Whew, I’m glad You were able to get those shots! I KNOW You know what You're doing. I would have been nervous ‘stacking’ those filters.
I’m having a hard time composing my comment here. Lost a Dear friend Yesterday, VERY suddenly. Well, I didn't come on here to talk about that.
You posted about what I would have, if I had made a video about my results. I live not too awful far from You and Ron, and it was only about 80-83 % Totality. I ALMOST didn't bother with the camera. I felt very unprepared as You, and the Weather was very sketchy. In fact, it never fully cleared up, but there were a few breaks in the clouds. I was going to use my old 1D series Canon, with my 300 mm but the Live View on that is very fiddly at best. Thought about the Z7, but I wouldn’t really have gained anything over the D500. So I took out my Leofoto tripod, and my D500, with the 70-300 FX AF-P ( good lens ) and a 18 stop Solar filter, and used self timer of 5 seconds. ( 2 seconds was too quick ). LIVE View of course. Cloud cover made for some interesting shots, but forced me to use higher ISO, and slow SS. I did some in DX and some in DX crop. In DX crop that was pushing me to almost 600 mm. I wished I had been able to get close to your settings! But it worked out, was Fun, and I managed to learn something new. 😆 My Daughter in law, who is a great Photographer, said she was ‘jealous’ of my shots, and said I should have sent them to the Local News, as they were the best she had seen that day. I dont know about all that, but I appreciated her ‘biased’ opinion! 😆
When it was all said and done, You and I both have our vision, and intact sensors, so it’s a win win. 😊
Great content Phil! Please take care of yourself and loved ones! Stay safe and Happy Shooting! 👍📷
It sounds like you had a good day! I'm sorry for your loss.
@@PhilThach Thank You Phil. 🤝
Hi Phil, in hindsight, would your R7 have been safe using this 16 stop Kase ND duo ? With the 100-500 and an extender it would have provided Vero-proof resolution ..
Almost 25 years ago, we had a near total eclipse (97.4%) .. but we missed the first part because we were at the notary signing the purchase of the land where we build our house a few years later and where we still live. After the paperwork we hurried to the local lake where we still witnessed most of the eclipse. I recall the unusual behavior of the birds during the dark moments, and the stronger winds. August 11, 1999 remains a special day to me!
I don't know the answer to that Werner. But I think it would have been ok. It's amazing how well and how long people remember eclipses.
@@PhilThach You made me watch the crazy Tony N video .. he says to use a 'solar film' rather than a solar glass filter because of sharpness .. but did you see his film flapping in the wind ?? He's asking for motion blur, right ? And while he strongly speaks against using ND, his summary text indicates he'll use just that 🙈
I opted to stay near home with about 94% coverage and use my Olympus, 75-300mm and homemade solar filter. My mistakes were trying to learn a new to me camera and not trying different compositions including landscapes. Also kinda wished I picked up a cheap telescope with more reach than my lens. When I thought about it there wasn't enough time to find solar film to make another filter anyway.
A homemade solar filter sounds interesting..
@@PhilThach I had leftover solar film after making a filter for a telescope and an old UV filter for my camera. I unscrewed the filter to take out the glass and use it as a template. Then reassemble with the solar film instead of the unused filter.
I live in Alabama near the Mississippi state line. One of my cousins lives near Atkins, AR. He lives within 10 miles of where the center of the path was. I didn't want to call in an area near a lot of people so I asked if I could come there and stay the night. We were expecting clouds but they moved out Monday long enough for me to get my shots. I also had some failures and regrets. I ordered my solar film early and got my fingers made in time. I bought a star tracker and had issues getting it to track until about an hour before the eclipse. I think I had been tightening the clutch too much and it couldn't rotate. I did everything like I should through totality but I forgot to change my settings after I got my shots. I had lowered my shutter speed from 1/1000 during the partial phase to 1/30 shooting a 9 shot bracket. When the sun came back out I still had bracketing on and still at 1/30. I fired off a bunch of shots and then changed my settings. I missed Baily's beads on the 3rd contact and maybe got one or two shots of the diamond ring. Maybe they're not blown out. I had a second camera with a wide angle lens running behind me. I had me and my main rig in the foreground. I wanted a selfie and put all of the subs across the sky. I forgot to take the filter off that lens during totality so ask I got were dark frames. That was the main picture I needed. We were supposed to have 4 min and it went by fast. I did take time to look at it and video it with my phone. I had the solar timer app but I don't think I had it on the right screen to hear all of the cues when things were happening. I had it on the screen that showed the times to take a photo from beginning to end. I should have written all of that down on paper. But this was my first eclipse and I did want to take the time to actually look at it with my eyes and look around. I should have had a check list made out like everyone said to do. I don't know if I'll ever get to go anywhere else to see another one but if I'm still alive in 2044 (I'll be 73) I plan to shoot that one as well. Imagine the technology we will have by then for that one. Next time you even think you might do an event, go ahead and buy what you need for it just in case. Baader solar film is cheap and it's not hard to make your own filter.
Great comment!
Regrets happen
Thanks Phil. I did think at the time if you were taking pictures from your location in the States. Here in the UK we were too far east for anything at all but both my wife and I watched the live stream on BBC and the corona looked fabulous. Nothing beats being there in person though.
Thank you!
Luckily I took 2 days off to see the totality and that was one of the best decisions I have made 😊
Very wise! I like your profile photo of the eclipse.
Oh Phil, I have planned for this for 6 months. I had the R6 and a 100-500 on a star tracker for video and had the R7 with another 100-500 for photos. Well, mother nature didn't cooperate in South West Texas and the clouds rolled in over night. I got one shot off and 3 seconds of totality. If we can find a way to get to Sydney in 28, me and the wife might just bump into down there.
Still an interesting video, thank😅 you Phil
Thank you!
we had 90% this year and what I did was set my camera up, put on a solar filter, took my shutter remote, and programmed it to start taking photos 3 minutes before the sun and moon met what happened yet again? clouds rolled in the moment the moon was in the frame but I got one nice moody shot of the 90%
I got lucky with the clouds, it was pretty cloudy all morning, but while the eclipse was happening, I had a clear shot at it and once it was over, it got cloudy again. 🤷♂️
@@PhilThach exact opposite where I live but still happy with my 2mp crop photos as well 😂 good enough for IG but not print worthy
You did great! Now you know how to prep for the next one. Totality is life changing so going to Australia for that one means you’ll have a minute or more to see it with your own eyes before you get back to photography.
No regrets, This event is belong mainly to the astronomers, They have all technology and science ready for it
This was a EVENT for everyone, not just astronomers.
@@natureredux1957Thank you, I said mainly, And the science that's coms from this event is important for the people and future generations, for ex . Agriculture , Communication , Electric grids , And Space exploration, etc
1st and only regret - don’t shoot Nikon
LOL
You have wasted too much money on lenses
My collection of telephoto zoom lenses is an investment for my UA-cam channel. It allows me to show wildlife photography with a variety of lenses. It could be said that I have wasted money and time making over 1000 UA-cam videos, but it has brought me joy.
The best part of a total eclipse is totality, so you don't need filters at all. Partial eclipses are lame compared to totality.
Indeed. See the name of this video for more details.
@@PhilThach Is it called "OF COURSE I will take a day off from work to experience totality!"?
Cool stuff Phil. Like you, I used my backup camera (Nikon D7200 in my case) and a Sigma 160-600. I placed dark film over the lens hood. Photos turned out OK. Same rig I used in 2017. We traveled about 2 hours north this time to get totality and about 4 hours to Nashville in 2017. I sure hope you and Heather will go to Australia for the next one. As long as you're not spending "rent money" to get there, it is something neither of you will ever forget.
Thank you! We certainly hope to go but I'm not sure we'll be able to do it.
Don't scare us with "regrets". I also thought you fried the sensor. I drove 35 min. north from Louisville to Scottsburg, IND. Had my 100-400 with 1.4TC on my Z8 and my 180-600 on my Zf. My regret was not going far enough north. Totality was only 1 min. and 4 sec. where I was. I'm just a rookie hobbyist and too slow at removing the NISI screw on solar filter and adjusting the settings so I just watched Totality with my solar glasses. We did see the "shadow band" move across the white gravel parking lot. My next investment will be the Kase magnetic filter kit. Like you, I also got about 35 shots with thin clouds rolling through that look awsome.
Thank you! I didn’t mean to make everyone think that I fried my sensor. If you are going to get some Kase filters, make sure to use my link and coupon code so you can save 10%!
Where I live we had around 95% totality. I have a Sony SLT-A57 and a Sony 75-300 which gave me a focal length very similar to yours. All I have for an ND filter is an 8 stop. However then I remembered I have an pair old (1970's) welding goggles. They have removeable lenses so I took those out and just laid one on top of the ND filter and it worked great. Nice vid and enjoy your trip to Aussie! lol
That is really cool that you thought to use the lenses from the welding goggles!
NASA hosted a yTube event showing the path of Totality from Mexico, thru the US, all the way up to Canada. The Diamond Ring, just before and after Totality was really special. So even though I didn't get to see it in person, I am South of you and it Rained all day, watching it on Ytube the NASA event was still special.
The next one in the US will be like in 2045. In Europe, a couple years as you stated. Good job on the photos. Question, since during Totality one can look directly at the Eclipse, would a filter even be needed during that Timeframe? Certainly needed before and after Totality. Also, the Planets Jupiter and at least 1 other was also visible during Totality. Plus how the Birds and insects starting behaving during Totality was pretty cool.
Thank you! You are correct. No filters needed during totality. My friend David traveled to totality without filters and only made shots during totality.
That's what I used too . A 10 stop and 6 stop K&F magnetic filter plus I left my UV filter on and it was fine. I knew it would work because I did the same in 2017. Not sure why some insisted you had to use a special solar filter. My longest lens was my Sigma 100-400 on my Z50. We drove 2 1/2 hours to north central Ohio to watch it and it was the most incredible experience of my life. Totality lasted 3 1/2 minutes. I only wish I had taken a couple wide shots of the scene and had a put my phone on a tripod and recorded video of the whole scene as it unfolded but oh well. A total eclipse comes dead center through our town in 2099 so I need to stay alive for that.
That's a great idea to also have a UV filter in the stack. I don't know why I didn't think of that.
Nice shot Phil! It was cloudy where I live last Monday and so we were shut out. But I did drive for three days down to Idaho back in August 2017 and was pretty much on the centre line of totality for 2m10s! What an experience! I'll never forget it. And I managed to get a few photos too! 😊
At least you got the shot Phil
I've taken partial eclipses here in Ireland on two different occasions but I cannot find them 😱
Thanks so much Phil for sharing another wonderful video like always 👍
Thank you!
Very nice!!!
Thank you!