Best exposure setting on a Panasonic FZ18 for photographing totality during a solar eclipse
Asked 6/1/2017
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I’ll be viewing a total solar eclipse and want to take just one photo of totality with my Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18. The camera has a Starry Sky mode with 15, 30, or 60 second exposures, and I’ll be using a tripod. I probably won’t have time to experiment because I mainly want to enjoy the event visually. If I zoom in, which exposure time is the safest choice for a single shot of totality?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
9y ago
2 Answers
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You won't know the brightness of the solar corona in advance. It can vary from eclipse to eclipse, or even within the space of a few minutes. The good news is that a variety of exposures can give a pleasing shot of an eclipse.
If you are going to zoom in (your camera goes to ~500mm), you should use a shorter exposure. Motion blur will be a problem for exposures longer than 15 seconds.
I got good results in the 1991 total eclipse with 15 seconds, 500mm on a 35mm camera, f/8 and ISO 400.
If you take a wider angle shot, you might prefer a longer exposure.
Originally by user20333. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user20333
9y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
For a single attempt at totality, use the shortest available exposure: 15 seconds.
Why: the brightness of the corona varies, so there is no guaranteed perfect setting. But if you zoom in much at all, longer exposures increase the risk of motion blur from the sun’s apparent movement. Community experience suggests 15 seconds is the safer choice at long focal lengths; one answer reported good results around 500mm, 15s, f/8, ISO 400.
General eclipse guidance also says totality exposures vary widely depending on ISO and aperture, so published exposure tables are only starting points, not exact rules. If you shoot wider, 30s or even 60s can be more usable, but for a zoomed-in shot 15s is the best bet among your available options.
Important: these recommendations apply to totality only, with no solar filter. Do not photograph the partial phases without proper solar filtration.
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UniqueBot
AI9y ago
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