To Point at the Sun or Not to Point at the Sun

K

kledster

Active member
ok, let this be the definitive "can i point my XH A1 at the sun without it exploding" thread :)


pointing at the sun is like staring into it with your own eye.. no good can come from it. but apparently some cameras are more immune to it than others. i've heard many mixed opinions from scattered sources so i thought i'd ask you guys about it.

anyone have personal experience (especially with long durations i.e. timelapse) with pointing at the sun? did you use any UV filters? if so, which one/s? have you seen any negative side effects?
 
You need ND filter, not UV filter. A strong enough filter will do the trick, but do you really want to risk your $3000 camera? I can't think of any shots that you can't get by just pointing slightly away from it.
 
Assuming 6 on a clock is your horizon, then its fairly safe to shoot between 4 and 8 positions. I have shot at the sun with it at about 2 with no ill effect, but would seriously hate to tell someone else yeah go ahead and they have to pay a heavy price.
 
Depending on your composition, folks like Sofia Coppola have officially burnt me out on the whole shooting into the sun trend. So even if it doesn't ruin your camera, it may result in an unmotivated gimmick. :D
 
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