A couple of notes about using a digital camera:

1. Turn off the review mode where the image is flashed on the LCD for a second or two. Those seconds add up during totality!

2. Turn off the video display altogether unless you are using it for focus. If using it to focus and set the frame of the shot you should inform your immediate neighbors about the light nuisance you will be making well ahead of time. The light from the LCD will cause problems for anyone doing longer exposures with a wide angle camera set up behind you.

3. Set infinite or manual focus mode. Automatic focus does not stand a chance at getting it right. You will need to override the focusing system and set it to infinity.

4. Use manual exposure settings and run a range of exposures. If your camera has the memory available the best thing is to take more than one shot at each exposure setting.

5. Set your camera to the maximum resolution or quality.

6. For cameras with built in lens systems, use optical zoom and not the digital zoom.

Selecting a digital camera for eclipse photography

Digital cameras are the standard these days. Although film will produce a finer image of a total solar eclipse, digital cameras are more than suitable. The primary differences between a picture of an eclipse taken with film versus a digital camera are the depth of the color, faster light gathering, the frequency of picture taking, and internal reflections/chip overloads.

The key feature to consider when purchasing a digital camera for eclipse photography is the depth of shading the electronic camera supports. The depth of shading is how many levels of a particular color can be stored. Cameras support millions of colors but may not always support the same shade depth. It is this feature that often produces a more vibrant picture in one camera over another. Color depth is often expressed in bits. Each bit provides an order of magnitude more data. An eight bit depth supports 256 color levels compared to one with 12 bits of depth supporting 4096 color shades. The number of theoretical color shades is two raised to the number of bits. Ideally you want as many as possible.

Small digital cameras can produce eclipse images but the size of the image will be small when compared to digital cameras that can be attached to larger lenses and telescopes. It is recommended to use the optical zoom feature of a camera only. Digital zoom and other image enhancements are best accomplished at the computer after the event.

Digital camcorders with snap shots work pretty well. Although in our experience the video is still more fun since it captures the sounds and shows the dynamic event as it unfolds. When shooting with a video recorder the quality of the image is not nearly as important as the quality of the surrounding sounds in most cases.

The faster light gathering and frequency of picture taking when using a digital camera versus a film camera requires some minor adjustments in thinking. To take advantage of the faster picture taking you may have to set the camera in a burst type mode and turn off all the review features. Where as a film camera has to be advanced (manually or mechanically) a digital camera only needs to move the data from the chip to memory. Some cameras do this faster than others with some providing buffers for maximum through put of a few pictures, then a delay, then another burst opportunity. A hidden advantage of digital is that the movement of the image is electrical and does not involve any mechanical items. Thus there is no vibration as a result.

Internal refections of cameras and optics are a problem with all image recording devices, film included. But digital cameras have additional sources of internal reflections that may cause a problem during the very high contrast diamond ring. I recommend using as short an exposure as possible for this part of the eclipse to minimize reflections for all forms of recording devices.