Planning on watching the solar eclipse that will take place later today? Excitement about the event, which is the most complete solar eclipse we will see until 2090, is high. Instagram and TikTok are bound to be full of photos and videos of the event.
But if you are planning on capturing it on camera, you need to take precautions — or risk damaging your camera or phone permanently.
Like your eyes, your photographic equipment also needs protection. Pointing a camera directly at the sun during an eclipse is only safe during totality, when the sun is completely covered by the moon. In Ireland, we will only have a partial eclipse, with coverage ranging from 94 per cent in the north to almost 97 per cent in the far southwest.
That means you will need to be careful when taking photos or videos of the eclipse.
RM Block
[ Solar eclipse in Ireland: When to watch, where to go and how to protect your eyesOpens in new window ]
What kind of damage are we talking about?
Camera lenses act like magnifying glasses, focusing light onto the sensor. The longer you point the camera at the sun, or the more you zoom in, the greater the chance of damage.
At the very least, pointing your camera or phone directly at the sun, even for a brief period, could cause the device to overheat and shut down. Point it at the sun for longer periods, or while using a telephoto lens, and at worst, you could damage the sensor, giving you dead pixels as the photodiodes in the sensor fail. That means black spots on your photos and videos that aren’t going away.
Even though most of the sun will be covered by the eclipse, that small portion that remains visible could still cause some damage.
Opinion is divided on whether a quick snap or two could permanently damage the smaller sensor in a smartphone. But given the cost of smartphones these days, is it really worth the risk to test the theory?
What equipment do I need?
Nasa has some advice for people who want to capture a solar eclipse: use a filter. On a digital SLR camera, or if you plan to take extended footage, you will need a special solar filter to protect the camera that conforms to the ISO 12312-2:2015 standard, which also applies to eclipse glasses.
If you are using your phone though, you can fashion one from a set of eclipse glasses - assuming you have spares - cutting it out from the cardboard frame and covering the camera lens completely.
Any other advice?
A tripod will help with getting clearer images in lower light, and using a timer or delayed shutter release setting on your phone will eliminate any blur caused by pressing the capture button.
Experts also recommend changing the phone camera to manual mode, so you can control exposure and aperture, and using optical zoom rather than digital to get the best quality image possible.
And it goes without saying, don’t look at the eclipse without protecting your eyes - even if it is through the lens of a camera.
