PDP
New member
There are a few other threads on shooting the eclipse, but I am looking for some specific and more advanced technical advice so started this new one.
I have shot the total solar eclipse in 2017 with success using my DSLR but the Z9 offers many new tools I hope to employ to optimize efficiency during the key transitions. The less time I spend futzing with settings, the more time afforded to observe without the added stress of shooting. For those with experience with eclipse photography, you know partial phase shooting (with appropriate solar filter) is easy with plenty of time to adjust exposure settings. But between the last minute before 2nd contact through a minute after 3rd contact it gets crazy with vastly different settings needed to capture Bailey's beads through extended corona shots (see https://www.mreclipse.com/SEphoto/SEphoto.html).
As I get ready to pop off my solar filter, and need to quickly sequence through changing settings was thinking of setting up the four menu banks on the Z9 ahead of time for rapid switching during those transitions. For any of you with experience or who have already been thinking along the same lines and planning, I would welcome advice for how to set them up.
Also, I would like to preset bracketing to allow for the exposure mistakes that are inevitable in this novel situation. Need to get it right the first time since do overs are not an option. I don't have much experience with bracketing in general let alone the uniquely wide dynamic range to be dealt with here. How would you do it?
I am planning on using the Z400 TC 2.8 wide open in FX mode with the Z9 set at base ISO of 64 for the wide shots and the TC encaged for the narrower field of view to capture the prominences, solar flares and close in corona (so 560mm and f4 for most of those shots).
For anyone following this thread without prior eclipse experience who will be doing this for the first time, trust me, this preparation will be rewarded with more keepers.
I have shot the total solar eclipse in 2017 with success using my DSLR but the Z9 offers many new tools I hope to employ to optimize efficiency during the key transitions. The less time I spend futzing with settings, the more time afforded to observe without the added stress of shooting. For those with experience with eclipse photography, you know partial phase shooting (with appropriate solar filter) is easy with plenty of time to adjust exposure settings. But between the last minute before 2nd contact through a minute after 3rd contact it gets crazy with vastly different settings needed to capture Bailey's beads through extended corona shots (see https://www.mreclipse.com/SEphoto/SEphoto.html).
As I get ready to pop off my solar filter, and need to quickly sequence through changing settings was thinking of setting up the four menu banks on the Z9 ahead of time for rapid switching during those transitions. For any of you with experience or who have already been thinking along the same lines and planning, I would welcome advice for how to set them up.
Also, I would like to preset bracketing to allow for the exposure mistakes that are inevitable in this novel situation. Need to get it right the first time since do overs are not an option. I don't have much experience with bracketing in general let alone the uniquely wide dynamic range to be dealt with here. How would you do it?
I am planning on using the Z400 TC 2.8 wide open in FX mode with the Z9 set at base ISO of 64 for the wide shots and the TC encaged for the narrower field of view to capture the prominences, solar flares and close in corona (so 560mm and f4 for most of those shots).
For anyone following this thread without prior eclipse experience who will be doing this for the first time, trust me, this preparation will be rewarded with more keepers.