Re: [APML] Transit exposure help

[astropix@att.net (Geoff Powers)]

 Hello...

     Perhaps this is too late for those 'chasing' the transit toward eastern skies... I've just been working my butt off with warm weather here... weekends inclusive.

     While my 'home page' is certainly no indication, I've actually done a considerable number of unfiltered sunrise/sunset shots over the past decade or so. Jerry's advice is definitely worth it's salt... based on my own experiences.

     His points concerning image scale are paramount. Venus will be quite small without lotsa' focal length. Print film will give the best performance... undoubtedly. Regardless of the quality of your optics, internal reflections *will* be an issue as well, until you put a filter on the optics. Faster films will help to 'freeze' the seeing, filtered or not.

     During the multitude of various local sky conditions, the light meter is your best friend for these unfiltered, horizon shots. I use the camera's 'stopped-down' metering function, scan the scene, average the meter readings, and bracket 2 stops either side of this average.

     I also carry a #6 welders lens (approx. ND2) and a #14 (approx. ND5) to protect my eyes while framing/metering these shots through the focus screen/view finder... not to mention my trusty RayBan 'Wayfarers'... you only get one set of peeps!

     I went through my archived negs, and grabbed the first one of these shots I came to... see it here:

      http://home.att.net/~astropix/sunset_1.html

... no notes on this one, but it seems to be straight off the meter, based on the bracket sequence. The film was ISO 25 Kodak 'Royal Gold' color negative... long since discontinued.

 Good Luck To All For The Transit !!! :o)


--
Geoff 

http://home.att.net/~astropix/


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