The solar filter for my 300 f/2.8 came in. I've got it & played with it a bit.
Main thing I noticed was how far down the learning curve I am. Second thing I noticed is there's a lot of "information" out on the web on photographing eclipses and not a single damn one of them tells you anything about the filter factor for a full aperture glass solar filter. I'm glad I didn't wait any longer to get the filter and start practicing. Third thing I noticed, I'm going to have get a pair of vice grips to use on the lever that "locks" the tilt on my new fluid-mount pan/tilt head. As tight as I can make it with just my hand is not enough to keep the camera from creeping. Fourth thing - Someone asked about using welding goggles or helmet for viewing the eclipse. My old welding helmet has M-10-11 glass in it which I think translates into a #10 tint. That's not dark enough. Even a split second looking at the sun through it left an after-image. I don't think I looked long enough to damage my eyes, but it wasn't comfortable. I found out all I need to know & I won't do that again. According to sites I've looked at on the internet you need at least a #14 tint. -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
