Am I gonna be able to capture this with my G12 or is it completely hopeless?

What focal length is your longest lens?
How much detail are you looking for?
Will the sun actually be visible to you?

Mark

I think the last question is pertinent.

To photograph the sun, you need to project the image of the sun onto a surface and photograph that. You can, and will, bork your eyes and equipment if you point it at the sun.

Here are my shots from the last transit.

http://www.paulscrapbook.com/2004/venuspassage.html

I've photographed the setting sun and while I did have spots before my eyes for a while afterwards, my equipment that I used is fine.

Mark

140mm - I've bugger all idea whether it will capture a projected image or not. At the moment this is all just fanciful thinking.


A little black blob on a yellow/white blob.


Dunno. It's supposed to be tomorrow morning when the 3rd and 4th contacts will be visible (ie not during night). Obviously cloud cover etc will play a big part.

The others have said useful stuff.

If you have a clear view to the east at sunrise (it's going to be happening about 4.50am if I recall), how about using a bit of card with a pinhole in it to project the sun onto a surface of some kind. Photographing that might be easier, and require less complex equipment like solar filters and so on.

I don't actually think the G12's zoom will give a solar disc of sufficient size to actually see anything worthwhile, and you might end up wrecking the camera in the process.

I suspect you'll need something a little better than that to get anything decent enough from the endeavour.
I was reading the other day that at least 500mm would be the minimum focal length required. I'd probably go with that, as the last time I shot the sun with my 300mm lens it didn't give me nearly a close enough image of the sun's disc.
Still, if the sun was visible to me tomorrow I'd be wanting to try at the very least.

Mark

Oh hai there faster poster than me. (8+)

Mark

Yeah I figured it'd have been a wasted attempt. I wasn't planning on pointing my camera at the sun but was going to use a pinhole to project the image.

Frustrating that I need a better camera and lens so I can photo the sky but it would remain ignored and untouched for the rest of the time.

Just remember... if you're going to take pictures of the sun it's always safer to do it at night.

Sorry. I could have resisted, but I chose not to.

There's more chance of me seeing Nessie than there is the transit given the amount of cloud cover.

D90 with a 80-200mm @ 200mm, f/22, 1/4000, lowest iso setting.

Oh yes, and a Mk I Cloud Filter.



The lens is secondhand and is old and cheap. Looks like I might have an issue with the diaphragm blades going by this picture. I did manage to take a few shots with a 105mm lens, but that would have required even more cropping.