the definitive guide to photograph it with your smartphone without ruining the camera

The experience of seeing a solar eclipse is something unique; given that, unless we decide to travel the world in search of itWe have very few opportunities in life. Therefore, it is not strange that everyone wants to photograph it. In the past, it was something that was only in the hands of a few scientists and astrophotography experts. However, with the widespread use of mobile phones, today we all carry a camera constantly in our pockets. It is the reason why many people will want photograph the solar eclipse this August 12 with their smartphones.

It may seem like something simple. You take your cell phone, point it at the sky and take the photo. However, it is a much more complex process, requiring both security measures and basic knowledge about photography. And also, if possible, some gadgets that will make the process much easier. Therefore, if you are considering photographing the solar eclipse with your mobile phone, pay attention to this small guide.

Maybe it’s not a good idea

Before mentioning how you should photograph a solar eclipse with your mobile phone, it is important to keep in mind that most experts recommend don’t do it. Neither with the cell phone nor with a professional camera. The total eclipse on August 12 will last a couple of minutes at best. The longest eclipses in history They have not extended much beyond 7 minutesand yet they are scarce. They are usually very short.. Therefore, if we spend those few minutes behind the lens of a camera, we may not enjoy the experience.

Experts often recommend enjoying the first eclipse by looking directly at it. Then, if you see more, you might consider taking photos. Now, if you are clear that images are going to be an important part of the experience for you, there is nothing wrong with taking them. As long as you do it with caution.

The solar eclipse can damage your eyes and your phone!

At this point, everyone (or almost everyone) We are clear about the importance of using approved glasses to look at the sun during a solar eclipse. However, we can make the mistake of thinking that if we look through a lens, our sight is protected. This is not true, in fact, if it expands our vision of the sun, it can also magnify the damage to our eyes.

That’s why, it is important to use filters Suitable for the objectives and lenses of telescopes, cameras and binoculars. Now, if what we want is to photograph the solar eclipse with our mobile phone, our eyes are not in the same danger. If we look at the Sun on the mobile screen, there is no risk, since we are not looking directly through the lens and the screen does not emit a harmful glare. However, The image sensors of the mobile camera can deteriorate.

This is because these cameras are prepared to take images of the sun in the background of a landscape or directly at times of weak lighting, such as sunrise or sunset. However, their sensors are not adapted to the illumination they receive when landing directly on the Sun at a time of higher illumination, especially if it is done for a long time. And of course, to take a good photo of the Sun, a good exposure is important. A quick click is not enough.

Tips for photographing the solar eclipse with your mobile phone

We have already seen that the first thing we must do to photograph the solar eclipse with our mobile phone is protect the camera. There are specific filterswhich are a very good option. Now, if we don’t want to spend money, we can opt for something more rudimentary, such as placing approved glasses directly in front of the lens. You can even cut one of the two lenses of glasses and glue it in front of the lens. The result will not be as good as with a specific fultro, but we will be able to get by.

Once the sensors are protected (and our eyes if we look through a lens), we must take into account the parameters at which it is best to take the photograph. From NASA recommend use a fixed aperture of f/8 to f/16 and try shutter speeds between 1/1000 and 1/4 second to find the optimal setting. That would be for the partial phases of the eclipse.

On the other hand, during totality, the corona has a wide range of brightness, so they recommend using a fixed aperture and an exposure range that goes from approximately 1/1000 to 1 second. Of course, during totality the Sun is completely covered, so the camera filter can now be removed. It can and it should, since if we don’t do it we won’t see the solar corona well.

However, the colleagues of Xataka Mobile They clarify that this is useful for cameras, but not for mobile phones. In case we are clear that we want to take the photo with our mobile phone, the best option is to do it automatically and follow some basic tips.

• Shoot at full resolution: Many current mobile phones have sensors of 50 and even 200 megapixels and manufacturers usually offer a shooting mode to take photos at maximum resolution. If your mobile phone has it, activate it since you will be able to have a huge image from which you can take a crop with very good quality
• Use optical zoom: Find out what the optical zoom of your mobile phone is and don’t go beyond that. If the maximum zoom is 3x, then shoot at 3x. This way you ensure that the quality will not worsen when using digital zoom.

What are the best gadgets?

We can try to see the eclipse directly and take photos at the same time. For this, it can be useful to have a remote control that operates the camera. Furthermore, if we take the photo with our mobile phone, in most cases the Sun will only be seen as a yellow dot. You can use a telephoto lens, although, generally, the universal ones that work for any mobile phone are not usually a great option. On the other hand, there are mobile phones like OPPO Find X9 Pro and X9 Ultra and Vivo X300 Pro and X300 Ultra which include very good telephoto lenses. Be that as it may, if a telephoto lens is added, as we have already seen at the beginning, the lens would have to be protected with a filter.

Of course, if we want even better results, we can use a telescope and attach the mobile phone to it. This can be done by holding the phone in your hand, although we would need a perfect pulse. Therefore, it is usually better to use supports, which can be purchased or even 3D printing. With this solar eclipse, many people are taking their first steps with 3D printers simply to be able to manufacture these gadgets.

look around you

If we don’t have a telescope or a 3D printer and our cell phone doesn’t take the best photos of the universe either, we can always capture the changes that occur around us on the occasion of the solar eclipse.

For example, something very beautiful are the crescent-shaped shadows that are generated on the ground, under the trees. It occurs during the partial phase, which is much longer than totality, so you can take advantage of it to take photos of the landscape throughout that time and then, during totality, focus only on looking. You choose how to enjoy the eclipse. Whatever you decide, it will be a good option as long as you do it with the right protection. That is indisputable.

Image | Magnific/Wikimedia Commons

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