Do not use auto-exposure or auto-focus for the eclipse. Manually focus the lens (you can use your solar filter to do that) and leave it (some people will tape the focus ring to make sure it isn’t bumped during the eclipse).
Getting the full solar corona will require about 12-13 stops of bracketed exposures. Those would be merged via HDR combination. If you want to capture “earthshine” on the Moon (see features of the dark side of the Moon) then you have to over-expose by 14 stops.
The Sun will move by about 1° during the roughly 4 minutes of totality (if you are on or near the centerline). The Sun/Moon has an angular width of about 1/2° from edge to edge. This means it will move roughly 2x its diameter.
I use a tracking mount … my camera will “track” the Sun and Moon during the eclipse and keep it centered. But if you do not have a tracking mount, you want the Sun to start a little left of the center of your frame and move a little right to the center of your frame. Depending on where you live it *might* appear to move down and to the right (it will move to the right … how much it moves “down” depends on where you live. It might not move “down” very much).
IF you have a mac laptop, you can use “Capture Eclipse” (you can find it on the Mac App Store). It’s free. If you are windows I do not know of a solution that supports Canon EOS “R” camera bodies. “Eclipse Orchestrator” runs on windows … and it does support Canon bodies, but I’m not sure if it supports “R” series bodies. The capture software will create a script with recommended exposures.
If you do not have any software to automate the capture … I don’t recommend trying to do eclipse photography manually. The exposures change rapidly … your head will be staring at the back of the camera body and you’ll miss all the fun. I fully automate the capture … my computer runs the camera (I only have to take the filters off and on) and I get to enjoy the eclipse with everyone else.
It’s a good idea to own a USB connected GPS supported by the software. This will help the software set the capture times so precisely that you’ll capture nice eclipse phenomena such as the Bailey’s Beads effect, the Diamond Ring effect, etc. and then it will start the bracketed capture feature for the full extent of the Sun’s corona.
About 15 minutes before totality, check your batteries and memory card and swap them if needed. Double-check framing and focus. The entire duration will take about 3 hours. Totality is around 4 minutes (a little longer to the south … and a little shorter in the north).
Take the solar filter off the camera about 20 seconds before totality but DO NOT LOOK THROUGH THE CAMERA once the filter is off. It is ONLY safe to look at the Sun when the Moon completely blocks the Sun (during totality). After totality, … once the software captures the Bailey’s Beads and Diamond Ring after 3rd Contact, put the solar filter back on (within 20 seconds).
Tim Campbell
5D III, 5D IV, 60Da
