• 06-09-2004, 06:04 AM
    Speed
    4 Attachment(s)
    Venus Transit Photo's - Volume 1
    These were taken with the Coolpix 5700. I had it mounted on my tripod, beside my Celestron. The first shot is of the sun when it first broke through the fog. The next three shots show the disk of Venus on the sun's surface. I really like the clouds in front of the sun on these.

    BTW, the light level was so low, I didn't use any filter on the Coolpix. I just cranked the apeture up to f8 and shot. Before anyone spazes on me, the sunlight was less intense than the full moon. The fog and clouds greatly dimished the light. Trust me, I am not going to do anything to ruin my eyesight!

    Oh yeah, I shot three rolls of Superia Xtra 400 through the Nikon/Celestron. I'm going to get those developed today, so hopefully, I'll get some of those shots up tomorrow.
  • 06-09-2004, 06:09 AM
    another view
    Cool - if anyone shot it I figured you would! The CP5700 is about a 300mm equivalent if I remember, so you just shot it with no special technique - as in no filter as you mentioned?
  • 06-09-2004, 06:29 AM
    Speed
    No Special Techniques At All
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by another view
    Cool - if anyone shot it I figured you would! The CP5700 is about a 300mm equivalent if I remember, so you just shot it with no special technique - as in no filter as you mentioned?

    I just cranked it up to f8, then zoomed it all the way up (280mm - 35mm equivalent). The apeture actually drops to f7.4 when you run the zoom up. A function of the way compact digital's work.

    I wasn't sure what I would get with the Coolpix 5700. Digital is NOT the same as film. Moon shots require longer exposures for the same apeture. Makes no sense to me, but I've taken enough shots with my N80 and with the Coolpix to have seen the difference. It's not much, but there is a difference. Overall, I was happy with what I got with the Coolpix yesterday. I loved the clouds over the sun's surface. Made for a cool shot IMHO.
  • 06-09-2004, 06:53 AM
    another view
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Speed
    Digital is NOT the same as film.
    I agree. Interesting to hear your experiences but I have no explaination for why. I'd guess it would be the other way around due to reciprocity failure, but maybe your shutter speeds aren't long enough to matter. Maybe different metering patterns in the camera?

    Thanks for the reply on the other question, I'll see about an ND400.
  • 06-09-2004, 07:05 AM
    megan
    Amazing
    How small Venus looks against the huge sun!
    Great shots.

    Megan
  • 06-09-2004, 09:51 AM
    Sebastian
    Very nice Rob! Check these out.
  • 06-09-2004, 10:34 AM
    Old Timer
    Very nice..
    Very nice shots. It is great to have a someone in the know about these subject onboard here at PR. Thanks for posting and thanks for the continued updates and info. Looking forward to the N80 shots.
  • 06-09-2004, 11:05 AM
    Ultra Magnus
    I watched about 1 minute of a news broadcast yesterday talking about this. the reporter commented on how small venus looked in front of the sun, but in reality it is a LOT smaller (the astronomer expert guy he was interviewing explained). Venus a far closer to us than the sun is, so in perspective, it appears larger.
  • 06-09-2004, 11:36 AM
    Chunk
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Sebastian
    Very nice Rob! Check these out.
    ...or these.
    http://science.nasa.gov/spaceweather...un04_page6.htm

    I think Speed's pic is better than most of these I like the clouds and the fact that they are unfiltered. Nice work.
  • 06-09-2004, 02:41 PM
    kkraczek
    Hey Speed, I saw this image on our local paper's website and thought you'd like it. Proper credit for this photo goes to JIM TILLER of the Daytona Beach News-Journal. Enjoy! :)

    Edit: Oops, forgot to post the link! http://web.tcpalm.com/photos/2004/06...nphotos/02.jpg
  • 06-09-2004, 08:07 PM
    coloradoamigo
    Great Shots Robert.
    I had no idea you would be able to get pics like that using just a digicam P&S. No Scope or nothing. Impressive!!
    Brian
  • 06-10-2004, 05:36 AM
    Speed
    Thanks Seb
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Sebastian
    Very nice Rob! Check these out.

    I hope to have more shots to post this afternoon. Those will be the ones taken through the Celestron. I shot three rolls of film - surely I've got something worth showing! :-O

    Thanks for the link as well.
  • 06-10-2004, 05:42 AM
    Speed
    Thank You Chunk
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Chunk
    ...or these.
    http://science.nasa.gov/spaceweather...un04_page6.htm

    I think Speed's pic is better than most of these I like the clouds and the fact that they are unfiltered. Nice work.
    Very kind of you to say such nice things. I noticed on one of the links, they touted that this was the first transit to use Hydrogen Alpha filters. Hydrogen Alpha filters let you see the wavelengths that show the solar flares, coronal loops, etc. Very cool, but they run over $1000!!!! Too rich for my blood! :-O
  • 06-10-2004, 05:46 AM
    Speed
    Thanks O.T.
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Old Timer
    Very nice shots. It is great to have a someone in the know about these subject onboard here at PR. Thanks for posting and thanks for the continued updates and info. Looking forward to the N80 shots.

    I appreciate the comments! I've been into astronomy since I was 12. Ouch! That's 30 years!!! Geez, that sounds like I'm getting OLD! Hopefully, I've learned a couple of things over those years. Now, I get to share that interest with the PR family. Glad you find it interesting.
  • 06-10-2004, 05:48 AM
    Speed
    Thanks Kristin
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by kkraczek
    Hey Speed, I saw this image on our local paper's website and thought you'd like it. Proper credit for this photo goes to JIM TILLER of the Daytona Beach News-Journal. Enjoy! :)

    Edit: Oops, forgot to post the link! http://web.tcpalm.com/photos/2004/06...nphotos/02.jpg

    That is an incredible shot! I've always said there are times I'd rather be lucky than good. That has got to be one of the all time lucky shots! Thanks for sharing that one with us.
  • 06-10-2004, 05:58 AM
    Speed
    1 Attachment(s)
    Hey Amigo!
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by coloradoamigo
    I had no idea you would be able to get pics like that using just a digicam P&S. No Scope or nothing. Impressive!!
    Brian
    Sorry you missed the transit! I guess we should have had a Transit Photogathering in North Carolina. Honestly, I was sweating the weather, and looking at shots in the links here, and others that I've seen, most of the world watched the transit through clouds.

    The Coolpix 5700 is an impressive piece of equipment! I am dying to get a larger memory card for it. It also makes me think that a D70 is definitely in my future.

    I set the 5700 on my tripod beside my Celestron, and shot away. As the sun got higher, the disk of Venus was washed away in the glare, but I kept shooting intermittedly to see what I would get. And I really liked the clouds across the sun. Cool effect.

    Here's what the weather looked like at the end of the transit. We missed the last 10 minutes of the transit because of clouds, but I did get off a couple of frames at the very end - shooting through a hole in the clouds. Overall, I was very happy with what I got. Perseverence pays off!
  • 06-10-2004, 06:02 AM
    Speed
    A Couple More Links Of The Transit
    Thought I'd post a couple of links to the transit as well.

    Sky and Telescope has a great website, and I get the majority of my current events information from them. Hope you enjoy these.

    http://skyandtelescope.com/news/article_1277_1.asp

    http://skyandtelescope.com/news/article_1276_1.asp