Photographer
Mad Hatter Imagery
Posts: 1669
Buffalo, New York, US
Is there a name for a blanket that blocks sunlight when doing outdoor photography so one can see the view finder better? Like a thing that covers the photographer up?
Are all star trackers just single motors that rotates a camera in direct of earth's rotation? Anything that keeps camera level with horizon yet follows stars, moon, or sun?
Photographer
Rick Oldano Photography
Posts: 57
Pleasanton, California, US
Mad Hatter Imagery wrote:
Is there a name for a blanket that blocks sunlight when doing outdoor photography so one can see the view finder better? Like a thing that covers the photographer up?
Are all star trackers just single motors that rotates a camera in direct of earth's rotation? Anything that keeps camera level with horizon yet follows stars, moon, or sun? In the days of field- and view-cameras, you would use a "focusing cloth" over the camera and your head so you could see the focusing screen on the back of the camera.
When I had my Sinar F, I had a focusing cloth made for me, a thick black material on one side and white on the other. The white side was always to the sun, trying to keep it somewhat cooler under the cloth.
Well, that, and to remind me which side was up. ;-)
Rick
Photographer
The Other Place
Posts: 556
Los Angeles, California, US
Mad Hatter Imagery wrote:
Is there a name for a blanket that blocks sunlight when doing outdoor photography so one can see the view finder better? Like a thing that covers the photographer up? Dark cloth. Focusing cloth.
Mad Hatter Imagery wrote:
Are all star trackers just single motors that rotates a camera in direct of earth's rotation? No. Equatorial mounts rotate the telescope/camera in the exact opposite direction of the Earth's rotation.
Mad Hatter Imagery wrote:
Anything that keeps camera level with horizon yet follows stars, moon, or sun? What are you trying to do?
Photographer
Mad Hatter Imagery
Posts: 1669
Buffalo, New York, US
The Other Place wrote:
Mad Hatter Imagery wrote:
Is there a name for a blanket that blocks sunlight when doing outdoor photography so one can see the view finder better? Like a thing that covers the photographer up? Dark cloth. Focusing cloth.
Mad Hatter Imagery wrote:
Are all star trackers just single motors that rotates a camera in direct of earth's rotation? No. Equatorial mounts rotate the telescope/camera in the exact opposite direction of the Earth's rotation.
What are you trying to do? So yeah just one rotation with star trackers?
I'd like to follow the sun but keep the camera level to the horizon. So I guess move camera to follow its path, but actually turn camera in opposite direction as well so one side of the picture isn't leading the way?
Photographer
The Other Place
Posts: 556
Los Angeles, California, US
Mad Hatter Imagery wrote:
So yeah just one rotation with star trackers? An equitorial mount only rotates on a single axis to follow celestial objects... if that's what you are asking.
Mad Hatter Imagery wrote:
I'd like to follow the sun but keep the camera level to the horizon. So I guess move camera to follow its path, but actually turn camera in opposite direction as well so one side of the picture isn't leading the way? It is still not clear what you are trying to accomplish. The celestial object should stay in the same place in the frame, as long as there are no problems with the equitorial mount nor its alignment.
Are you attempting to make a time lapse video?
How tight will the frame be on the Sun?
Are you exposing for detail on the Sun?
Specific information on what you are trying to accomplish is important, if you want help.
Photographer
Mad Hatter Imagery
Posts: 1669
Buffalo, New York, US
Yes, I want to do timelapse or video of sun going from sunrise to sunset. I assume normal star tracker follows stars as if right side of frame is chasing stars? I basically want camera to rise and pan so the horizon is always flush with bottom of the frame.
Photographer
The Other Place
Posts: 556
Los Angeles, California, US
Mad Hatter Imagery wrote:
Yes, I want to do timelapse or video of sun going from sunrise to sunset. I assume normal star tracker follows stars as if right side of frame is chasing stars? I basically want camera to rise and pan so the horizon is always flush with bottom of the frame. Please answer the other two questions that I asked.
Photographer
alteredstate
Posts: 1924
MONKTON, Maryland, US
You're trying to do two very different things. An equatorial mount or star tracker rotates opposite the earth's rotation at the same speed. There is a different speed for solar system objects and deep space objects. Seems like the former is fine for you.
Remember, these are telescope mounts, and telescopes are round. There is no horizon. As a matter of fact most telescopes reverse the image once or twice before it hits your eyeball. It doesn't matter as there is no up/ down in space.
Any tracking mount is primarily designed around following celestial objects without consideration of the horizon.
Even an Alt-Azimuth mount is not considering the horizon. An equatorial mount is aligned to the north star and swings an arc as it tracks. Alt-Az mounts move left-right/ up down, kinda like an etch a sketch so I don't see either accomplishing what you're describing
Photographer
Mad Hatter Imagery
Posts: 1669
Buffalo, New York, US
The Other Place wrote:
Please answer the other two questions that I asked. I was going to use a wide angle lens in one instance to follow sun from horizon to horizon. No high detail of sun is needed for that. Another instance was going to use telephoto lens and solar filter to watch sunspots over day. That I suppose I can manually adjust to keep in frame and edit together cropped images.
Photographer
The Other Place
Posts: 556
Los Angeles, California, US
Mad Hatter Imagery wrote:
I was going to use a wide angle lens in one instance to follow sun from horizon to horizon. No high detail of sun is needed for that. Another instance was going to use telephoto lens and solar filter to watch sunspots over day. That I suppose I can manually adjust to keep in frame and edit together cropped images. Okay. There are a few ways to achieve what you want. Probably, won't have time to explain until tomorrow.
Photographer
The Other Place
Posts: 556
Los Angeles, California, US
Mad Hatter Imagery wrote:
I was going to use a wide angle lens in one instance to follow sun from horizon to horizon. No high detail of sun is needed for that. Another instance was going to use telephoto lens and solar filter to watch sunspots over day. That I suppose I can manually adjust to keep in frame and edit together cropped images. Not sure if you are going to like a wide angle tracking the Sun with an equatorial mount that also continually shows the ground. The Sun will stay in the same position in the frame while the ground moves up and down.
However, there are a few ways you can do such a tracking, wide angle time lapse.
On the equitorial mount, you could attach a motion tracking mechanism that rolls the camera to keep it level. This method can be expensive and also requires planning and skill.
You could use a medium format camera with a lot of resolution, and center the Sun in the frame. Then, with the time lapse on your NLE timeline (or loaded into a compositor), simply create a cropped frame that stays level with the ground. This may only require setting the frame level at the beginning and at the end of the sequence, and letting the software rotate the frame evenly in between those two points.
Another way would be to use a gimble (non-motorized) with a weight that always keeps the camera level. This method would likely require a lot of trial and error in balancing and alignment that will keep the sun always in the same spot of the frame.
In regards to the telephoto shot, is it actually necessary to keep the camera always level? -- you will only see the ground at sunrise and sunset.
Photographer
Mad Hatter Imagery
Posts: 1669
Buffalo, New York, US
The Other Place wrote:
Not sure if you are going to like a wide angle tracking the Sun with an equatorial mount that also continually shows the ground. The Sun will stay in the same position in the frame while the ground moves up and down.
However, there are a few ways you can do such a tracking, wide angle time lapse.
On the equitorial mount, you could attach a motion tracking mechanism that rolls the camera to keep it level. This method can be expensive and also requires planning and skill.
You could use a medium format camera with a lot of resolution, and center the Sun in the frame. Then, with the time lapse on your NLE timeline (or loaded into a compositor), simply create a cropped frame that stays level with the ground. This may only require setting the frame level at the beginning and at the end of the sequence, and letting the software rotate the frame evenly in between those two points.
Another way would be to use a gimble (non-motorized) with a weight that always keeps the camera level. This method would likely require a lot of trial and error in balancing and alignment that will keep the sun always in the same spot of the frame.
In regards to the telephoto shot, is it actually necessary to keep the camera always level? -- you will only see the ground at sunrise and sunset. No I suppose the telephoto shots don't need to be level.
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