How not to damage CMOS sensors with strong light.

[dr_eyehead]

Before I go pointing this thing (Nikon D3200) at the sun doing landscapes and causing transistor matrix genocide, what important things must a novice DSLRer consider?

I'd guess pointing it directly at the sun is a no, but is it ok to point it away from the sun and have the sun in view?

Is there a maximum aperture/exposure for this kind of thing/general rule of thumb?

Do I need to invest in a filter?

 

[SteveH]

You can take shots in to the sun, no problem. If you go for F22, you can often get the "star" effect too.

I find it helps to use live-view directly into the sun, as it can be uncomfortable looking through the viewfinder.

 

[dr_eyehead]

It says in the manual to avoid pointing directly at the sun, but can the sun be in view without using filters? Small apertures then. Didn't realise that's what caused the star effect, achieved this by accident on my P&S a few times.

 

[SteveH]

Well, if you point directly at the sun, you are going to get a VERY white circle, but if you have, say, and landscape with the sun fairly high in the sky at mid day, you can get a very nice photograph and it won't damage the camera at all.

I wouldn't point the camera with a strong zoom at the sun for too long, like a few minutes as you may find it heats the inside of the lens (Happens with telescopes used for solar astronomy) due to the magnification of the glass.

 

[SteveH]

Well, if you point directly at the sun, you are going to get a VERY white circle, but if you have, say, and landscape with the sun fairly high in the sky at mid day, you can get a very nice photograph and it won't damage the camera at all.

I wouldn't point the camera with a strong zoom at the sun for too long, like a few minutes as you may find it heats the inside of the lens (Happens with telescopes used for solar astronomy) due to the magnification of the glass.

An example of what I mean......