Note: I'm asking about using a Infrared Blocking ND filter, not a regular ND filter.
I'm plan to use a Canon SX60 super-zoom bridge camera.
All it has is an Electronic View Finder and Live View, so I'd be safe as far as my eyesight.
I ran across a recommendation that this would work, but I can't find the recommendation now so I'm concerned if it will damage my camera.
Thanks for any recommendations. -Neil
This filter is not fundamentally different than other ND filters. It is a ND filter in the optical range, that just happens to extend its cutoff frequency further into the IR range than "typical" ND filters. The purpose is to prevent some color problems caused by near-IR. This filter is not a solar imaging filter any more than a Lee Big Stopper is.
So, given that a IRND filter is just an optimization of a ND filter for optical color-cast purposes, can you use a 10-stop ND filter to photograph the eclipse? Yes, you can. But considering the sun is about 16–17 stops brighter than nominal exposure, you'll still need to cut an additional 6–7 stops beyond what your ND filter will handle. Stopping down substantially, you should be able to produce decent images.
However, there is a risk of damaging your sensor. In addition to the intensity of light in the the IR and visible light spectra, the sun emits a lot of UV energy as well. The damage might not be catastrophic (I'd go so far to say that it probably won't be), but it's possible that you can cause some damage to the light sensitivity of the sensor, or perhaps damaging the phase-detection autofocusing sensor, etc.
The following questions address these issues:
The ten stop ND reduces the light level 1/1024 or 0.001 of its intensity. In my opinion this is not enough density to fully protect the human eye from harm. Suggest you play it safe and procure eclipse eye protection for yourself. The 10 ND might be OK for the camera, use at your own risk.
